The Sea of Darkness

Chapter 5: Waiting

Ringo sighed, glancing over at the clock again.

An hour had passed.

Groaning, he laid his head back down onto the cold floor, staring up at the series of pipes above him. If the submarine didn't have a clock in it, he knew that he would eventually lose the track of time altogether.

The submarine hadn't come across anything yet. Ringo didn't know what he was waiting for them to come across, but anything besides the darkness that loomed outside would be a godsend for him.

Anything at all.

He turned his head to the left, spotting Jeremy sitting on the main seat that overlooked a large control panel. 

Even after an hour, Jeremy was still trying to get a sign of anything that may be out there. At least he still had some motivation in him.

Ringo had given up some time ago. After all, they had to reach the end of the sea soon, right?

He looked to his right.

Paul was staring out the porthole, but since his back was turned to him, Ringo couldn't see if he was actually trying to see that anything was outside. John was looking out of the porthole that was next to him.

Ringo focused his gaze on George, who was taking a bite out of a giant green apple.

He himself had not eaten anything yet, since he didn't feel hungry. But, Ringo knew that, as time passed on, that he had to eventually eat something.

Those apples were all they had to eat.

And if they were to run out...

Ringo shook his head, once again staring up at the pipes above him/

John had said himself that they should remain calm earlier, and he could easily understand why. 

The pit that formed in Ringo's stomach upon thinking about the severity of the situation was hard to ignore. However, he forced himself to think about something different.

Or, he tried to, at least.

An hour.

That's how long that they had been in the Sea of Darkness now, and yet it felt like they had been there for years.

An extremely worrisome thought entered Ringo's mind, causing him to widen his eyes a little.

What if time had passed differently for the rest of the world?

He did not know why he thought about that, but it made him shiver.

There was no way that anything like that could happen. But, then again, Ringo could never imagine coming across a sea like the one he was in now.

Ringo placed a hand to his forehead, clearing his mind.

The wait was getting to him, and it had only taken an hour to do so.

"How long is this gonna be?" He quietly asked to himself.

A part of him knew that he wasn't the only one who felt the weight pressing down on him, but it pained him to think that his friends felt the same.

Was it for the best to ignore it?

Maybe.

Perhaps, for now, he should just let things be the way they are.

Ringo did not know what they would do later, or tomorrow if they stayed in the sea for that long, but it would be for the best to not let the fear consume them.

All they could do was wait.

Wait for the end of the sea, or for anything really, even if it just turned out to be nothing but a lifeless boulder. 

There had to be something in this sea.

Somewhere.

Ringo saw George sit back down a few feet away from him, having finished eating.

At least those apples could not be eaten in one go.

"Ay George?" He asked out loud. George turned to look at him.

"What?"

Ringo sat up, sighing.

"How... How long do ya think we'll be here?"

George looked down for a moment, fumbling the edge of the brown sleeve of his sweater, thinking.

"I can't say..." He replied.

Ringo looked around for a moment.

"I was expecting you to say that..."

George raised his head to look at him.

"Ringo... um... are you feelin' alright?" He asked.

That question made Ringo pause for a moment.

"T-to tell you the truth..." He began, brushing a hand through his hair, "not exactly..."

George sighed.

He wasn't feeling right either, and they both knew that the others didn't either.

George moved so that he was beside the drummer.

"It's okay... I don't feel alright either..." He stated quietly. He laid down onto the floor, letting Ringo rest on top of him.

They both held each other, trying to create a feeling of comfort among all the paranoia that was slowly rising within them.

Ringo looked down at George, who stared back. Neither of them knew what to say.

Silently, Ringo buried placed his face on the crook of George's neck. Both of them started to feel tired as they melted into their embrace.

In that moment, Ringo knew that their wait was far from over.