Transit into the Tenebrous

It is with aversive opposition that I now recount my unusual experiences in the log concerning the submergence and subsequent destruction of the Underwater Marine Biological Observatory. The following events began as a result of the endeavor of the human race to explore the world’s oceans after the many advantages in pressure equalization and other innovations in technology which made the observatory a possibility.

The upper segment of the submerged observatory where I had made my occupation was similar to that of a dome. Lying immediately underneath was a circular propulsion system made of many smaller propellers. At the center were the tilted observation windows. The primary propulsion system was located on the bottom of the observatory. We had landed on the ocean floor in the path of a low-lying current in an effort to procure more information on the marine life that traversed there. I recall the day in which the peculiar events transpired; I had finished recording the report on the functionality of the observatory and was walking to my well lit residential compartment when a voluble noise resonated throughout the observatory which sounded similar to a groan. My second recollection was that my surroundings suddenly began tilting at a consistent rate. I was in the central control room at the time and strapped myself to the best of my ability to a nearby chair. I soon witnessed my colleagues access the control room and do the same at a very rapid velocity.

The tilting intensified as did the sound that the strain of the facility emitted as the observatory finally turned onto its side and sank for a short period before colliding into an unknown source. I came to the conclusion that my next best course of action was to free myself from the chair. My companions and I did so, then proceeded to find the source of the disruption. The entire observatory appeared to have fallen into a large crater in the ocean floor, all other observations were impeded by the residual sand that still resonated. The structure appeared to have been gradually moved onto the unstable surface by the gradual resiliency of the current.

It was some time before we ventured out in our pressure equalization suits and with necessary provisions. A conclusion was made that the observatory was rendered immovable, even with the propulsions. My companions and I were met with an utmost stupefying sight upon venturing outside. There was a large, circular opening along the wall that curved upwards, making it insurmountable. We decided to enter it for the present time as there seemed to be no alternative. Upon entering it, we discovered another, more easily surmountable structure leading upwards into a pool of some kind. When we reached the surface, we were met with absolute darkness. Fortunately, among our provisions were light projectors. We turned them on and saw the rim of the pool, and immediately climbed out. We proceeded to become acclimated with our new environment. My cumulative impression was that the formation around us was peculiar and appeared to be some form of architecture. Afterward, we once more proceeded through a secondary opening, which was so circular and meticulous in its design that it nearly appeared to artificial.

Through the opening, we were met with a strange corridor that gradually turned to the left. There were multiple apertures along the walls and ceiling at irregular intervals, sizes, and shapes. The floor on which we stood looked as if it were a road made up of stones of inconsistent size and yet perfectly flat. Along each side of the road, there were curved ridges at continuous intervals that followed the full length of the road. The entire hallway appeared to be made of some form of bleak marble. In some of the excavations in the walls that we chose to investigate, there were adjacent trails which appeared to have been weathered into the material; there was now no doubt that I could conceive of that the place where we now stood was once a civilization, perhaps collapsed by tectonic movement. In some of the holes, the light from our projectors pierced the darkness and struck a curving slope in the tunnel. In others, the projector was rendered inadequate by the unpierced darkness. We once more proceeded onwards, hoping that the artificial appearance of the corridor meant that it would lead to a land mass. When we came around the corner we saw a more erupt point at which the hallway turned and continued in a straight direction.

At this observation, we made the intention of walking along this section and turning off our projectors, as they all had limited energy preservation. We then proceeded into the tenebrous hallway as I listened to the consistent pace of my companions’ walking. This continued for a length of time before I realized there was a more pressing silence that unnerved me. I stopped moving and heard nothing. Panic immediately consumed me as I turned on my projector and did not see any of my colleagues. I remained still for an elongated time, then made the decision to proceed, as they could have inadvertently left me behind. As I walked in the eerie silence of the corridor, I thought that I had heard movement and stopped. For a moment I thought that I heard the padding that is bare feet on stone, but thought that it must be a paranoid delusion. As I proceeded once more, I heard more padding but continued.

Then I heard the unmistakable sound of vocalization and immediately stopped. Panic once more was thrust upon me as I shined my projector to see if there was anyone in my immediate vicinity. I saw no one and continued along the path although I could see nothing. For a moment I began to assume I had imagined everything when the padding of feet and incoherent sounds resumed. This time I was seized by catatonic terror. Absent of all logic, a sudden urge resonated throughout me as the noises grew closer and more audible. Finally, I began running. I did not know if I remained in the correct corridor, but my new priority had changed to escaping my unseen pursuers. The peculiar sounds only increased and I could now hear what sounded like speech coming from all directions. I suddenly thought of the apertures and imagined people or perhaps some unknown species coming from within them. At this, I dropped all my apparatus and ran at a greater velocity at the best of my ability in the pressurization suit.

When the noises became more distant, I stopped; I heard nothing. I observed my surroundings and found I was in a large, singular room. My second observation was that the source of my sight capability derived from a light that came from a form of a cave in the same room which contained no pigment I was familiar with. The oppressive darkness as well as what must have been the immense size of the room made determining its exact size impossible. As for the light, the only description I can provide is that it had to have been man-made, but at the same time alien to every culture I was familiar with.

Then, with more vehement and violence, vocalizations began and I once more resumed my velocity in greater distress than before. I had escaped from the source of light but was once more consumed by absolute darkness. I am unsure how long this continued, but soon I saw a most amiable sight.

Ahead there were faint beams of what appeared to be sunlight. I recovered what ability I retained and ran towards it. I found that my path was blocked by a pile of rocks that had been clustered together somehow. Despite this, I maddeningly tore at the rocks, for my pursuers were very near. Finally, I was able to crawl out into the sunlight, expecting at any moment to feel a horrid grasp and be dragged back down into the precipice. At last, I was free of the subterranean corridor, my companions standing around me. They informed me that they had just surfaced as well, and were preparing to venture back down to see where I had gone. Thus ends this improbable recount. After my experiences and the fear-induced images my mind has conjured concerning what my pursuers may have looked like, I suppose it is not entirely ludicrous that there have been those that have evolved below the surface, and that their methods of maintaining sustenance must be unsavory. I still resent the sheer sensation of helplessness and exposure I felt deep beneath the ocean floor, where no eyes that saw light had ever been.