Chapter 3: Sirens Point

The two in the backseat have just been told that the VoidHearts they faced before were too full to put all of their focus on them. Walker and Sarahs' heads started racing with worry. Meanwhile, Alex's arm still felt as though it was going to completely fall off, but more than that, his very being felt heavy. I suppose if you used a magical sword that divides your life force in half, you'd probably be in more than just physical pain. Walker and Sarah felt absolutely terrified about the way their life was leading and just how big the world really is.

   "Alex, we're only sixteen and we're facing off against death" Walker tried to explain. "Huh, I guess I was so young when I set out on the road. I forget that just because you're older than I was when I started. Doesn't mean you're as used to this as I am and I'm sorry. In case I haven't been as empathetic as I could have been" Alex said trying to make up for being cold recently.

    Walker and Sarah gave small chuckles but they quickly stopped as the car engine began to falter. "No! Damn it!" Alex shouted before getting out to check the engine. "I'm sorry is anyone else getting Supernatural vibes from this whole journey so far? It's awesome!" Sarah said being a genuine fan of the television show. "Yeah, we've kind of been fighting off supernatural threats this whole time, where have you been?" Walker stated being completely oblivious to the fact that Sarah was talking about a television show.

      "Hey, you know what, personally I think it would be amazing to have a 1967 Impala!" Alex shouted while he was still head deep in the hood of the car trying to figure out what went wrong. Alex finally found the problem, "We need oil" Alex said before closing the hood of the car. Alex then walked around the car. "Alright, I'm going to need you both to help me push this car out of here, alright?" Alex explained and they both gave a nod. "Alright, on three! One, two, three!" they all started pushing it out of the road and began walking to the nearest town.

    "Where are we?" Sarah asked unsure of her current whereabouts. "It says Sirens Point, I think that's the name," Walker said before they noticed Alex quickly stop but then immediately continue. Walker and Sarah shrugged and continued inside the small town next to the beach.

   "Ah, welcome to Siren's Point, I suppose you've heard about our delicious food," said a waitress with brunette hair and ocean blue eyes. Walker and Alex stared at her as she walked away and hummed a strange tune. Walker just kind of shrugged it off but Alex just kept looking, not breaking sight of her. "I'm sorry but you're both going to have to excuse me for a moment" he then got up and started walking away from them. Alex went into the restroom, the opposite way from the waitress. Alex walked in to find a fourteen-year-old girl standing in the middle of the room.

   "S-sorry I think I'm in the wrong..." he said looking back at the door but was shocked when he looked in front of him again. When he turned there was nobody there. "...room" then he heard a giggle behind him causing him to turn. The girl then tackled him hard enough to knock him against the wall and put a crack in it. When Alex looked up he felt a sharp blade against his throat. "You left me behind! I trusted you and you abandoned me! you used me! once you had what you wanted I was, what? purposeless? expendable?" Alex sank further and further down at each accusation, after all, it was all true. He left her, she trusted him and he left her behind.

    "I thought we had something, but I was wrong, you're incapable of love or any emotion as a matter of fact" Alex's eyes shot open for a second out of shock, but then closed them as he looked down. "That's not true..." he whispered. "What was that?" the girl had asked, to which Alex responded louder this time with "That's not true, I was terrified... I was a coward, I've sealed away my emotions. I am sorry that I've failed you, but I can't let that fear hold me back. Not anymore." Alex had told her before grabbing her blade, twisting it around and holding it at her throat.

    He was about to finish this whole nightmare but then she looked at him with anger. At that moment Alex felt something he hadn't felt in years, tears. "What do you know? I guess Alex Hunt does have some emotion in that heart" the girl had said almost mocking him. He tossed the blade away and stood back up, brushing himself off, when he looked back down there was nobody there. "Goodbye, old friend, thank you for that lesson."

     Walker rushed inside and found Alex panting along with the broken wall. Walker had Alex use him to steady himself. "I'm fine Walker, I'm just..." Alex responded still aggravated from that fight. "... Thank you," Alex said with a softer tone and a small smile. "Dude this is the first time I've seen you smile in a while," Walker said surprised but also a little proud of this achievement.

    "Finally, what happened in there?" Sarah asked being very worried. Alex didn't say anything about it but decided there was a second mission for him now. Finding out exactly what happened to that girl that he used to know.

    For now, Alex knows for sure that there's a hunt to be done here. "Are we done here?" Sarah asked with Walker also asking the same question. "No, there's a creature around here, one that makes you see things. I only know five things in this area that can do this. Given the evidence, I'd say we're after a..." Alex suddenly stopped talking and started walking just like before. "After what?" Walker asked but Sarah elbowed him and motioned for them to follow him. 

     After a few minutes of following him while also being very careful about being caught. They came upon the beach and what appeared to be mermaids. They were singing, but it didn't sound too great. It just sounded like garbled phrasing, Alex walked over to them and started to join in with their unsensible garbles. Sarah pulled out her phone and started researching on mermaids but found nothing on how to kill them.

     Until she came across a name, 'siren' a creature from Greek Legend. "It says here, they're sirens, creatures that lure boats into crashing with their songs, they make you see those who you want to see most, then they eat you" Sarah explained making Walker flinch after finding out they plan to eat Alex.

      "When we found him, it sounded like he made some sort of closure, but there also appeared to have been a fight." Walker said remembering that scene from earlier. Sarah read through it again, "No, nothing about vengeful visions, do you think that was something else?" Walker shrugged and refocused on the task ahead of him. "What do we need?" Walker asked as he took Alex's backpack off and started searching around being really careful not to cut himself on any weapons. "A bronze sword dipped in... the blood of its prey," Sarah said now a little nauseous from the thought of blood.

    "Hm... hold on is this bronze?" Walker asked as he pulled out a blade. Sarah took a closer look at it and the image of bronze. "Yes, now let's try to be very..." Sarah said but being stopped when she noticed Walker already moving in. "Hello, everyone, I'm going to need my friend back. See I need his blood and well..." Walker then cut Alex's arm and covered the blade with it.

    "...Now I've got it" he continued to say then started to attack them by swinging his blade across one of the sirens abdomens making it scream in pain. Walker felt powerful while wielding such the blade, maybe because it was recently sharpened or maybe because of the swords' now magical properties that cause it to cut through sirens like butter but Walker was loving it.

   "Come on! Anyone else want to try this!" the sirens then began singing louder, but that was when they had noticed Walkers shadow was missing they stopped. "What's wrong you want to eat me don't you!" Walker shouted out and suddenly Alex's hand grabbed the sword.

   "Walker their song doesn't work on you, you're missing your shadow," Alex told him, "So? what does that have to do with this?" Walker asked. "It means, you're not thinking properly, you're missing more than just your shadow" Alex explained.

   "P-please don't kill us! We beg of you!" the sirens pleaded, Walker was ready to strike but then he realized they were just children. He had slaughtered a child, Walker broke down and sobbed over the sirens corpse. "I-I couldn't see, I was so blinded with rage... rage I never knew I had" Walker explained but couldn't forgive himself.

     "It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur, and to seek to restore honor," Alex said which surprised Walker and Sarah. "What? I got it from another of my favorite shows it's called Avatar" Alex explained but Walker still felt guilty. "You're right Alex, I'm sorry about your sister, I'm sure she was beautiful," Walker said but then felt a wet slap hit his face.

     "We'll never forgive you for what you did attacking us, we just wanted to throw a dance party with your friend" one of the sirens had told them. "Wait, so if you didn't cast that illusion then who did?" Alex asked, and they told him it was the waitress.

     "Honestly, I thought it was a little obvious based on how you two were looking at her," Sarah said causing Alex and Walker to look over with a glare. "S-sorry, but it's true," she said. "I wasn't staring at her like that" Walker and Alex said at the same time causing Sarah to laugh a little.

    "Here I want you to have this one, I trust you," Alex said giving Walker the sword back. "What if I lose it in there?" Walker asked concerned about hurting another innocent. "You're the only one with the skills and resistance to do this, I believe in you Walker, you're the only one who can defeat this," Alex said trying to motivate Walker. "You forgot the earplugs didn't you?" Walker asked. "No... okay yeah, but I still believe in you" Alex said then pushed him in just before getting in another trance.

    "Son? is that you?" it was Walker's father, he was alive and well, but immediately after Walker blocked it out and focused on the siren ahead of him. Walker made a dash toward the creature and kept slashing just after it would jump away. Walker finally collapsed to the ground from exhaustion "So, you're immune to my illusions, but what's this no shadow, my, my you really are a piece of work, you're not alone are you?" the siren was about to use its claws to finish Walker off, that is until Alex came in with a bronze dagger to the creatures back. "No, he's not alone... with us around he'll never be alone," Alex said before ripping the blade out.

    "I knew it, you switched them didn't you?" Walker asked, sure Alex had tricked him in some way. "Walker, I trusted you, but you still don't trust me? look they're both the real deal, okay?  I just figured you'd need some help that's all, besides she was too focused on you to see me" Alex told him, while Sarah held Walker in her arms. Alex thought back to earlier in that restroom, "She trusted me and I abandoned her... she's right, I haven't felt anything in a long time" Alex whispered into the dawn sky. A brand new day just over the horizon as everyone is getting out of their beds and reaching towards the sun.

    Meanwhile, our three adventurers get inside the car with one final thought in Alex's mind. 

I swear I'm finally coming back for you.

Old Friend