Whispers in the Dark

Deep Blue Something

Eve and Nikita were taken to a doorframe similar to the one Eve had used to get to the jungle.

"Let's go," the girl said, then entered.

Shuddering, the two followed her, knowing they likely weren't ready for whatever was about to happen.

When they went through, they exited a ship captain's cabin, and were now on deck.

"Kill it before it kills you," the girl told them from high up on the mast, where she was sitting. "Game starts now."

Something slammed into the ship and rocked it, and Nikita immediately fell down. "What the hell?"

Eve went over to the railing and looked down. A massive shark was swimming away from them. "Oh, fuck me." The animal started to turn around, and Eve knew what was about to happen. She turned toward her partner and screamed, "Hold on!"

Niktia barely managed to reach the other railing as the boat was hit again, and Eve herself nearly fell over.

"What the fuck do we kill it with!?" she screamed up at the girl, who held up her hands, then shrugged. "Little shit."

"What the hell do we do?" Nikita shrieked back. "I'm no good with boats!"

Eve rolled her eyes. "It's not the boat that's the issue, you dingus; It's the freakin' shark!"

Speaking of; The thing slammed into the boat again, doing more damage than the last time.

"We're already leaking," Eve whispered, then quickly ran over to the captain's cabin, before the fish struck again.

The first thing she noticed was a gun, but that wouldn't do much good against something that massive. "Nikita, look for something that might blow up!"

"This ship!" the other scream.

"You're an idiot!"

"Thank you so much!"

Eve took the gun, and then the shark hit the ship again, knocking her to the floor. The fun went off, but the bullet luckily hit the wall. When she got out, Nikita was nowhere to be seen.

"Don't tell me..."

"I'm still alive!" the blonde yelled from behind, so Eve turned around. Nikita was on top of the ship's cabin, which, for whatever reason, had a cannon. "We can use this!"

Eve looked at the cannon, then at the gun in her hands, then at the cannon again. She tossed the gun aside and ran for it. Halfway up the stairs, the shark hit again, and Eve fell down on her knees, hard.

"Shit," she muttered, then pulled her self up and limped toward the cabin. Nikita was trying to lift one of the cannonballs. Eve helped, and the two just barely got it in.

Then the shark hit again, and Nikita's head slammed down against the cannon. Her vision got hazy, and she had to sit down. Eve aimed the thing toward the part of the sea where the shark swam out, barely able to move it, then realized she would have to light the fuse - or whatever one called that part of a cannon.

The shark swam out, and then disappeared. Eve counted her blessings, and began searching for anything that might start a fire.

"Go to the cabin and find me a lighter," she told Nikita, and the girl obeyed. Both were already too hurt to move right. This attraction was definitely not a long one. You either did it right and did it fast, or you died.

"Never said it was a shark," the girl from the mast called.

That's when the realize monster showed itself.

A single massive tentacle came out of the sea, holding the shark in it. The fish struggled to get free, but was dragged under once more.

"Fuck this," Eve cursed as more and more tentacles showed themselves. Finally, the squid's body came out of the sea. Its head alone was five times larger than the ship. If they went up against that, they were done.

That's why she wasn't afraid of punishment, Eve realized. There's no way to win this. Holy shit. Is this how I die? Am I gonna die right now? Is this all my life will be?

Nikita ran out of the cabin, holding a lighter. "Got it!"

The squid started approaching them.

"Throw the damn thing!" Eve ordered, and Nikita did. Catching it like an expert juggler might, Eve lit the cannon, and it blew, nearly rendering her deaf. The movies made it seem so easy.

The squid's head took the hit, and it screeched in pain, but kept coming.

"One more!" Eve yelled. "One more!"

"No way!" countered Nikita. "That did nothing!"

She ran into the cabin again, leaving Eve speechless. She began to curse like a true sailor, struggling and struggling to lift the single remaining cannonball. The ship lulled harshly, meaning at least one tentacle had reached it. The small girl lamented her own weakness. Kol had done so much, and what of her? She'd always be just a lackey. No wonder she couldn't do a thing for her family.

"Exactly," Los said, appearing before her. He was keeping himself in the air with a pair of angel wings, still in his young man form. "You can't do a single thing. You're gonna lose, and you're gonna die."

"Fuck you," she spat, dropping the cannonball.

Dolos smirked. "You're gonna be all mine, forever. I think I'm gonna give you what I now like to call "the Martin treatment."

Her heart sank. "You didn't."

He laughed. "But I did. He played and he lost, just like you will."

"No," Eve responded, lifting the cannonball again. "I won't."

He just kept grinning at her.

Finally, she managed to lift it up. The ship was rocking harder and harder, but she finally loaded the cannon. Twisting it toward the squid's eye, Eve lit the fuse, and the cannon fire.

The squid used a tentacle to block it, moving more quickly than a sea creature should, and the appendage took all the damage. It screeched in pain, but it wasn't dead, or even seriously hurt.

Los landed on the cabin, frowning.

"What?" Eve snarled. "Not losing gracefully enough for you?"

Grunting, the wannabe god looked away, and then Nikita ran out of the cabin, waving something through the air. "I got it! It was right there on the seat! I got it!"

Eve couldn't believe it. The girl had the key. It had been that simple.

The girl from the mast appeared next to Los, but still didn't seem scared. Instead, she softly smiled. "You win."

The ship and the ocean vanished, and the third key was found.