The Octopus
Bold Lettering=the creature in focus
regular lettering=1st person...I guess
The ship set sail. It was supposed to be a simple voyage. The purpose being to hunt whales and other valuable marine wildlife. Not this…
What had led up to all this carnage? Well on hindsight it was simple. We had sailed for a few days now and the nearest stretch of land was awaiting our presence. We had slain a few of possibly the largest animals I had even seen. The taste was alright I guess. It could be better. What was great was our life. We had all gotten along well together. We spoke of what we were wasting our payment on. I personally, was planning just to buy a small house. Have a small stretch of land for farming. Have some peace after all these hectic killings. My closest mate, Jack Wilkins. He was going to waste it all on brothels and alcohol. What an absolute legend. I guess he can't live without the sailor lifestyle… Almost ironic, how it was the sailor lifestyle that got him-got him killed. Poor bastard.
It was night when "IT" arrived. Peaceful, everyone was rocking along the hammocks, some hummed a tune and others spoke excitedly like children about their misadventures despite knowing the others were present. It climbed carefully. Its arms supporting itself. Yellow eyes investigated the mellow atmosphere of the ship as it spied the vigilant ship-watcher. Calculations were made as it purposely pressed powerfully onto the wood rafters and to its planning. Others awoke, and the rest just stood straight. Few grabbed weapons and some just marched tiringly, possibly wondering about why they were dragged from sleep. A smile dragged across a face as a Ship-watcher's knife was dragged across its former wielder's throat. The dead-weight was then dropped, alerting many formally tired sailors charged prepared…
It…it was Arnold or "Arnie" as we were repeatedly told to call him . His knife was sheathed within his torso as his body lay lifeless. Loomed over him were the first mate and the Captain. Both looked horrified at the situation as others stirred angrily. Some even accused others causing a bit of a fist fight to break out. They were quelled easily enough but the pressing matter was. Who would kill a member of our crew-no our Family?
It would. It would kill them all. However even a fool would know that killing all of them will take time and effort, and a smart individual can limit the former and the latter with enough planning. So, with the suction cups on its "arms", it withdrew from the idiots. Knowingly leaving a trail of the salt water it carried from the sea, its home. Hopefully they would last long enough to make culling them like sheep fun…it would be a sport akin to them with the whales that protect its home…
We then noticed some salt water trailings. 2 to be specific. One that entered and one that left. The former showed that whoever came to kill our boy was strangely from the ocean despite its surely freezing temperatures. The latter trailed away from the storage cabin either towards the basement. Or the hammocks, we weren't sure at the time so our crew of 23(formerly 24) split up to look for the scumbag…clearly due to the fact that only 4 including I survived, we didn't exactly succeed. The group away from us was the first to die as we heard multiple screaming a minute after we spilt-up.
Too loud. They were too loud, it was boring to kill them. The first few were fun as they weren't aware of their doom but when the third one fell loudly, they noticed it and attacked, landing an annoying hit rather then an expected kill shot. How pitiful. These were the creatures who hunted down the sea giants? Whether to be disappointed or not was what it thought as a one-sided massacre began. Or at least that's how it was, before more nuisances wormed their way towards the trauma that it had caused. More screams dug their way inside the creature's constantly prepared brain. Disgusting it. The noise heightened once the creature attacked…
There stood a tall, bipedal creature. They had a human-like figure. Though no hair nor other "parts" and had 4 fingers instead of 5. Not to forget. They had 4 arms growing from its back. It was horrifying. Our captain had been screaming until those yellow irises shined, shimmering like the sun and charged at Jack who was stood still, statuesque. Fearful of what may or may not be "The Kraken" coming to kill us for harming its home. Others had the same idea and only further scream. Only a few trying to shake the others out of it and attack the monster who had killed Arnie and the others. I was confused. Who is this? What is this? Why is it attacking?
In my shaken stupor, my best mate was torn to shreds and along with him. Many others who had tried to fight our doom. The creature stopped. One second passed, then two, then three. Yellow met brown and I saw in those eyes, excitement. Then a blow was struck, and the world blackened.
The rest was easy. Some feared and hid. Some stood statue-like and were disposed of simply. Others fought, landing shots and harpoon bolts that hurt. Hurt, a feeling that was very rare to it. A smile declared itself. Showing rows of dangerous, bloody, dirty pieces of teeth. Many became intimidated, but it just charged through the group into the exit of the cabin, not running. Just hiding, like some of the sheep had. However, being a "genius", it readied the deaths of those alive. Suctioning to the ceiling. It waited, and like moths to a flame. The sheep were herded. Then harvested as cattle should be. Sneaking through the ship, it stalked for the remaining sheep, salivating slightly. Some were discovered, disposed off and thrown overboard. Others followed suit, along with the rest of the crew. Sobs were heard but ignored. Some survivors can send the message of the demon that had arrived to massacre the crew. Then no other whalers or fishermen would sail out. It was the perfect plan was it not?
If that was the reason for leaving me and the others alive. Then it failed. Others sailed sooner then even he expected. The majority had been sceptical after all. Some who did even set sail to find the proof of "The Kraken" or "The Scylla" or whatever junk they thought of. It made me sick. My friends were killed, and they thought we were crazy for stating what we saw clearly. My captain was sent to jail for being crazy or something at least related towards it. What went wrong? It was supposed to be a simple voyage. The purpose being to hunt whales and other valuable marine wildlife. There was nothing wrong, nothing criminal. We were just working men. Eyes, sometimes I feel them staring at me. Sometimes I smell the scent of the sea as I sleep. Sometimes I hear trudges outside my house only to find nothing when I investigate. Sometimes I can taste the blood of my shipmates and I spit out my meal. Sometimes I-I see the eyes, the dirty yellow pair of eyes, just staring at me. Whenever I blink though. Its gone. Am I crazy. Am I crazy? Am I crazy? Please? Just take me already…
Four surviving whalers of the disastrous "ship massacre" disappeared recently as some saw them walk aimlessly towards nowhere. The only indication of where they could be was located in the memoirs of the captain, Richard Arkwright and a shipmate William Hendrickson. On other news, crew members of newly sailed "S.S Kraken" have been found dismembered to hell and back, attracting many unsavoury creatures. Until further notice, their bodies will unfortunately have to stay there any mourners and fishermen are being advised to keep a distance from the coast until further notice.
Author's Note:
Thank you for reading this. If you have enjoyed then I thank you even more. This was based very heavily by The Sinister Six from Spiderman if you hadn't known. The recent game kickstarted my love for the comic-book character again. Writing villains in a horror-esque way had always been an interest of mine. Please review if I have made any mistakes. I strive to make my work as good as it possibly is. Please don't look forward to more. Writing this was a pain.
