Tier 5, M

Albert swims along the coast, looking for a cave with sufficient structural integrity to support the industrial size meth lab he had envisioned. Behind a school of stingrays, he catches a glimpse of large cave opening. It glows soft yellow, pulsating with the currents of the ocean.

He swims towards the hole, and to his surprise the stingrays do not scatter as he approaches. He pushes through the crush of spiracles and fins, and enters the cave. It is warm, surprisingly so.

“Hello, Albert. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Albert spun around looking for the owner of the booming voice.

“I’ve been watching you, Albert. Ever since you were born. I’m proud of you, Albert, my son.”

Albert flicked his tail wildly, traversing through the cave to locate the voice.

“Over here, my son.”
"Who are you?" Albert asked.
"I am the mother tusk."

And that’s when Albert saw an amorphous darkness rushing towards him. He was seized by panic as the darkness surrounded him, holding him tonic. His lungs began to burn and stars explode in his vision. Then, he feels a strange calmness envelop him as the darkness swallowed him.

Six months later

Patrick sits on the soft sand of the beach, watching the red orb of the setting sun descend beneath the water. He had been coming to the beach everyday, searching. In his quest to find his missing son, his meth business had fallen to shambles, and he was now living out of a Winnebago parked by the side of the 101. As the sun drops below the horizon and darkness ascends, he packs up his tools into a beer cooler, and walks towards the car, his feet sinking in the sand with each step.

Just then, he hears a familiar bark, and looks back. He sees something moving in the distance.

“Albert?” Patrick calls.

The shape pauses for a second before diving into the water.