Kraken - Rookie Burwick (latest ebook reader txt) 📗

in their chests, and their pulses racing. Jasper slowed to a stop at an un-marked door, and quickly opened it. Silvia followed him inside, and then they both saw the control panel. It was the side control room.

Dead bodies littered the floor, all of them with their heads split open.

"Geese, that thing's blows to the ship kill so many people, much less it itself."

They stepped over the graveyard, and hurried over to the dash. Then, they saw a man, but he wasn't dead. He sat, shivering, in a black leather chair just two spaces down from them.

"Who are you?" Jasper asked.

"I'm. . . uh. . . Rodger C-c-clod. . . what's going on?!"

"We're being attacked. . ."

"I can see that! But by what? Those are the biggest tentacles I've ever seen!"

"I know. Let's just say it's a Kraken, OK?"

"I'm not in the mood for jokes. That's just a myth. . ."

"What else can we call this thing? Super Squid?"

The man paused. "Good point. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to try and fight off this thing. What button is which here?"

"The buttons that you could use are more towards that way," the man pointed their direction.

"Thanks."

Jasper moved as far as the man directed him, then looked down at the buttons. He tried to focus, but the sound of tentacles tearing the entire ship apart was way too much to bare. He looked up and saw a tentacle tearing off one of two remaining poles, and tossing it into the water. I then coiled up, and did the same with the other pole, tearing it off and throwing it into the depths. More tentacles joined in as began tearing apart the large sun panels that lined the deck below.

Then, another tentacle came in from nowhere and crashed into the railing of the cabin. Jasper quickly hit a button that had an icon of a missile, and saw small canons on the deck go off. They hit one tentacle with the first shot, but missed with the second. But the tentacle kept on destroying.

"What on earth are you trying to do?"

"I'm trying to kill this thing, or at least wound it!"

"That's impossible. . ."

"Don't remind me!"

All of the sudden, there was a loud thunk... and the entire cabin started to fall forward. . .

"Move back!"

It was too late. He went flying through the window, and fell down toward the water. He grabbed ahold of the railing, and held on tight.

TWELVE

 Briche opened his eyes very slowly. The image he saw was nothing but grey-colored blurr, and it wasn't pretty. He rolled onto his back and looked up, but he still only saw lighter-colored burr. He blinked, opened his eyes again, but the blurr was still there, yet clearer. He sat up and blinked some more. Before long, his vision was clear again.

He looked up at the window but he couldn't see what was happening. He rolled onto his side and hoisted himself up with one arm. He still couldn't quite see out, but he could hear lots of crashing and banging. He tried to get up. . . pain shot through his leg and threw him back down. He let out a yelp as the pain tensed for a few seconds, then began to sub-side. He tried again to get up, but the pain shot up his leg again. Lying on the hard, metal flooring of the platform, he looked down and saw a large, bloody gash just about eight inches from his ankle. He winced at the pain that throbbed through it as he sat up slowly, never taking his eyes off of it.

Then, he heard screaming, and turned his attention to the window. This time, he stood. He ignored the pain and heaved himself to his feet. He limped closer to the window, then saw everything. The tentacles were tearing into the bottom of the cabin, and working their way up. The monster had won. The terror. The horror of the deep. The ultimate nightmare. The Kraken. It had won the battle. It was only a matter of time now before he and his ship would sink away just like so many other Navy ships had at the hands of that thing. He couldn't do anything now. He surrendered, right there and right then. He let out a prayer of thanks for the life he had lived, then looked back at the tentacles.

At that instant, something big smashed up against the window. He saw the massive suction cups and the scaly, red skin, and the horrid little hooks that line each white eye that made up a large portion of the tentacle. Glass flew into his neck, and he flew onto his back.  .  .

 

                                       *  *  *

 

Jasper tightened his grip on the wet and slippery railing that he clung to. It was so easy to let fear over-take him and make his eyes look down, but he fought it. Now, one of the tentacles had wrapped itself around the entire cabin, and was pulling it down toward the water.

He looked up into the sky, and saw the first rays of the morning sun shining through the clouds. He hoped it would scare away the creature, but he seriously doubted that. It hadn't been afraid of the sunlight when it had attacked the fishing trawler or this ship itself for the first time. That thing was unstoppable. He didn't know why he had ever thought they could defeat it. Then, he heard something.

"Jasper!" it was Silvia.

"Yes, I'm fine!" he called back.

"Give me your hand. . ."

"I don't mean to be harsh, but what's the point?" he looked up at her.

"I hate to say this, but none of us are going to get out of this alive."

She said nothing.

"Listen, we had some good times together. And I'll never forget them. But we can't stop this thing now. It's too powerful."

"But. . ."

"Just know I have always loved you, and I'm sorry I had to let you go."

"Me too."

"Now, I may see you again someday. Who knows, everything could go right. . ."

The entire cabin leaned forward even farther and Silvia had to fight to keep from falling out the window.

"But it's not looking that way. So, goodbye. That's all I can say."

He looked down into the water again, and took a deep breath. He almost let go, but then guilt caught him. It was selfish to try and live without giving the others a chance as well. But he didn't know if he would survive. A tentacle could catch him and give him the death it had given so many other men aboard this ship. He just didn't know. But, he had to try.

His hands gave way. He fell down towards the water, prepared for anything. As he fell, he smacked up against a tentacle, but all it did was tossed him out father. He kept on falling inch after inch through the cold morning breeze.  He hit the water hard, and his vision went slightly blurry as he drifted, under the surface. He saw the creature one last time before he shot above the surface and swam. He swam as far away as he could from that hellish place. But guilt followed him. He had just said goodbye to the woman he had loved for years, and had almost married.

Tears streamed down his face as he stopped and looked from a good distance away. Why did she have to die like this? Why did she have to die through such a creature that should never have existed? Why had this happened? The creature that was now pulling the ship farther and farther into the water should never have even been thought about. It should be in hell, which was the place that fit it the most.

But it was a squid. A monster. A terror. A demon. Something beyond hell. A Kraken.

 

 

                                     *  *  *

 

The USS Billings was on a course for The USA when it came to a stop. The men on its deck were currently helping up a man who was just adrift in the ocean. Captain George L. Frinch couldn't believe his eyes. The guy had just been drifting along in the open water, waving frantically at them.

"Sir," his XO, Liam, said. "We're picking up a distress call from LCS 26."

"Respond and find their location. Briche doesn't send out a call for nothing," he replied hastily.

He turned back to the window and continued to watch as the men rushed the strander off the deck. He heard Liam call into the radio. . .

"Come in Combat Ship 26, come in."

They all held their breaths and waited. But the only response they got was the sound of metal being crushed beneath a mass of gigantic tentacles.

 

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Text: Copyright © 2017 by Rookie Burwick
Editing: Danette J. Bradford
Publication Date: 01-30-2017

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