Chapter 5: Help me

I came to a bit later, my head spinning. I was surrounded by water. It was steadily rising. My leg was trapped under a fallen stone column. It was small and light enough to lift up. However my position under it was too awkward to do so. “Holy shit man help me out.“ The pain was unbearable. Even if it was released. I wouldn’t have been able to move without help.

“Where are you going guys, help me.” I yelled again through the pain.

They all stopped and turned towards me. They all looked different somehow. Kyle had a more calculating look to him instead of his usual whimsy. West looked at me as if I was nothing but a patch of dirt to be stepped on. And Michelle. Michelle looked insane. She smiled at me. “Because Connor why bother. We were going to kill you anyway.”

“Michelle” Kyle said, reaching out to her, “we don't have time for this. I calculate at least 5 minutes to get out or we too will drown with him.”

“Shush we have time. Has your little mind figured it out yet? I left a hell of a lot of clues throughout.”

“What do you mean? Figured what out. This isn’t funny.” I was so confused that I forgot about the water around me.

“Remember he is an idiot. Had us do all the work for him.” West added coldly.

“Think Connor real hard. How did you end up here?” She was playing with me. I knew it. I just didn’t know why.

“We opened up the envelope and found the key and riddle. West drunkenly fell over and revealed the secret room.”

“I didn’t fall, Connor I solved the riddle. Just needed you to think it was an accident.”

“Wait what?” I continued in a haze, “Then we found the map and clues.”

“Go on”

“And you guys insisted that we….that we follow it.”

“Only took us hand feeding you but you figured it out.” She said this jumping in mock joy and clapping her hands. “Congratufuckinglations you did it. Now drown we have things to do.”

“Wait why. Why are you doing this?”

“Because Connor you were always an ass. And we planned this years ago. We each had pieces of the riddle, But only part of it. Well our families did. But your family tried to keep it hidden. Keep it for themselves holding onto the last and final bit needed. And we just really don’t like you.” She said it so bluntly that it for some reason didn’t hurt.

“I didn’t have anything to do with that. I pleaded to who I thought were my friends. “West please.” He didn’t even turn around.

“Kyle?” My voice was much lower now.

“Sorry man, it's just how it goes.”

“So that other man. Bright? Who the hell was he?” I knew the question was dumb but I was panicking. Anything to keep them talking and not leave me.

“Ohh Mr. Bright? Yeah we just hired him for extra flair-”

West cutted in “Was my idea. Did you enjoy it?”

“-You know, pretend to shoot stuff. Threaten us for information. You know, make it like a movie or a book. A real adventure. Didn’t think he would get so into it though we’ll have to give him a bigger cut…or not. Nah yeah we will he did oddly know morse code. If you didn’t pull that stunt on racing to get here first I wouldn't have called him off. And you would have died in your sleep.” She said this as if nothing wrong was happening.

“We really have to get going.” Kyle insisted.

“Don’t worry we’re leaving.”

“Fuck you. Fuck you all.” The last thing I saw or heard from them was a middle finger from each.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

I didn’t know what to do so I made a recording saying all the information I thought was needed. I put it into a ziplock bag I had in my pocket, for a sandwich, from what felt like so long ago. I then cast it off hoping it would somehow float its way to land. Maybe I’d get the last laugh.

The last thing I did was find the spear I hadn’t noticed had punctured my leg. How did I not notice that? The pain was just non existent and it spread up my body.

A week later. 3 people lead a group of professionals to an underwater secret temple full of treasure. “You think he is dead?” The first asked adjusting his glasses. Looking down at the water.

“I sure as hell hope so.” Replied the other man reading a book. “You know this is a great way to have one of my characters die. And then write a story of the other characters figuring out how he died.”

“A little morbid. But sure why not. Just make sure you don’t make it too obvious, don't want people to put 2 and 2 together.” The last said. She was average height yet brawny.

“I’m hurt” He said, adjusting his collar, the turtleneck a bit too low. Michelle, you think me so poor of a writer that I couldn’t plagiarize and get away with it. I wrote all of our stories, didn't I? And I think it did wonders.”

“Connor was an idiot, anything would have tricked him. West we could have just told him we were hunting the treasure and he would have been cool with it.” Michelle replied.

West looked over to the other man,“You got me there. You happy Kyle?”

“He was smart..ish. He truly did help with making those games. And your book.” Added Kyle.

“Yeah but really…?”

“Nah”

The 3 waited for the industrial water pumps and fleet of ships they brought to get the water out of the complex they were over. It took much longer than they wanted and Michelle was obviously annoyed as she yelled at the workers to hurry up.

“That won’t make it go faster Michelle.”

“Ha. Makes me feel better.”

It took 2 days for it to be viable to enter again. Apparently the flooding only went as far as the room where they found themselves in yet again. “Ok ok back off we will take over here.” Michelle yelled at the workers.

“Yes mam.”

As they shuffled out the three walked up to where they last left their friend. “Huh his body must have washed away somewhere. His mom ain’t going to be happy about that. Wasn’t that the only reason she let us buy all this stuff?” Kyle said not sounding sad at all.

West started walking forward “We’ll find it couldn't have gotten too far.”

They scanned with their lights in the dark space. It was a quick scan so Michelle barely noticed it needed to move it back. “Did you see that?”

“See what?”

“I swore I saw something move.”

“Stop, you know that won’t work on us. Neither of us scare easily.”

“It's not a-” She stopped looking shocked.

“It's not a what? Holy shit is that Connor?” Kyle jumped back alarmed.

The three looked in awe to see Connor standing there hidden in the darkness. Shoulder and head down.“Connor how the fuck are you alive?”

When Connor didn’t move West moved forward a few steps. “Hello, did the water do more brain damage than you already had?” Connor didn’t move, not even a twitch. “Ok mate-” before he could step back Connor launched forward claws like fingers tearing into West’s neck. West fell to the damp floor panickly looking towards his companions. They could clearly see him begging ‘help me.’

They didn’t help him. Both turning tail and running towards the exit. What they saw broke them more than they already were. Bodies were torn and blood was in places it shouldn’t have been able to make it to. The high ceiling covered in as much as the floor and walls. “Shit shit shit.” Michelle yelled hoping over corpses and blood pools failing at both.

Michelle heard a yelp behind her that turned to a cry of pain. She turned for the barest moment to see her love Kyle being pulled away. “Chell help-” She stopped but fear took over and she ran to get out. He was gone already, nothing to do. She saw the exit and the gear was still there. She almost didn’t bother with the breathing mask and tank going to risk the free swimming.

Quickly she put on the tank and jumped into the moonpool. At least she tried to her feet barely touched its surface before a force grabbed her hair and yanked her back.

Detective Hurtch rewatched the events on that phone over and over. “This gotta be a prank right?” he said to his partner Detective Cook. “Some dude doesn’t find treasure like that in real life. Only movies does that shit.”

“No Hurtch we have reasons to believe it's all real. Miss. Corton says she just purchased a ton of boats to excavate the place her son's friends say he died in. They haven’t returned. So in total we got 4 missing people.”

“Well Cook wanna find some treasure?”

“Hell no from the sounds of it that place might be cursed and is most definitely out of our jurisdiction.” He gave a broad smile, ”But at least check out the coordinates. That wouldn’t hurt.” They had taken coordinates from the phone detailing the exact spot the recording was taken.

A week of searching began and with nothing found it was seen as a last prank from a disgruntled son after his fathers death. Though some suspected that at least some of it was true.