Edmond sat at his desk, his mind muffled in thoughts. The pen hung limply in his hand over his log book. Just like every day, he wanted to add to the pages. But this time felt different. Because this was the first time he would have a record of seeing the beast himself in the flesh. He almost didn't believe it himself. Would the whole book be counted as the accounts of an insane man?

He had meant to write last night but was still processing the information for himself. This was real. This was somehow... real. These were the early morning hours. The fog was lit and cast a pale light in through his windows.

He began slowly. Unsure of each pen stroke.

𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 11𝚝𝚑 1834

𝙸 𝚜𝚊𝚠 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚢𝚊𝚗𝚗 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎. 𝙸 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚛, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚍. 𝙸 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚝. 𝙻𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗. 𝙷𝚊𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚎, 𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚠.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚐 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜. 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕 𝚒𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚍𝚘. 𝙳𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚞𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎?

𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚗. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚖𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍. 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎. 𝙽𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐.

𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢. 𝙸𝚏 𝙸 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕.

Edmond's hand loosed, and the pen fell from his grip. He felt a certain burning in his throat and moisture building in his eyes. His heart ached. He should have listened to his wife. No amount of money was worth this. He should be home with her now. She needed him. He needed her. At this rate, he never wanted to step foot on a ship again.

There was a knock on his door.

"Enter." He said reluctantly. He really just wanted to be left alone.

DeVitas entered. He came to the desk, waiting for Edmond to welcome him to take a seat. Edmond nodded.

DeVitas took in a long, slow breath before speaking. Indicating that whatever he was about to say was not going to be good. Edmond felt the dread already. He finally spoke to his captain. "We need to fish. Somehow. Some way. We need food."

Edmond knew this already. He was thankful that DeVitas brought this concern to him, but at the same time, what was he supposed to do about it? The beasts had ripped their nets to shreds. They couldn't cast them.

Edmond nodded. "What do you suggest?"

"I don't know, Captain. But we only have enough food for a few days. We won't make it on that. I've rationed the livestock as thinly as I possibly can. Before long, the men will want to start eating each other."

Edmond felt hollow and defeated. Every single man aboard this ship counted on him. He was a failure multiple times over.

That was when Halcreek's words returned to his mind. For them to move. Just go. It didn't matter where. Anywhere was better than here.

Edmond considered it within himself. He had wanted to wait for the fog to disappear. But if those things controlled the fog, then it wasn't ever going anywhere. Surely, they were far enough at sea not to hit anything. Or even anyone else sailing. He couldn't imagine seeing another ship here.

"What if we left?" Edmond asked out loud. Not really expecting an answer. Just rambling to himself mostly.

"Through the fog?" DeVitas raised his eyebrows. "You really don't think it will clear?"

"Doesn't look like it." Edmond wrestled the thoughts in his head. Torn between the safety of his men one way versus the other. Either way, they were in danger. He leaned heavily on the idea of leaving. The lesser of the two evils. "But at this point, running into anything is almost preferred. We need the supplies. We won't find them here."

"Aye." DeVitas seconded. "I support you, Captain. We should sail before I am tempted to fish one of those beasts out of the water to cook it myself."

Edmond released a chuckle. It was the first time he had chuckled in days. His stomach was growling horribly. He had been skipping meals to make sure the men ate enough. He could only imagine being able to flay the thing who mimicked his wife. The thing that dared to warp his mind.

Another knock came.

DeVitas and Edmond both looked up to the door. Edmond called them to enter as well.

It was the researcher. The only one who really talked to anyone. "Captain Conway." He greeted him.

Edmond wasn't about to fumble the man's name. He only nodded at the man in greeting. The researcher came to stand by his desk.

"I hope I am not interrupting."

"No. Please. What brings you here?" Edmond waved his hand for the man to take the next available seat.

He didn't sit. He seemed in a rush, "This fog isn't going to go away any time soon. I'd like to get us moving if I can. What can I do to help us along here?"

"Can you clear the fog?" Edmond raised an eyebrow.

"I cannot." He said with a sigh. "But neither can I sit here idly. My research demands we move."

"I don't answer to your research." Edmond couldn't stand the way some of these science men operated. Acting so removed from reality and entitled to more than their share.

"My research will change the world as we know it." He said bitterly. "Or at least it would. If we ever arrived to our destination."

"I can't control the weather." Edmond hadn't seen the researcher seem so brash before. He must have been as irritated as Edmond was.

"But you control this ship, yes?" He pointed around. "You can act like it. You can get us moving."

DeVitas stood in a jolt to be in the researcher's face. "Don't talk to my captain like that!"

"DeVitas." Edmond indicated for him to sit again. DeVitas followed promptly.

"I mean no disrespect." The researcher backpedaled. "I only mean..." he hesitated, "My research. It is time sensitive." Edmond had heard this before. Although, he was more concerned about their food and water supply. That was time sensitive, too.

"I need time to consider the options at hand." Edmond assured the man. "We will either leave when the fog clears or..." he didn't want to say 'when the supplies run out' to him. Instead, he left it hanging.

"I see." He said. "Please. Make your decision quickly. For all of us."

That night, Halcreek wanted to volunteer yet again for patrol. Him, Hammond, Keller, and Willas.

Edmond sat below on his bed.

Thinking.

Thinking mostly of his wife.

Thinking about how easily he had been manipulated by the beast.

He was exhausted, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't sleep. There was far too much on his mind.

Not to mention, the blasted crying.

It was back.

He didn't bother to get up and check it this time. No matter how hard he searched, he simply could find a source. Maybe it was all part of the delusion. He wouldn't be bothered by their tricks.

It was a few moments after the crying that he heard something else. Not the singing as he suspected. But whispers. Like being in a room of a hundred people all whispering to each other at once.

It was very faint. But definitely there.

He stood from his bed and lit his lantern. He shined the light at his window to look out, but the glass only reflected the light back in his face.

He would have to go outside.

He went along to the deck. He didn't expect to get much sleep anyway. He found Halcreek looking out over the water with the other three men. They gripped their rifles.

Halcreek spoke to the captain just over the whispers in the air. "Captain. I was just about to retrieve you." He gave a nod out towards the sea.

Edmond lifted his lantern and cast his gaze over the black waters that eased and bobbed the ship in place.

At first, he saw nothing.

Straining his eyes, narrowing them.

In time, it became clearer. Just at the edge of the darkness where the fog consumed the world around them, he could see something.

A reflection.

A set of eyes, their face peeking from the surface.

They were being watched.

He moved the lantern, and the light caught another pair of eyes. Then another. Then another.

Dozens of eyes reflected back at them from the waters all around the ship. The whispers continued in a language none of them could decipher.

Edmond's heart froze like ice in his chest.

One thing was clear. They wouldn't have enough rifle rounds for all of them.