Joyride

Expendable

     How did I get into this situation? Standing in a submarine sinking who knows how low into a hidden facility. I stared at the screen that in big red letters stated "You are expendable."

     I tugged at the slightly uncomfortable swimming gear I was suited up in, a crossbody bag slung over my shoulders that would no doubt get soaked in this place. A voice spoke over the PA repeating what I had already been told multiple times when I was "selected".

     I exited the submarine, the clinking of my shoes against the metal being a somewhat pleasant sound to me. I watched the ramp retract into the sub as it dipped back into the water, possibly to never be seen again. The last message I had read before exiting had tokd me that I wasn't expected to return.

     The only thing this seemed like a selection for was a new execution method. This place was too clean for an unused facility. The lights were still on, and many of the machines lights blinked with alerts and messages of some sort.

     With a huff, I got onto my hands and knees and crawled underneath unsteadily stacked crates to pick up a key card to get into the rest of the facility.

     "This might take a while," the grated floors clanked under my feet and I moved to walk on the concrete instead. I walked through the door labelled 002, eyeing all the tall metal shelvings for anything I was meant to collect.

     Was. Was I told how many rooms were gonna be in this place? I couldn't quite recall, just that I took the leap at the chance to not have to see the same scenery every day of my life, but I think this was worse.

     Some rooms were straighter than others, sone were more cluttered. There were very few windows, which was fine seeing as I was deep underwater and there wouldn't be much to see looking out anyway.

     After seeing a door labelled 006, I think I got used to the repetitiveness and kept moving on, picking up any "loose assets" that I had been instructed to collect. USBs, classified files that were filled with redacted information so I couldn't be nosy if I wanted to be, and even vials with who knows what contained in them.

     I hummed a meaningless tune to myself, trying to keep my sanity in the seemingly empty facility. The only sounds to be heard being my footsteps and the shifting of doors when I opened them. Suddenly, I felt the hairs on my neck stood up and I stopped all movement or humming.

     Now on edge, I listened closely, trying to pin was made me feel such a way. And then I heard something.

     It sounded like. . . screeching. The lights above my head flickered and I felt like something was wrong. The screeching wasn't ending, and only sounded like it was getting closer. My eyes darted around, landing on a locker that I ran to squeeze myself into. Through the cracks of my hiding spot, I saw beady eyes and rows of tiny sharp teeth of whatever beast was peering into the locker I was in, and then it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

     "What the fuck was that?" I held my chest as I burst out of the locker. The room I stood in was now pitch black. I glanced around trying to see what I could, staring through the door I had come in from and the one I was about to head in. "Is that thing still around?" I carefully turned the handle and walked in.

     The lights were off in here too, so I took slow steps in, feeling around for any desks. When I found one, I moved my hands around to try and find any data, my hands hitting a long cylindrical item. I grabbed it, quickly finding a switch on it and clicked it on. I shone the flashlight around the room, not seeing whatever had almost caught me in the previous room.

     Flashing it to the ground, I saw the large puddle that had splashed loudly when I had stepped into the room. I flicked it off and headed to where I had seen the next door, grabbing any intel and a flash beacon that I found sitting on one of the shelves.

     "This might come in handy if I see that thing again," I hummed to myself as I stuffed it into my bag. I heard a small clanking and glanced at the vent in the corner of the room.

     "Just ignore it," I took a quick breath in. "You have a mission, please just follow it," I sound crazy talking out loud to myself.