Ch 3: What the Water Gave Me

The hairs on the back of Jackie's neck prickled, making her shudder as unease flooded her senses. She slung her bag onto her shoulder and looked up, spotting a towering man striding toward them. Jackie pulled Andrea close, rummaging through her bag with one hand while fixing him with a steady stare. Her face and stance remained controlled, though her mind reeled.

‘Dammit! Where is that knife?! Or bear spray?! Anything?!’

Jackie refused to let her panic show on her face while she prepared to die defending her sister if she needed to. Before she could get any words out, the man spoke with a light Slavic accent, “Whoa there, ladies, what are you doing out here so late?”

Jackie finally got a hold of herself as she grippep the hilt of a knife. She grabbed it and slid it under her sleeve as she said, “None of your business. Now, if you excuse us, we were just leaving to meet our dad and brothers.” Andrea looked at Jackie, confused, knowing full well that their dad was across the Atlantic Ocean and that they didn’t have any brothers. Jackie is trying to communicate the severity of their situation with her eyes when he closes in on them. He moved unnaturally fast. This close, she could tell something was off about his eyes. One was light brown, and the other a deep, ominous black, and his pupils weren’t the right shape. Jackie’s instincts made her move before her mind could assess more about this man. She let the knife slip from her sleeve into her hand and pointed it at him without shaking.

“Back off! Now! Just let us go, and we can forget this whole thing. But you need to get out of our space immediately!” Andrea gasped at her sister’s boldness, but stood behind her with confidence. She wasn’t as used to fighting, but she was determined, her fists clenched at her sides.

The man tilted his head as though amused by their standoff, a slow, mocking smile on his face as he spoke through strangely sharp teeth, "This is going to be fun." His voice was clear and deep, but there was something jagged beneath like a hiss. Without warning, the man moved. He was a blur, his speed shocking, unnatural. One moment, he stood still ten feet away from them, and the next, he was close enough to attack Jackie. His hand shot out, aiming for her throat. But Jackie surprised herself and her attacker with her speedy reflexes. She twisted to the side, her knife slashing down, aiming for flesh.

She missed her target, but the blade grazed his arm, tracing a crimson line across his skin. His hiss was feral, more beast than man, his eyes burning darker with rage. The sight of the rage in his eyes stole Jackie's focus, leaving her open to his retaliation. He struck fast, shoving her back and knocking the knife away. Jackie crashed to the ground, breath torn from her chest, dazed by the impact.

“Jackie!” Andrea shouted, panic in her voice.

Before Jackie could regain her footing, the man turned toward Andrea. His cat eyes narrowed in her direction, and with a single step, he was already close enough to reach her.

Andrea was ready; she didn’t hesitate. She lunged at him, fists raised, aiming for his chest. But he dodged, his reflexes far faster than she anticipated. He grabbed her wrist with one hand, painfully twisting until she couldn’t escape. With his other hand, he struck a blow to her side that sent her sprawling to the ground, gasping for air and clutching at her ribs.

Jackie's mind raced, her body reacting on its own, wanting to protect Andrea. She lunged, but he anticipated her move. He sidestepped with ease, seized her arm, twisted it behind her, and pinned her to the dirt, his knee digging into her back.

“Pathetic,” he spat, his voice dripping with disdain. “You really are a disappointing meal.”

But as he loomed over Jackie, something in her snapped. She wasn’t about to let him win. Not when Andrea was still breathing, not when they were so close to surviving. She desperately reached for the knife that fell near her fingertips. She grabbed it, and with a sudden burst of adrenaline, she held the knife tight and stabbed him in the leg, and used the opportunity to shove him off, knocking him backwards. Andrea, still dazed, was struggling to take a full breath. Her vision swam, but the pain in her chest and fear for her sister kept her focused. She could hear Jackie’s voice, strained and urgent; she was ready to attack again. Gathering strength in her legs, she ran at the man to tackle him, entirely to the ground. But hitting him was like running into a boulder, even with his injured leg. She felt her vision begin to fade to black, shaking her head to clear her eyes, and she looked at Jackie’s face one last time. Happy she could give her sister time to get away, she whispered, “run.”

Jackie was horrified as she watched him backhand her sister, and her body crumpled to the ground as if she were made of clay, and the man loomed over her. She screamed as she watched him lift her and toss her close to the water like a rag doll. She scrambled over to Andrea’s limp body and didn’t even hear herself screaming; she didn’t hear the man come up behind her. She didn’t feel when he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to the lake, and she didn’t feel her body lift from the ground while her arm reached for her sister. She didn’t feel anything but numbing despair until the water enveloped her and obscured the vision of her sister lying on the shore.

The water swallowed her whole, wrapping around her like a shroud. Blood curled around her and called her into the depths, a spectral cloud of crimson dissolving in the moonlight. Her limbs ached, lungs burning as she sank, half-conscious, feeling the cold seep into her bones.

Then, something more profound than pain took hold. She began to scream, but water rushed into her mouth, choking off the sound.

The pain flared in her ribs, a cracking sensation like the shifting of tectonic plates beneath flesh. Her fingers curled into claws, the delicate webbing of human skin splitting to reveal something older, something wild. Muscles stretched, bones realigned, her scream lost in the churning water as her spine arched, her body contorting with agony. Fur rippled along her arms, tearing her skin apart. Her face cracked and lengthened into something between woman and beast.

The lake could no longer hold her.

She surged upward, breaking the surface with a guttural gasp, dragging herself onto the bank. Water streamed from her, a sheen of silver over tawny fur. The world was a smear of sound and scent, everything too sharp, too bright. Her heart pounded fast, unsteady, a rhythm she didn’t recognise.

A shadow moved, drawing her attention, honing her senses. The man. His voice was a murmur, his scent was thick with craving and anticipation. She barely had a conscious awareness of her body, but his presence set her blood on fire and focused her rage.

He was too focused on her sister lying in the dirt, and by the time he turned around, it was too late.

With a low snarl, she lunged at him. On instinct and feral determination, her claws found flesh, slicing through fabric and skin. His surprised scream turned into a gurgle and echoed in the quiet night, it was then abruptly cut off as she ripped into his throat. The taste of him filled her mouth and bathed her tongue in salt, copper, anger, and death.

His body stilled, and she lifted her head, taking in a ragged breath. The water lapped at the shore behind her, whispering something she almost understood. The night pulsed around her, ancient and eternal, welcoming her home.

She had given herself to the water. And the water had given something back. She stalked over to her sister and began to reach out to her before she noticed her bloody hands. The severity and confusion of what just happened rushed into her, choking her like the water wanting to suffocate her again. Slowly, the panic rose as she spoke in a voice she didn’t recognise.

“No, no, no, no, no, what is this? What is happening?!” she began to paw at herself, feeling her new body for the first time. She couldn’t catch her breath, and when she did, all she could feel was the pain carving through her every fiber. Then, all she felt was agony; all she could do was lie down next to her sister, silently crying, wanting to die. Before she gave herself over to unconsciousness, she saw two figures emerge from the tree line.