The Abyss Whispers

eaking the ship's sturdy frame. The cold seemed to seep through the metal walls, curling around her ankles like an uninvited specter. She adjusted her headphones, their wei

y seemed to grow clearer, weaving a strange rhythm beneath the deep pulses of the ocean. Her finge

loser, her pulse quickening as fragments of phrases began to emerge. They didn't form

athing shallow. Her mind raced, flipping betwee

e in the stillness. Her hands clenched into fi

nd crude sketches. One phrase, underlined several times in bold strokes, caught her eye: "A language olde

he silence, making her jump. She yanked off

alled, her vo

face. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the c

he said, stepping inside wit

ck in her chair. "What ar

ropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "The whispers.

keeping her tone steady. "The ocean

le. "Interference? Come on, Rourke. You're too smart

, but she refused to show it. "You've been reading

t it, didn't you? That... pull. Like it's reaching o

again, this time with far less drama. Naomi str

nudging him aside with her hip. "Evelyn,

l for the distraction. "Thanks," she mutte

nal. Her eyes flicked to a stack of papers beneath it-sketches E

tricate, angular shapes. "Just some dreams I had. Weir

rp spires, impossible curves, and structures that defied logic. Th

yn repeated, h

. Guess my brain needed to work them out." She frowned, tilting her head

ing the lump in her throat.

ion intense. "It's not a coincidence," he muttered. "It

took the sketch from him and slid it back under

mi grabbed his arm and steered him toward the door. "You

the tension in her shoulders unbearable. She stared at the

ck as her father boarded a ship much like this one. His face had

e everything," he'd said, h

xpression shadowed with worry. They were in the kitc

sed, Evelyn," her mother had

The journal's pages fluttered in the draft, as if urging her to lo

didn't c

Their whispers grew louder, swelling to a deafening chorus that wrapped around her like chains. She

as silent, save for the faint creaks of the ship. But the whispers l