We found Atlantis at the bottom of the ocean. The creatures living there followed us to the surface. 2 weeks ago, my captain told us he found Atlantis. I thought he was joking until he showed us the sonar images. Massive structures 7,000 ft underwater, perfectly preserved metal buildings that shouldn't exist. Captain Rodriguez had been acting strange for months, getting mysterious 3 a.m. phone calls, meeting with people in expensive suits. Our research vessel was supposed to be tracking hurricanes, butwe've been sailing toward coordinates in the middle of nowhere. Boys, what I'm about to show you will change history, he said, spreading the sonar printouts across the table. The images showed what looked like a city. Towers, streets, buildings arranged in perfect geometric patterns, all made from some kind of metal that reflected our sonar perfectly. "That's impossible," Jake whispered. He was our marine biologist, 28 years old and usually skeptical about everything. But his hands were shakingas he studied the images. Impossible or not, it's down there and we're going to be the first people to see it in 10,000 years. The submarine arrived the next morning, black, sleep with technology decades ahead of anything we had. The man delivering it introduced himself as Dr. V advance but avoided eye contact and left immediately. Five of us descended that day. Me, Captain Rodriguez, Jake, Tommy, and Mark. The submarine was eerily quiet as we dropped through darkness. Our lights barelypenetrating the black water. At 4,000 ft, we started seeing them. Holes in the ocean floor, each about 12 ft wide, stretching down into the earth like massive burrows. They were everywhere, covering the seafloor like a bullet w. What do you think made those? Tommy asked. Nothing I've ever seen, Marcus replied. His voice was tight with worry. At 7,000 ft, we reached a massive cliff, and that's when we saw it. Atlantis rose from the ocean floor like a metal forest. Towers spiraling hundreds offeet into the water, connected by bridges that gleamed like they've been built yesterday. The metal was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Somehow both ancient and futuristic. Jesus Christ, Jake breathed. It's real. But something was wrong. The same holes that covered the seafloor were everywhere in the city. Thousands of them burrowing through buildings under streets, creating a honeycomb of tunnels throughout the entire structure. Look at the cliff face, Marcus said, pointing below us. The entire rock wall wasriddled with holes. Something undermined the whole foundation. That's why the city sank. We descended into the ruins. Our lights illuminating metal structures that defied explanation. The architecture was beautiful but alien with curves and angles that hurt to look at. And everywhere those holes, Captain Rodriguez was taking photos frantically. Do you understand what this means? We'll be rich beyond imagination. That's when Jake screamed. Something massive emerged from one of the holes near us. It lookedlike a giant earthworm but covered in metallic spikes that gleamed like the city. The thing was 50 ft long and moving impossibly fast. Get us out of here," Tommy yelled. But before Marcus could react, the creature shot one of its spikes directly through our hull. The spike punched through Tommy's chest like he was made of paper, pinning him to the wall. Blood filled the water around us as Tommy's eyes went wide with shock. The creature pulled back, leaving its spike embedded in both Tommy and oursubmarine. More worms emerged from the holes around us, each one larger than the last. They moved through the water like it was air, surrounding us completely. Another spike crashed through the hole. This one grazing Jake's shoulder and shattering our control panels. Sparks flew as our engines sputtered and died. "The engines are dead," Marcus shouted over the alarm. "We're stuck!" I looked out the window and saw dozens of the creatures circling us, but they weren't attackingrandomly. They were coordinated, intelligent, playing with us. "They're not just animals," I realized. They're the ones who built this place. Captain Rodriguez stared at me in horror. "What are you saying? The Atlantanss didn't disappear. They're still here. They became these things. A massive spike smashed through the window next to Jake's head, missing him by inch. Water started pouring in as our submarine began to flood. Marcus managed to get the emergency systems online, and weslowly began to rise. But the creatures followed us, clinging to our hull with their spikes, dragging us down. They seemed completely unaffected by the pressure change as we ascended at 3,000 ft. One of them let go, then another. I thought we were safe until I looked up and saw why they released us. The surface above us was black with their bodies, hundreds of them waiting. We breached the surface right into a nightmare. The creatures immediately attacked our main ship. Their spikes tearing through the hole like aluminumfoil. I could hear the crew screaming as water poured into the engine room. They followed us up, Jake said in disbelief. They can survive at any depth. Our captain was radioing frantically for help, but who would believe him? Giant metal worms from a lost city were destroying our ship in the middle of the ocean. Marcus tried to get us to the life rafts, but the creatures were everywhere. They moved through the water faster than our boats, picking off crew members one by one. I watched my friendDanny get dragged under by something the size of a subway car. The last thing I remember clearly was Captain Rodriguez running to the engine room with a flare gun. "I'm not letting them reach the mainland," he shouted. The explosion threw me 200 f feet from the ship. When I came to, I was floating on a piece of debris in empty ocean. Both ships were gone. Everyone was dead except me. A cargo ship found me 3 days later. Delirious and sunburned. When I told them what happened, they said I washallucinating from exposure. The Coast Guard found no wreckage. No bodies, nothing. But I know what I saw down there. And I know those things are still out there, probably spreading to other parts of the ocean. Atlantis wasn't destroyed by earthquakes or floods. It was quarantined. The creatures weren't just living in the city. They were protecting it, making sure no one ever found it. And now that we disturbed them, I don't think they're going back to sleep. I've been monitoring shippingreports for two weeks now. Three vessels have gone missing in the same region. All disappeared without distress calls, without any trace. They're hunting anything that comes near their territory.
