He woke up on a large plank of wood, surrounded by murky water in what appeared to be a low-lit chamber. Above him was a thick metal grate with wide enough gaps that he might be able to squeeze through yet the thought of the unknown landscape above and the unknown waters below left him in a state of deeply thoughtful inaction.
His eyes were so busy studying the grates that he didn't notice the ripples around him, slowly circling his flimsy raft and gradually rising until a smooth dorsal fin silently emerged and finally caught his attention. It moved hypnotically, swaying from side to side as it continued to circle him, slowly closing in until a head three times the size of his torso surfaced inches from the planks edge.
It was almost like a shark but rounder, its eyes round dinner plates of black, its mouth a round "O" as if in surprise, its continual movement round and round him still. Just below the water he could see its feathery gills fluttering rhythmically, its body extending seemingly without end, deep down into the water.
The more it circled him the wider it opened its mouth, from a pinprick of shock to a gaping, tooth-crammed maw that threatened to swallow him whole if he moved so much as an inch in any direction. His eyes continued to dart upwards while still trying to keep a fixed eye on the creature in case it decided to close in at last.
He didn't quite realise he'd been reaching his hands up to grasp the metal bars until the creature made a noise somewhere between a snarl and a garbled plea as red-tinged water gushed out of its mouth. It was enough to make him pause, arms up as if in surrender, but not enough to make him cease.
The creature continued to snarl/plea to him, almost forming actual words. The instant his hands touched the grate it dived deep below, as silently as it had arrived. Not wanting to wait for it to return he heaved his body up and onto the concrete flooring of a warehouse-style building. He rolled to the side, gasping for the breaths he hadn't realised he'd been holding in.
As he stood he saw the sheer scale of the building he was in, every few feet dotted with the same grate he'd woken up beneath. Peering into the few around him he saw red water, splintered wood and occasionally chunks of something meaty that he refused to think about.
Behind him he heard the sound of something wet hitting the concrete floor.
His eyes were so busy studying the grates that he didn't notice the ripples around him, slowly circling his flimsy raft and gradually rising until a smooth dorsal fin silently emerged and finally caught his attention. It moved hypnotically, swaying from side to side as it continued to circle him, slowly closing in until a head three times the size of his torso surfaced inches from the planks edge.
It was almost like a shark but rounder, its eyes round dinner plates of black, its mouth a round "O" as if in surprise, its continual movement round and round him still. Just below the water he could see its feathery gills fluttering rhythmically, its body extending seemingly without end, deep down into the water.
The more it circled him the wider it opened its mouth, from a pinprick of shock to a gaping, tooth-crammed maw that threatened to swallow him whole if he moved so much as an inch in any direction. His eyes continued to dart upwards while still trying to keep a fixed eye on the creature in case it decided to close in at last.
He didn't quite realise he'd been reaching his hands up to grasp the metal bars until the creature made a noise somewhere between a snarl and a garbled plea as red-tinged water gushed out of its mouth. It was enough to make him pause, arms up as if in surrender, but not enough to make him cease.
The creature continued to snarl/plea to him, almost forming actual words. The instant his hands touched the grate it dived deep below, as silently as it had arrived. Not wanting to wait for it to return he heaved his body up and onto the concrete flooring of a warehouse-style building. He rolled to the side, gasping for the breaths he hadn't realised he'd been holding in.
As he stood he saw the sheer scale of the building he was in, every few feet dotted with the same grate he'd woken up beneath. Peering into the few around him he saw red water, splintered wood and occasionally chunks of something meaty that he refused to think about.
Behind him he heard the sound of something wet hitting the concrete floor.
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