Abyssal Reverie

Chapter 1: Atlantic

"I am hunting something, and that same thing is hunting me. The beholder, the void beyond. I am the line between. I am the teeth of God."

I had forgotten who I was by the time the seas turned sour. The crashing of the angry ocean knocked me about the ship's underbelly unrelentingly. The nausea inside my stomach, tossing with each thrust back and forth. I could hear the clang from the shackles around my feet as they slapped against themselves. I had my eyes squeezed shut, the churning deep within me begging to be let free.

I had lost count of the days I had been aboard The Nazareth, the lies bringing me to the bow of this massive Vessel still swimming through the crevasse of my mind. The fragile state of my psyche pulls me deep into myself in hopes of self-preservation. I could not recall what brought me here as the days ticked on. It was almost as if a calling from deep within my being beckoned me to the docks that day- the ocean lapping at the sandy beach gingerly inviting me to question where she goes.

The toppling of the surf struck the sides of the massive hull once more, violently tossing me forward. All the light that was let into the brig was a few rays of sunshine during the peak hours of the day. I could see the flurries of ocean spray dancing around the metal grates of my holding cell; it dusted my cracked, aching lips upon its descent to the ground below. I could feel the blood as it dried on my face, caking me in my regret. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten. They would throw a scrap here or there- enough to keep me alive. But what I wanted more than anything was water. Not the useless splashes from the great sea beyond, but fresh water. I could feel my throat scraping against itself as I attempted to swallow the small amount of saliva that pooled in my mouth.

"It shouldn't be much longer now." This voice was one I had heard a million times. It was a gruff, dry voice. Usually, commanding others where to relocate the mead or reprimanding a job poorly done. "We have been on this path for days; we should be there anytime."

"Whatever we are chasing better be worth it." This second voice is one I have heard far less often. It was quiet, meek, as though it would have belonged to a teenager. "Has e told you what it is... This thing we are looking for?" The curiosity in his voice piqued my interest. I pushed myself onto my feet, losing my balance as the boat shifted once more under the force of the tide. The ship's wood felt coarse under my fingers, the wood grain digging into the sores on my skin.

"Better not to know, Boy." The gruff voice responded. "Better for the crew and better for Vessel's Search." I pushed myself from the wall of my cell and attempted to stand on my tippy toes to get a better look through the metal slats. Each step they took echoed off the walls of the ship. I reached my arms above my head to balance myself, latching onto the cool metal of the door and interlocking my fingers through each crossbar. I could feel my arms shaking under the weight of my sickly skinny body, malnutrition running its course through my veins, creating the perfect captive. I couldn't run even if I wanted to. I was somewhere off the coast of Jericho... Days, weeks, months have gone by. There was no way for me to know where we were or how to get home. It was just as much a death sentence to leave this ship as it was to stay on it.

"'Suppose we should check on the girl down below today." The Gruff man said with a bit of annoyance in his voice. "No news on why she's here... but she's likely no good dead." It was as if those words summoned the wrath of the waters surrounding us as they thrashed the ship almost sideways. Once again, the force of the waves knocked me off balance- ripping open my hands as they were violently ripped from the cross bars. Each jagged edge of metal caused deep lacerations to my skin. I could feel the warm blood dripping down my arms as I flung my arms out in front of me to catch myself, my head smacking something hard.

The moment my hands made contact with the walls of my cell, I let out a Violent Scream. The weight of my body caused my arms to crumple, the searing pains of fresh cuts throbbing under paper-thin skin. A dizzying sensation followed the throbbing in my hands in my head. It felt like I was rocking in time with the ship, the violent waves pushing me to and from. My eyes were wet with... tears? No... Blood. That was blood. I was rapidly blinking as the fluid stream continued down the front of my face- filling my tear ducts with the sludge.