What Waits Below

The cold embrace of the ocean wrapped around Mark as he descended into the inky depths. His helmet light cut through the water, casting a narrow beam that revealed the long, rusted pipe he had been sent to inspect. The pipe ran along the seabed, disappearing into the black void that lay beyond the reach of his light.

His breaths echoed loudly in his ears, each inhale and exhale a reminder of the thin barrier between him and the crushing depths. Mark had been diving for years, but there was something about this job that made his skin crawl. The briefings had been normal, routine even, but the location—a spot notorious for shipwrecks and strange occurrences—had unnerved him.

The comms crackled to life in his ear. "How's it looking down there, Mark?" It was Jerry, his partner topside.

"Pipe’s seen better days," Mark replied, his voice steady despite the growing unease gnawing at him. "Some corrosion, but nothing too bad. I’ll start the repair now."

"Roger that. Keep us posted."

Mark nodded, though Jerry couldn’t see it, and set to work. He tried to focus on the task at hand, but the oppressive darkness around him seemed to press in closer with each passing minute. Every so often, he would catch a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye—an unnatural twitch in the water, a shadow that didn’t belong. But whenever he turned his head to look, there was nothing.

“Jerry, you getting any weird readings topside?” Mark asked, his voice tinged with a hint of nervousness.

“Everything’s normal, Mark. Why, you seeing something?”

Mark hesitated. “I don’t know… maybe it’s just my eyes playing tricks on me.”

“Stay focused. You’re almost done.”

Mark exhaled sharply and returned to his work, but the sense of being watched grew stronger. The ocean was too quiet as if every living thing had fled, leaving him alone in the vast, empty void. And yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t alone at all.

Then he saw it—a glint of something in the distance, just beyond the edge of his light. It was quick, gone as soon as it appeared, but it sent a jolt of fear through him. Mark froze, his heart hammering in his chest. He strained his eyes, peering into the darkness, but there was nothing. Just the void, endless and empty.