Page 28 of Oceansong
“No way.” Eva spoke up, shocking Angie. “They killed too many of us already, including Luke. They clearly have no interest in talking tous.”
“Agree,” Ian said, the dock worker who sneered at her earlier.
Angie’s chest deflated in defeat.
“Angela, why would you mention something like that?” A knowing smirk was plastered across Nick’s face. “They may look half-human on the outside, but they’re animals. What’s there to understand about them?”
Angie clenched her jaw and rubbed her brow, trying to mitigate the headache of Nick’s voice.
Another older man spoke up, this one not looking much younger or healthier than Ian. “Know your place,woman. Let the men speak.”
“So, speak, you condescending male prick,” Angie shot back. “I don’t know how you or Ivan could chase down any of the mer without collapsing.”
“It’s Ian–”
“I wasn’t done talking.”
Bàba gritted his teeth and walked over to the two men. “Ian, Marc. Get out. Don’t come back until I call you. You do not disrespect anyone who works here.” The order came crashing down on them, and they left without a peep of protest. Bàba turned to Angie next, his glare shooting icicles at her. “That goes for everyone.” Angie flinched. She knew she shouldn’t have fought fire with fire, at least not with men like them. Yet, she didn’t regret her outburst.
Bàba rubbed his face and ran his hands through his thinning hair. Thenhe nodded at Angie to continue.
“Look, Bàba. If one of the mer was willing to talk, would you consider hearing what they have to say? We could bring in marine biologists who specialize in marine animal communication. Maybe even find one that can speak our language.”
“I would have. But we’ve lost six of our men and women. Luke is dead. And it’s because of them.” Bàba murmured, rubbing the newly-sprouted small patch of hair on his chin. “Speaking of which, the Coast Guard recovered the missing boat. But no bodies. As for the mer, shoot them on the spot. Nobody is to get any ideas, understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the dock workers said in unison. Angie only mouthed the words.
“We need to get the day started,” Nick said while Bàba walked back to the middle of the crowd. “There are a handful of fishing boats left that we can send out. Scout the area and capture whatever fish are available. But not enough to attract the mer’s attention. They are slow, quiet, and hardly make a ripple in the water.” He paused for a breath, looking around at the workers with an air of importance. Angie rolled her eyes. “We need volunteers to go out on the boats.”
A few hands shot up instantly, and several hesitant others followed. “We need one more.” Bàba said, after counting. Angie raised hers too.
“Absolutely not!” Nick’s voice exploded over hers. “Does Angela even know how to man a boat?” The question was snide, and his nose upturned.
“Yes, I do.” Angie met his glare, keeping her gaze level. “I learned the ins and outs of driving a boat since before you ever laid eyes on one.”
Nick shut up.
“We will send you out in a day or two, when we figure out the schedule.” Bàba’s inflection was confident, assertive, but Angie caught a wobble of trepidation below the surface. He rolled up the piece of paper. “Meeting dismissed. Get back to work, all of you.”
Thirteen
Angie stood at the shoreline,staring with revulsion at the sight before her.
What in the eighteen levels of Hell was wrong with these people? This was positively barbaric and archaic. The early evening breeze carried the stench of ammonia and the heaviness of death. It made her sick, and her stomach squelched in agreement.
Three mer captured this morning were strung up on poles by the seashore, a crude warning to any of their kind who dared approach. The sight of them marred the harbor’s usually lovely view, full of lush, green vegetation.
Since she and the workers got the order to shoot mer on the spot, tension wove through her muscles and nerves, a rain cloud of negative thoughts following her every move. Bàba had gone home without her after she told him she had some things to take care of. He hadn’t questioned what kind of work she supposedly had, appearing deep in thought while making his way off the docks. Angie’s patience wore thin as she paced up and down the coast. Her heartbeat quickened, yet weighed heavier with each beat each time she saw the strung-up mer. She willed Kaden to appear so she could warn him away from the area.
Except he was nowhere to be found. Angie wrinkled her forehead. If he was smart, he would have stayed far from here.
Or, he could have decided he no longer wished to meet her and decided that gallivanting with a human was too risky. That particular notion put a bitter smile on her face.
Minutes passed. Still no sign of him. She let out an indignant huff.
Footsteps shuffled in the distance, and a deep voice called out behind her. “Hey!”
A male worker strolled by on the top of a hill, where she stood at thebottom. He peered down, his eyes two, wide, azure orbs.
