Crush Depth Part 2: Into the Breach
Flash Fiction February (Day 28)
CW: This story contains graphic language, discussion of alchohol abuse, domestic abuse, the death of a child, and self-harm. Please use discretion when reading.
Click here to read Crush Depth Part 1.
On December 3rd, 2045, a top-secret expedition to a potential breach in Earth's ocean floor was conducted.
It was a failure.
Not only was the submersible never recovered, the exact nature of what occurred was impossible to ascertain. The official report listed “technical error” as the reason for the failed expedition. No other reason was offered…
Meanwhile, ocean levels across the Earth continued to fall.
A second expedition was chartered, using an even more advanced submersible and a larger team consisting of five individuals. All of whom underwent rigorous mental and physical training in response to the data gathered from the first expedition. Their goal?
To enter the breach.
What follows are transcripts of the audio recordings, enhanced with audio descriptions for better visualization. These files were obtained upon completion of the expedition, which is officially listed as a success…
DEPTH UPDATE…
35,000 FEET
SYSTEMS NOMINAL…
APPROACHING ANOMALY…
Victor: Alright, everyone, we’re almost there. Expect auditory and visual hallucinations. Remember your training, and for fuck’s sake, please stick together.
Shaun: Understood!
Rebecca: If I’m right and it’s another dimension on the other side, you owe me a drink when we get back, Victor!
A masculine voice laughs.
Victor: If we make it back, Becca, I’m buying the whole damn bar a round, and you can hold me to that!
DEPTH UPDATE…
0000000000000000000…
UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED…
NOTE: at this point in the recording, the timestamp stops moving. It remains stuck at 00:32.67 and does not begin moving again until after the team returns from within the breach.
Despite this, the audio continues recording…
Victor: Holy shit, that was loud!
Victor: Shaun? Becca?
Victor: Anybody?
Heart rate elevated.
Victor: I can’t see anything…Hello!
Victor: Hang on, what’s this?
Victor: What the hell is a flare doing here?
Sounds of gunfire.
Victor: No, No, NO!
Victor: No, no, no this isn’t possible.
Victor: It wasn’t my fault!
Victor: LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT OF HERE!
UNKNOWN: They trusted you, Victor.
Victor: You’re not real! None of this is real!
UNKNOWN: You might as well have pulled the trigger yourself!
Explosions.
Victor: Shut the fuck up! You’re not real!
UNKNOWN: You killed them! SAY IT!
NOTE: There’s a brief cut in the audio here, but we didn’t edit this; just wanted to make you aware. Okay, I’ll let you get back to it.
Shaun: Holy hell, what's this? Where did the sub go?
Shaun: Uh, since this is just recording audio, I guess I’ll tell you what I see. Stairs. Whole-ass staircases in every direction. Above, below, all around.
A yelp of pain.
Shaun: Ah, shit! There’s shards of glass below me. Why am I barefoot?
An infant begins crying.
Shaun: Is that a baby?
Shaun: What the fu—
Footsteps, with cries of pain between each one.
Shaun: I, uh, I don’t know how to describe what’s chasing me.
Shaun: It sounds like a baby, but I swear to God, it’s not.
Silence
UNKNOWN: How does it feel to walk on the path of your own mistakes?
Shaun: What? Who said that?
UNKNOWN: What’s the matter? Don’t remember?
Shaun: Remember what? Who are you?
UNKNOWN: Oh, that’s right, you were DRUNK when you pushed her down the stairs!
Shaun: How the hell…
Shaun: No! That wasn’t my fault! It was an accident!
UNKNOWN: Stop running and look! LOOK AT THE CHILD YOU KILLED!
NOTE: Hey, me again. There’s another audio cut here. I Just wanted to remind you real quick, this wasn’t on our end.
Water splashing.
Gasps for air, followed by heavy breathing .
Rebecca: I can breathe! Okay, I can breathe!
Rebecca: Where am I?
Rebecca: Victor! Shaun! Can you hear me?
Rebecca: What was that? Hello?
A scream.
Rebecca: Let go of me!
Heavy breathing.
Rebecca: I can’t see anything. Help! Help me!
UNKNOWN: He knew, by the way. Deep down. Despite everything you said. He knew.
Rebecca: What? Who is that?
UNKNOWN: He just didn’t have the heart to confront you.
Rebecca: Listen, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I need help! I can’t see anything!
UNKNOWN: The right thing would have been to leave, but that was too hard for you, wasn’t it?
Rebecca: No…I don’t know who you are, but you’ve got it all wrong!
UNKNOWN: DO I? PLEASE, EXPLAIN!
Rebecca: I was trying to make it work! I mean, yes! I cheated, yes, but I still loved him.
UNKNOWN: Was this before or after he put a bullet through his FUCKING HEAD?
Rebecca: That wasn’t my fault, goddammit!
UNKNOWN: You strung him along. You made him think he was the crazy one. You convinced him it was all in his head. YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAVE PULLED THE TRIGGER YOURSELF!
Rebecca: Fuck you! I loved him!
UNKNOWN: Really? Well then, by all means, I’ll let you tell him.
Rebecca: No, let go of me! LET G—
Water splashing.
NOTE: Hey! Me again. The timer starts moving again here, and we pick back up right before they make it back.
BEGIN DOCKING PROCEDURE…
PRESSURIZATION COMPLETE…
OPENING HATCH…
Sheila Baxter stepped through the hatch of the Tritonia MKII with a smile on her face, ready to welcome back the brave souls who had journeyed beyond the breach in the ocean floor.
“Welcome back!” she said, throwing her hands into the air.
She was met with silence. The submersible was empty. Sheila ran through the open area, searching for any clues, but she didn’t find anything.
Sheila blinked and she was suddenly sitting at her desk. Her director came over and dropped a pile of folders in front of her.
She was still wondering how she got there.
“These are the files for the next expedition,” he said, “I want everyone in training by next week.”
Sheila picked up the files, counting five in total. The first one was for Victor Drammel, the second one was for Shaun Peters, the third was for Rebecca Mayhew, and the fourth one…
Was for Sheila Baxter.
“Um, sir, there must be some mistake. My name is in here,” Sheila said, setting her file down on top of the fifth one at the bottom of the stack.
Her director turned back around, and Sheila screamed. His face was gone, replaced by a gaping void. Thousands of tiny black tendrils reached out from its depths, curling like wisps of smoke in the air.
“WE’RE ALL SHORT STAFFED! IT’S ALL HANDS ON DECK!” the director roared.
Sheila looked away from the mind-shattering sight and back down to the folders on the desk. The memories came back. The training. The warnings about hallucinations. She was the fourth member of the team, which begged the question:
Who is the fifth?
Sheila reached down and picked up the last folder on her desk as the world faded to black around her. She opened the folder and looked at the name inside.
The name inside…
Was your name.
UNKNOWN: Hey, me again! You’re probably super confused right now, but don’t worry, I’m here to explain.
UNKNOWN: Are you listening? Yes, you. The one reading this. Are you paying attention?
UNKNOWN: Back at the beginning, I said the mission was a success, and it was! Just…not for them.
UNKNOWN: You see, They never made it back, and neither did you, but it’s all good! Wanna know why?
UNKNOWN: Because now I’ve got you right where I want you.
UNKNOWN: I’ll see you soon…
Thanks for Reading! Here’s Your Musical Pairing
Listen to this while you figure out what side of the breach you’re actually on…
Love the article voiceover!
HOLY COW
Okay, new favorite story here!
This story made me uncomfortable and squirmy and it was FANTASTIC