Chapter 5
Five
Angie stepped down from Baba’s brand new Toyota Tundra and shook her hands.
They cramped from death-gripping the steering wheel after off-roading twenty miles in the rugged wilderness to get to the closest shooting range and after Bàba’s thinly veiled threat that she’d be fully responsible for any damages she incurred to his brand-new pickup truck.
Bàba’s words, “Be ready for anything,” blared in her mind.
After her and Bàba’s talk yesterday, Nick texted asking her to come in for today’s afternoon shift.
She had a free morning, and she was going to take full advantage.
Brilliant sunlight beat down on her, glinting off her targets.
She gripped the barrel with both hands, index finger hovering over the trigger.
Crisp, cool air filled her nostrils, carrying the nearby woods’ natural fragrance.
There was one other young man at the range firing a shotgun, leaving behind the metallic scent of gunpowder.
The pungent and ashy smell reminded her of home.
Her parents had insisted she and Mia learn to handle a gun for self-defense when they were young girls.
The loud bangs and violent kickback used to terrify her and make her cry.
Later, Bàba and Māma took her and Mia on weekly shooting range trips, and when she was proficient, Bàba gifted her a handgun as her high school graduation present.
She let the bullet fly, the grip digging into her palm when it recoiled, and she held firm.
Bullseye.
Angie aimed again, going for a second one.
A muffled voice slipped past her protective earmuffs.
“Nice Glock!”
Tiān, who was bothering her? She had to keep her focus. One wrong slip of the finger could mean a potential injury, or worse, for her or the other person.
Another shot, an inch away from the bullseye. Adrenaline flowed. The muffled voice came back, but this time, it was unintelligible.
Angie cast him a side-eye and gave a brief nod. Maybe if she acknowledged the pest, he would leave her alone.
The voice came again. “Hey, you’re Angie, right? From the docks?”
He knew her?
“Yeah. And you?” Angie removed her ear protection and flipped the safety on her Glock, pointed it downrange, and straightened up.
A coltish, redheaded teenage boy approached her, bright-eyed and energetic. He gathered his ammo boxes, moved to the shooting stall next to her, and held out his hand, his wide grin lifting her spirits. “Luke. Just started at your dad’s docks last week. It’s great there.”
“Oh! My dad mentioned you. You’re a big deal around here. The mayor’s son, right?”
“Yeah, I mean, it’s not that big of a deal.
” Blushing, he ran a hand through his hair and looked at his sneakers.
“Didn’t think I’d see anyone else here. Actually, wait, hold on.
” Luke jogged downrange to set up his targets, scattered colored circles with numbers on them, and then ran back up range to stand beside her.
“I like it here. Nice village you all live in.”
“It’s homey. Where are you from?” Angie aimed the Glock at her target and turned the safety off.
“I was working at the port in Unalaska.”
Angie lowered her gun, flipping the safety back on. “How come you were out there when your parents are here? Do you have family there too?”
“When I finished school, I thought about going to stay with my big brother in Tacoma for a while, work there. But then my aunt and uncle offered for me to stay with them for the summer in the Aleutians, and I love it there. So I couldn’t say no.” Luke’s eyes danced with excitement as he spoke.
“Your brother’s in Tacoma?” Angie perked up. “I went to school in Seattle.”
“What for?” Luke stepped closer.
“Got my marine biology bachelor’s. I’ll be going back in the fall for my PhD.”
“Right on.” Luke gave her a buck-toothed grin. Angie turned back to her gun, about to pick it up, but Luke lingered. Clearly, he wasn’t ready to end the conversation. “So I guess you know what happened there, and a few other ports.”
“A little bit. What happened?” She was enraptured and gave him her full attention.
“Fish gone missing, so they shut the place down while they have, like, the military and government investigating. Heard it’s similar in even bigger ports like Anchorage.” He lowered his voice, even though Angie didn’t see anyone around who could possibly overhear them.
The fish problem stretched all the way to Anchorage? Tingles danced over her skin.
Luke spoke again. “Are you going to work later?”
“Not until twelve. You?”
“Well, I have to go to the docks in an hour. And then I’m heading out with some of the guys and girls on the MV Castaway tonight. Hopefully, we can bring back some fish.”
Luke returned to his stall and laid out his ammo boxes in a neat line in front of him. “Then I’ll get some time off once we return, so I can start getting my things ready for college. I’m headed to Anchorage in the fall.”
“Congratulations! You must be so excited.” A flush of happiness washed over Angie, and she faced him. She just met this boy, and she liked him already. “They have you working the cargo ships, huh?”
“I am! Steward’s department.” Luke shifted his weight and slipped on his protective eyewear. “And thanks a lot, Angie.” Angie couldn’t mistake the light in his eyes as they turned back to their targets and resumed practice.
Fueled by the thought of her fellow villagers starving and the anxiety of what the deep-sea cameras might pick up, she pointed the Glock at her zombie target’s bullseye, hitting two in a row.
She pointed her eyes heavenward, grinning to herself. Now, she’d be a quicker, more accurate shot in the event she’d have to defend herself, whether she held her Glock, or a speargun.
After going through one more ammo box, she waved goodbye to Luke.
“Luke, be safe, alright? I’ll see you at the docks. Heading home for a bit.”
He said goodbye, and Angie packed up, heading home to drop her things off before work.
“Today’s catch was a quarter of the usual.
” Bàba looked deflated. “Tāmāde.” He muttered the curse under his breath.
Angie bowed her head, balancing her clipboard in one arm, rising from the waveguard she was leaning against. The clipped papers with cargo inventories fluttered in the incoming breeze.
Days had passed with no mer sightings since she, Stefan, and the rest of their diving group had placed the cameras. Angie took a deep breath before asking her next question. “What kind of fish were in the catch?”
Bàba furrowed his brow. “Mostly tuna. Green and white sturgeons. A few king salmon, arctic char, and cod. Enough to feed a few families.” He stiffened.
“I heard it was like that for the last few weeks.” Angie drew her shoulders together, posture wilting in confusion. She’d give the measly amount in her savings to find out why the mer were so intent on starving them.
“There’s not nearly enough to feed everyone.
I heard the other fishers have gotten similar catches.
” Bàba crossed his arms over his chest, his square jaw set.
Sporting a faded mustache and the shadow of a soul patch, Angie figured he hadn’t shaved in a few days.
“They will blame me, more than anyone else.”
“I saw Jenny and Dave the other day picking berries and mushrooms,” Angie said, her voice low. “Nobody’s going to believe us when we tell them about mermaids. I didn’t even believe it until I saw them.” She set her lips in a tight line.
“I saw that video from the divers, and you told me you saw the mer, but to see them in the flesh is something else.”
“What are you talking about?” Angie drew her shoulders back and looked at him with wide eyes. “In the flesh?”
“Two were killed earlier today, and the divers brought one to the surface. It is here now.”
“Dead mer? Here?” Angie nearly choked on her own words. “Can I see?”
“Yes, when you are done with taking inventory, come find me or Nick, and we’ll show you.” Bàba left, and Angie checked her watch. Lunch break was over, and she carried on looking over the last of the inventory on the MV Arctic. The next ship to leave would take Luke with it.
“Got everything written down?” the ship’s captain asked.
“Yup.”
Luke crept up behind her and tapped her shoulder, a sparkle in his bright blue eyes. “Hey, I’m gonna go see the mer they got. Want to come with?”
She nodded and followed Luke.
What would the merfolk look like up close where she could see every detail of them? What could she learn and, more importantly, what kind of insight could she get as to why they would need so much fish? Maybe they were strict fish-eaters and couldn’t sustain themselves on anything else.
Angie and Luke found Bàba and Nick amongst a throng of other workers by the east fishery, the murky waters barren of life. From the back of the crowd, Angie could see a limp tailfin hung off a table. Angie squeezed her way past them to get a better look.
A merman lay flat on his back, a sunburst of blood coated his chest. The end of his iridescent fishtail and long caudal fins brushed the smooth, slippery floor. One rugged hand lay on his chest, the other arm like a pendulum at the table’s edge.
Angie couldn’t tear her gaze from him. The mer had been killed hours ago, and somehow, the blood on their chest was still wet and red? How? It should have browned and dried by now.
From beside her, Luke sucked in a sharp breath. “Woah. They’re real. They’re actually real. Wait until I tell my brother and my parents! They’re going to want to know. Probably come see it for themselves. Wonder what they’ll do about it.”
Angie kept her eyes trained on the merman, Luke’s words drifting in one ear and exiting the other as she replied with a breathy, “Yeah.”