Come out, half-thing, where are you? You can’t hide forever.

Mion had counted three hours, twenty-eight minutes and sixteen seconds that Kin had spent huddled in a ball, trying to escape the notice of the thing that smiled.

That was three hours, twenty-eight minutes and sixteen seconds spent in the dark. Three hours, twenty-eight minutes and sixteen seconds spent in the cold.

Three hours, twenty-eight minutes and sixteen seconds and counting.

Hypothermia was beginning to set in, the ruptured wetsuit unable to provide much thermal protection. However, the blood that leaked from Kin’s gashed leg had clotted and stopped a long time ago, so he wouldn’t be bleeding out anytime soon. But the damage had been done. Each drop of blood meant more time spent not freezing or fainting, and Kin had lost a great many drops of blood. His skin had already paled greatly, and he was having a hard time stopping himself from shivering. Mion dared not speak to him, even to reassure or to offer a word of comfort, for she had seen firsthand the frightening aural capabilities of the thing that smiled.

Don’t move. Don’t think. Don’t feel.

Don’t scream. Don’t cry. Don’t breathe.

Don’t breathe, don’t breathe, don’t breathe,

Don’t--

Found you.

The debris flew up and crashed into the ceiling as the thing that smiled buffeted the heap with its sinuous tail, flinging Kin backwards. The water absorbed most of his fall, but still slammed with enough force to hurt into a strut.

And then drifted away like a lump of meat.

Too cold. Too tired. Hurts too much.

Can’t go on. Can’t go on, can’t go on, can’t go on, can’t go on.

Please, just let me die. I don’t want to fight anymore. I don’t want to live.

The thing that smiled reached out one long, clawed hand and grabbed Kin.

Time for food.