Weird Fishes (Sebastian Solace x Reader)

High and Dry

Authors Note

Just more plot. This is a heavy slow burn. Enjoy.

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The submerged lab felt like an alien world, a twisted reflection of the facility above. Broken glass and shattered equipment floated eerily in the current, while strange organisms clung to the walls and machinery. You swam cautiously, the weight of the water pressing down on you, each breath through your regulator a shallow hiss. Ahead, dim red lights flickered in the distance, casting long, wavering beams through the water. It was as if someone—or something—had laid out a path, guiding you deeper into the abyss. But whether it led to salvation or damnation, you couldn't be sure. The silence underwater was deafening, amplifying the sound of your heartbeat and every shift of movement, every distant creak and groan of the submerged facility. You pressed on, each stroke of your arms carrying you further into the unknown. Somewhere behind you, the other two prisoners followed, their fear palpable even through the water. You didn't know what awaited you deeper in the flooded blacksite, but one thing was clear: you were descending into something far worse than you had imagined, and there would be no turning back.

Upon entering Room Eleven, a blinding green light struck like a physical force, flooding the water with an intense, nauseating glow. Your eyes burned, instincts taking over as you turned away, shielding your face with a trembling hand. The other prisoners did the same, darting for the far side of the room as adrenaline took hold, pushing you all into motion. The light was so intense it almost felt alive, wrapping around you like a predatory gaze, beckoning for you to look at it. You could practically feel the panic thickening in the water, making each breath through your mask more labored, each heartbeat a pounding drum in your ears. Desperation clawed at your mind as you scanned your surroundings, noting the locked door that stood between you and any chance of escape. A key card reader blinked mockingly on its surface, demanding a solution you didn't yet have. Then you saw it—a frantic, jerking movement in the corner of your vision. One of the prisoners was grappling with the key card, struggling as he desperately attempted to hold on to the lifeline you all needed. But he was being enticed to look at the beast, whatever light that creature emitted acted like a lure, trying to catch its prey in the form of a mind fuck.

Lurking in the shadows, the creature watched, its form barely visible except for the gleaming clusters of green eyes that cut through the murky water like shards of broken glass. It was monstrous—a sleek, black shark-like behemoth with multiple sets of eyes lining its massive head, each one glowing an eerie green that cast haunting beams through the room. Its presence felt ancient, malevolent—a predator of the deep that had evolved in some dark, forgotten abyss. And its eyes seemed to lock onto the prisoner, pinning him in place with an unnatural, almost hypnotic beam of light. The prisoner's scream rang out, a garbled cry that rippled through the water, reaching your ears as a distorted echo. It was a sound of pure, unfiltered terror, the kind that burrows deep into your bones and stays with you. He flailed, struggling against the creature's invisible grip, his eyes wide with a horror that mirrored your own. You could see every labored breath he took, each shuddering exhalation fogging up his mask as panic overtook him.

Without a second thought, you pushed back toward him, fighting against the intense pressure of the water and the suffocating fear clawing at your insides. Every nerve screamed at you to turn away, to swim as fast as you could out of the room, but something primal took over—a desperate instinct to save not just him, but yourself. Shielding your eyes from the blinding green light, you reached him, adrenaline lending your limbs a strength you didn't know you had. You wrapped your arms around his thrashing body, your fingers digging into his wetsuit with an unyielding grip. His movements were erratic, his limbs flailing wildly as he tried to break free of the creature's hold. You kicked with all your might, forcing the two of you toward the door, each movement feeling like swimming through thick, unyielding tar. The water seemed to press in from all sides, dragging you back, pulling you down, but you refused to let go.