By the fourth jerk, it went taut, pulling me backwards through the tunnel. I kicked my legs out, trying to go faster. Every time I snuck a peak downwards, I could see sightless faces growing closer and closer.
When I abruptly tumbled out onto the rocky surface of the crevasse, I didn’t stop and neither did the line, jerking me further back towards the submersible. The creatures burst out of the tunnel behind me, seemingly without end, swimming upwards and away.
I was glad to see them go, until reflecting on where they could be headed. As soon as the line had pulled me back to the Hippocampus, I jumped into the airlock, twisting at my helmet to try and get it off.
The door opened, and Crankshaft and Minnow both stared at me in curiosity. “What’s going on?”