Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The water in the lake shimmered beautifully under the dim moonlight. He had never seen anything so wonderful in his life. Slowly, he slipped out of his shirt, allowing the faded cotton to fall to the ground at his feet. Toned muscles flexed under sun-kissed skin as his body adjusted to the cool, night air around him. So many times had he wanted to just jump in and take a good swim, but had been too busy or backed out because it was too cold. Not tonight. Tonight, he was going to go all the way.

Shivers ran up and down his spine as he waded, waist deep into the cool water. Wow, he hadn't expected it to be so cold. Slowly, he bent his knees, submerging his body into the depths of the water until just his head was visible. The warmth of the water just below the surface was welcoming, so he dunked his head, his shaggy brown hair plastering to his forehead and cheeks, slightly slanted champagne hazel eyes closing against the waves.

He'd been in here for twenty minutes already, but he showed no sign of getting out. The water felt good on his bare chest and legs. Felt nice and cool as it soaked his boxer shorts and rippled between his toes and fingers. A quick kick of his legs, and he was gliding through the chilly liquid, causing it to cascade over his tall form. Bringing his arms around, he kicked again, pushing through the water, moving one step closer to his destination.

No one had ever made it to the lighthouse before. Not a single person for as long as he could remember. But he was going to do it. Going to be the first one to grab hold of that red metal railing and hoist his body out of the water, falling onto the cool surface of the lighthouse's floor. Bragging rights would then follow, and no one would doubt him ever again. He'd be the first of the group to swim the whole way, and he would be at the top of the food chain.

Suddenly, something felt seriously wrong. Something had his foot in a death grip. Jerking his leg, he managed to break free, but not for long. Again, his leg was grabbed, and he felt his body being drug under. He fought to keep his head above the surface, but he was just no match for the force pulling him down. Taking a large lungful of air, he allowed the thing to take him under, and that's when he got a good look at what it was; a mermaid.

Now, when people usually hear the word 'mermaid' they think sweet little half-fish half-human woman much like Ariel from the movie. Wrong. These things are nasty creatures with talons, strong enough to cut through bone like it is butter, and teeth like razors. A mermaid won't kill you. No. She will let you suffer, dragging you down under the water until the pressure is too much and it crushes your lungs. Eventually, you'll drown; then she'll take you to her lair and make you tomorrow's lunch.

How did he know this, you ask? Simple; his parents were hunters. No, they didn't hunt deer or any other kind of animal. They hunted supernatural creatures. Ghosts, vampires, demons, werewolves; you name it, they've hunted it. So, it seemed sort of ironic, and a little poetic, that he would die at the hands of the very thing his parents kill, huh?

There was no one around. No one who knew where he was. Once he was gone, his parents would look for him, but they wouldn't ever find him. Soon, he'd just be cast off as another missing person. The police would stop looking after a while; well, that is if his parents decided to even involve them. When you're in the business of hunting things most people pretend do not exist, you and the cops are not exactly close. But, none of that would matter to him in a few moments; the water was already making his lungs burn for oxygen that he couldn't receive.

As he was being dragged down, deeper and deeper into the black abyss, he gave up. He knew there was no way out, and that death was inevitable. His mouth opened as he unconsciously tried to gasp air, causing his lungs to fill with water, the burning being replaced by a feeling of suffocation. That was not his best moment. It didn't matter now, though; he could feel the darkness taking over. Knew it would be just a few minutes before he slipped into unconsciousness. And then, death.

Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around his waist, and he was being pulled to the surface as opposed to being dragged to the depths. A shred of hope ran through his body that his father had found him and he was going to be okay. Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to stay awake any longer, and he slowly slipped into unconsciousness. Wasn't that just his luck? About to get rescued, and he would die right before it could happen.

*****

He choked as water came rushing out of his lungs and into his mouth. Rolling onto his side, he spewed the cool liquid all over the grass, making it damp and muddy. A few more mouthfuls, and he was done, his throat aching at the force it had taken him to choke up all that water. As his mind began to wrap around the fact that he was not dead, he saw someone standing over him, dripping wet, naked except for the black boxers hanging loosely around his lean hips.

The man was looking down at him, his expression hard, but he thought he saw a slight hint of worry. Dark, jade green eyes bore holes into his champagne hazel orbs as the man stared intently at him. What did this man think, he was going to do a trick or something? As he continued to look at this strange visitor, he could have sworn the dark jade orbs were growing darker, almost black.

Thinking his mind was playing tricks on him, he closed his eyes, squeezing them shut just for good measure. When he allowed his eyes to slide open once again, the man was gone. Quickly, he sat up, his eyes darting from left to right, searching for the man. He was no where in sight. Suddenly, headlights could be seen pulling closer to him, and he had to squint against the bright light. His breathing slowed when he heard a woman's voice calling out to him.

"I'm fine, Mom." he assured her, standing. A few more coughs escaped his lips before he walked over to his clothes and began pulling them on.

Once he was fully clothed, his mother ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight embrace. "Oh, honey, are you okay? We were so worried!"

He hugged her back. "I'm fine, Mom. I just got attacked by a mermaid. No biggie."

She pulled back to look at him just as his father joined them. He looked mad. "Are you okay? I mean, mermaids are nasty. How did you even get away?"

He shook his head. "Yeah, I'm fine. And I don't know how I got away. I...must have fought it off, I guess." He wasn't lying, exactly. Truthfully, he didn't know how he got away. And besides, he wasn't ready to tell her about the mystery man just yet. First, he needed time to process everything in his own head.

Again, his mother hugged him. "Well, all that matters is that you're all right."

Soon, he was ushered to the car, and they were on their way home again. He wondered why his father had been so quiet since he got there, and the entire ride home. Something was bothering him, but he didn't have the slightest idea what it might be. His father was always a mysterious man who managed to hide his feelings very well. Finally, once they were home, he got his answer.

When he stepped inside, he noticed that everything was packed. He knew right away what that meant. They were moving again. Another creature had to be taken care of. It wasn't that he didn't understand this was necessary, it was just he didn't want to have to go. This was the first place they had stayed long enough for him to make friends. And now, his parents were going to take him away.

"So," he asked, his voice a little more bitter than he had intended it to be. "Where to this time?"

He could hear the sadness in his mother's voice when she answered. "We have to go to California. Jericho, to be exact. There's a haunting there that could take some time to finish the job."

Before he could answer, his father spoke. "And that's why we're not taking you." He spun on his heels, looking at his parents. Not taking him? What? "We're taking you to Pennsylvania. A little town called Mount Pleasant."

"What am I going to do there?" he asked, a little hurt that his parents were going to just ditch him for a job.

"You're going to stay with our family friend, Ellen," his father informed, his voice stern and final. "And you're going to school."

He huffed. "I don't even know Ellen. And as for school, I don't care about it." He took a step closer to his father. "Let me come with you. I can help."

"I'm sure you can, Sam, but we don't want to risk it," his father stated. "And besides, school is more important right now."

Sam knew that was his mother talking, but he didn't dare back talk. His father wanted him to be a hunter like they were, but his mother wanted a better life for her only son. Knowing there was no way he was going to win this argument, he just gave in. Grabbing his bag, he walked out of the motel, waiting for his parents to follow. They always liked to get going as soon as possible.

He was right. They were soon following after him, closing the motel door, leaving no evidence that they had ever been in this town. As he was about to jump in the car, his father stopped him. He thrust keys out towards him, and Sam took them, confused.

"Here, your mother and I thought it would be best if we just let you take your own car," his father explained.

"Dad, I don't have a car," Sam countered.

"You do now." His father pointed to a 1967 black Chevy Impala. "She's all yours."

Sam was speechless. All he could do was give his parents a quick hug and a 'Thank you,' before they were in their cars and driving off in separate directions. He had no idea what was in store for him in Mount Pleasant, but right then, he didn't care. All that mattered was that he was going to make the best of it.