Page 17 of Drenched

“Something’s grabbed me!” Jonathan’s voice crackled through the radio, sharp with panic. “I can’t see it, but I’m not going down without a fight!”

“What the hell is happening?!” Kim screamed over the radio.

As the ink cleared, I braced myself for... I didn’t even know what. But Jonathan was just there, floating, his breathing ragged. His leg showed no marks, no blood, he seemed physically unharmed. Yet the look in his eyes unsettled me to the core. I’d never seen Jonathan rattled before. But now? He looked spooked, like something had reached inside him and shaken the foundation of who he was.

“We need to leave,” I said, my voice cracking with urgency. “This isn’t safe. We’ve got a sample, let’s go.”

But Jonathan shook his head, his expression hardening. “Not yet,” he snapped. “We’re not leaving with just one sample. That was nothing, just an octopus or something.”

I wanted to believe him. God, I really did. But my gut knew better. Still, we needed more algae samples. We couldn’t leave empty-handed.

“I’ll grab another sample,” I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. Kicking hard, I pushed away from the group, heading toward the glowing algae bed.

The algae pulsed, its glow hypnotic as I reached out. My own breathing filled my ears, loud and uneven. The water aroundme shifted, alive with something unseen. My pulse raced, hands trembling as I reached for the algae.

Suddenly I saw a familiar face.

My mother.

Her face floated in the distance, pale and distorted. Dark streams of water leaked from her hollow eyes. Her lips moved, but the voice that came through sounded wet and broken.

“Pearl… darling… come to me.”

My chest seized. My breath stuttered. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. But the longer I stared, the more doubt clawed at me. Her face swam into focus, too familiar, too close. Behind her, more figures emerged, my father’s lifeless eyes. And then… him.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. My lungs felt tight, panic gnawing at the edges of my mind. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

Her hand lifted, fingers outstretched. “Come, Pearl… it’s safe here.”

My pulse pounded, each beat loud and frantic. My father’s eyes locked onto me, empty, accusing. The algae’s glow smeared their faces in sickly green. They looked wrong, like shadows wearing familiar skin.

“Come back, Pearl. It’s warm here…”

Cold dread spread through me. My throat closed, the taste of metal flooding my mouth. I gasped into the regulator, each breath thin and shaky.

Then he appeared.

The man from every nightmare.

“My little Pearl,”he cooed, his voice a singsong mockery.

Terror clawed up my spine. I nearly lost it.

“No! You’re not real. None of you are real!” The scream tore out of me, desperate and raw.

But they kept drifting closer. The water thickened, darkness closing in like invisible hands squeezing my throat.

My mother’s lips moved again. Her hollow eyes pleaded.“We miss you, darling. We’re waiting.”

Panic snapped. I kicked back, but my legs felt heavy, tangled in the water. I couldn’t get away.

Jaime’s voice crackled through the radio. “Pearl, get it together!”

Reality slammed back into me. The figures vanished.

I needed to get out. My flashlight shook, the beam flickering wildly as I pushed toward the surface.

And I finally found her!

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