The Scream of A Thousand Libraries Chapter 10: Chapter 12: The H Incident (II).

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POV: NOAH WILLIAMS. I closed my eyes for an instant. When I opened them again, I realized I was on a boat… adrift in the middle of a dark ocean, under a full moon that shone intensely in the sky. It tried to emulate the Sun, but without much success, casting only a cold, silvery light on the waters. The vessel was a small fishing boat. I looked around the deck and saw that I was completely alone. The boat swayed gently with the tide, from side to side, in an almost rhythmic pace, like a net cradled to the sound of a lullaby. The feeling was strangely comforting, but, at the same time, profoundly wrong. Incongruous. Several adjectives came to mind, but I preferred not to choose any. I felt like I was out of reality at that moment. Where was I? What was I doing here? These were questions that arose naturally, but for some reason, I couldn't answer them at all. I focused on the ocean. The waters around were black, a deep and menacing hue. Strange noises came from the depths: a rhythmic, metallic thud, mixed with the constant crashing of waves against the hull of the boat I was on. That's when a strong aroma invaded my nostrils. The smell of rotten fish… and sulfur. A pungent odor of sulfur that quickly dominated the entire boat. I then realized how strange that vessel was. It was too small to be in the open sea. Its construction was bizarre. It wasn't made solely of wood; metal patches covered parts of the hull, like rough scars. The cabin was tiny, with a small skylight on the roof. Inside, a rusty electronic panel comprised the controls. It was made of a light gray metal, now aged, covered with greenish and darkened stains like moss. Amidst the scratches on the panel, a number was marked: 23051925. Analog instruments with brown dials, speedometer, depth sounder, and others I didn't recognize, swayed uncontrollably, like clock hands without batteries. It was then that I saw the mist. A dense gray curtain rapidly advanced towards the boat. It brought with it a sudden storm, with winds that cut like knives. The comforting sway of the waves ceased there. The water churned, violent and dissonant, as if the sea itself had lost its rhythm and plunged into chaos. And then, a dark shadow rose before the boat, breaking through the mist. It advanced with brutal violence. The impact was terrible, opening a deep hole in the deck, right before my feet. I strained to see through the fog and the gushing water. ‘Was it… a tentacle?’ I had no time to think. I looked frantically around, trying to find an exit, a weapon, anything. It was then that I realized… I was no longer alone in the ocean. Around, rising from the black waters like ghosts, were boats. Dozens of them. Broken ships, monstrous wreckage piled upon each other, like a floating junkyard. Piles of corroded metal, twisted hulls, dead and forgotten stories in those cursed waters. ‘B-but… that wasn't there seconds ago…’ I felt my feet lose the ground. Gravity seemed to have inverted, pulling me upwards. I slipped and fell backward onto the wet deck. The boat swayed violently again, and this time the movement pinned me to the floor with force. When the boat finally seemed to stabilize, now elevated above the water, the stench of rotten fish hit me with renewed force. The reason was obvious. Around me, scattered across the inclined deck, were dozens of dead fish, swollen and pale. And a sound… a sound of goo moving, something viscous dragging itself over the metal and wood of the boat. Something was crawling. When I stood up, trembling, I saw a long trail of green goo… and a tentacle as large as the previous one. Before I could say or do anything, I saw it advance towards the cabin. It enveloped it completely, like a python strangling its prey, and destroyed it entirely. As soon as the crash of metal and wood being crushed ceased, the tentacle contracted and recoiled. When I followed it with my eyes, I saw something that generated such profound terror that I could barely breathe. This stor