Sleep Tight - Volume 1

5. Cabin Pressure

Day 7 - panic has started to settle in now, we have not been able to contact the mainland in a week now it seems coms went down at the same time as the main power and generator is not powerful enough to power the sub. It wasn't bad at first because we were told the B team would be sent on find and rescue if anything happened but we've seen no sign of help at all. Things have started to build, people's annoying habits have come to the surface and the hot topic of the day; like Harrison and his constant loud sniffing and refusal to just blow his goddamn nose, Ball and his consistent lip smacking even when he's not talking, Jones and his over confidence in seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I learned about my habit very quickly, I was a nervous wreck. The slightest thing could set me off and my reactions would put people on edge and it drove them crazy way faster then the other habits, which is why I kept to myself and would try to remain calm. I would read the books on offer in a matter of hours, play chess against myself or re-read the long out of date newspapers just to help the time pass by. But being on a submarine over a mile beneath the water, time would become irrelevant.

Day 12 - we have drank what was left of the alcohol and there is very little food left but the stench in this place puts me off from eating ever again. It smells of low tide and the air is thick, walls are sweaty and you can almost see a mist in front of you as you walk. Most of us have resorted to walking around in just our underwear as the AC is doing nothing to help. Harrison is becoming increasing on edge, you could be talking quite normal with him one second and the next he could completely snap and shout something in your face, even if it didn't make sense to the conversation.

'How's the pressure system looking for today'

'I CANT FUCKING SLEEP' he would shout with veins popping from his neck. He would become so angry that the straining would pop blood vessels in his eyes making them blood shot. It was really scary at times to be around him, especially when he was sitting alone mumbling to himself, it would be safer to let him approach you first.

Day 29 - We are completely out of food now and we have started to boil our urine to get what fresh water we can from it. The others ignored me when I told them it becomes poison once it's passed through you twice. Jones has become sick but that was just before the boiling process started so it wasn't that, my guess its from the poor conditions we are forced to live in, most of us have accepted that rescue is not coming anymore and we are just trying to hang on as much as we can. Harrison has hold himself up in a storage locker and has his own little boiling system going on for water with a small hot plate and a pan. I'm starting to wonder if its possible to grab a canister of oxygen, go through the hatch and ride that thing up to the surface. But then I remember the pressure will cause internal bleeding escaping from every orifice of my body and the canister will probably run out halfway up. But would it be worth the chance? I don't know but it sounds a lot better than dying down here.

Day 37 - the weight is dropping off us in our sweat which is now coating the floors and walls of the submersible. Jones is on deaths door, I tried to feed him water this morning but he only managed a couple of mouthful before throwing it all back up. I left him to sleep and I could hear his labored breathing which told me he only had a few days left, a week max. Ball seems to be keeping it together better than anyone which is what I need most of all right now, he was always like a father figure to me so I stuck close to him. His wife was expecting to deliver less than two weeks ago so he was understandbly worried about what came of it but he was handling it okay.

Day 41 - Jones passed in his sleep and we don't have anywhere for him, we left him in his bed just in case we were rescued, we'd want him to have a proper burial. For some reason Harrison was a lot more upbeat and easier to talk to but he donned a sick grin after everything he said and it was unnerving. He would still lock himself in his room whenever he was in there thank god. In away I was almost glad Jones had passed it meant there was more piss-water for the rest of us. I was inconsolable about his passing but not matter how bad I felt there were no tears to shed.

Day 46 - I would sit and read to Jones on a night time, it actually helped with the cabin fever and helped me to forget the problems going on. Sometimes I felt like I was being watched until I turned and saw Harrison just staring at me, he wouldn't say a word, he would just look, smile and slink off back to his room. I told Harrison and he said he would keep an eye on him. I don't think I'll sleep tonight.

Day 53 - Jones was starting to smell bad now, there was no hiding it apart from shutting his room off completely, the doors were water tight so that should keep the smell at bay, it's just sad that we couldn't treat him any better, he was a good kid and deserved to be buried. Harrison had gotten worse, he was hanging around outside Jones' room obsessively muttering to himself and not answering either me or Ball, Ball deduced that he had finally cracked and it was time to restrain him. When we got into his room the smells made us puke instantly and the sights, oh my god what we saw was out of a nightmare; dipped blood and bones on the floor made us see what he had done. I rushed to jones' room and opened the door, the smell in there was much more bearable. I took off his cover and saw his legs were missing and tied off. Harrison had been feeding off of Jones for days. I rushed back to Harrison's room to discover he had broken Ball's neck and was feeding off him. He rushed at me and pinned me to the floor, choking the life from me. I was starting to fade as my hands searched for something to defend myself. I grabbed something and drove it into his neck. It was a Tibia bone from jones' leg. He coughed and splattered with dark blood spurting from the wound beneath the bone. I watched as he choked and bled out for around a minute.

Day 61 - I'm the last of the crew now and I know I'm not going to be rescued. I'm too afraid to kill myself but the pain from slowly dying is only just bareable. I can't even judge how long I have he of but the meat left by Ball and Harrison should keep me going for a few more weeks.