Chapter 133: A Drop In The Ocean

Chapter 133: A Drop In The Ocean

Jennys hand slipped out of mine as the swirling wind sent everyone spinning.

There was some screaming, which you might expect, but not from me, which you might not. I was too busy scanning the ocean for signs of my other self.

I wasnt sure what form of time travel this was, but possibly the me that saw us fall was down there watching. Or this could be a completely separate reality.

What would happen if we met up? Would the universe implode?

Or did the fact we didnt meet last time mean we wouldnt meet this time either?

Time travel is nothing but a big headache if you try to figure it out from a scientific point of view. This, however, was a world where magic existed. Unfortunately, that didnt make it any easier to understand.

In any case, I was unable to see a tiny head bobbing in the water. Within a few seconds I was unable to see much of anything. The wind had picked up and the air had turned into a blurred wall that couldnt be seen past.

We were flung in a circle, able to see each other as we flew around our mid-air centrifuge. There was more screaming, this time I may have made a small contribution. There were six of us in all; no sign of Mandy or Cheng.

Everything was happening just as I had witnessed it. I looked straight down and saw the sea rising to meet us. The water was whipped upwards as we were funnelled towards its peak.

As we neared the convergence point, we came together and were in danger of smashing into each other. Jenny grabbed me and Flossie grabbed her. Everyone ended up holding onto some part of the group, creating the worlds ugliest skydiving formation.

We hit the tip of the water, but rather than fall through the middle, we twisted onto the outside and slid down the slope.

The giant waterslide might have been quite fun if I wasnt under everyone with my face half submerged. I pushed hard, sending everyone scattering.

It was still quite a frightening experience, but the screaming had stopped. We all tobogganned along the surface of the spinning water on our backs, the spray making it hard to hear or see anything.

As we skidded off the bottom of the slope, we shot into the sea, down, down until our momentum ran out and we floated there with mouths tightly shut.

For a moment, it felt like we would be stuck there, unable to climb back to the surface, but then everyone started kicking and we rose towards the light.

Six heads popped up one after the other. The mountain of water had been reduced to a hill and was shrinking. It was still spinning, causing us to be tossed around. The black hole in the sky had disappeared.

This was already different to what I had observed from my other position. From that perspective, the water had gone in an instant, whereas here it was slowly receding.

There were shouts of concern, followed by shouts of reassurance as the others swam towards each other.

Where are we? said Claire in between spitting out water. Is this Nekromel?

The water here was much choppier as opposed to the large swells I had experienced before.

I thought it would be all fire and lava, said Maurice. And demons. He coughed and spluttered as a small wave decided to make his mouth its new home.

Do yo think the whole worlds under water? asked Flossie. Like Noahs flood?

The flood in the Bible didnt cover the whole world, said Maurice, struggling to lecture and tread water at the same time. It was just the local area. And he didnt take two of every animal he disappeared for a second, and then came back up gasping for air it was just two of each of his animals. Two goats, two chickens and whatever other livestock he had.

Not even an entire ocean could stop Maurice from correcting other peoples way of thinking..

Did anyone see what happened to Mandy and Cheng? called out Claire.

Ah dont think they jumped, said Flossie.

It wouldnt surprise me if that turned out to be the case. What kind of idiot would leap into a swirling black void just because I told them to?

Yo dont think theyre all dead, do yo?

There was an awkward silence. The truth was we didnt know what had happened, but if Uncle Petes threats were to be believed, the chances of anyone in Monsterland still being alive seemed very slim.

Wondering about questions that were impossible to answer was a waste of time. I had other things on my mind. Judging from the topics preoccupying the others, they hadnt had experienced a time shift the way I had. Or at least, they didnt remember it. I didnt know why only I went through it, but if this was the same world as last time, I had a distinct advantage which I meant to exploit to its fullest. The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

Wait here, Ill be back in a minute, I said and dived without waiting for a response. Where were they going to go?

Contacting Wyndam was a lot easier this time. I called him by name, for a start. The glowing ball of light I created as I swam down lit up his eight eyes as he rose from the depths.

Im sorry, do I know you?

He had no idea who I was, so my theory that I was the only one reliving everything seemed to be right. Once again it made me think of this as a game. Losing a life and then redoing a level is the basic structure of just about every video game. Every time you die, it gets easier. Only, death was not something I wanted to experience again.

Even now, just closing my eyes took me back to that moment of utter darkness and the sound of laughter. I shuddered and focused on getting us a ride.

I told Wyndam Id heard he was a great singer from the depths and he was so chuffed he didnt bother asking where I came across this information.

We made the same deal as before. Knowing what he wanted speeded up the whole process and his reaction to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was exactly the same. He was only too happy to agree to take us to land in exchange for more songs. And this time, I had Flossie with me so I expected things to go even better.

I did wonder if me contracting Wyndam meant the other me would be left stranded at sea, or if he had a Wyndam of his own. The whole thing made my head hurt, so I stopped thinking about it.

When I resurfaced, the others were in a circle holding hands. I half-expected one of them to come shooting up through the middle and hold an elegant pose. My money would be on Dudley.

We saw your light, said Jenny. What were you doing?

Sorting out a ride, I said. Remember, hes friendly. Dont freak out.

Their looks turned from apprehensive to panicked as Wyndam surfaced from beneath us like a nuclear submarine, only more threatening-looking.

There was a lot of whimpering and clinging to each other as we were lifted above the surf on Wyndams back. He eyes along the rim of the carapace swivelled to look at us and the tentacles tangled and untangled at the other end.

Ah, ah stammered Flossie. Ah think he said hello. In mah head.

Colin! What are you doing?!

Dont worry, I said calmly. These people are monsters.

No, Claire screamed even louder, theyre just people.

I walked over to the little boy and roughly pulled him to his feet. He was dazed and didnt resist. I ripped open his jacket, revealing his collection of knives.

See? They would have killed us the first chance they got. Dont be fooled by appearances.

Jenny came to the front of the crowd. She had been watching me intently, I could feel her glare on me.

How did you know?

You mean the daggers?

The daggers, the monster fish, getting us here all of it. Whats going on, Colin? Its like, like...

Like hes been here before, said Maurice. Thats it, isnt it? Youve done all this before.

Yes. I told them what had happened to me the first time around. And how it had ended.

You died? Jennys voice was strained.

Yes, but then I came back, so its fine. But I know what these people had planned. I know what Im doing.

Why couldnt you have just told all of this in the first place? said Claire with her hand in her hair..

It was just easier this way. Explanations would have taken too much time. Which was true, up to a point.

Colin, said Jenny very quietly, which was never a good sign, you just punched a woman and kicked a small child.

In self-defence. I felt quite proud of myself. I knew the dangers and I took care of each of them before they had a chance to act. Round Two, winner: me.

No, said Jenny. They didnt attack you. You attacked them. That isnt self-defence.

But I told you what happened. All I did was beat them to the punch.

Jenny shook her head. No, thats not what you did. You cant convict them of a crime they havent committed yet. You dont know if theyd do the same this time. Its different. Once one thing changes, everything can. Or it might not, but you dont know. And whatevers going to happen, that shouldnt change what you do. How you act isnt down to how others act.

I know that! I shouted, suddenly feeling very angry. But you werent there. They murdered me. They killed me for no reason. The kid, this toddler, he finished me off. They dont deserve any chances. They dont!

I was screaming at her, but Jenny didnt react.

They do. Because youre better than them.

What good is being better if Im dead?

If I may? The high-pitched voice from the back of the group came from Dudley. If you become a monster to defeat a monster, youre only making more monsters. You taught us that, Colin.

They were all looking at me, not with anger or disappointment, but with something far worse. Sympathy.

No! You dont understand, I insisted. You werent there. You didnt feel your heart stop. You didnt The darkness...

Im sorry, said Jenny. Im sorry I wasnt with you.

I wanted to scream and shout and kick and punch. I wanted to fight. Hit something solid, not be smothered in endless blackness.

I dont know what you people are talking about, said the woman on the floor. She had her youngest cradled in her arms. Ive never seen any of you before.

Yes, I hit a woman, but this was different. She was a monster. A mother of monsters. I was nothing like her. Id even checked she wasnt pregnant before punching her in the stomach. Was that what a monster would do?

I felt drained, ready to collapse. Well, Ive met you, and you killed me.

You dont think Id remember that? Youre all crazy.

Nobody understood. They all thought Id gone mad, but they didnt realise the danger we were all in.

What about Jerala? This got her sons attention. Have you told your mother she dumped you?

How do you know Jerala? The boy looked confused. He let go of his arm and it hung limp by his side. All he could do was stare at me. Are you the reason she doesnt want to be with me?

No, Ive never met her. Whatever her reasons, its got nothing to do with me.

Is it true? the mother asked him. Did she break off the engagement? He nodded. She turned back to me. How did you know that?

It doesnt matter. But what are you going to tell him to do about it? Take a knife, right? Find her and kill her. Isnt that it? I had to make the rest of them see we were dealing with killers.

The woman seemed to be thinking it over. Probably. But so what? A little death aint so bad. Not like its permanent.

I was sure I must have misheard her. Sorry, what?

Shed be dead for a bit, give the boy a chance to say he broke it off with her.

I felt like Id had my legs kicked out from under me. And then shed come back to life?

Of course, said the woman, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Nobody stays dead in Nekromel.

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