The stingray rested gently on the banded kelp forest floor. Behind it, the submarine broke the kelp barrier, emerging above the salt water and darkness. It was a cloudy night with a swollen moon hidden behind heavy clouds. The moon was giving little light, and pools of shadow had grown up in the water. It was a dull night. The crewmembers of the submarine went down to the boat, checking for any activity.
They came back up to the sailor deck, having found nothing. Contrary to their initial unease, it had become quiet. It was a good night for a patrol. They opened the porthole, and beckoned the other members of the submarine to join them. One by one, they climbed up the stairs to the sailor deck. Finally, they were all gathered there, drawing out oil lamp from the cabinet. Like the others, they were wearing their heavy gear. One of the sailors made a joke, but they didn't laugh. Their faces were strained, and their mouths moved silently.
The silence was suddenly broken by the appearance of a whiptail. It was a brilliantly stunning creature, with two wing-flaps and long pincers. It floated briefly up in the early morning air before coming down. It was a beautiful dive. They were in awe of the creature's beauty. It appeared again, and then another one took its place. It was a magnificent sight. Soon, they were swarmed by them. But this was not what alarmed them. To their right, they saw the vague silhouettes of a ship, with several whiptails as its escort. The silhouettes became clearer. They were ships. More ships of the same type, coming up from the submerged sea. They had been discovered. The whiptails circled beneath the ships, rising up to the top before circling back down. The crewmen fired at them, but the whiptails blocked their fire, as if they were being protected by them. The whiptail swarms kept circling above them. They were on the defensive now. Eventually, one of the whiptails detached from the others and swam right up to them. A sailor attempted to stop it, bearing his spear. The whiptail went right through it, barely slowed by the spear. It locked its pincers on the sailor's face. He screamed, but the sound was muffled as the creature dragged him inside itself. They were stunned to silence. All the while, the whiptails continue circling above them.
A cartridge launched from one of the ships above them, and a powerful blast of water came down. The water struck the sailor deck, and the others scrambled to take cover. They rushed back to the staircase, getting soaked. Behind them, the whiptail swarms skyrocketed, coming down on them. They reached there in a matter of a few seconds, blocking their way.
The first whiptail disconnected itself and came right up to them. The others rushed down in to protect them, but the whiptail swatted her aside, knocking her onto the deck, unharmed. The others scrambled back to the staircase. The soldiers attempted to fire at the whiptail, burning it with their blazing cannon. The whiptail was unharmed. They then regrouped round the sailor with the spear, each of them holding the top of it. They came together and stopped the whiptail with an effort. The others on the deck hurled their spears at it, hitting it straight. The whiptail was unaffected. It then moved forward, dragging them to the staircase. They screamed in pain. But the others on the deck were helpless. They couldn't reach them.
The submarine hanging over them, the submarine motors were gone. The sound of the engines was gone, and the submarine had stopped moving. No matter how hard she tried, the sailor could not reach them. The submarine had stopped moving. It was almost like something else was controlling it, controlling them. Something was keeping them still. The others were overcome by panic, running around in circles. The whiptail moved forward, then upwards. One of them was pulled with it. She struggled, but the whiptail was too strong for her. She reached out for help, but was dragged steadily up. The other followed.
They screamed in terror, as they were being pulled upward. The sailor tried her best to move the submarine, as did the others. They struggled and struggled. She didn't know where the others went. She couldn't believe they were gone. The whiptail was full of the soldiers now. The sailor shone her oil lamp at it. Where did they go? The whiptail was full of soldiers. They were climbing up the steep staircase, without the staircase. The sailor was alone. She struggled, but alas, she was unable to move the submarine. The sailors were dragged up by the whiptails, swirling about on the ceiling of the sailor deck and the corridors, in a great swirling orb.
They heard the whiptail screaming. The others were being dragged up the tentacle. That is when they heard the whiptail crying for help. The whiptails were pulling all of them up. They were helpless, not even able to put up any resistance. She screamed again, this time even louder. The whiptail was surrounded by all the soldiers. The soldiers were pushing each other. The soldiers were pulling each other, fighting each other, until finally, only one was left. He shone the oil lamp around, and then up through the whiptail again. He saw the other sailors above. Stepping on each other. He could see what she saw— the whiptail casting its shadow towards him. He screamed, but he was too late. The whiptail came down, and that unfortunate sailor was, like the others, pulled into it. Now, there was only one left. The last sailor had been hit from below, and now, with nothing holding him back, he was pulled up. Screaming at the top of his lungs, he reached out. He reached out, grasping—
The sailor woke up in bed, in the barracks. What a strange dream, she thought. She looked at her hands, seeing them covered in a black substance. It wasn't ink. It was ink, but it wasn't ink. She tried to wipe it off her hands. It wouldn't go. She then felt her forehead, and realized that there was a strange black stuff there, that wouldn't come off either. She looked at her window. The moon was gone. Darkness surrounded her, and yet again, she felt the unseen presence. She was being watched.