I'm writing this letter to explain what happened before my inevitable death.

I want to make sure that no one ever goes to the absolute bottom of the sea.

*****

I'm a deep sea diver, which means I get to go deep into the sea. I get to see a kind of beauty that very few people get to see in their lifetime. I love my job,

'Let's get this thing in the water!" Jacob shouts.

He was my partner, and just as excited as me. We were going to discover something new today, I could feel it. The crew that was responsible for getting the two person sub in the water gave a thumbs up, signaling that the sub was ready to go.

"Finally!" I yell back at them. I don't think I could wait any longer.

The boss of the operation, Dr. Thylor, greets us with forebode. That can't be good.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but it appears that something has come up, and it may affect our mission." he says sadly.

"No." Jacob says, "We are not postponing this because of a possibility."

"Listen, Doc, we've been waiting for this for months. We're about to go deeper than anyone ever has before. We don't have any intentions of waiting." I tell him, trying to hide my disappointment.

The doctor sighed, turning around, and beckoning us to follow him.

We followed him into the ships control room where a dozen people were seated, staring at screens. He brings us to one of the screens, showing us something moving around.

"Do you see these large dots? We don't know what they are. We would like to gain more insight into what they might be. It could be dangerous." the doctor explains, hoping we agree to postpone.

However, we had planned ongoing down today, and that wasn't going to change. Dr. Thylor is not happy about our decision, but he accepts it, and starts explaining the process of the mission.

It took almost three hours before we were ready to start diving. Jacob and I climb in the sub, making sure everything is good to go and working properly. We give a thumbs up before being dropped in the water.

"I can't believe they wanted us to wait. It could have been months before they found out. Whereas if we go now, like we are, we could find out much faster." Jacob says to me.

"Yeah, I know. What do you think it is? It cant be good if the doctor wanted to postpone the dive." I tell Jacob, unsure if we made the right decision.

"Probably just some big fish. Can't you just be a little more excited?" Jacob says calmly.

"Of course I'm excited. I just feel weird, something feels off.." I say to him. He just shrugs off my worries.

BANG! Jacob and I both jump at the sudden sound. Looking around we see that a massive fish has just rammed into our sub. Luckily, there is no damage. Still, it had to be reported to the team aboard the ship.

The further we went, the more unusual things we saw, like diamond coral, and, lights? How was that possible?

"Are you seeing this, Jacob?" I ask in pure disbelief.

"Yeah, what the hell is that? It look like lights." he replied.

"Uh, doc? Are you seeing this?" I asked over the coms. It took a couple minutes before he responded.

"Yes, I think so. Keep going, I want to know what it is." Dr. Thylor responded. "Be careful down there, boys."

"Copy that." Jacob said before putting the receiver back, and staring out the window again.

Moving closer tothe lights they see something that throws them into shock.

"Holy shit!" We said in unison.

There were strange fish swimming around a decrepit city. The fish resembled people. We just looked at each other, not sure what to say.

"Get closer, Martin!" Jacob yelled at me, excitement coating his voice.

"Are.. are those? mermaids?" I asked him, not believing what I'm seeing. I thought I might be losing my mind.

Before we could radio the doctor to inquire about our next steps, one of the mermaids comes up to the sub.

Female upper body, fish tail, scales covering most of her body, and beautiful face. She peers into the cab of the sub, letting out a blood-curdling scream. Within minutes, we are surrounded by hundreds of them. Their faces change from good-looking to something out of a horror story. Eyes as dark as the abyss, gills flaring p, and sharp, sharp teeth.

They started rocking us, trying to tear apart the sub. We heard the doctors voice for a brief moment warning us to leave, when it suddenly goes silent. We tried to leave but the power had been cut off. We were sitting ducks.

Jacob suggested going out to fix it, or distract them long enough for me to fix it. I told him that was terrible idea, that these things look evil and angry. They could kill him, I told him.

He promised me he would be fine. He started getting his gear on, and reminded me that if he cant fix it, that I will have to do it. As soon as he opened the latch to leave, he disappeared from sight. I frantically tried to find him, and when I did, I wanted to vomit.

Jacob had been ripped to pieces, his limbs were being used ina game of tug-a-war. They ripped the flesh off his bones, swallowing massive chunks.

I couldn't help but cry. Jacob had been my best friend, we've been working together for fifteen years, and now, he was gone.

As I write this letter, they are ripping more of the sub apart, screaming so loud I almost can't hear anymore. I'm afraid I wont see the light of day ever again.

I'm going to put this in a plastic tube, with the hopes that someone will find it and heed my warning.

Water is starting to pour in, now. I must hurry, my time is running out. I can hear them scratching at the metal, and I know what they will do when they find me.

******

By the time the rescue crew had arrived, the sub had been torn to pieces. Scrap metal littered the sea bed, and human bones surrounded the wreckage.

Looking up from the tragic sight, they see the lights.