Return to the Sea

Despite the unbearable pain radiating through his leg, a grin remained stretched across Druknet’s face. His body may have been trapped inside the woodshed, battered and bleeding, but mentally he never felt freer. The fear and confusion were gone and for the first time since washing ashore, he understood exactly who he was.

“A village of angry Norwegians trying to execute me and a sea spirit haunting me…” He let out an amused sigh. “I really overdid it this ti-.”

A clap of thunder that shook the ground, causing the shed’s walls to rattle. He paused, as a loud wind howled outside. The door shuddered against its hinges as it blew against it.

Looking down at his leg, his grin slightly faded. “That's a problem.”

His shin was severely swollen and the bone inside of it was cocked crookedly. Every movement he made, sent his heart racing, as agony pulsed through his leg.

Another loud thump struck the outside wall, followed by the sound of nails scraping against the wood, slow and patiently.

Come back. The draugen’s voice echoed softly through his mind.

Druknet rolled his eyes in irritation. “I'm getting really tired of this.”

The scraping suddenly stopped and the shed fell silent…

A faint shadow crept under the gap at the bottom of the door. A set of pale fingers curled under it, digging their black nails into the wood.

Druknet stared at them for a long moment, then slowly looked away.

“You can’t just give me a break.” He huffed.

His survival instincts began to kick in. Using his arms, he dragged himself toward the pile of wood stacked against the wall. The movement sent more unbearable pain shooting through his leg, but he forced himself forward anyway.

He rummaged through the pile until he found a thick and narrow scrap of wood.

“This’ll work.”

Removing his already shredded jacket, he tore strips from the sleeves using his teeth.

He glanced back toward the door and noticed the fingers were gone and a low dragging sound was now circling the shed.

He ignored it. Pressing the piece of wood tightly against his shin, he forced the broken bone back into place.

“AHHH!” He cried out.

Sweat poured down his face, as pain exploded through him. His vision started to blur and for a brief moment, he nearly blacked out.

Gritting through it, the pain eventually stabilized enough for him to tie the splint into place using the torn pieces of cloth.

His breathing was shaky. “Good enough.” He muttered.

Slowly and carefully, he pushed himself upright. Pain surged through his leg again, but this time he managed to remain standing by balancing most of his weight on the other leg.

The storm outside quieted and the shed once again turned silent…almost too silent.

Druknet limped toward the door cautiously. He reached forward to test if it was still locked, when…

BANG!

The entire door jolted violently. Druknet stumbled backward.

Come back. The draugen wailed from the other side.

The hinges groaned as it banged against the door again.

“I'm not about to die in a shed.” Druknet hissed, as he frantically scanned the room. His eyes locked onto something leaning in the corner… An axe.

He limped toward it quickly and picked it up. The wooden handle was old and splintered and rust coated parts of the blade that were dull and worn from years of use.

Once again the draugen slammed against the door. Its wood began to crack.

Without hesitation, Druknet raised the axe and slammed it into one of the shed’s walls. Pain shot through his shoulder and leg, but he ignored them and swung again.

The boards began to loosen as he repeatedly hit it again and again.

Come back. The draugen’s moaning grew louder.

There was a cracking sound as one of the boards finally snapped free. Freezing wind immediately swept through the opening.

Druknet widened the opening with a few more strikes until the gap was just large enough for him to crawl through.

The moment he stepped outside, the cold hit him like a wall. Without his jacket, every gust felt like knives against his skin.

His breath instantly turned to mist. “I-I've had enough with this place.” He muttered through chattering teeth.

Using the axe like a cane, he started limping away from the shed, then stopped…

Muffled voices sounded, followed by the flicker of light from a lantern in the distance.

“Damn.” Druknet cursed under his breath.

The only way left he could go was around the opposite side of the shed… the side where the draugen had been.

Tightening his grip on the axe, he slowly turned the corner… Nothing. The draugen was gone.

As he reached the front of the shed, he examined the door. Deep scratches covered it and the wood around the hinges had begun splitting apart. It appeared that the draugen had nearly succeeded in trying to get inside.

More shouts echoed nearby and were getting closer.

Druknet glanced around, looking for an escape route, until something caught his attention…

“There!”

Only several yards away was the dock and at the end of it was the fishing boat from before. It still hung suspended over the water by a pulley system.

Ignoring the pain in his leg, he hurried toward the pier. Each uneven plank creaked loudly beneath his weight, as he stumbled forward through the strong gusts of wind that swept over the water. The dock swayed slightly, while the sea crashed violently beneath. At the end of it sat the boat.

“Perfect!” He nodded, as he grinned devilishly.

He immediately began lowering it using the pulleys. The rope strained under the weight of the vessel as it descended toward the water.

“Good riddance to this village… and that mon-.”

He stopped, as dozens of lanterns emerged through the darkness near the shoreline. Voices shouted over one another, while boots stomped against the dock.

Druknet’s pulse quickened, while desperation overtook him. Gripping the axe tightly, he began smashing the pulley mechanisms.

There was a loud splash as the front of the boat slammed into the water. The rear remained suspended.

Just as he raised the axe again…

“Der!”

A crowd marched onto the dock. About a dozen villagers advanced toward him through the rain. Some looked furious, while others looked terrified of him.

Agdar emerged from the center of them. “Drittsekk!” He roared.

A glass bottle suddenly flew past Druknet’s head and shattered against the dock. Then a rock flew out from the crowd, striking him in the side of his face. He staggered sideways. Blood trickled down from his cheek. More rocks followed, as the villagers continued advancing cautiously.

“I'll kill you all!” Druknet screamed. There was fear in his voice now. His confidence had completely faded.

Panic took over, as a man tried to rush him. Druknet lashed out, swinging the axe erratically. The man cried out as the blunt side struck his shoulder, sending him collapsing to the dock.

The crowd suddenly parted, as Agdar stepped forward slowly. In his hands, he held a harpoon gun.

Druknet hesitated as he raised his axe.

Rain streamed down Agdar’s reddened face, as his hands trembled. Not with fear, but with rage.

“Die!” Druknet lunged forward…

A heavy mechanical click rang out. Druknet froze. Slowly he looked downward at his chest. A harpoon protruded from it. Blood immediately poured from the wound, running down his torso. His mouth opened in shock.

Agdar approached him carefully. “Return to sea!” He spat in broken English, before driving his boot hard into Druknet's stomach.

The freezing water hit him like a wall. Shock instantly ripped through his body. Above him the lanterns turned to blurry steaks and the voices became muffled and distant. Blood spread through the water around him like a dark cloud.

He tried to move, but couldn’t. His broken leg drifted uselessly beneath him. He felt something wrap around his throat…

Come back. The voice echoed softly through his mind.

Directly in front of him, two glowing white eyes opened in the darkness. Captain Russel’s pale face emerged slowly through the murky water. Seaweed floated around his corpse-like features.

Long gray fingers tightened around Druknet’s neck… For the first time in years, Druknet truly understood fear.

He opened his mouth to scream, but water instantly filled his lungs. His movements began to weaken.

The Draugen pulled him deeper into the pitch black abyss below until everything went dark. Only the draugen’s glowing eyes remained.

“So.” Druknet stared into them weakly. “This is what you wanted.” He managed to gasp out.

The draugen’s grip tightened further.

Come back. Were the final words that faded through Druknet’s mind, as he sank to the bottom of the ocean, returning to the sea as his ultimate retribution.

The End.