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Description
The illuminated bulbs hung eerily in the gloom of the twilight depths. The sun was but a distant vision, barely any of its rays making it this far down. Amongst the wreckage, strange creatures sought refuge or waited patiently for prey. Prey that currently was being drawn to the lights along the path Zoe and Maggie followed. Great crowds of tiny creatures haphazardly flitted around the light poles billboards and screens. Yet gaining one of these alien shoals was a stranger, her human like torso visible under the glare.

”Hello?” Maggie said, weirded out by the silence of this mermaid upon approach.

”Hello?” The deep water denizen parroted back.

“Uh, yes, hi. Can you please tell us something? We’re following the lights and well… don’t entirely know where they’re leading. Do you know what the ‘capitol’ is?” Maggie queried this stranger before her.

”Where’s the end of her tail?” Zoe asked in Maggie’s fin-ear-thing.

“It’s around the light and goes up there.” Maggie pointed above the lamps, where the long, snake like tail seemed to lead. Although what was at the end of it was obscured behind the light of the bulbs.

“Yeah I see that but-“ Zoe was cut short by the denizen before them speaking.

”Do you know what the ‘capitol’ is?” Asked the denizen. Carrying the same awkward inflection that Maggie had when she asked before.

“Ok that is creepy.” Zoe blurted out.

“I agree, but we have to see if she knows anything.” Maggie said back to Zoe before questioning the denizen again, “Yes, we’re going to the capitol, it’s a city, that’s all we know. We were wondering if-“

“It’s a city.” The denizen said back, cutting Maggie off and mimicking her at the same time.

”I don’t think she… knows…” Zoe said quietly with growing concern in her voice.

”I… knows.” Said the denizen, mimicking the concerned tone of Zoe’s voice, but her expression was one of joy. Whatever she was doing or saying, something wasn’t clicking with her.

”Alright miss, if you’re going to keep doing that we’re going to go. We are not sticking around for word games.” Maggie said, waiting to see if she could get a useful response.

”Word games. No.” The denizen replied, “Your voice, yes.” She added, her voice starting to carry Maggie’s inflections. “More.” She finished

Maggie only gave her a concerned expression at this strange statement. The voice was indeed getting uncanny, but maybe, just maybe this stranger may be useful still. Zoe, however, felt differently as she studied the tail. Her eyes eventually adjusted to the gloom beyond the illumination, and she saw it, the monster at the end of this mermaid’s tail. Or what it really her head?

”Maggie, Maggie we need to go, now!” She said with a hushed but panicked tone.

”Wha-why?” Maggie said before Zoe gestured upwards towards the massive teeth lurking above.

Maggie didn’t immediately see the presence, and soon the strange denizen spoke again, “Go, go, go, don’t go.” She said, her voice sort of taking on Zoe’s hushed panic but her face not showing it.

Maggie stared down the mermaid, then looked back up at where Zoe had pointed. At that moment, she saw it, descending closer towards the light. Long fangs and a giant, egg yolk eye, closing in from the gloom.

”No, I- I think we will be going now.” She told the denizen.

”Too soon.” Wined the siren back, her tail snaking lower.

”Zoe, hang on!” Maggie said.

”I gotcha!” Zoe exclaimed, grabbing tightly onto Maggie’s hair. Maggie in turn bolted off into the gloom, too afraid to look back at what they had seen. Was that what the lady earlier had called a Dweller? Maggie did not feel like she had the time to ask the question as she careened into the deep, staying out of the revealing spotlights that shone the way ahead.

Description
The illuminated bulbs hung eerily in the gloom of the twilight depths. The sun was but a distant vision, barely any of its rays making it this far down. Amongst the wreckage, strange creatures sought refuge or waited patiently for prey. Prey that currently was being drawn to the lights along the path Zoe and Maggie followed. Great crowds of tiny creatures haphazardly flitted around the light poles billboards and screens. Yet gaining one of these alien shoals was a stranger, her human like torso visible under the glare.

”Hello?” Maggie said, weirded out by the silence of this mermaid upon approach.

”Hello?” The deep water denizen parroted back.

“Uh, yes, hi. Can you please tell us something? We’re following the lights and well… don’t entirely know where they’re leading. Do you know what the ‘capitol’ is?” Maggie queried this stranger before her.

”Where’s the end of her tail?” Zoe asked in Maggie’s fin-ear-thing.

“It’s around the light and goes up there.” Maggie pointed above the lamps, where the long, snake like tail seemed to lead. Although what was at the end of it was obscured behind the light of the bulbs.

“Yeah I see that but-“ Zoe was cut short by the denizen before them speaking.

”Do you know what the ‘capitol’ is?” Asked the denizen. Carrying the same awkward inflection that Maggie had when she asked before.

“Ok that is creepy.” Zoe blurted out.

“I agree, but we have to see if she knows anything.” Maggie said back to Zoe before questioning the denizen again, “Yes, we’re going to the capitol, it’s a city, that’s all we know. We were wondering if-“

“It’s a city.” The denizen said back, cutting Maggie off and mimicking her at the same time.

”I don’t think she… knows…” Zoe said quietly with growing concern in her voice.

”I… knows.” Said the denizen, mimicking the concerned tone of Zoe’s voice, but her expression was one of joy. Whatever she was doing or saying, something wasn’t clicking with her.

”Alright miss, if you’re going to keep doing that we’re going to go. We are not sticking around for word games.” Maggie said, waiting to see if she could get a useful response.

”Word games. No.” The denizen replied, “Your voice, yes.” She added, her voice starting to carry Maggie’s inflections. “More.” She finished

Maggie only gave her a concerned expression at this strange statement. The voice was indeed getting uncanny, but maybe, just maybe this stranger may be useful still. Zoe, however, felt differently as she studied the tail. Her eyes eventually adjusted to the gloom beyond the illumination, and she saw it, the monster at the end of this mermaid’s tail. Or what it really her head?

”Maggie, Maggie we need to go, now!” She said with a hushed but panicked tone.

”Wha-why?” Maggie said before Zoe gestured upwards towards the massive teeth lurking above.

Maggie didn’t immediately see the presence, and soon the strange denizen spoke again, “Go, go, go, don’t go.” She said, her voice sort of taking on Zoe’s hushed panic but her face not showing it.

Maggie stared down the mermaid, then looked back up at where Zoe had pointed. At that moment, she saw it, descending closer towards the light. Long fangs and a giant, egg yolk eye, closing in from the gloom.

”No, I- I think we will be going now.” She told the denizen.

”Too soon.” Wined the siren back, her tail snaking lower.

”Zoe, hang on!” Maggie said.

”I gotcha!” Zoe exclaimed, grabbing tightly onto Maggie’s hair. Maggie in turn bolted off into the gloom, too afraid to look back at what they had seen. Was that what the lady earlier had called a Dweller? Maggie did not feel like she had the time to ask the question as she careened into the deep, staying out of the revealing spotlights that shone the way ahead.