They said it would be simple. Quick and easy, just take a seat in the submersible and report back to the surface what was down there. They offered me $50,000 for that. I should have known something was amiss right away, but with the debt I'm in, even the most obvious scams still have some power over me.

Now I find myself sitting alone in a disabled submersible at the bottom of the ocean. I don't know what it ran into, but it was huge, and it sounded angry. All power has been lost. Thankfully, there is backup power for the oxygen systems, so I should be able to keep breathing for quite a while, but it is pitch black down here. All I can see is the endless void of the ocean in front of me, and the subtle shadows where my hands should be if I raise them to my face. There is some food and water on board as well, so if I'm lucky, I might have nine, maybe ten days before I succumb either to dehydration or lack of oxygen, whichever comes first.

At this depth, if I tried to open the hatch and swim out, my body would crumple in an instant from the pressure. With no power, I can't call for help, and I can't be sure that the people on the surface even know where I am or what happened. The bottom of the ocean is a surprisingly loud place, it turns out... and it sounds as though it does not want me here.