“I thought I could make it. I really thought I could make it,” a disheveled man cries out breathlessly while screeching to a halt in front of a closing metal door. Inhuman shrieks echoed down the hall behind him. Whoever had remote access to the doors had just trapped him. Whether it was intentional or not. His eyes frantically darted across the room before landing on a desk large enough to crawl under. He had no time to discern whether this would be an adequate place to hide as the sounds of the creature grew louder as it drew closer.

He pressed himself into the cramped space, wishing he could become invisible. The sound of the creature completely overwhelmed his senses. It let out unnerving shrieks and gurgly cries that made the creature sound as if it was underwater. It must be in the room with him now. The light fixtures in the room shook violently and flickered casting shuddering shadows across the walls and floors. He caught a flash of the creature’s sharp fins before the lights went out entirely, leaving him in complete darkness. The shrill screeching of claws scraping against metal made him wince. He counted the seconds as the floor shuddered and faded into a weak tremble. The silence the creature left in its wake was almost as deafening as its screeches.

He sat deathly still, trying to concentrate on the sounds around him. There did not seem to be any lingering danger, but he couldn’t push down the feeling of uneasiness. Wearily, he pulled himself out from under the desk and dusted off his uniform. He strained his eyes to look around in the dark. A faint light emanated from beyond the door that had once blocked his path. It had been pried open by the subject of his investigations.

“Fascinating…” he murmured to himself. Maybe the finned beast thought he made it through the door? Or maybe it wasn’t after him at all.

Regardless, he was sent down here to study it, and he wasn’t about to let one near death experience get in his way. He would need to press onward if he wanted to get paid for his work. Carefully, he passed through the gap in the door towards the dim light. Water dripped from the ceiling.

“A little concerning for an underwater facility…” he whispered to himself, though he figured no repairmen had been sent down here since the emergency evacuation. He side-stepped a growing puddle on the floor, and directed his focus to the source of the light.

It took him a moment to realize the light was not coming from any lamp or light fixture. Instead, there was a large window that revealed several twinkling jellyfish. They seemed to dance and twirl as they brought light to the dark waters around them. For a moment, he thought about how peaceful it must be out there, rather than being trapped with the aquatic monster in here. He felt his muscles relax as he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. He lingered there for a moment enjoying the serenity. He then pulled a folded paper out of his pocket and held it up to the glow of the jellyfish to reread his instructions.

The letter read as follows:

“Fathom Defense Lab Researcher: Wade Seward, DOB: 6/11/2056. You are tasked with tracking down the frilled shark test subject that breached containment. Once you have successfully incapacitated the specimen, you must record any unusual findings. Room A05 contains cameras for documenting these findings.”

He glanced up at the number on the door. He had to squint to read it in the dark, but it read A04.

“Security cameras are set up in each room broadcasting to the crew at home base. The crew has remote access to certain doors. Complete your tasks and return to the submarine station to return to the surface. Your payment will be arranged when you reach home base.”

On the back of the sheet of paper was a neat map of the facility. He studied it for a moment and spotted a few key areas on the map. A room labeled the ‘Containment Chamber’ was not too far from his current location. Wade folded the paper back up with a newfound sense of determination. He gave the jellyfish one last glance before entering the next room.

The lights were on in this room which was a relief, but it took a moment for Wade to adjust to the harsh gleam radiating from above him. Several supply cabinets lined the walls of the sterile room and Wade’s attention was drawn to a cabinet labeled ‘Cameras’. After retrieving a camera, he thought about searching the other cabinets for supplies.

Before he could examine the other labels, a booming crash rang out from somewhere nearby in the facility. The overgrown shark had not gone far and Wade began to feel the panic enter his veins again. Another clang followed by an inhuman squeal came from the room ahead, this time sounding much closer than before. The supply room offered no shelter from the impending doom down the hall. Thinking quickly, Wade raced to the supply cabinet closest to the door. He put all of his weight into overturning the cabinet, sending it slamming against the ground with a loud crash that rivaled the sound of the creature nearby. Surgical utensils clattered to the floor as the cabinet doors flung open on impact. If it hadn’t known his whereabouts before, it certainly did now. However the obstacle should have bought him some time.

The Containment Chamber wasn’t too far from him, but he would have to take another route since the creature blocked his path. Adrenaline gave Wade the power to dash back through the hall and towards the room he had located on the map. He dodged the crates littered across the floor as he willed his legs to carry him away faster. The hair on the back of Wade’s neck stood on end as he heard the shark let out a long drawn out cry. It didn’t sound as far away as he had hoped. Just as he felt himself running out of energy to keep running, another large metal door loomed above him. The word ‘Containment’ was engraved on the wall above it. He had no way of opening it on his own, but he remembered that these doors are remotely accessible by those watching over him at home base. A security camera at the other end of the hall pointed towards the door. He waved his arms at it frantically, hoping to god that someone would answer his pleas.

His prayers were answered as the mechanical noise of the door pulling itself open filled the room. Wade began to let out a sigh of relief that immediately caught in his throat. A flicker of movement below the security camera caught his eye. A dark figure darted between the crates, low to the ground like a predator stalking its prey. The creature’s ability to sneak up on him scared him more than the high-pitched shrieks he had grown accustomed to. The shark zig-zagged across the hallway at a concerning pace. Wade stumbled backwards, feeling his back press against the door behind him. It opened at a painfully slow pace and Wade cursed under his breath. The creature was almost upon him now.

It stood up onto its hind legs, towering several feet above Wade. The door opened enough for Wade to squeeze through, but he found himself paralyzed under the imposing beast. Its tail lashed out violently, smacking against Wade’s shins sending him hurling down to the floor. He latched onto his camera protectively and with one last ditch effort to survive, he snapped a photo. The camera’s blinding flash lit up the entire hallway for a moment revealing how close the shark’s razor-sharp teeth and clouded eyes truly were to him. The beast let out an ear-piercing howl as it staggered backwards. Wade snapped back to reality and struggled to his feet. He slipped through the door hurriedly and tried to take in his surroundings as quickly as possible.

A single red light illuminated the room and broken glass crunched under Wade’s boots. The source of the shattered glass was one large test tube that resembled something you’d see in a Sci-Fi movie. Wade’s eyes widened with realization. The Fathom Defense Lab hadn’t found this monster, they had created it. With the test tube broken, the only way to contain it is to find a way to shut the beast into the room.

The shark regained its sight and forced its way through the door like a battering ram. It slithered toward Wade, seemingly unbothered by the shards of glass it was stepping on. Wade lifted his camera once again in defense, but the beast whipped its tail, sending the camera hurtling across the room. It hit the wall with a sickening crack and any glimmer of hope that Wade had was destroyed with it. In an act of sheer desperation, Wade attempted to bolt past the shark towards the door. Sharp claws dug into the thick fabric of Wade’s uniform causing him to jolt to the side. His balance was thrown off for a moment, but he kept moving. The metal door began to close on its own and Wade realized he had only a few moments to escape.

He rushed to the door and dropped to an army crawl to make it through the small space left between the door and the floor. Just as he thought he had made it to freedom, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his legs. Wade clung onto the door for dear life as the beast jostled him around. His fear grew stronger as his grip on the door slipped. The shark prevailed, ripping Wade away from safety and back into the room of horrors.

“I thought I could make it. I really thought I could make it,” Wade thought to himself as the metal door slammed shut. He completed his duties for the company, but at what cost.