Mermaid Island: Experimenting With Murder (Chapter 1)

Chapter 1

Bruno raised his gun with only the slightest hesitation then quickly squeezed off three shots. The shots rang out loudly and were instantly followed by another sound. It was the thud of a body hitting the ground, but this time, the sound was drowned out by the constant roar of the waterfall.

The three people that had just appeared from the other side of the cave now stood on a small isolated beach. They stood, several feet away from the picturesque waterfall that managed to hide the cave they had just emerged from. The water was spilling out of the rocky mouth of another opening in the cave, from above.

When the body didn’t move, Tyler Payne looked at his wife with a satisfied expression on his face. Marisol Payne immediately let out a shrill scream that was even louder than the noise from Bruno’s gun.

One minute Tyler Payne’s bodyguard had been wielding the gun, holding it on Judd and Marisol just like his boss had instructed. The next, he was pulling the trigger, obeying Tyler Payne’s orders for him to shoot Professor Richards. Now the Professor’s body lay in a bloody heap. He died before even hitting the ground.

Marisol couldn’t believe what had just happened. Her gaze was fixed on Judd’s body. First she was paralyzed then she suddenly went into hysterics. She began screaming. Her eyes went from Judd’s body, to the gun in Bruno’s hand, but it was Tyler who she began attacking. In an instant, she was all over Tyler, pounding him in the chest and screaming.

“Nooooo! Judd! Oh my God! Tyler what have you done? You’ve killed him! You’ve killed him! My God! You’re crazy!

Tyler slapped her so hard that she fell to the ground near the lifeless corpse. Some of Judd’s blood got on her clothes. She cried uncontrollably. The blood began to pool in the dirt as his body started to bleed out.

Tyler glared at Marisol with eyes of steel while she cradled Judd’s head in her lap.

“Shut up! He spat. How dare you behave like that in front of me for your dead lover?”

Marisol stopped screaming, but she was still in shock and disbelief. She stayed on the ground, unable to move. The tears continued streaming down her face, as she struggled to stifle her sobs. She was too afraid to respond and deny Tyler’s accusations.

“Get up!”

Tyler snatched Marisol up by the arm and dragged her to her feet. She stood there frozen, still unable to move. She listened as Tyler’s voice continued issuing orders, but the enraged man standing before her was a total stranger. Tyler had never ever spoken to her like that, let alone been as violent and full of hate, like he was at that moment. He was practically foaming at the mouth when he spoke to her.

Just then, a jeep appeared from the jungle, traveling along the discreet path that had been cleared. The vehicle stopped at the bank of the water, but the driver didn’t get out. He had been summoned by Tyler Payne earlier, but told to stay in the jeep.

As head of Tyler’s island security, Carter Green knew enough to follow his employer’s instructions to the letter, no more, no less. He was also aware of just how touchy his boss was about the section of jungle they were currently standing in. Other than keeping it secure, Carter knew nothing about what activities went on in the gated area, especially near the waterfall.

When Tyler finally looked in Carter’s direction, and gave him a nod, Carter got out of the vehicle. He took a final drag on the cigarette he’d been smoking and flicked the butt to the ground. He walked over and instantly saw the body, but instead of shock and disbelief, there was only indifference on his face. Just like Bruno, Carter stood ready to carry out whatever it was that Tyler instructed him to do.

"Bruno, you drag him over there and cover him up for now. Carter can send someone back later and take care of the body”.

He spoke just as calmly and in the same matter-of-fact tone as usual; not like a man giving instructions on covering up a murder.

“Oh, and make sure to turn the juice back on the fence after they’re finished tidying things up. Right now, you’re with me. I need a hand with something.”

If Carter Green felt any emotion at all about the scene before him, it was mild curiosity. The graveness of the situation didn’t bother him in the least. He nodded his head, acknowledging the orders he had just been given.

Bruno was the one who spoke. But as always, he said very little.

“Got it boss.”

He was known to be a man of few words. He simply holstered the weapon he had just used to take the life of Professor Judd Richards, then grabbed both the victim’s legs and started to drag the body into the brush.

He paused when he saw Tyler wasn’t done talking yet, and continued listening to what his boss was saying.

“When you’re done with that, take the jeep and go get Isaac. Bring him to the roof. I want him and the chopper ready to go in twenty minutes!”

“Yes Sir Mr. Payne, but what should I tell him? He’s going to think something is strange, with me doing the asking? What if he doesn’t want to come?”

Tyler looked at the huge brute of a man that towered over him. He gave Bruno a look of irritation although he knew what Bruno said was true. It probably would seem odd to Isaac, receiving his orders from Bruno. Not only was today Isaac’s day off, but Tyler had never conveyed his orders or flight instructions through his body guard. Not ever.

Suspicious or not, Tyler wanted Bruno to go get the pilot instead of Carter. Sending Carter to escort Isaac back would definitely be asking for trouble. Everyone, including Tyler Payne, knew how Carter and Isaac despised one another, and he didn’t need to deal with their feuding right now.

Tyler needed to get off the island in a hurry, which meant he needed Isaac Short alive and well. He didn’t, however, have the time or patience to make up excuses just to get Isaac to comply quicker.

Without changing his demeanor, Tyler gave him a cold stare and spoke with ice in his voice.

“If he doesn’t want to come willingly then do what the hell I pay you for Bruno. Do whatever you have to do to convince him, just make sure he’s on that damn landing pad and can fly me out of here!”

Unbothered, Bruno nodded and resumed the task of dragging the body, while Marisol whimpered and watched in terror. She had no idea what Tyler was up to, and now he was about to get Isaac involved. She tried to get control of herself and reason with her husband.

“Tyler. This doesn’t make any sense! Judd was your best friend. You can’t get away with this. What are you going to do, have Bruno kill me too?”

He looked at her with as much loathing as possible when he responded.

“Kill you like I just did your lover? No dear. I wouldn’t give you the pleasure of reuniting with him so soon. Besides, I have something very special in mind for you Marisol. Now let’s go whore.”

He gave her a shove and forced her to start walking in the direction of the waterfall. He motioned for Carter to come with them as they headed back towards the cave.

“Let’s go Carter. I have a few things to do before I get out of here. Besides, I want to make sure you know what to do while I’m away from the island.”

Tyler grabbed Marisol by the arm. He kept a firm grip on her as they headed back towards the hidden cave behind the waterfall. They both skillfully maneuvered around the downpour of water but still got slightly wet from the spray.

Carter followed closely on their heels and imitated their movements. He was curious to finally learn what secrets the waterfall kept hidden.

When they stepped just inside the opening of the cave, they were standing in front of a large iron gate. Tyler looked at Carter and gave a quick nod of his head in Marisol’s direction. Carter comprehended the gesture. He grabbed Marisol tightly by the arm in case she tried to run when Tyler released her.

The key to the gate was hanging from a chain around Tyler’s neck. He took the key and unlocked the gate with one hand, while he used the other hand to push it open. The gate was so heavy, he had to actually lean his weight against it and force it to move. It only opened wide enough for them to barely squeeze inside. When Tyler closed it back, the gate gave a loud “Clank” before he used the key to lock it from the inside.

Tyler had dreaded the idea of exposing this particular secret to Carter. He didn’t want to reveal more than needed, but the day seemed to be taking on a life of its own. After what had just happened, he was going to have to make some necessary security changes.

For the time being, there was nothing he could do but disclose the location of the lab. It was unavoidable. He sighed, realizing that he had no choice but to rely on the silence of his paid enforcers.

He reminded himself: Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Revealing the Cave

While Carter and his team had known the hidden cave existed, they were never certain exactly where it was located. Up until today, Bruno was the only member of Tyler’s security force that had been allowed access.

Carter looked around, in awe of the huge underground cave after Tyler guided him to a desk in one section of the lab and told him to stay and watch Marisol.

Bruno stood over Marisol, holding the gun positioned and ready to fire, in case she thought about escaping. He guarded her while Tyler collected the vital research to be taken on the helicopter.

After disappearing out of Carter’s sight for a few minutes, Tyler came back with an armful of things from his private office. He located 3 plastic containers with lids, and put everything he gathered together into the empty bins.

Carter glanced at the bins with interest, and wondered what was in them. He knew whatever it was, judging from the way his boss was hurrying around the lab, it was probably pretty self-incriminating. As far as Carter was concerned, everything down there looked a bit sinister to him. While he was careful to keep his eye on Marisol, he didn’t stop observing how elaborate and well equipped the lab was.

“Wow! This place is unbelievable, and it’s been here the whole time. I can’t believe it. Your husband is a genius!"

Marisol didn’t respond, she just kept staring straight ahead, at nothing in particular. She had a blank expression on her tear stained face, but Carter was too busy to even notice. He wasn’t really talking to her when he spoke. He was merely talking to himself out loud, expressing his excitement about being in the lab.

He glanced over in the direction of the pathway that the three of them had entered the lab by. His eyes slowly moved from the pathway to the lower area of the cave, where the pool was located. He wondered what was down there.

Looking at Marisol quickly, Carter decided that she didn’t appear interested in trying to run away. For a moment, his curiosity kicked in, and he forgot all about his boss. He walked towards the edge and began looking over, down towards the pool. He cursed quietly under his breath.

“What the hell do they have going on here?”

It looked like some kind of pit or enclosure. He figured they were probably using it to keep some illegal or endangered animal down there. Carter spotted the boulders that served as a stairway. Before he could consider going down for a better look, he heard a noise behind him.

It was Marisol. She had jumped up from the chair and apparently tried to run away, but in her haste, had knocked the chair over. In an instant, Carter was across the room, and clutching Marisol tightly by the arm.

“I don’t want to hurt you Mrs. Payne, so don’t try that again. You understand?”

“Carter please! Can’t you see that Tyler isn’t well? He’s gone crazy! You have to help me!”

He looked at the desperation in Marisol’s eyes, and felt sorry for her. He had never particularly liked her; always thought she was too sweet and charming to be for real. But that didn’t mean he wanted to see her dead. As long as she didn’t cause him any trouble, he was routing for her, although, if her husband gave the order, there was nothing he could do about it.

Carter was smart enough to know the consequences of getting on Tyler Payne’s bad side. The man was a billionaire. Carter knew better than to bite the hand that fed him.

“I’m sorry Mrs. Payne, I just do what I’m told; besides, I don’t think your husband is really going to hurt you. If he was, he could have killed you by now, right?”

Marisol didn’t get a chance to answer because before she even knew he was back in the room, Tyler had come up behind her quietly and jabbed her in the neck with a syringe. Marisol’s legs instantly turned to Jello.

Tyler caught her and guided her to a seat. Although she was slumped over in the chair, she wasn’t passed out. Realizing that she had just been drugged, she looked up at Tyler with questioning eyes. She tried to talk, but couldn’t quite get her words out. Her brain was fuzzy and her speech was slurred.

“Wha—what did you…?”

She stopped trying to speak, but she still didn’t pass out. She merely sat there quietly in a stupor. Tyler gave Carter an annoyed look for allowing her to nearly escape. He motioned for him to grab one of the containers.

“Come on. She’ll be okay there for a while. The drug will keep her calm and in control; but more importantly, out of the way. I need to get these things on the chopper.”

Carter went to help Tyler with the containers. He followed his boss in the opposite direction, away from the cave entrance. They came to an archway and Carter found himself staring down a long tunnel, about six or seven feet high, and equally as wide. It was lit up with LED’s all along the walls and the path was a clear and empty road. The space was just wide enough to accommodate the small battery-charged vehicle sitting near the entrance. It resembled a golf cart and was just as easy to maneuver.

The cart was actually parked in a space inside the cave, facing the entrance of the tunnel. Later, Carter realized why they kept it there. Although the vehicle was small, there wasn’t enough room to turn the cart around inside the tunnel.

Tyler set his container in the front, on the seat, and instructed Carter to put the one he held on the floor. After they loaded Marisol and the final container onto the cart they all took a short ride down the tunnel.

The vehicle had a quiet engine and went about 25 mph. It enabled Tyler’s select staff to travel back and forth between the underlab and the main facility in less than ten minutes.

As they got closer to their destination, Carter noticed that there were fewer lights in the tunnel. It wasn’t lit up like the hidden lab behind them, but they weren’t in complete darkness either.

By the time Carter’s eyes had fully adjusted, Tyler stopped the vehicle in front of a gate, just like the one behind the waterfall. He motioned for Carter to stay seated, and Tyler hopped out of the cart. He took the same key that he used earlier and unlocked the gate. This time when he pushed in on the wide gate, it opened easily.

Tyler climbed back into the vehicle, drove inside the gate, and maneuvered the cart around so that it was facing the tunnel. He left the key in the ignition and climbed out, then motioned for Carter to accompany him. They left Marisol in the backseat, barely moving. They each grabbed a container from the front seat of the cart.

The area directly under the main facility was restricted. The space served as a gateway to the actual underlab that they had just left. This time when Carter looked around, there wasn’t much to see. This particular area was just a landing, with two elevators. There was nothing down there, other than a few items over in the area where the vehicle was charged and stored. No one on the floors above could even access the elevators unless they had a key, or a code. In between the two elevators, there was a panel that allowed you to insert a key or punch in a code. While both elevators looked the same, only one of them went all the way up to the third floor, and also the landing pad on the roof.

Carter pretended not to watch the five-digit code that Tyler punched in on the keypad. Tyler did it quickly, but not as quickly as he thought. Carter committed the number to memory and watched as the elevator door opened.

After putting the containers inside, they went back to the vehicle. Carter helped Marisol out and got her to her feet. Thanks to the drug, she couldn’t stand alone, so he practically carried her to the elevator. After grabbing the last container out of the cart, Tyler pushed the gate closed with his body. He didn’t bother locking it. He went to join Carter and Marisol at the elevator. They went up to the third floor and Tyler stopped the elevator long enough to pick up one final item from his other lab.

Before stepping back into the elevator with Carter and Marisol, Tyler glanced around quickly. He felt like he was forgetting something and it irritated him. He hated leaving hastily like he was doing, because he knew that was how mistakes were made; doing things in haste.

Everything had happened quickly, so the usual security protocols had to be broken. Tyler hadn’t even had a chance to confiscate the keys to the facilities from Judd and Marisol yet. He had checked, but neither of them had their keys on them at the time. He told himself not to worry about it since he planned to go through all their things when he returned. He didn’t see it as a real problem and he couldn’t worry about it now.

He reasoned in his mind: It’s not like they’re in a position to use the keys anyway.

He smiled smugly to himself as they continued on to the roof.

The Secret Prisoner

Less than ten minutes before the three deafening shots had rang out in the jungle, Myrrah had watched the small group as they left the cave and emerged on the other side. She had eyed them intently when she swam around in the pool located on the inside of the cave.

As usual, she was lurking just beneath the surface of the water, but no one could really see her. It was a murky green color so it managed to conceal her entire body. She cautiously lifted her head out of the water and listened intently. She couldn’t determine what the noises above her were all about.

After all this time in captivity, that was how she continued to view the voices of her captors, as noises or utterances. The noises that Myrrah heard today were all jumbled together. One of them wasn’t even familiar to her, so Myrrah couldn’t have comprehended what was being said if she tried. While she may not have understood the words; there was no mistaking the negative energy that filled the cave.

Myrrah could tell that whatever was going on was not good, although it didn’t appear to directly involve her. No one seemed to be paying the water any attention. Not once today, had Myrrah heard any of them utter “Beauty”, the sound she came to recognize as their way of referring to her. They hadn’t even looked in her direction, let alone poked or prodded her.

Although she was glad, she was also curious. She waited, after lifting her head out of the water. She allowed her iridescent eyes to slowly adjust to the semi-darkness of the cave. The atmosphere in the air was a lot different from the hazy water that she had been swimming in for almost two years now. She came to the surface often, but she rarely rose up out of the water; at least not of her own free will.

During her time in captivity, Myrrah struggled to maintain some concept of time. She wasn’t exactly certain how many moons had passed since she had roamed freely and swam in the deep sea. Being unable to see the sky and the great outdoors made it difficult. What Myrrah did know for certain was that her home was a long way off from the waterhole she was currently contained in.

Even after all these many months, her eyes still had trouble focusing in the pool’s harsh green water. She remembered a time when the pool was crystal clear and a beautiful shade of aqua green. That was before her captors came along.

The pool was a natural enclosure; like a gully, surrounded by rocky cave walls. She was in the lower area of the cave, the part underwater. It was dark where she was, but higher up in the cave, it was fully illuminated. The whole upper section was lit up with LEDs that were always on. Since the sunlight didn’t make it inside, the artificial lights were all that was illuminating the cave.

She hated the constant cave lighting above. It was nothing like the bright warm sun that used to rejuvenate her once a month, the morning following a moonless night.

When she was free, that was the only time that Myrrah ever spent away from her home in the deep. She’d give anything now, for the brightness of the sun. The lighting in the cave, as well as a few strategically placed cameras, helped to keep the place under surveillance. Not only was it always well lit, but normally it was full of activity, even though not many people knew it existed. Those who did know about the hidden cave, discreetly referred to it as the underlab.

Instinctively, Myrrah had already determined that it must be the end of the week. This had become her favorite time since being in captivity. She’d become accustomed to the Friday afternoons that were marked by less activity in the cave and fewer disruptions to her routine.

During this precious time, there was less probing, photographing, and infringing on her privacy. But even then, there would be several captors coming and going. Every single day, there was always someone nearby, not that she could go anywhere if there wasn’t. There was no way for her to escape.

She sensed that something was truly different today. So far, no one had bothered with her, nor performed any of the usual activities. Instead, it felt like another sort of hustling and bustling going on inside the cave.

Myrrah’s instincts were correct. It was Friday afternoon and all the staff had left for the mainland. This was one of the requirements that their employer, Tyler Payne demanded of them. As a rule, he didn’t like the employees spending time recreating on his island. But this was especially the case today. Tyler didn’t want anyone around, witnessing what he had planned.

Life in captivity had taught Myrrah to completely rely on her instincts. During the past nearly two years, she had learned to observe and sense certain things about her captors, as well as her surroundings.

Myrrah had never been in such close proximity to humans before. She had grown up hearing stories about humans, a few good, but mostly bad, and some of them horrific. But all the stories ended with the same warning; stay away from the tail-less. That was how humans had come to be known by her people. The Merquaticans had always taken heed to those warnings, for as long as they had roamed the seas.

For centuries, their diminishing group had remained hidden much deeper in the ocean, trying to become completely invisible. They had needed the tail-less to believe they didn’t really exist. Now Myrrah completely understood why.

Once her eyes became adjusted, Myrrah could see the inside of the cave a lot better. Now she could make out the forms of whoever was currently above her. All their facial features basically appeared to look the same to her. She mostly identified them by their physical characteristics.

Though she actually had the capability to learn and understand their speech, her fear and the trauma she suffered during capture, had managed to suppress the natural born gifts bestowed upon the Merfolk by the Sea Mistress.

Over time, she merely learned to recognize the variations in their tones. Their different dispositions and treatment of her were also helpful when it came to identifying one tail-less one from the other.

Myrrah peered intently at one of the forms in the upper part of the cave. It was tall and narrow. Her gaze traveled to his face. Even from her vantage point, she could see the familiar scowl, and instantly recognized the angry one, with eyes like the ocean. This was Professor Tyler Payne, and unbeknownst to Myrrah, he was her primary captor.

Shifting her attention to the form next to him, she also recognized the outline of the one with the strange objects on his face. It was Professor Richards, the only one of the group who wore glasses.

Then Myrrah saw the other one; the one most like her; the kind one. Out of all her captors, Myrrah was most comfortable with this one. This was Marisol Payne. Marisol was a scientist, just like her husband Tyler and Professor Richards. The three of them were the humans that were most familiar and recognizable to Myrrah.

Today, the tail-less were much louder than usual. During the regular cave activities, it was rarely this noisy inside. Myrrah didn’t actually know that her captors were arguing or that things were about to escalate. She could, however, sense something stranger than usual about their movements.

She was puzzled by the odd expression on Marisol’s face. As Myrrah listened to the noises they were making, she wondered what was going on. They were all wearing the familiar white lab coats that she had gotten used to seeing them in; all except one. This particular form was one that she didn’t recognize; a really large one who looked very intimidating.

It was hard for Myrrah not to miss the fear that she saw on Marisol and Judd’s faces. Whoever the really large one was, Myrrah sensed that he was the reason for their fear. He seemed to be threatening them with the object he was holding. As far as Myrrah could tell, the only one of her captors who appeared to be at ease was the angry one with eyes like the ocean. He even looked like he was enjoying whatever was happening.

Myrrah continued hovering in the water and staring at the scene above. She listened as the tones of her captors grew even louder. She didn’t need to know or understand what was being said. There was clearly some type of conflict. More and more, she was convinced that something was very wrong.

The noise continued, but suddenly all of them were heading out of the cave. Myrrah watched as they left, walking single-file along the narrow ledge. The angry one was in front and the other two familiar captors followed. The really large one was behind them. He was the last thing Myrrah saw before they disappeared out of sight.

Even though she could no longer see all of them, she could still hear them. After a few moments, the original noises were replaced by the sounds of them departing through the cave wall. Myrrah listened for the loud clanking sound that she always heard whenever they came and went by that route. She had heard it many times since she’d been in captivity.

Myrrah knew all too well about the connecting pool that was on the other side of the wall. She remembered it from when she was free. But the tail-less had done something to block the way. They had made it impossible for her to get back to the ocean from either the inner or outer pool. There were barriers to both routes.

Now the only home Myrrah had was the green murky waterhole. She submerged herself again, but not before hearing three unfamiliar noises just outside her jail. The noises were so loud, that the sound crackled throughout the whole cave.

“POP! POP! POP!”