Original Scary Stories

Over and Above

Blink. Blink. Blink. The minuscule lime dot on the screen flashed every few seconds with a faint beep. The gradient light illuminated the still, cramped room, the damp air living in the metal walls, the floor rocking gently, the people standing around in complete silence like statues. Sweat rolled down their faces, all eyes on the flashing dot. The constant disappearing and reappearing was the true horror.
"Are you sure it was a good idea?" Cosmos' voice rifled and air and everyone, startled, glared at him with wide eyes, the lime light glistening upon their wet corneas. Captain Apostolis hesitated, drifting his eyes to the newspaper placed carefree next to the screen.
"It is a mission that must be done." Is all he said, voice weak with doubt. Then the men's worst fear came true when the small lime dot faded and did not come back. Cosmos put his face to his mouth as if to stifle a gasp, clammy fingers rubbing his facial hair. His heart skipped a beat, and so did everyone else's. The room never seemed so quiet. The beeping was gone. Then one of the men let out a tear. It was hopeless.
"I knew it." Cosmos croaked, glancing at his captain then dropping his head. "We shouldn't have done it. No, you shouldn't have done it."
"Hey-" one man put his hand on Cosmos' shoulder. "Things like this happen. Don't blame Apostolis."
"It's alright." The captain turned, hands behind his back. The yellow bulbs in the room beamed, lighting up the entire room, revealing everyone's shocked faces. Apostolis peered at the newspaper. Another Storm on the Way.
"I don't understand." Another said. "There was no other dot. Just one. It couldn't have disappeared that fast. What did it? Aliens?" Indeed, the lime dot on the screen was a representation of the ship they were tracking. And now it was gone. In seconds.
"The only thing that could cut off our communication is... water." Another spoke up, fearful. "And our communications were built to withstand more than enough..."
"My friend was there!" Cosmos screamed. The crew jumped in their places. "My best friend risked his life for this mission! Why today?! Why during the storm?!"
"I'm sorry. That really is my fault. I will take all of the blame-" Apostolis began.
"It's not about that! Mervin is probably dead! Nothing is going to bring him back!" Cosmos interrupted. He started to sob unmanly-like. "I shouldn't have come." He wiped his tears and tore out of the control room. The crew bowed their heads solemnly without motivation to console the poor man. "Some mission!" Cosmos' voice echoed down the metal hallway from the darkness, footsteps fading.
"We need him." Apostolis spoke. "He is the best after Mervin I could find. This is his first time on a real ship- so be nice." Immediately the crew filed out of the room to go comfort Cosmos.

After the powerful storm had gone, their first find was an empty buoy. The cable connected to it- reinforced with thick metal- had been snapped completely. The crew was shocked once again. Tiny words inscribed on the side told them it belonged to the missing ship. But the ship was nowhere in sight. "It must have sunk." They said. It was a fitting explanation. Their only clue. Eventually the crew convinced Cosmos to come out of his enclosed room and help. He tried his best. Their own ship drifted for many hours in what Cosmos believed was the right direction. By the time they made their next discovery, it was a little past sunset.
"Oil rig!" One shouted. The sky was navy blue, the pearly moon hidden behind gray clouds. The oil rig was just a humongous black shadow of lines and bulges against the dark evening. "Captain, there's another storm on the way." There was no need to say. The wind had already picked up and rain lightly thudded on the metal deck. Patters of water dropped on the wet men, who were scrambling for gear. One turned on the search light so they could see better, the powerful white beam shone on the giant metal structure. Cosmos hit the light- as it had lit up right in his eyes- and the beam swiftly moved upward at the top of the oil rig.
"Oh my..." his voice trailed off. One man saw Cosmos' surprised expression, more terrified than when the lime dot had died, and followed the fearful gaze. Hundreds of feet up the creaking rig, their missing ship. It was placed upside down, shredded to pieces atop the lengthy rig. Immediately, people were sent up to investigate. They slipped on the concrete, rain pouring on their faces, clothes tight to cold skin, flashlights muffled from the storm, making their way to the top. The lights on the bizarre vessel were extinguished, in pitch black, and creaked with every step the crew took. "Hello!" They called, voiced drowned out by wind and crashing waves. Being on the oil rig itself was dangerous and scary.
"Where is Mervin." Cosmos whispered the entire time. The crew eventually found a body alive. His head was bleeding and he was unconscious. The name tag on his shirt told them he was Nicholas McCormick. The rain water dropped on his face and he fluttered his eyes open drowsily. "Hey! Hurry up!" A faint voice called to them. Their own ship was being tossed around like a toy boat in a bathtub. It was incredible to imagine how the oil rig stood standing.
"Hello?" Cosmos spoke in Nicholas' ear, dizzy. "Nicholas?"
"Mountains?" One shouted. "Hey there's mountains!" There was a long, thick black line on the horizon, covering the stars.
"Hey, shut up." Cosmos shushed, turning back to Nicholas. "What happened?"
It only took one word to send shivers down their spines. "How did the ship get on top of the oil rig? Nicholas?" The men turned from the limp body to the strange mountains. "Waves."