The Ocean’s City

“No! Wait!” I screamed. Dannie was all too happy to leave without even seeing me.

“Not now!” Hutson growled, grabbing my arms in a deadly grasp. The log cabin was changing, becoming longer and more smeared like the time I tried to run from Dalton in the cafe.

My feet couldn’t keep up with his urgency, but that didn’t seem to matter anymore because the floor wasn’t a floor anymore. It was more like nothingness. We were in some odd dysfunctional tunnel and there was light up ahead. It changed and moved like it was being designed and created as we approached it.

We were changing realities, but this time, it was different. This time we weren’t just entering into something that seemed to already be there. We were making something we could be at. No… not me… Hutson.

The blurry images finally became clearer and I could spot a nice tree surrounded by grass and butterflies flying around. It seemed safe and somehow a much smaller realm. Though how could I know that to be true?

We ran to it like hounds escaping to freedom. Our feet barely crossed the threshold to the new realm when an electrocuting wave shot through my body. From my peripherals, I could also see Hutson shake in the same disturbing pain.

The distorted tunnel disappeared into nothingness, then the peaceful scenery of the new realm flashed in a blink of light. Thankfully, the electric waves stopped moving in my body, but then it felt like we were falling into the nothingness. I screamed and Hutson reached for my hand, pulling me into him and taking the fall.

The fall was impactful, but I was thankful there was even a fall. The idea of never ending falling had my heart rate spiking.

There was a Tsk sound that grew louder and echoed around us.

Hutson hurried to his feet and pulled me up with him. He quickly wrapped his arms around me. He was too close for comfort, but it didn’t bother me as much as the sight of a man coming closer to us. He walked on nothing and we stood on nothing. It was just darkness all around. It didn’t even feel like I was standing on anything. I felt lightless.

At first glance at the man walking towards us, I felt immediate relief. Dalton was here!

But the way he carried himself and the way he shook his head, looking absolutely pissed, made me take a double take. His hair was slightly shorter with strands of gray. This man was older.

“Son, you know the rules about companions.” The man chastised. I couldn’t help but to look from Hutson to the man. His father? They looked like they were related but… Why did this man look like almost a clone to Dalton?

“She knows nothing, dad. Let me take the punishment solely.”

The man rubbed his chin, and he paced back and forth. “There’s no need for either of you to be in trouble.” His words had me hoping that he was much kinder than how his sons seemed to think of him. “Just tell me where Dalton has run off to with that girl and you shall be forgiven. Both of you.” He spread the word girl out like it was poison.

“I don’t know where they have gone.”

“Lies!!” their father roared, and somehow the nothingness shook like it was made from a million mirrors reflecting darkness. I jumped, and Hutson pulled me closer to him. He kissed my forehead. I glanced up at him, not understanding the gesture.

“Hmmm, you said she knows nothing, does she?”

“It’s the honest truth, father.”

“Shhhh! Come to me dear.” The man held out his hand, encouraging me to approach.

“You’ll be okay,” Hutson whispered, letting me go.

I moved two led feet towards the man that looked remarkably like Dalton and placed my hand in his. “Name,” He demanded like I was trained to obey him. The disturbing part was my body moved on its own record and it obeyed his request.

“Silvestia,” I spoke like I was far away. I felt like I was possessed and he controlled even the way I answered him.

“Where are we?” His blue eyes, similar to Dalton’s, danced around, observing my features.

“I don’t know.” It forced me to say nothing but the truth. I was already speaking the answer before I thought about it.

“But you know something, don’t you, sweetheart?” The man’s lips twitched as he thought to himself. “Who is Dalton?”

“He is the oldest brother to Hutson.”

“Do you love Hutson?”

“Yes.” Did I love Hutson? I guess I loved him like a brother, maybe, but that was the extent of it.

“What is Hutson?” Hutson’s eyes were on me, so confident that I would say all the right answers. That when I answered, his face fell, realizing we had screwed up.

“He is a creator.”

An eerie wind chime sound shimmered through the nothingness.

I looked around, but I couldn’t see a thing. Staring at the nothingness felt like something could jump at me at any time. Or I would go crazy waiting for something that was never there in the first place.

Hutson’s father made several tsking sounds and shook his head. “I’m sorry, son. She knows too much. I will have to deal with her.”

Hutson roared as he rushed towards me. There was the same deafening clap of thunder like when we were in the desert and He was stuck where he was. He fought the invisible constraints. The eerie sound of wind chimes followed the thunder.

“Let her go! Andrewka!”