Part one: There goes the Wub

It was pitch black as they rolled over to sleep; Merrick listened to the howl of the wind against the door. The distant hooting of owls sharing the same soundscape.

‘Say, can I…Can I…I ne’er felt gills on a human ‘fore.’

Merrick rolled in his sleeping back to face the dark lump that was Jackson, ‘Is that what ya got me in ‘ere fer? T’ cop a feel?’

Jackson switched on the torch between them, ‘Fuck no! I ent like that! I ent no pervert.’

‘The lady doth protest too much.’ Merrick smirked.

Jackson baulked and slid up in his sleeping bag, ‘I shoulda ne’er asked. I apologise, sir.’

Merrick shook his head, ‘It’s fine, Jackson! Come on then,’ Merrick leaned over the torch light, casting a huge shadow on the walls, ‘Have a feel.’

Jackson ran his tongue over his teeth, ‘Ya sure?’

‘Yea. Curious folk are better than pre-judgement, fella.’

Jackson reached over hesitatingly, running a finger over the slits in his gills, ‘Wow.’

He spat, ‘Wow!’ He shook his head, ‘Do they, do they work, like?’

‘Nah. non-functioning.’

The wind filled in a gap of silence between them, along with the ‘too-wit’ of a female owl very close by.

‘What’d ya think is wrong wit’ bein’ like that?’ Merrick finally asked.

Jackson was still looking wide-eyed in amazement, his finger tracing down the slits on Merrick’s neck, ‘What?’ He asked with a frown.

Merrick leaned further in, ‘Ya know, like…’ Merrick kissed Jackson on the lips gently, ‘like that.’

‘N- No…I ent.’ Jackson stuttered. ‘And you shouldn’t be goin’ roun’ doin’ that t’ men!

Ya’ll get yasle’ kilt’

‘Why? Are you gonna kill me?’

Jackson swallowed audibly, ‘No.’

‘Well, that’s good then.’ Merrick smiled across at him.

They lay on their backs in their sleeping bags, back into the blackness of the night; the wind continued to howl and bang at the door menacingly.

Jackson swallowed away something that haunted his mind before sighing as though he had resigned himself to some disagreeable fate.

Merrick kept his eyes closed, listening to the rustling coming from beside him, then the purr of a zip coming undone, the padding of hands and knees crawling against the grain of the wooden floor.

Then he felt it, the breeze of exposed skin. He opened his right eye and was met with Jackson looking over him.

‘What’s this?’

‘I don’t know.’ Jackson confessed as he ran his hand down from Merricks gills to his chest and ran his fingers through his chest hair.

Merrick strained his neck and kissed Jackson, pulling him in closer.

‘I didn’t think you…’ Merrick started.

‘I don’t know,’ Jackson whispered, ‘so jus’…’

‘Shut up.’ Merrick finished the thought.

The wind had since calmed down, and the floorboards creaked underneath their weight.

‘I always wonder wit’ men like yasel” Jackson started, his head resting against Merrick’s chest, ‘Are ya jus’ a man lookin’ fer anythin’ thee can get?’

‘What do ya mean?’ Merrick frowned.

‘If thee ent no woman around, ya jus’ take a fella like me to replace ‘er, like.’

‘Men like me?’ Merrick looked down at Jackson’s face, ‘more than one?’ He grinned, ‘But ya ent that way!’ He laughed.

‘Shut up!’ Jackson retorted, ‘Jus’ answer the damn question!’

‘What makes ya think you’re a good replacement fer a woman?’ Merrick asked, amused.

Jackson slid out from the sleeping bag and crept toward his own.

‘Anyway, ya think I couldn’t get me a woman if I wanted one?’

‘No, no! I ent sayin’ any such thing!’

Outside, time ticked away with the sound of rain dripping from the shack’s roof, cigarette embers marking down the minutes between Merrick’s fingers.

Just as Jackson had started to drift off to sleep, Merrick piped up, ‘What wus that ’bout ya goin’ t’ cidy?’

‘I ent goin’.’ Jackson replied sleepily.

‘Ya won the loddery?’

Jackson shifted in his sleeping bag, ‘Ah might ‘ave.’ But even if I ‘ave, I ent goin.” Jackson sat up, his back against the wall, ‘I wouldn’t go there ‘less I wus goin’ down t’ shoot ’em all down.’

‘Ya don’t wanna do that.’ Merrick told him

‘Ya bet I do!’ Jackson replied, ‘Look ‘ow they ‘ave us live! Those purebloods got it comin”

‘First someone teks ya eye, then ya tek theirs, then what are ya left with?’ Merrick asks the darkness.

Jackson frowned, ‘Say, what?’

‘Ya left blind! Thee take ya eye, you take theirs, they take your other eye, you take their other eye. Then ya fight blind and ya die.’ Merrick puffed up a pillow and clasped a hand behind his head.

‘I’d fight those fuckers blind if I ‘ad t’.’ Jackson replied.

‘I’m tellin’ ya,’ Merrick looked up at the ceiling, listening to the rain drip, ‘it never works out ser well.’

”ow’d you know?’

‘Never mind wut I might’ve done.’

Jackson squinted his eyes to see the shape of the man beside him on the floor in the dark. ”Ave ya kilt a man?’

Merrick got out of his sleeping bag, ”ere let me show ya somethin,’ He grabbed Jackson’s hand and pulled him up off the floor, ‘Come on.’

‘Wait, wait,’ Jackson loosened his hand from Merrick’s grip and put on a pair of boxers before following him outside.

‘Ya see down there all thum cidy lights?’ Merrick pointed down the cobbled street at the distant lights.

‘Yea.’

Merrick looked up at the sky, and Jackson followed his gaze, ‘Ya think thee can see those stars down there?’

Stars twinkled through transparent wispy clouds, the scars of scattered rain showers moving through the sky to reveal the brilliant void of space.

Jackson shrugged.

Merrick shook his head, ‘Thee cant. They’ve blown themselves up wit’ so much artificial light down there they forgodden real stars exist.’

A Wub hurried past, making a bubbling sound that they made when running.

‘Ent it interestin’ wut thee left behind?’ Jackson asked prompted by the sound.

‘Ya not one of those that think thee left ’em behind on purpose, are ya?’

Jackson shrugged again, ‘Mebe.’

‘Nah,’ Merrick said, ‘I think it’s like ‘ow we ‘umans introduce new species to new lands from ships and t’ like accidentally.’

‘Except the Wubs are alien.’ Jackson said.

‘So are t’other species when they arrive on new land. Anyway,’ Merrick took a piss where he stood, ‘They ent alien anymore.’

”Ow’d ya figure?’ Jackson asked, looking at the butt of Merrick as he relieved himself and he grinned, ‘ent ya a bit cold?’

They lay back down in their sleeping bags, hands clasped behind their heads.

‘So,’ Jackson started, ”Ow’d ya figure?’

‘Figure what?’

‘The alien thing, the Wubs.’

‘Thee preddy much naturalised now ent thee?’ Merrick said, ‘Like, back in’t day when Romans introduced non-native trees and ‘t’ like. Anyway,’

Jackson heard the floorboard creaking and then felt a weight on him, ‘I figure ya shut up wit’ the questions now,’ Merrick told him as his hands roamed between Jackson’s legs.