Our plan was simple, run as far as we can away from the terror. 8,000m wasn't enough, we went deeper into the abyss until we reached the sea floor. Immediately we got to the seafloor, the second generator stopped powering the submarine and we finally paid for the consequence of the decision we made.
The power supply was reduced by half, so was the oxygen supply, giving us 6 hours of air left.
"I knew this was not going to be easy, but this is absurd," I groaned.
Just when we were comforting ourselves, a loud scream erupted from behind us. "How persistent is this thing?" I groaned.
The Kraken was chasing us from the back, while we tried to navigate the terrain of the sea floor. The geography of this seafloor was quite different from how I pictured it should be.
It was like a gentle slope, like a submerged beach, stretching far and wide. Sunlight fades here; fish here began to get weird. The shelf ends, and it's like hitting a cliff - suddenly plunging into darker, colder depths. Currents swirl.
There were flat, endless plains of silt. Like a dark, wet desert. Nothing much happens here except sediment drifts and weird creatures creep. There were also underwater mountain ranges and volcanoes. The volcanoes spew lava, hydrothermal vents blast hot, chemical - rich water. Life thrives in this crazy heat.
And finally at the very edge of our sights about 3km, there was a super-deep canyons-dark, pressure's crushing. It was said the creatures down there are...alien.
The pressure was enough to crush an ordinary submarine, but our submarine was no ordinary one. The submarine was created from titanium alloy. A metal that could withstand the crushing pressure of the deep.
"Whoa, this is amazing!!" Mark said aloud. 'Yes, the environment looks beautiful with the various lights coming from some creatures and their eerie transparent bodies, but what people never know is that things that are beautiful in nature are those things that will eventually kill you,' I said in my mind.
"Hmm...it is beautiful but dangerous," Peter commented. "Quinn! The Kraken is closing the distance," Mark warned.
I stared at Quinn, wondering what he will do next. 'I'm sure he knows that if we keep going, it will be a futile endeavor, so, what is he going to do?'
Quinn shifted his eyes and stared at me for a few seconds and said;
"Captain scan the perimeter."
The captain followed the command, he used the sonar to scan through the surroundings. He replied after a few minutes.
"The Kraken is closing on us from the back, while the three monsters are going after us from the side. But,..."
He was hesitant to continue, he paused for 3 seconds and continued with a frown on his face.
"There is something hiding 2km ahead of us."
The word "something" lingered in our minds. Depending on how you might interpret the word, it might mean there is a monster, an object or anything ahead of us.
Quinn immediately answered not fazed by the word said earlier.
"Then take us in that direction."
Our lives depended on luck. If we don't move fast, we will be eaten by the Kraken, and if we make it, we don't even know what lurks there.
The room was filled with tension, it was so dense that you could cut it with a knife. Sweat dripped from my face even though the temperature in the sub was cool.
I shifted my gaze, and noticed how each one of us was coping with the tension. Mark was mumbling something under his breath while he held a necklace, Edward was with Quinn speaking about something, the captain was swearing under his breath and Peter...he was doing nothing except reading a book.
I can feel an headache coming, trying to guess what he is thinking. I stared at my watch and noticed it had been 8 hours since we started the expedition.
"It's about noon right now," I spoke softly.
"Do you have an idea of what is ahead of us?" I asked.
He dropped his book and faced me with a grin, he answered.
"What if I told you I don't ?"
I took notice of his grin which contradicted the words he spoke.
"So, you do know ?"
"Ha, yes, I do know. According to the book I was reading, it says before we can see the unknown we must defeat the gatekeeper," He finally answered.
"The gatekeeper ?"
"Yep, nothing escapes its sight. The gatekeeper is a mysterious being who keeps out everyone from entering excepts the worthy ones."
My head began to take in the new information, analyzing and processing them.
"So, you are basically saying this mysterious being is far stronger than the Kraken," I said.
"Yep, far stronger. I'm sure it knows we are heading there, but, the reason why the Kraken is still following is still a mystery," He explained.
'Could it be, it's trying to use us as bait so as to enter the unknown,' I thought.
Several other thoughts came, but were pushed away due to the sheer impossibility of them.
"What if I told you the Kraken is using us," I said.
"How ?" He asked with confusion written on his face.
"It is going to make us draw the attention of the gatekeeper while it sneaks in," I replied.
"What a sneaky bastard! So, what now ?" He sighed heavily and asked.
"We should proceed with the plan and find a way for the Kraken to be caught," I gave him an answer.