I hear it in my dreams, my door handle being wiggled. I don’t know why it is alarming. It shouldn’t be, as I am almost expecting it. I probably overslept, and my crew is trying to get my lazy ass up and about. There is nothing to worry about—

A loud crash jolts me completely awake. The sound of wood splintering, probably from a strong blow, has my body stiffened. 

What the hell is THAT?

I then remember the creature I had encountered late last night, and I scrunch the blanket covering me tighter and higher up over me. Is it coming for me?

I feel frozen in place, my fear overpowering. The only thing that seems to be moving is my heart, which rattles the insides of my ribcage, and my lungs which are about to explode out of my chest. 

And when did I even fall asleep? And where is my gun? Lost in the blankets?

I hear the bolt lock being rattled, someone or something trying to unlock the door. What do I do? I’m scared. I can feel my fingers trembling. Slowly, I inch my hand, which feels like dead weight, to the edge of my blanket to peel it back for me to see what is happening. 

I feel so hot, my body drenched in sweat, yet shivering in terror. I can’t seem to get enough air, and it’s like I’m suffocating. But just a little bit more and my fingers moves to the edge of the blanket. I hold the fabric in a white-knuckled grasp and move it back hesitantly. I can no longer hear the lock being messed with. 

Did it give up?

Maybe. Or maybe not. I will not know until I can see the proof with my own two eyes. As I pull the blanket away from my face, the inside of my cabin comes into view. My mouth is so dry, fear making my throat burn. I long for water or any beverage but can find none near me. It is still night, my room pitch black like tar, but the light from my window filters in, chasing away some of the shadows. 

The moon reveals pieces of wood on the floor of my cabin along with something else. I gasp at the sight that is in front of me. There, on my door, is a gaping hole, and it is now unlocked. My chest squeezes, my heart feeling as if it is skipping beats. It hurts, and I let go of my blanket to hold my aching chest. 

My gun! I need to find it. 

The door begins to open, and a loud creak disturbs the silence of the night. I squeeze my eyes shut. I won’t have much time before the creature is upon me. I need to find my gun. No other weapon I have to protect me. And I’m nowhere strong enough to fight it off. Of that, I am sure. 

My hand slides through the sheets, looking for my gun. I can’t stop shaking, and I have trouble catching my breath. My fingertips hit something cold. I flinch, thinking it to be the monster that has crawled into my bed before realizing it is the barrel of my gun I’m touching. 

I snatch it, placing the handle into my palm securely. I pull it close before flipping over quickly so that I face the wall and my back to the intruding creature. It’s best I catch it unawares, taking it off guard. Let it think I’m sleeping. Then I will blow a hole in its fucking head or chest. 

I hear the door smack the wall once before bouncing slightly away, the hinges that I never got to greasing squeaking in protest. Someone walks in, their tread soft. But the loose floorboard creaks as soon as it steps on it. Fuck! It is really here. 

But the noise is strange, more of a squishy sound. It doesn’t appear like it has its boots on, and it is wet too. Water or something else is dripping steadily from them, probably from their hair or clothes. 

What the fuck!

Is it that creature? Siren? It has legs? So, it has to be human, right?

It goes by me, walking oddly. Uncoordinated and stumbling. I feel relief, but at the same time, curious. What the hell is it doing? Is it someone on my crew who is drunk and sleepwalking? No way in hell. That cannot be. I have been around a lot of drunken assholes, and none of them can punch a hole through solid wood like that.

Whoever it is falls onto my desk, making me flinch. Everything on it rattles, and stuff tumbles off it. The glass I was drinking from earlier that day smashes to the floor. A small hissing sound comes from the intruder, and I almost piss myself as a wave of fear surges through me. I clench my legs together, as the liquor finally hits my bladder hard. Humans do not hiss, so that means it is definitely not one of my crew members. 

There is a wet ‘plop’ on my desk, and whatever that was, it doesn’t sound too good. The creature begins moving again, but this time toward my bed. No other dripping sound follows in its wake. 

I open my eyes just a tiny bit, and I see its shadow on the wall I am facing. I can only stare at it in utter horror when it stops at my bedside. Is it looking at me? 

I hear it breathing heavily. Then it leans down toward me. At that exact moment, the clouds drift toward the moon and hide it, cloaking my cabin in darkness again. 

What is it doing?                                

I hear a loud inhale from somewhere above my lying form. Is it smelling me? A shifting sound and I can feel each exhale move the strands of the hair on my neck. Its breath is warm and thick, misting my nape.

Now would be the perfect time to aim for its head or torso.  

Shoot, Star.

I grip my gun harder. I just need to turn and press the trigger, all in a single movement. Bam! And it will all be over. No monster, human, or anything else can survive a bullet to the face. 

Be brave.

I start to move quickly, but suddenly the blanket is ripped away from my face, baring half my body to it. I feel vulnerable and exposed like this. There is a slight touch on my arm, that travels up to my chin. I feel something hot slide across my cheek, leaving a trail. Before I can react, the light touch, that turns out to be its fingers, grips my chin. 

I don’t want to. 

My head is turned forcibly, my blonde tresses covering it, blocking my vision. I can only see a blurry image of that thing’s face close to mine from the tiny slit of my eye. Trembles start deep in my core and rack my body as a wet warmth travels over my open right eye. A darkened black tongue. When it draws away, I close my eyes completely. 

This is so disgusting. I’m so fucked. 

It has to know by now that I’m awake and only pretending. Is it playing with me?

It lets go of my head after having a taste of its snack. My face. However, it seems to draw away from me. I no longer understand its actions, becoming more confused than ever. What is it doing? Planning? Is it going to take me by surprise next?

Something is dropped directly on me, cold and wet. I wince, waiting for the pain, but it doesn’t come. The thing slides down my side and comes to a stop against my bare belly. 

What the actual fuck!

I want to look, but I am too frightened. What has it dropped on me? 

The floorboard creaks again from the weight of the creature. So, the thing must have stepped back. I hear shuffling noises soon following it. 

Why is it moving away? Is it not going to kill me and consume my flesh?

There are more uneven creaks, hinting at its clumsy gait, as it doesn’t seem to bother about being quiet while stalking away from me. Then there is silence again. It doesn’t seem to have a very good balance. Whatever it was. 

I sigh roughly, angry with myself. I should have shot it. It could have killed me just now. I’m such a wuss, and I can’t seem to take a life. I sit up cautiously, rubbing the cheek that is covered with saliva from its licking. Fucking disgusting. Maybe it has decided I taste like shit? I can only hope.

I glance around my dark cabin, seeing it to be truly empty, except for a few shadows that seem to be alive in one corner. I double-take in fear. I blink my eyes a few times to help them to focus. It is just one of my coats hanging on a hook, resembling a person. I huff. I am being paranoid now, but the pounding of my heart hasn’t stopped. 

I finally look down at my bed, where the foreign wet object was dropped.  A necklace. It was a freaking necklace. I pick it up, hanging it in front of my face with my fingers. 

Some sort of odd red object strung on an old, worn cord. 

A single piece of coral?

It is strange that the creature did nothing else. What is the point of giving me an odd necklace? I just don’t get it. 

And my door…it’s broken. It must be strong enough to break a solid wooden door. It could have snapped my neck or even torn me to pieces if it had wanted to. A human is no match for its strength. 

The moonlight enters the room after the clouds have parted, and I finally look down at the floor and my eyes narrow in shock. What the hell! 

Red footprints…

Then my gaze swivels and lands on my desk, and they can only widen in horror.

On my desk is a human heart, where fresh blood trails from it, like a waterfall streaming down the side, slipping into the drawers until its last destination is reached. The floor. 

Many thoughts strike me, but only one lights my spark. Where did the creature get this from? Whose heart is it?

I stand up from my bed, suddenly angry. I had truly let one of my crew members die by cowering in bed. It is all my fault. I might as well have been the one who had ripped the heart out myself. 

I get up, no longer caring if I’m naked or just in a blanket. I follow the red footsteps back to the deck with the gun held in hand. I will kill it. I will redeem myself and bring justice to my crew member. 

Where is it? This time, I will really shoot it. 

My gaze weaves crazily all over, from the left to the right and in front of me while holding the blanket, still around my shoulders, with the other hand. I see a shadow of something going over the edge from the corner of my eye, then hear a loud splash. Not very far from where I am standing. 

I quickly move there and look down. And like the time before, I can only see a black fishtail vanishing under the dark waters. It resurfaces and flings water up at me with the same tail, as if doing it on purpose. I am completely drenched, yet again, in seawater. 

I wipe my face angrily with the same hand that is holding the gun, as the salt in the water stings my eyes, then stare into the waters, waiting to see the ripples in it. The creature rises above the surface, just to look at me. It is the face of a human man. 

I am surprised, but not completely, as I realize that a part of me has always expected the Siren stories to be true. After what I heard and saw earlier tonight, I can no longer refute it. Or even pretend to disbelieve. 

My eyes take in every feature of the Siren from the black hair framing its face to its sharp nose, from the narrow gray eyes to the odd-looking ears, which are angled sideways and dark in color. Just like the Siren that had my locket. 

The creature grins at me, showing off its crazy teeth, similar to that of a predator, before it dives back under the waters. Is it mocking me one last time?

Does this thing possess human qualities for it to do that? Is it intelligent enough?

Also, how does it have human legs, strong enough to enter my room, when I just saw a fishtail?

I have so many questions that I want answers to, though none are forthcoming. One thing is certain. I am not going crazy because when I glance to my right, I see a corpse. Its chest has been crushed in, similar to the hole made in my cabin door. But the similarity dies right there. Inside the cavity, something is missing.  A heart. The corpse is missing a heart. 

Focusing on the corpse, I begin to recognize its features. 

Charlie?

Color drains from my face, and I get dizzy, my fingers trembling. I feel sick to my stomach as I see the carnage on the deck. I step back, away from the boat’s railing, thinking if that creature got up there, it could do it again. Or this time, maybe it will pull me into the waters with it. 

The thing has not consumed the body, so what was its purpose in giving me Charlie’s heart? It obviously was not hungry, as no part of the man has been gnawed upon. Nothing in the stories heard so far has mentioned this. 

A heart… What can it mean? A symbol of love? Is the creature telling me it is giving me its heart, or is it warning me that it can have mine anytime?

I swallow, my eyes about to pop out of my head. I rub my eyelids, hoping I am in the midst of a nightmare and that this mess will disappear once I wake up. Maybe it is something the sailors have put in my drink to affect my senses.

But when I open my eyes, Charlie’s body is still there, lying in its awkward position. I am stuck here alone, wondering if I am to be the next victim.

And if not me, then who?