Thalassophobia

Emergency Call

Strong waves hit the rocks with full force. The water was dark gray and it was impossible to see anything under it. Anna looked over the edge of the ship. She had put on her skin-tight neoprene suit and kept brushing her white, chin-length hair away from her face. She went back to her office, which was used for all investigations that take place on the ocean. The room was protected with a glass wall and equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Three screens are placed on a desk. Anna looked at the one in the center showing a radar. The ship is directly above where the glowing green dot is located. Anna grabbed the rest of her gear and strapped her oxygen tanks to her back. An e-mail flashed on the first screen from her colleague Lorenz. He wished her luck and also wrote her to be careful. She wrote back a short reply and then went to the ladder that led into the water. She descended and slowly dove into the deep water. She swims deeper and deeper. Fish shied away from her and it grew darker and darker around her. She turned on the flashlight attached to her neoprene suit. The bright light shone on a shipwreck. Several holes and huge scratch marks can be seen on the wall. Anna swims closer to the scratch marks. She doesn't know of any sea creature that leaves such tracks of this size. The young woman found a hole large enough for her to swim through. The interior of the ship was destroyed. Shards of glass lie scattered on the floor. Torn wetsuits hung on the wall. Anna keeps swimming until she comes to a passage. All the doors to the sleeping cabins were wide open. The beds look like they've been bitten through in the middle. Anna looked ahead and saw the outline of a figure seated on a chair. Hoping to find another living soul, she swims forward. The first thing she found in the room was a communications device that was blinking red. The emergency call must have come from him, Anna thought. She swims to the chair where a figure is sitting upright. When she saw the picture in front of her, she felt sick. A man is sitting on the armchair and has hung himself in the seat belt. His eyes are wide as if he's just witnessed indescribable horror. Blood ran down his chin. His whole stomach was slit open and Anna only now fell on the blood mixed with the blue water. . Every cell in her body was screaming at her to leave this place. Anna turns and swims out of the room. She sees another hole and made her way there. She swims through the sleeping cabin and had to and her breakfast almost came up when she saw another dead body in bed. Or at least half of it. She had finally gotten outside and swam towards the surfaces. In the distance, she heard a deafening roar that made her blood run cold. She climbed up the ladder and ran into the office. She pressed the comm button and sent out an emergency call. The roar was heard again, and this time it was right next to the ship. She looked through the glass wall and her breath caught in her throat. A huge fin rose out of the water and slammed into the water. The ship rocked and Anna fell to the ground. Her head hit the wood and her vision is slowly fading. The last thing she saw was a gaping mouth rising out of the water. Sharp teeth were smeared with blood and Anna was sure she could see shreds of skin. Sirens sounded in the distance and she lost consciousness.

A white car with tinted windows pulled into the parking lot by a tall building. A man in his 20s got out of the car. He leaned against his car and lit a cigarette. He inhaled the smoke deeply and looked at the tall building. Even though he had worked here for a year, the large multi-story building always amazed him. The walls were as if painted and the windows are large and brightly polished. The whole thing made a harmless impression, which also served a good purpose. The unsuspecting society should also never know what is behind the walls. Most just believe that regular office work takes place there. He looked away from the building as a large black car pulled in. That doesn't mean anything good. The cars were used as ambulances to get injured employees to safety undetected. He stubbed out his cigarette and threw it in a garbage can. He then walked towards the car where two people got out and opened the car's large hatch. An emergency doctor and a nurse

jump out of the car and drag a stretcher down the ramp with them. The driver looked at him as he approached. "Lorenz, I don't think you want to see that. "Lorenz ignored him and stepped closer. His heart stopped for a moment. Anna was lying on the stretcher and wearing a ventilation mask. She was obviously unconscious and even paler than normal. To his relief, he saw her chest heave and heave. He followed the doctor and nurse Anna through a back door into a clean white hallway that led straight to the infirmary. Lorenz had to wait outside while Anna was examined, and he sat down in one of the orange armchairs lined up against the wall. The infirmary smelled of disinfectant. Lorenz didn't like this place. Everything was white and clean. A few green plants are in the corners that are most likely made of plastic. All he heard was computer typing from the front desk and soft voices in the distance. Sometimes doctors or nurses pass by, sometimes carrying small bottles filled with blood. The red color was a stark contrast to the white background. Lorenz clasped his hands together and stared at the door where Anna was being taken. He couldn't hear any sound behind the room. He thought he should get some coffee but didn't want to go as the doctor might be out soon. Lorenz waited another five minutes and then the door opened. The doctor, who introduced himself as Mark Miller, came out of the room. said he could go in but had to keep the conversation short. Lorenzo got up. "Is she okay? "Mark nodded." She was lucky. A slight concussion, a black eye, and a lot of wounds on her arms and legs were all she suffered. We had to sew up some gaping wounds and bandage a few. This could have been worse. She just woke up and is a little confused. You can go in now, but be gentle with her. She comes across as a bit scared and panicked." Lorenzo nodded and slowly opened the door. He walked in and the first thing he noticed was the regular beeping of the security monitor and the erratic ECG line on the monitor. The oxygen mask was removed and Anna smiled faintly at him. Her eye was encircled by a blue ring and a bump was visible on her head. She wore a white nightgown and had a bandage on her head, one arm, and one on her foot. Stitched wounds adorned their arms and legs. She had a red scar on her cheek. "Hey how are you feeling?" he asked as he sat down next to her bed. Anna straightened up with slow movements. "Quite good actually. My head hurts, but that should go away with the painkillers soon. We can talk about that later- Lorenz, I have to tell you what happened. If I don't get rid of the whole thing right away, I'll burst. "Lorenz nodded and listened to Anna. The details were gruesome and sent shivers down his spine. Just before Anna could finish the story, someone knocked on the door. dr Miller and the head of the organization, Andrew Miller, who was also the Doctor's brother. "Anna, I hope you're doing well. I'm sorry to disturb you. In an hour, a team will be back with the recovered ship and the bodies as well. We will examine them before we give our deceased colleagues a proper burial. Your wetsuit was also examined and the built-in camera still worked normally. These photos will also be examined. If you feel ready in an hour, we would be happy if you came with us. Lorenzo you are required to come to the meeting room on the second floor after class. Lorenzo nodded and the boss left the room with the doctor. He then turned back to Anna whose nose piercing shone and sparkled in the light. "Looks like we've got a new case." She said with a big grin. It was clear to Lorenz that he probably couldn't convince her to take a longer break.