Dark Water (A Dark Life Fanfiction) [edited]

Chapter 1

Ty's warnings still rang in my ears as I scaled lower into the canyon. all I could do was smile at what he had said.

"Don't do it! You have to keep the helmet on," He had signed while scowling at me.

Waiting on the ridge, Ty, my only friend, sat anxiously as I disappeared into the darkness. Gripping the rock, I flipped my helmet back and inhaled the cold water. It hurt my lungs at first but then I felt as if a weight was lifted from my chest. I felt as though I was floating in a void with flicking blue stars lighting up the space around me. The light blue gel, called Liquigen or liquid oxygen, started to float in little spheres from my lips. The Liquigen slowly escaped my lungs, fizzling and floating upwards to the surface where it would evaporate. Climbing back up the wall, I could hear of clicks bouncing off the rocks.

Peeking up over the edge, I saw Ty sitting next to the manta boards. Hoisting myself up, I made my way over to him. I could feel my hair flowing with the currents, looking like fire. Ty stared at me, giving me a dazed look. He snapped out of it when I blew a soft stream of water at him. He instantly made me replace the water that was in my lungs with Liquigen once again. As I coughed and choked silently, swallowing it all, he grasped my arms steadying me. After my fit, he began to sign a sentence out to me.

"What do you see?"

I smiled knowingly at him. We usually came out here to see if we could see a toppled skyscraper or even better the Statue of Liberty. There was no sign of the East Coast: only endless darkness.

Just before I gave him my response, a ball of light shot past us. Ty grabbed my hand, pulling me from the edge. It was a vampire squid, trailing neon blue which glittered down at us. The glowing cloud floated, swirling just above our helmets. We stared mesmerized. I slowly held his hand back, smiling up at it. It was one of those experiences that normal people never experience unless someone shows them. I've seen this nearly twenty times but it still amazes me. The electric blue slowly spread to make a cloud around us.

Suddenly a tingling sensation crept its way up my spine. My eyes drifted back to the ridge. A series of green sparks burst from the gorge. Ty fell back pulling me with him. He was tense, staring. We both knew that only one fish glittered like a pure emerald and traveled in a pack: a green lantern shark. They were at least twelve inches long and as deadly as a piranha, with the ability to rip apart something twenty times its size. That meant we were on the menu.

Shooting a glance at Ty, I could tell what he was thinking. We should have seen them coming, even in the dark. I should have realized that the squid had excreted its shimmering goo to divert a predator. Our crown lights were now serving as a new beacon. With a quick jab to Ty's wrist screen, I snapped them off and then my own, but it was too late. I couldn't take back the dinner bell.

Ty pried his flare gun from his belt and aimed into the midst of the electric green frenzy. He stared hard at it as he squeezed the trigger. In two heart beats, light exploded over the canyon, shocking the sharks into a suspended state, murderous eyes and teeth glittering. Pulling myself from the sight, I made my legs move. I swam to my manta board, scooping up the anchor from the muck. Glancing over to Ty, I saw he was already in motion. I twisted the hand grips and took off after him, making serious wake.

However, we weren't clear quite yet. As soon as the flare died, the sharks would be after us with a renewed blood lust. Ty motioned down to the muck. He was suggesting burying ourselves in the thick ooze, bedding down with the boulder-sized clams, which had worked before. I glanced over my shoulder to see the darkness twinkled with green stars: vicious little stars, coming our way.

Following Ty, I tilted my manta into a nose dive. I flinched when Ty's head beams reflected off of metal. It was a crashed sub! Ty crashed into it and toppled, falling boots over helmet. The manta's hand grips tore from his hands as he slammed onto his back. I slipped off my manta board and floated through the water, then slid down the sloped hull. When my feet hit the bumper, I stopped short, standing next to Ty, who looked like he'd be sick.

Without riders, the manta boards would shut off automatically; we'd have to find them later. Right now, we needed to take cover. As Ty worked on the hatch, I stared at the pry marks. Why was this little rig down here on the sea floor without a light on it to announce its presence? Was it a wreck? If so, it hadn't been here for long. The polished metal hull was void of barnacles.

I scuttled along the bumper, watching Ty examine the panel cover, which dangled and had pry marks on its edges. He hesitated, wondering as well, but tensed when the hull gleamed with emerald light. I slammed the entry button, grabbing Ty's hand. The hatch opened like a dilating eye and sea water filled the small chamber. Plummeting into the air lock, I whirled around and hit the interior button. The hatch clinched shut in an instant. The sharks rammed into it like a million mini torpedoes. From inside, the sound was like death trying to get in. Ty slumped against the wall with a stupid grin on his face. Nothing put a buzz in his blood like escaping the jaws of death, and I knew it.

How many rules had we just broken? Visiting Coldsleep Canyon alone: forbidden. On nothing but manta boards, one of which was labeled as dysfunctional: absolutely forbidden. Exploring an abandoned sub: off the charts. But now we had to take cover until the sharks were discouraged and left. It was, of course, the smart thing to do; the safe thing to do. Not that anyone would ever hear about any of it. The settlers had enough on their minds with the Seablite Gang, a gang of ruthless outlaws, roaming the territory.

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Sorry about there being barely any dialogue. Thanks for reading! Vote if you liked it. If you didn't well okay dokey then. Comment please. Criticism is welcome, and so is good feedback.