Aquata Cove Ch. 79

"Bye-by..." The toddler said lightly as he bats at Adam's blanket.

"You better get better soon. I want my son to recite the entire Declaration of Independence before you wake up." Harold chuckles.

"... Harold, that does not even make sense." Belinda says as they leave.

Once alone, the machine beeps away, monitoring Adam's heartbeat. Under the oxygen mask, the plastic fogs for a few seconds, before clearing away, as always. Below the mask, Adam's lips remain motionless...

His jaw moves half an inch, before stopping, remaining inanimate again.

~~~

Nick holds onto Jamal's arm as they go into the doors of King Tut's. After everything that's happened, Jamal needs a drink... And maybe get laid.

"Thanks fo... You know... Stickin with me." Jamal said as he walks with his slender Latino, "Everything's just gone to shit."

"It's cool, Jay-Jay." Nick says as they enter the lively gay bar.

"Like I said, if you wanna fuck around wit a guy while I try and git my shit together, that's aight with me."

"No, Jay..." Nick says, his eyes suddenly glued to a half naked go-go dancer with skin-tight denim pants, "I uh... I'm fine and..." Nick nearly drools as he looks at the man's twirling hips and bulging crotch.

"Yo pants gettin tight there, Nicky?" Jamal grinned.

"I- Ya, wha, no, it's cool, I'm cool." Nick snapped out of it with a shake of his head, "I'm uh... I'm here fo you, Jay."

"Babe. A guy can't live on whackin off." Jamal said with a smirk as they go in, "How bout... We both pick a guy, and we take him home. Sound good?"

"Aight, yeah! I mean..." Nick clears his throat, and nods with nonchalance. "Sure, that sounds good."

"Kay, how bout..." Jamal looks around, and points out a twink with red streaks in his hair talking to someone by the pool table, "Him?"

"Naw, he a bigger bottom than me." Nick said. "Erm... That guy? The one in the green wifebeater?" Nick pointed out.

"Hm, he cute... Maybe. We just got here, lets take our time..." He looks around, and sees a rather depressed blonde fellow, with a line of shot glasses next to him, "What about... Wait, Merrick?"

"Merrick?" Nick looked at him with estrangement, "I guess he's fine, but would he even be up for-"

"Naw, there's Merrick over there." Jamal corrected, "Shit, how many shots did he git?!"

They come over to him, his eyes glazed in anger and post-boredom as he takes the next tiny glass of golden liquid. "Merrick! Hey, man!" Nick says as he pushes Merrick's hand down, "H-How you doin?"

"Fantastic." Merrick growled lowly, "My lover is half dead, the people responsible are being rewarded, Adam is probably going to get punished if and when he recovers, and nothing any of us will say will make the slightest impression. I'm on top of the fucking world." With that, Merrick takes the shot, and dips it to his mouth as he throws his head back, and swallows the fluid down, wincing terribly right after.

"Shit, you gotta quit drinkin that stuff!" Jamal said as Merrick puts the shot upside down, and puts it at the end of the line. "Too much of that, and it's gonna fuck you up."

"This is what humans consume when they hate everything, don't they?" Merrick asked, "Drinking this shit-water is supposed to make me feel better isn't it? I've been here for 2 hours," He gestured his fingers to them, "Had at least maybe 20 of these shots, and all that's happening is costing more of my money. Why do you humans even like this?? It tastes like whale piss."

"What, you not drunk or nuthin?"

"You mean when humans drink so much of this stuff, they start talking and acting like dizzy idiots? Then no. Evidently, I don't get drunk." Merrick stares at the bottle of alcohol, "I don't know what it is I'm supposed to be feeling when I've been drinking so much of this alcohol junk, but apparently, nothing's happening. All I'm getting is this horrible lingering taste in my mouth, and the burning hatred and sorrow that I still feel..."

"Look, Merrick," Nick holds Merrick's shoulder, "We're here for you, man."

"All I was trying to do is to escape the madness that is humanity." Merrick said as he leans his arms down as he leans forward as well, digging his fingers into his hair, "I know I need to stay here for Adam's sake, but I can feel myself slipping... I'm starting to lose it."

"Merrick... Buddy..." Jamal hesitated, "We understand..."

"No! You don't." Merrick snapped as he stood up, "You really, really don't understand what I'm going through. I don't how it is with humans when they're consumed by grief and rage, but when it comes to me..."

"What?" Jamal blinked, bewildered, "What're you talkin about?" Merrick snorted as he turned away from him. "You know, we all get you upset, and everything is fucked up with everything." He said. "You know it?? I was arrested and questioned for something I never did."

Merrick's fist shakes as his vision starts to blur again.

"All cuz some stupid, fucked-up judge wanted to be a bigot, and screw everything up. You know how fuckin pissed-up that is??" Jamal said, "I went in there cuz my best friend in the damn world was put in the hospital, and I ended up bein shoved into a damn room for a night cuz for no damn reason. You don't think I'm pissed off neither? But ya don't see me terrorizing Yuri or yelling at his parents."

Merrick's own pulse begins to feel like a wave of stinging fire as his teeth started to clench. At this time, Merrick's mind becomes a clashing wave of the two sides of sanity and chaos trying to dominate his being.

"You know Yuri is fuckin afraid of you now?? She says she doesn't even wanna come home because she's afraid you'll get her next. I seen what you did to the movie shelf." Jamal continued, "Is this really the kind of guy you gonna be walkin down the isle-"

"RHHHH," Merrick loses everything in his immediate sight and awareness as he whips around, his arm feeling like a solid rock as he throws himself around.

He blinks as he stands there. Jamal staggers back, as Merrick holds that stance, the back of his fist mere inches from bashing were Jamal's face was. He feels himself panting as his arm shakes as he stands there, before letting his arm drop. Merrick's blue eyes, pink from his despair, look up at the taller black man.

"You don't understand anything about me..." Merrick breathes out in a rasp, "This is what I mean..." He shakes his head as he sniffs and huffs, feeling hot, boiling wrath still racing through his veins, "And you think Yuri is the only one afraid of me..."

"I'm losing it, Jamal..." Merrick concludes, still glaring at Jamal and Nick with his eyes full of anger, "And clearly, that means two completely different things between humans and merfolk."

Merrick pulls out a $100 bill, and tosses it onto the bar next to the line of shot glasses, before he leaves.

Ignoring everything around him, Merrick walks his way through the cheerful gay patrons. Everything turns into slow motion as he walks, his bitter anger biting into everything he hears, sees, feels, all of those happy faces, erotic apparel on earning men, the dazzling colors of the laughing, chatting, the music.

Merrick's forehead feels heavier and darker as he pushes his way through the open space. His pulse pounds his body with each step he takes, his hands straining as he fights not to start clashing with everything around him.

So much anger, so many people blissfully unaware of just how cruel and insane their world truly is. Do they really not understand?! They party and drink while crackling dementia rules their laws and government! And with their own willing permission! They follow everything they're-

"FFFFFFF!" Merrick clutches his head as ringing starts to rage in his head. Images of his own father flash in his mind as overwhelming rage floods his soul. He grunts and whines as he stumbles into an empty alley, panting and grasping at the brick wall as his heart fights to overpower his spiraling mind.

"Close it out... Reject the hatred..." Merrick whispers, "I am not Father... I am not Father..." He clenches his eyes, "Ssstop it, stop IT!!" He growls with clenched teeth. He hasn't felt so much hurt and anger since he had those memory attacks on the LGBT Cruise.

"GHHHH!" He huffs and pants as he tries not to cry, fights to not break anything, walk without falling, think without feeling.

"You almost attacked Jamal... You were going to KILL him..." He harshly judged, "What the fuck is wrong with me??" Merrick presses his back to the wall as he clutched into his blonde hair.

"Reject the anger... GGHHH... I can't let it..." He growled, "Father let his wrath take him... Why does it have to take me too??" He whines. Merrick shakes with burning fear and hurt, trying everything to contain himself.

"Am I REALLY going to have to reject everything??"