Chapter 3
Evie leaned her back against the book rack, feeling the irregular shape behind her from the oddly stacked books. She couldn't find the perfect place to hide. Everywhere she thought of she soon found the two men attacking each other. She shook her head. She had no idea what was going on. There had to be someone she might get hold of who’d understand how to handle this situation. She wished she brought her phone with her.
The shelf teetered from a strong force, knocking some of the books onto the ground. There was no need to wonder what caused the sturdy fixture to move – the two men fought each other still. Or at least she assumed the fish creature was a man. She didn't discern how to refer to something like that.
“Don't dwell on petty things,” she repeated to herself the saying her mother taught her years ago. The saying probably didn't refer to aquatic creatures attacking people but it was good advice for the moment. This was the only advice she thought of in her present state.
The top priority was to get her self somewhere safe. Once she accomplished that, she’d worry about everything else. She moved along the ground, her body pressed tightly onto her knees as she crept. The less space she took up, the harder she’d be for either to notice her. She didn’t feel convinced the man was a good person either. Good people don't fight fish people. Another hit rocked the shelf, this time the force knocked down an entire shelf of books, triggering a cascade to occur.
She looked back and saw the fish man lying on his back atop the fallen stack of books. From this distance, the image terrified her. The creature's hatred appeared evident from the scowl across his face, sharp teeth jutting out in irregular patterns. She never witnessed anything like him before. Her mind blanked; her feet refusing to move as well. She hesitated, unsure what to do in this instance.
The man from before appeared in front of her; jumping onto the shelf and grabbing the fish man by his collar. He lifted the creature, bringing their faces close to one another. This wasn’t somewhere she ever wanted to be. “Now, tell me what you're doing here.” His tone was authoritative; his posture confident. A truth dawned on her –he dealt with something like this before. He was too familiar with this fish creature.
The fish man laughed, sounding more like a gargle rather than a true laugh. “You know well enough I'm not going to reveal the plans. You're too late anyway. There's nothing you can do about it. You were wrong in turning from us. End your petty crusade.”
An audible sigh escaped the man's lips. His shoulders slumped for a moment. “I take it you're not going to talk. You mean I have to do this every time? Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you.”
Both Evie and the fish man seemed confused by his statement. She didn't know who this person was but he seemed to be in control of the situation. As long as he was there, she felt relaxed if only for a moment. She should use the time to escape but hesitated. She needed to see how this ended.
Another gargle escaped the fish man's mouth. “You know he's looking for you. We all are. If I take you in, I'll be rewarded greatly.” His eyes bulged out from their sockets for a moment, receding back with a thin layer of skin covering them.
“Sounds like you have everything planned,” the man said, reaching into his back pocket for something. Before he pulled out whatever he was searching for, the fish man raised his leg and kicked him against another shelf. His back solidly hit into the shelf, more books tumbling down onto him.
The fish man prepared himself to launch another attack, standing up with a fierce authority. His stance shifted. Instead of orientating himself towards the man, he made contact with Evie. Their eyes met for a moment – his seeming to glint as a smile crept across his face.
She realized she spent too long watching this fight. She should have done what the man said earlier and gotten out of there. Now she was going to become the next target. Backing up hastily, she made her way into a standing position and started running. She heard the webbed feet hitting against the ground behind her, the pace quickening with every step they took. At this rate, he would overtake her before she reached the end of the row.
Books started crashing down around her. She raised her hands, using them as a weak shield to protect her head. The books continued tumbling, pouring out from every shelf. She saw the fish man continuing after her as they ran through the aisles. Returning her attention forward, she missed seeing one of the books lying on the ground, slipping and tumbling into the shelf as well. Her body hit against it and knocked the wind from her.
The fish man approached; his eyes wild as he looked at her. His gills moved fast, the run taking all the energy from him. “Pretty little girls should not be alone,” he stated making his way closer. His serrated teeth loomed towards her.
She grabbed a book and hurled the heavy volume at him, barely causing the fish man to flinch. She believed her time was up. The only hope she had was the other man who seemed to have disappeared. He probably got out once he realized she was the new target. She wished she ran closer to a window. At least then she’d have the option to jump through it as a last resort. She turned her head, closing her eyes tightly, and prepared to become fish food.
The man jumped down from the top of the book shelf, landing upon the fish man and pinning him to the ground. He raised his fist and punched into the fish. He repeatedly bashed his fist into the creature's face, receiving a few blows of his own. Copious amounts of what she assumed was blood came from the creature, the dark green mixture puddling around the two of them on the floor. A few splashed across the distance and managed to get on her clothing. She could deal with this. This was nothing compared to the scenario she envisioned for herself only a few minutes before.
The man picked up the fish creature by the collar once more and held him to his face. He bashed his head into the creature, two of the fish teeth dropping upon the floor and disappearing into a puff of smoke. “Now tell me what you expect doing over here or I swear I'll send you right back to your plane.”
The fish creature laughed, a trickle of green liquid dropping from the corner of his mouth. The noise sounded ominous this time. “It's too late now anyway. You showed up after the plan has already started. This world's doomed. There's nothing you can do about it.” A few gargled words came out, none of them ones she recognized.
“Watch me.” The man threw the fish creature back with a strong force and reached into his back pocket once more. The fish creature raised its hand, throwing the man with a violent push onto another shelf. He started talking in a rushed manner, garbling his words as he uttered them aloud. Evie wished she understood what they meant. It was possible he was attempting to pull off some supernatural curse upon them.
The fish man started emitting a bright yellow internal light. His chanting seemed to increase her own heart rate, her body becoming rigid. Whatever spell he recited seemed to work on her. Without missing a note, he popped something into his mouth. A loud explosion rocked the vicinity, books tumbling off the shelves and the shelves themselves falling. Both Evie and the man looked aside for a moment, shielding their eyes from the massive light. When she looked back, nothing but dark green liquid, entrails, and a few remnants of clothing existed.
Evie looked down at her own clothes. Dark green blood covered them, the splatters sinking in through the fabric. The odd color covered her arms as well. It wouldn't be much for her to envision the splatter attached to her hair as well. “Do you know if this comes out?” she asked the man, trying to pick at a few pieces of fish remaining on her. She tossed aside a piece of entrails, not wanting to know what the organ originally functioned as.
He cast an incredulous glance at her. “You just saw a creature, one you've probably never seen before, blow up in a puddle of green liquid in front of you and you're worried if the stain will come out your clothes?” Their eyes met with one another.
She opened her mouth to protest but stopped. What he said was true. “Well, I guess so. It's probably the only thing I can control right now. I'm trying really hard not
to scream and faint on the floor.” She meant it. She had no idea how her feet were supporting her at the moment. Her mind already took off, hiding away in some remote inner sanctum.
“Amazing,” he said flinging some of the mess off himself. The entrails landed atop a book, both of them noticing but ignoring it. “Well I guess that means I’m finished. You take care.” He walked over towards the creature and started messing with the remaining clothes. He rooted around the discarded clothing from the creature until he picked something off the shirt. His hand ripped at the article before tucking the small object into his pocket and walking away. He cast one last glance at her, her shocked expression remaining the same as before. He shook his head and turned back to his stride.
Evie had no idea if she should follow him or if she should get out there as soon as possible. Her cognitive reasoning existed in a state of shock and didn’t provide her any help. The elevator dinged behind her. She turned around surprised. She forgot where she was for a moment. This reminder was all she needed as she entered and rode to the lobby. She checked herself in the metal door's reflection. There didn't seem to be any entrails hanging from her. She wiped a few splotches off her face. Hopefully no one would ask her what happened. She could always say a green pen exploded on her.
The doors opened and she stepped out cautiously. A few people looked at her briefly from the computers but no one asked what covered her body. Their eyes settled back upon the screens. She laughed to herself as she made her way home. This seemed like a good reason not to do her work. Best one she came across in a while.