Terrors of the Sea

The chopper whirred steadily toward the distant coastline, its rotors slicing through the thick, humid air. Inside, General Barry leaned back in his seat, speaking into his comms with an air of nonchalance.

"This is General Barry. I have delivered the parcel."

A sharp, disbelieving voice crackled through the earpiece—the Supreme General.

"You did ..what? Zain is just a boy from the outer walls! How could you do that?"

Barry exhaled, his tone unwavering. "With all due respect, Your Supremeness, the boy is an SS-rank. He will survive the ocean... hopefully."

---

Zain swam through the vast expanse of water, each stroke fueled by sheer will. The cold bit into his muscles, the salt stung his wounds, and the endless horizon mocked him.

"This isn't just a lake," he muttered, "this is an ocean."

Time lost meaning. Hours bled into an entire day, his strength waning. Just as exhaustion threatened to drag him under, he spotted salvation—a floating piece of wood, likely wreckage from an old ship.

With the last of his energy, he climbed onto it, breathing heavily. His military-issued uniform clung to him, torn from his earlier battle with General Barry. Bruises painted his arms, and the salt water only made the pain worse. But as he caught his breath, the water beneath him shifted. At first, he thought it was just a shadow, a trick of the light playing on his weary eyes. But the shadow pulsed, growing larger, darker… menacing. It wasn't just dark, it was a void, an absence of light beneath the already dim sky.

Then, the ocean erupted.

A monstrous serpent shot from the depths, its scales glistening like molten obsidian under the dim sky. Its eyes burned like twin embers, ancient and cruel, fixated on him with predatory hunger. Its head was massive, easily the size of a small car, with a snout full of razor-sharp teeth that looked capable of snapping bone like twigs. Its body, thick as a tree trunk, coiled with terrifying grace, hinting at immense power. Without warning, it struck—razor-sharp fangs tearing through the wood, sending splinters flying into the air like deadly rain. Zain's heart leaped into his throat. He'd barely registered the shadow, let alone prepared for an attack. One moment he was catching his breath, the next he was staring into the maw of death.

The serpent's fangs clamped down, shattering his fragile raft and plunging him back into the abyss. "Shit!" Zain yelled as he was thrown back into the churning water. The force of the attack was incredible; he felt like he'd been hit by a truck. The splintered wood, his only hope, was now scattered across the surface, drifting further away with each passing second.

Zain barely had time to react before the water swallowed him whole again. He was completely disoriented, spun around in the serpent's wake. Panic surged through him, a cold fist clenching around his heart, but rage burned hotter. This damn beast, this damn ocean, this damn Barry…

"Barry," he growled internally, kicking his legs to propel himself upward, fighting against the current the serpent had created. "When I get back... I will make you pay."

He broke the surface, gasping for air, the taste of salt and fear heavy in his mouth. "Damn it all," he cursed, spitting out a mouthful of salty water. He scanned the churning water, desperately trying to spot the serpent, but it had vanished beneath the waves as quickly as it had appeared.

"All I wanted was a normal life," he muttered bitterly, treading water, the splintered remains of his raft mocking him. "Is that too much to ask?"

But there was no time for self-pity. The serpent wasn't done with him yet. He could feel it lurking beneath the surface, a silent predator stalking its prey.