Thalassophobia (A Subnautica fanfic)

Chapter 3- Pacing and waiting and stabbing

The days that I've been waiting for the Sumbeam have felt like months. But my hopes are higher than ever. I can't believe it. I am going home! It's so good and amazing and spectacular. A small smile forms on my face at the thought. It's almost too good to be true. Hopefully not. i made my way to the coordinates they sent what feels like an hour ago. I don't want to miss my ride home. But what's the building that's here? I didn't haven't checked it out yet. It looks. . . Ancient. And alien. I just hope it doesn't interfere with my way off this water logged rock.

Just then I hear,

"Survivor, we see you! Man, I don't know how you held out down there.
We've broken atmosphere and we're descending towards the landing site."

I smile and am overwhelmed with so many emotions. But then, the building starts to make a noise. I look over to see it shifting and turning. My smile suddenly drops.

No.

Oh god.

NO.

Then I hear,

"Is that a building down there?! What do you mean you can't identify it?
Hold on, no turning back now"

The message was cut off with a static noise. The building starts to create a spinning green aurora around it.

This is what took down the Aurora. This is what killed so many people. And the Sunbeam is going to share the exact same fate. But it's so much smaller! I doubt anyone's going to survive that. I whip me head back to the Sunbeam. It's obvious that the pilots are trying to maneuver around the beam, but the lasers going to get them first.

By now, every drop of hope I had is gone. I am not going home. I feel tears well up in my eyes as I fully take in the situation. My last lifeline- gone. And it's going to happen right in front of my own two eyes.

"Positions everyone, touching down in 10, 9, 8-
It's coming from the building?! Change course, set thrusters to full!"

The words ended with sirens and static making it hard to hear as the laser shot down the Sunbeam.

The tears that were welled up in my eyes start to leak out towards the ground. I sob. So many emotions running through my head and heart.

Am I ever going to see home again?

Then, along with the splashes of the corpse of the Sunbeam, I hear a louder splash. I figure it's just a bigger piece of the now destroyed ship. That is, until I look up. There it is. At least a hundred meters away- a Lifepod. A Lifepod.

Someone could have made it out! Immediately, I start swimming over to the Lifepod, pulling out my seaglide for optimal speed, totally forgetting about my newly crafted seamoth.

I need to get to the Lifepod fast- before the reapers get there first.
As soon as I get to the Lifepod, the first thing I notice is how it's Alterra branded. The Sunbeam is an Alterra ship? Impossible. Avery referred to it as if it wasn't. Maybe just he wasn't part of Alterra.

I swim under the Lifepod to get to the bottom door. I try to push it gently as to not scare whoever could be inside, but it won't budge. So I try and force it open with my elbow. The small glass door swings open and I hear heavy breathing as soon as I climb in.

There, on the floor, sits someone in an Alterra uniform, cowering in fear, hands over their face. I feel so bad for them. Someone in the same situation as me.