Edge of the Ocean

Orion is covered in sweat from his repel up the ship.

He was in perfect shape.

But I'm getting old.

He turns the light on that is attached to his largest rifle and finds a door that is broken open at his boots. Orion shrugs, looking down into the hell of catacombs that await him.

With a final big breath, he kneels and enters the door.

Orion slowly makes his way through the long corridors of the partly sunken vessel.

The ship is still soaked and damaged, but Orion carefully walks through where the water has recently receded.

He opens cabinets, as water pours out all over him. A slimy residue seems to be applied generously to every inch of the mechanical monster.

The former soldier grabs small things. Wires and some technology. Some he inspects and puts in his bag. Other pieces he just leaves or tosses.

Howl could fence this. I could make a heater with this. Some kid might like this.

Orion clicks his display on to full screen. That forever hell cursed over his eyes. Ever since...

SURVIVAL XP

KNOWLEDGE XP

COMBAT / FIGHT / DEFENSE XP

LEGEND XP

Survival points inch up. Knowledge dips down. Combat stays the same.

And legend? Nothing.

Orion puts it back in the corner of his eyes with a flick of his eyes. It was a handy trick.

"Ammo. Ammo. Ammo. Come on. The armory is probably underwater still."

Orion spooks himself by the sound of his own voice, talking in the massive hallways of a sunken ship.

He shakes the fear away as he turns down another series of hallways, all seemingly sideways or upside down from the way the vessel crashed and sank.

The soldier takes a breath, wondering how long he has been in this hell. He looks back up from where came, knowing it will be a hell of a trip back.

Orion sees a strange logo on the side of wall that has been scraped off and damaged by the water.

Never seen that before.

Knowledge XP starts to pick up more in the corner of his eyes.

He leans towards the large room that is beyond the strange logo, while having to hold on to the side of the wall because of the slant of the shipwreck.

The room has a strange glow to it, even in the dark. Orion sees the room is full of large canisters or pods that could hold a human being.

Some are missing, others are broken, and a few are still submerged from water in the corner, but all are empty.

Orion looks at it all briefly and pays no mind to it, then crawls out of the room and goes back to the main hallways.

Suddenly, a horrifying growl and scream fills the water logged hallways.

Orion, the hardened soldier from the old world, has a look of pure fear on his face.

"Fallen," he whispers.

Orion turns and starts to run back while still looking around, grabbing anything he can, throwing it in bags, while he hears stomping and slashing through water coming straight for him.

He tries to turn and jump and slide, while running on the ceiling and walls of the ship.

Orion slips and falls, slamming into an older ladder and stairway that came out of the floor.

Survival XP starts to drop.

Orion screams and grunts in pain, but pulls himself up and tries to run again. But he knows it is no use. The creature is right on him.

Orion turns.

The horrific looking creature runs for him. Human but skeletal like. Not a zombie. Not dead. Very much alive. But primal. Turned. Beast like. Burned but not fleshly.

Human without humanity.

"Where you going?! We all just got here!!!" The beast screams.

The creature reaches for a blunt sword hanging around its waist, even though it has sharp, razor like claws for hands.

Orion lifts his rifle with the light blinding the creature, and opens fire.

The creature is shot dead, as it jerks back and falls back into the abyss. Orion almost looks remorseful for doing it.

Silence after the deafening gunshot, ringing over and over through the ship's depths.

Orion takes a breath, and slowly continues to limp away.

Like a choir from hell, the screams of the rest of the creatures in the ship fill and echo through the area.

Orion pushes harder and faster. Survival slowly bouncing back and forth. Combat barely a point.

He smells the air. Sees the light. But the song and screaming and moaning of the lost chant after him, and with that, their crawling, scratching hands and feet.