Deadly Tides
Chapter 6
David wakes up to a darkening sky. He smells rain in the air. His brain feels like a badly made omelet, but memories are beginning to solidify. He remembers standing on a beach, the same beach he now sees as he gazes across the water.
He is there with Dana, the woman he loves, his brother, Elliot, and his niece, Lilith. They have come to this place to capture the swarm of jellyfish that has murdered thousands of people and destroyed the land on which they lived. The four, along with Lilith’s sister, Grace, are connected to the creatures thanks to a genetic experiment performed by Dana’s aunt; the woman David had grown up wrongly believing was his mother. The DNA from the jellyfish is present in each of them.
What none of them know is more of the DNA was injected into Dana’s babies while she was pregnant. Her twins are the most powerful creatures on the planet.
When they are born, they seem like ordinary infants, at first. Then Lilith begins to grow at an astonishing rate. At five hours old, she appears to have the size and intelligence of a five-year-old child. It continues until she reaches the physical stature of an 18-year-old woman.
Her sister exhibits none of the accelerated growth traits. She is still an infant when the four of them leave on their mission. Dana places Grace in her brother’s care knowing Matt will take care of her no matter what the outcome of their quest.
Their idea is simple; just lure the jellyfish as far north as possible and trap them in the ice. They all believe it is working. The swarm appears in the water and Lilith marches out to meet them. The girl spreads her arms as if to welcome them in and they respond. The creatures and the girl become one. The three people watching from the shore think Lilith is dying; that the jellyfish are overwhelming her.
Panicked, Dana cries out to her daughter and attempts to go to her, but her husband will not allow it. Instead, David wades out to help her. It is only at the last second he realizes his mistake. Lilith is accelerating the creature’s evolution, not trying to destroy them. They are becoming an unstoppable force. It takes all of his remaining strength to capture them in the pillars of ice.
Now, seeing the empty waters, David knows the swarm has evolved and Lilith is free.
Want to see how it all began?