Aquaertus

Chapter Four - Under the Sea

I'm fully submerged in the lukewarm ocean water and I open my eyes. The water doesn't burn my eyes, which is odd, but I'm not going to dwell on it.

I can see the bottom of the ocean, which is about 15 feet below me. Thankfully I landed where the water is shallow. I'm running out of breath, so I go back up to the surface to breathe deep and go back underwater. I take a good look around me, since I didn't the first time.

Oh my God, it's beautiful.

All around me, there are different small species of alien fish, all going about their business as if I don't exist. Some are completely transparent, allowing me to see all of their insides. I see a couple fish glowing, even though daylight is filtering through the water. I even see a fish that is nearly completely flat, seemingly disappearing at certain angles.

On the ocean floor, I see a variety of plant life covering the sandy floor and large rock formations. There are corals and sea grasses of all different colors, also glowing despite the daylight. I see some sort of green fungus growing along stone arches, shaped like plates. I also spot some golden fruit growing from a plant that looks like a prickly cactus.

Looking at all of the life in this ocean is like looking at a living, breathing rainbow.

I shift my gaze to my right into the distance, and I see the ocean floor plummet into darkness. There's a forest of fluorescent pink and purple seaweed. The ocean water turns nearly black due to the thickness of the flora. I'm immensely intimidated by the forest's gloomy and unnatural aura; I can't even begin to imagine what horrors it holds. I don't think I want to go in that direction anytime soon.

To my left, I see clear waters. There's some hunks of metal at the sandy bottom, which I assume are pieces of the USS Pertempto. I'll have to look there to see if I can find anything salvageable.

I run out of air, so I swim back to the surface. I'll have to work on my lung capacity so I can stay underwater longer. Right now, I can hold my breath for about 2 minutes at the most. Working on increasing that time will be imperative.

After I get a couple of strong breaths and fill my lungs with air, I dive back down and swim towards the metal debris, about 50 feet from the pod. The debris is only about 12 feet deep, so it's not difficult to get to. I feel my ears pop slightly as I go deeper, but I push the irritating sensation to the back of my mind. I quickly scan around the wreckage before I have to get another breath. I don't see much other than tangled metal, but I think I can use some of the smaller pieces as a makeshift weapon. I swim back to the sea floor and look around the edges of the rubble. I notice a sharp strip of metal about the size of my forearm and grab it. I can use this.

I paddle back to the pod with a little difficulty, since I'm also carrying a length of metal with one of my arms. Once I reach the pod, I climb back to the top. I'm not used to swimming this much, and my muscles are beginning to feel strained. Hopefully after a few days of this it won't be as painful. For about 15 minutes I just sit on the pod and breathe.

Now, it's time for me to actually find some sustenance. This will be gross.

I slowly dip myself into the water, not wanting to scare away the fish. I grasp my makeshift machete and search for a weak looking creature. I could dive down and harvest the golden fruits, but I don't want to test my luck. I'm not used to going deep into the water yet and I shouldn't push myself so soon. I could also try to eat the seaweed, but I don't feel like wandering into the dark abyss and possibly getting eaten by an alien shark, or something along those lines. That leaves the fish as my source of nutrients. I eye a bulbous fish decorated with shiny silver stripes as it swims closer to me. It looks meaty and nourishing, and my mouth waters at the sight. I point my weapon horizontally in the direction of the fish and attempt to stab it. I miss and the fish darts away from me. Damn it.

About a dozen times I repeat this until I manage to get a fish of the same species pierced on my machete. I swim back to the pod and climb inside while holding the kebabed fish.

The survival guide instructs how to consume a fish. I can get water out of the fish, so I won't have to find an alternative source of water, but the extraction process is disgusting. The water is in the eyes, spine, and flesh of the fish, and I have to suck it out. I close my eyes and slowly breathe in and out to prepare myself for this nauseating procedure. After a few minutes of meditation, I open my eyes and stare at the fish. I'm sorry, little guy.

I remove the fish from my weapon and lay it flat on the floor of the pod. I slice the fish open at the top, right along the vertebra. The most water is along the spine, so that's where I intend to attempt to drink. In one motion, I grab the fish and snap the spine in two. Before I try to consume anything, I rub the inside of the fish against the back of my hand. I wait a few minutes and, seeing as my skin had no reaction, I deem the fish safe to consume. I place my mouth on the vertebra and I suck out the liquid. It tastes horrible and fishy, but it quenches my thirst nevertheless.

After I drink all of the liquid, I start to cut off the flesh of the fish, removing the bones and organs until I have only meat. I take the pile of waste and throw it out the escape hatch. I don't have a way to cook the meat, so I have to eat it raw. Just pretend it's sushi. Just pretend it's sushi.

I'm happily surprised that I can finish the whole meal without vomiting. The fish tasted a little sweet and I enjoyed it despite the unappetizing texture and smell. I open the escape hatch and sit on the pod's roof to escape the fishy stench.

It's now evening and the sun is setting. I watch as the white sun gradually disappears in the horizon, red and orange hues following. After the grueling day I've had, the calming colors of the sunset soothe me.

I guess this is my life now.