I am a saturation diver in a pressurized structure at the ocean floor, 1000 feet below the surface of the water. At this depth the water pressure is 30 times more than at the surface and it takes a week of slow ascension to the surface in order for us not to get decompression sickness and die. We are down here working for 21 days and then we spend a week to ascend safely. Right now in our chamber, we have 12 days left of the various gasses giving us life, and we are expected at the surface in 7 days. This would all sound like a typical day for anyone familiar with our line of work, but there are several problems. We have no way of getting back to the surface. Not now, not in 12 days when we begin to suffocate. That problem is caused by our largest problem, the thing outside that found us at the bottom of the ocean.
There were six of us that came down for the initial work cycle. There were only 4 beds, but we would sleep in a rotation anyway. 6 men is a lot for this type of work in this small space but it was a big job, paid an unbelievable amount of money. The living quarter was a 7 by 7 room, the bedroom 5 by 6. We lived in this miniature space for 28 days, and we did our best to get along. Whenever you go the opportunity to work in the water, however, you took it. So on the day the creature found us, Steven and Bobby were delighted when it came their turn to go outside and get some work done on the oil rig. I was on equipment watch, making sure their gas levels were ok, watching vitals. John and Glenn were sleeping, Evan was watching the cameras and talking to the boys outside.
We were about 30 minutes from being done and pulling the boys in when Bobby came in over the radio.
“Hey boys, did anybody hear that?”
“Sounded like a whale. Awful close, though. Usually, they aren’t this close to the floor.”
“I didn’t hear anything in here, Bobby, sorry.”
“Never heard a whale make that noise, but oh well. It’ll see the lights on the rig and go the other way.”
After about 10 more minutes, we heard from Steve.
“God damn that’s an unsettling sound. Must be a female giving birth or something. Hopefully, it isn’t dying.”
“We’re gonna switch the radio to the rig mics for a second, see if we hear anything.” There are microphones at different sealed positions on the rig that were monitored by software at the surface base. This is there because often times you can hear something break a lot quicker than you can see it. Evan turned our radio to pick up the mic sounds. It took about 30 seconds but eventually we heard it too. It wasn’t a god damn whale.
The pitch was too low. Maybe not to the untrained ear, maybe not to some animals even, but I knew immediately that wasn’t a whale. It was a rumbling, filling cry with a small blare to the end of it, it sent a chill down my spine.
“Hey boys I think maybe its time to pack it in, we should be able to finish everything on the next shift.”
“I’m not gonna leave this pipe unfinished and give Johnny a reason to complain about me pulling my weight. Not a chance in hell.”
I was torn. I didn’t know if letting the panic in my voice blead through the radio would make things better or worse. In between button pushed I was telling Evan to get the hatches ready and wake the others. He looked at me funny at first but when I turned back around and looked at him I guess he saw on my face that I as serious.
“I hate to pull rank here boys but I need you inside now, that’s an order.”
“Where the fuck do you think we are? This isn’t the navy. Just make sure our gas is good so I can finish.”
That’s the last thing Steven would ever say to me. Or to anyone. In an instant his coms went out, his vitals and his gas went through the roof and through the floor. A look at his head cam was just rushing water and imperceivable flashes of light and steel. Radio waves don’t travel the water, you have to be connected to your gas line to have communication. I stared at the silent images of what looked like traveling through hyper space underwater. The vital alarm was blaring, Steve’s heart rate was sky rocketing, his oxygen levels almost at zero.
“What the fuck was that?! Get me inside, get me inside!” Bobby started to pull himself to the hatch by his gas line, it’s almost impossible to move quickly out there, but he was scooting.
“What’s happening!” Johnny and Glenn woke up with all of the noise, they stared at the screens in terror, Glenn acted quickly he got to the hatch and started to open the outside door to flood the entry chamber. In the meantime Steve’s camera went black. No more rushes of light and structures, just blackness in front of him. The next thing I heard will stay with me as long as I live, which actually may not be very long.
“What the fuck is that?! Dear God. Guys pull me in! Pull me in for fucks sake! It’s coming towards me!”
Bobby was still 30 yards from the hatch, the gas lines don’t just retract you have to pull them in. We were pulling as hard as we could but then Bobby screamed and his coms were gone. The thing didn’t drag him through the water though. Once it ripped him from his gas line it threw him to the ocean floor. As we looked up through Bobby’s camera we saw it descend upon him. A giant white creature with jet black eyes and a rounded snout like a turtle. It had claws attached to it’s massive torso and a tail fin double it’s size. It shouldn’t have moved very fast, it didn’t seem like it was built for any kind of speed. As it got closer I could make out scars on it’s body. Some of them the length of either claw. Whatever this thing was it wasn’t alone, there was something big enough out there to cause it harm. In that moment my body went void of hope or anything good. I was completely swallowed by fear and the realization I would suffocate in this metal box on the ocean floor. Eventually Bobby’s camera went black too, but not before we got a look at the inside of the thing’s mouth.
Base said they were going to send a rescue crew but when they saw the footage from Bobby’s camera they said it was too risky. They asked to brave the ascension, get to the surface like were supposed to before, we started to get ready to ascend but when Glenn looked through the rig cameras he saw it out in the open water, waiting. It was fixated on our chamber, barely moved. Looked like it was asleep.
The last thing we decided was that risking the ascension was worth it, even with that thing out there. Even if it caught us and tore the ascension vessel apart it would be quicker and probably less painful than suffocating. We were all packed and ready to go when Glenn saw the wreckage of the ascension vessel fall to the sea floor in front of us. Personally I’m in favor of opening the hatch and getting this whole thing over with but Glenn and Johnny want to wait until base camp tells us there’s no chance we’re gonna make it but I know they aren’t coming. Would you get in the water if you knew that thing was around? I wouldn’t have.