Chapter 45 Hello, Death
683words
I knew there was no way anyone was going to find me here in the deep of night.
I knew I wouldn't be able to fight the strength of the creature's enormous tentacle tightening its grip around me.
I wanted to scream, but it was pointless.
I would not accept defeat so soon. I dug my nails hard into the dense, slimy tentacle and fought for my life.
I clawed, pushed, and wiggled. But the more I fought, the more it tightened its grip, crushing me inside its hold.
I didn't want to think about what was worse; dying, unable to see anything but feeling everything.
Or that I knew Mom was right above me, screaming for me, desperately trying to find me.
This was it.
This was how I was going to die—by a thing I didn't believe existed until a few minutes ago.
A Kraken.
Again, I used every bit of strength I could muster together and pushed as hard as I could, but the creature wouldn't bust. I ducked my head down and bit into the disgusting salt, moss, and raw fish-tasting tentacle.
This stirred the beast. It jerked me through the deep, flailing its tentacles in discontent.
I bit harder, attempting to tear its flesh with my teeth.
A high-pitched wail trembled through the water, and I knew my efforts were working.
I sunk in my teeth once again; a bitter copper taste and seawater filled my mouth. I tried to spit out the disgusting chunk of gelatinous flesh, but the water pressure kept it inside my mouth.
The brininess made me want to gag, but I dunk down for another bite.
It was harder this time around to clamp down, with the chunks moving around inside my mouth.
I felt my gag reflex building up. Adrenaline spiked through me and my head span, but I refused to give up.
I was about to slam my teeth in once again when another tentacle folded around me. It crushed my shoulders and head in place.
It held me upright, a tentacle wrapped around my neck, preventing me from biting it again.
I was running out of time—my chest was about to explode from the lack of oxygen.
Even if I miraculously managed to get free, I would not make it. I was too far from the surface and already out of breath.
I closed my eyes, my chest deflating, preparing for an intake of seawater.
I love you, Mom. Dad.
I was crying; my tears lost to the ocean. It felt so unnatural not to feel the hot tears running down my cheeks.
My chest became a furnace from hell.
I re-opened my eyes to meet the darkness. The panic was starting to slip away and be replaced by acceptance.
I saw bright, beautiful flashbacks inside the depths. Memories I shared with the people I loved from the past.
The moments when we weren't traveling and being an average family danced before my eyes.
Late summer barbeques, toasty campfire snacks, and laughter.
Mom's warm hugs and Dad's constant reassurance that everything was okay.
They were right when they said when you die your life flashed before you.
A brilliant, electric blue light cut through my vision, dispersing the colorful hues into the murky eternity stretching around me.
I felt the pressure disappear against my limp body, and I drifted in darkness. Alone, light, and aimless.
A sudden, sea-consuming lament trembled through the water, made of raw pain and suffering.
It was the kind of cry that cut through your soul.
Was it Mom?
Or was it the creature finally acknowledging the pain I inflicted?
In the distance, far behind the amazing light, I could see a current of electricity run around the form of the Kraken, the creature flailing deeper and deeper into the black nothingness.
It could be in distress, but I wasn't sure.
I couldn't feel the pain anymore. I knew it was over now.
