Dark Below — A Short Horror Story
Finally, I am free.
Blue. A vast blue that reached out for miles in all directions. Above grew whiter, below grew blacker. I felt like the only thing left alive, alone, wrapped in blue.
Maybe this was the end for me, the last thing I’d see. Blue, white, and black. The blue didn’t scare me, and neither did the white. In fact, it was calming. But the black, its dark unknown, sent shivers down my spine.
The darkness below me grew darker while the white and blue faded. The farther I descended into darkness, the greater my fear rose. Every preparation I had made for this journey still left me feeling unprepared.
My mind drifted to my life, questioning why I ever accepted this. Yet none of it mattered. I was the one who threw myself into this water. I had no choice but to sink further. I looked up one last time at the white light fading, its penetration into the water weakening.
Taking another breath from my oxygen tank, I returned my gaze back to the darkness below. So little we knew. It was chanting… songs of death. Luring those too adventurous to their end.
Shadows below danced as the darkness grew around me. Some tiny, others enormous. But one lurked larger than the rest. Its movements slow, sizing up the others as it creeped by. Predator hunting prey. Only one other shadow in these waters intrigued it.
The beast with no name. It may only be a silhouette in the darkness, but its looming presence struck fear in me. Seeing the beast only meant the end. A mistake on your part for coming to its waters, daring to enter its territory. It wasn’t legend; it was a reality.
The blurred motion took me by surprise. It shot up at lightning speeds and all I could do was watch. Giant mouth opened, showing its rows of razor-sharp teeth, allowing me to see the endless abyss inside. The beast clashed with me, banging off metal bars that kept the outside world away. The bars held, and the beast swam away.
I felt myself being pulled towards the white light. The feeling of relief washing over me was only temporary, though. The shadow of the beast lurking just below me. Looking for the best way to strike, like candy in a piñata.
The beast shot up and struck again. I felt myself being thrown around. Whites and blacks mixing to form one. Everything swirled around me, only stopping for a moment when I found metal bars with my body. The pain and dizziness clouded my vision and left me in a state of panic. I felt my entire body tense with each repeated hit, flying around aimlessly.
Then there was nothing but darkness and my body loosened. Time eluded me in that state, although it didn’t last forever. Moments of clarity came, but my head hit the bars, bringing back the blackness.
I tried to focus. During the moments I could see, I noticed one bar was halfway off and several were bent.
I looked up at the white glow, watching it grow as my vision extended farther out. I crashed into the bars once more, watching some break off and drift into darkness. Finding their way to rest at the bottom, a place we may never explore.
The beast lurked below, knowing full well it created an opportunity to get its meal. I grabbed the bars still attached to keep myself from floating down towards it. My heart was racing, thoughts were clouded, body tensing up again. Probably sweating.
The beast darted forward. At that point, I didn’t have hope. I felt nothing. Even the fear left me, like my body and mind were accepting defeat, accepting their time to rest. My mind went blank and I could only observe. I grew tired. The beast swam quick and with purpose, almost gracefully. Fascinating.
The white light wrapped around me, hugging me for security. A slight smile crossed my face when everything went black around me, heat radiating on my face. I felt myself slipping away into the unknown. Finally, I am free.
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