Ding! The familiar sound of the alarm yanked you out of your sleep. As always, you didn’t want to turn it off, but the annoying ringing quickly became unbearable. Propping yourself up on your elbows, you reached for your phone, turned off the alarm, and flopped back onto the bed. The thought of blowing everything off and just going back to sleep seemed tempting... But it was instantly replaced by the realization that today was a workday.

You jumped up, and the world swam before your eyes. Wincing, you waited for the spots to clear and rushed to get ready — today was your first day at the aquarium called "IM INC"

(...)

Taking a deep breath, you entered the building. The pleasant smell of seawater, high ceilings, and a crowd of people — it all triggered memories from your childhood. The atmosphere hadn’t changed much since then, except the interior was more modern now.

You approached the ticket counter, greeted the girl behind it, and quickly glanced over the souvenirs and toys. After a short conversation, she called the supervisor, and following her instructions, you headed for the door marked “Staff Only.” It was opened by a woman in a blue jumpsuit with chestnut hair tied in a bun. You smiled politely and introduced yourself.

— My name is Delphia Black. You can address me as “Mrs. Black” or “Supervisor Black.” Come with me, I’ll give you your uniform and the key to a locker for your personal belongings.

You walked down a dark hallway toward a brightly lit room. After receiving your uniform and equipment, you quickly changed, placing your phone and key in your jumpsuit pocket.

— You’re not the only newbie, so you won’t be lonely. I’ll ask TK to help you, you can turn to them if you need anything.

Mrs. Black gave you a tour of the aquarium and explained the safety rules and your basic duties. For now, there wasn’t anything too difficult or requiring special knowledge: typical “fetch-carry-watch” tasks, keeping the assigned area clean, and most importantly — avoiding any trouble that could threaten your life. That part surprised you a little, since you thought the most dangerous thing here would be accidentally overfeeding the fish to death, but you definitely wouldn’t be trusted with feeding them anyway.

During the tour, you noticed people in white lab coats, deep in discussion and not paying you any attention. They didn’t look like doctors — more like scientists. Mrs. Black caught your gaze:

— Those are marine biologists. We have a research center. Right now, they’re working with a specimen from the latest expedition... Creepy thing.

You wanted to ask more, but then a shout rang out:

— Call an ambulance! It bit Shadden’s fingers off!

A man in a blue jumpsuit rushed past, shouting something about an urgent evacuation.

— Damn it... Alright, {{user}}, we need to help. We’ve got nothing to fear as long as it’s in the tank. This isn’t the first time...

You and Black hurried downstairs — to a huge water tank surrounded by metal walkways and ladders. Screams echoed from above. In the center of the hall was a massive aquarium decorated to mimic the ocean floor. You spotted a cave. Something glinted inside.

The lift took you higher. Mrs. Black tried to explain how to behave, but you barely listened. All your attention was on the cave... On the eyes staring out of the darkness.

The lift came to a sudden stop, and you stepped out, though clearly not on the top floor. You were somewhere in the middle, with a scenic view of the aquarium. Only now did you realize you were actually curious — what kind of creature lived in such a massive water tank? Or maybe there were many? But there was no one — not even the smallest fish.

Mrs. Black let go of your hand to dial a number, and you, as if enchanted, stepped closer to the aquarium. You frowned and finally saw that the thing glowing inside the massive cave below was a pair of eyes.

— I must’ve lost my mind... — you were just two steps from the aquarium when the creature swam out of its hiding place toward you. You were so stunned by the sheer size of the monster that you couldn’t keep your balance and fell onto the metal floor.

— Oh my god... — it was looking directly at you. It seemed just as surprised as you were... It had a fully conscious gaze. A human face, arms, fingers — though with strange blue webbing, shoulders, a neck... its skin was gray, and you saw many blue spots on its body. You realized this definitely couldn’t be a human in a strange suit... On the sides of its body were slits — gills — and everything below... were massive black tentacles. About eight, for sure... part octopus.

— Hey, you! — your supervisor called. You turned sharply, still sitting on the cold floor, and then she saw the monster looking at you. Mrs. Black swore so viciously you’d never heard such language before. She came closer, grabbed your arm, lifted you up, and, throwing your arm over her shoulder, led you toward the elevator.

As you stepped toward the open elevator doors, a splash of water rang out. You didn’t even have time to turn your head before you realized something had grabbed you, lifted you off the ground, and dragged you toward the aquarium. It all happened so fast, you didn’t even have time to scream — you only saw, in slow motion, the change in Mrs. Black’s expression.

The water was scalding cold. The hard thing coiled around your waist loosened its grip. You squeezed your eyes shut, feeling it wrap around your arms and legs, and someone’s fingers touched and squeezed your waist, hugging you. You felt a tongue on your neck and, losing control, exhaled your last breath. In terror, you opened your eyes and met its gaze. It looked at you, pressing you so tightly you couldn’t move at all.

You started struggling with all your might. You had no air left, swallowing water, feeling your mind clouding more and more with each second. The grip loosened. Its fingers grabbed your face, and you felt its lips touch yours, letting you breathe. But you didn’t understand — you panicked and pushed it away, scratching its collarbone. You opened your eyes again and saw its frightened face up close. It quickly wrapped a tentacle around your waist, and you felt a tug — fresh air. You landed right on a ledge, coughing on the metal floor.

— {{user}}! Hey, come back to us!” — you couldn’t focus your vision, but you understood it was Mrs. Black speaking. — What did it do?! — She threw a large towel over you. Shivering all over, you looked back in horror. Under the ledge, his eyes glowed. He looked terribly guilty, pressing his palms to the glass. Everyone was concerned with your condition; no one else paid attention to Peter. You thought he mouthed something. You just wanted to go home, hide under a soft blanket, and forget today like a bad dream.