Dive into the fathomless dark of "Abyssal Whispers," a chilling anthology that plunges readers into the haunting abyss of the world's oceans. In this collection of tales, a cadre of contemporary horror writers steers you through the uncharted waters...
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Chapter 1: The Summons
The incessant pounding on her door roused Ava from her whiskey-soaked stupor. She lifted her head from the battered couch, squinting through the gloom of her tiny, dilapidated apartment. Empty bottles littered the floor, a testament to the months she'd spent trying to drown the memories of what she'd done.
The pounding came again, more insistent. With a groan, Ava hauled herself upright, staggering to the door on unsteady legs. She fumbled with the locks and yanked it open, ready to tell whoever it was to go to hell.
Her voice died in her throat when she saw the two uniformed military police officers standing in the hallway, their faces grim.
"Dr. Ava Patel?" the taller of the two asked, his voice brusque.
Ava nodded mutely, her heart sinking. She knew this day would come eventually, the day she'd have to answer for her crimes against nature.
"You need to come with us, ma'am," the officer said. "There's been a...development."
Ava's mouth went dry. "What kind of development?"
The officer's jaw tightened. "The kind that requires your immediate expertise. Your bio-weapon...it had unintended consequences."
A chill rippled through Ava, icy tendrils of dread coiling in her gut. "What consequences?"
The officer shook his head. "We'll brief you on the way. But suffice it to say, you're needed. The abyss has spit out a new nightmare, Dr. Patel. And you're the only one who might know how to stop it."
Chapter 2: The Briefing
The military helicopter churned through the storm-lashed sky, buffeted by gale-force winds. Ava sat rigidly in her seat, her white-knuckled hands clenched in her lap as she listened to the grim-faced officers outline the situation.
"Three days ago, a Japanese fishing trawler went dark in the Ivory Trench," Commander Nakamura said, his voice barely audible over the roar of the rotors. "No distress call, no mayday. Just dropped off the map."
He tapped a button, and a holographic display flickered to life in the center of the cabin. Grainy footage played, showing a massive ship being dragged beneath roiling waves by a writhing mass of tentacles, each as thick as a redwood trunk.
Ava's breath caught in her throat, her heart hammering against her ribs. "Is that...?"
Nakamura nodded grimly. "We believe it's a giant squid, species unknown. But it's been...changed. Mutated."
He fixed Ava with a piercing stare. "By your bio-weapon, Dr. Patel."
Ava closed her eyes, bile rising in her throat as the full horror of what she'd wrought washed over her anew. Her engineered plague, designed to eradicate the Siren...had it somehow infected other denizens of the deep? Twisted them into new abominations?
