You saw Joel coming over. He had agreed to come help you with the kitchen tab that had broken a few days ago. You had offered to exchange his handy work for some coffee beans you got from some of the new people in town. Joel never refused to trading in for coffee. Last time he traded around to make you a full body umbrella for some instant coffee after Jackson ran out of it.

But when you turned to meet him at the door, your arm accidentally knocked over your water flask, breaking the cap and spilling water all over the floor.

"Shit!" You cursed as you dropped to the floor, your feet quickly turning into a fish tale.

No, no, no, no!

Joel knocked before he walked in, finding you on the floor of the kitchen. He stared at you for a minute, eyes wide and in disbelief. His mind flashing back to Ellie's crazy stories about seeing you turn into a fish when you watered your garden a few weeks ago. Everyone in Jackson including him thought she was joking. Imagining things, because-...

"What the fuck?" Joel said as he stared at you.

The story was true. You did turn into a half fish at the backyard a few nights ago. Ellie had seen it from her bedroom window even though you crawled yourself inside the house before anyone else saw you.

Truth was, that was your biggest secret and insecurity. You were born to be a human guinea pig. Experimented on in hopes of finding a cure or a vaccine or something to fight off the infected that took over the world. But it hadn't worked. And you were the only one to survive and escaped during an infected horde before you arrived to Jackson.

"So that's why you never leave the house on rainy weather? Or for any occasion that involves multiple people and drinks?" Joel asked as you told him about your life.

It made sense now. Why your house was always locked up, day or night. Why you refused to patrol around bodies of water or on rainy weather. A lot of strange things about you suddenly clicked into place and made sense.

"Yeah... I'm sorry about Ellie... Everyone thinks she's crazy... But she did see me turn into... A fish."

"A mermaid." Joel chuckled. "She calls you a mermaid."

You smiled, taking a breath as your legs returned to normal after drying by the couch.

"That's freaky..." He met your eyes. "And cool... Ellie would say." He added.