Timeless (Enoch O Connor x OC)

24: Escape

My eyes were shut but I was awake.

I lay exactly as I had before trying my best to not give myself away. Slowly I opened one eye to see where I was.

The metal walls of the U boat were hardly visible as piles of stuff cluttered the walls. There were clothes, blankets, and boxes all pushed back to leave the room. There were bunk beds closed against the walls to make room and I lay on the only open one. A large object sat at the end of the room taking up most of the space, after a moment I realized it was a torpedo. In the center of the room was a small table with game cards abandoned on top and a gas lantern which provided the only light in the windowless room. The room creaked as the sound of waves came faintly to my ears.

I realized there was no one in here so I got up to look around. As I rummaged through the mess of fabrics I found the best means of defense, which was a stool with a missing leg. I probably wouldn't be able to fight a swarm of wights with a stool but it was all I could find. Once content with what was in the room I slowly turned the door handle to exit. It would be locked obvio-

the door swung open to the gloomy hallway.

No guards either. How trusting these wights were.

Continuing down the hallway I passed several doors but to my surprise, no wights. I came to a narrow staircase where I could go up or down. Up would lead to escape.

I began climbing up, the sound of my shoes on the metal disrupting the silence. Finally, I reached an airtight door. If we were underwater, opening this door would flood the ship. But then again why would the wights leave me all alone in an underwater submarine, it must be close to land if all the crew was up on deck.

I pushed the door open expecting a rush of water, but my suspicions were proven correct as it revealed the deck under the night sky.

The push of the door seemed to have alerted those on deck as those who weren't busy swirled around to face the open door. Some of them I saw had irises and pupils, they could be fakes though, while others were sunglasses even though it was dark.

I pressed myself against the wall, concealed by the half-open door.

"Must have been the wind," said one of the crew with pupils as no one stepped out.

"Reminds me," said one with sunglasses on, "I should check on the gi- cargo."

He began walking towards the door as several other glassed crew members followed him, leaving behind the others to moor the submarine.

I began running back down the hallway as quietly as I could. As I arrived back on the floor I awoke on, I heard several footsteps behind me.

I opened the first door I could find and slipped inside. The footsteps went by towards the end of the hallway.

I didn't have a lot of time before they discovered me missing and came searching. I hadn't seen Miss Avocet anywhere and realized that I would have to leave her behind. I promised myself I would come back for her.

The room I was in was similar to my own but tidier. Perhaps it belonged to higher up. I spotted a small set of drawers and decided I should change to conceal myself. Inside was a uniform I refused to wear and a pair of work pants and shirt. They were large on me but I quickly stripped off my dress and put them on and tied my hair up and put on a cap.

I wasn't sure where we were but these simple clothes were more practical and would help me blend in if I escaped this submarine. I didn't know what side of the war this U boat was on either as it was commandeered by wights. U boats were usually German however we must be somewhere in the United Kingdom or across the English Channel as I couldn't possibly have slept for more than a few days. It didn't make a lot of sense but the wights had plenty of contacts and abilities to disguise.

As I finished dressing I picked up the stool again and headed for the door. I knew they would open the door any second now and find me missing. I had to get out before they raised an alarm. I ran up the stairs as quietly as I could and slipped out onto the deck. I would rather deal with a human crew than a crew on wights.

Most of the crew were busy as I slinked past them. But before I found a way down to the ground a deafening pounding of footsteps arose as the wights reappeared on deck.

"She's a spy!" one of them shouted as chaos broke out. The crew members around me spun around and tried to restrain me while the wights thundered down the deck towards me. I managed to break free of one crew member who was too surprised to stop me again and began running towards the railing.

My heartbeat and darkness swept around me. Behind me, I could hear the wights catching up.

A gunshot rang out as a bullet whizzed past me. There was no time to find a convenient way to escape.

I reached the railing and did what I hadn't been able to do before. I jumped.

The U boat was high but not high enough for me to be seriously injured, as I fell in the gap between the land and the U boat, into the water.

A shock of cold added a burst of adrenaline. Painfully, I opened my eyes in the salty dark sea. The stone wall of the land was only a little bit away but I knew that if I came out of the water they would see me and start shooting.

I began swimming the length of the boat to the back where their gunshots wouldn't be able to hit me as accurately.

My lungs burned as I was running out of air and I finally came up. I heard shouts and gunshots. I looked over to see a makeshift plank being put down to reach the land.

I found jutting rocks on the mooring wall as I scaled my way up. My hands were covered in cuts and gashes when I finally pulled myself onto land, dripping and tired. But there was no time to rest as bullets kept peppering around me and the wights began running down the plank.

Ahead of me was a small city and I began running.

I ran as fast as I could the sound of the wights further behind me. As I entered this port town I began taking manic lefts and rights to lose them.

Eventually, I couldn't hear them anymore as I came to a slow jog in front of an inn. I didn't have money and the wights would find me here eventually but perhaps I could make a deal I decided as I walked inside.

The soft light of the inn filtered out into the night sky as I opened the heavy wooden door.

Hey everyone! Sorry for not posting in forever but I've had writing block. Honestly I don't love this chapter it's kind of a filler but the next one will be good I promise (or at least I hope).

I know I said moor the submarine but I honestly don't really know how submarines work but I did do research on the interior of U boats so uhh there's that.