Underwater

Jirard's diving suit had been tight and heavy up on the surface, but underwater it was a godsend and virtually unnoticeable. He could vaguely feel the cold chill of the water surrounding him as he sunk deeper and deeper into its depths, but the thick rubber coated fibers of his suit were just enough to keep him comfortably warm. It had taken an agonizingly long time to get his oxygen tank situated on his back, and the breathing apparatus attached so that no water could leak in, the weight of the tank dragging on his back and making him feel as though he would topple over at any moment. But the weightlessness of the water made him almost forget it was there.

Movement was slow, and he had been sinking and swimming steadily downwards for more than twenty minutes, but he was finally getting close to the ocean floor, and could see his goal in sight. A massive sunken ship that had crashed over a decade prior, and needed to be excavated. It had been attacked by pirates who were clamoring for the goods the ship was transporting, but the crew had sabotaged their ship to prevent it from being taken, taking the pirates who had boarded their vessel down with them. And now Jirard was finally sinking down to see what was left of the treasure.

He passed through the large holes that had been blown in the hull of the ship to enter its bowels. Shining his flashlight around the walls of the interior sent the fish who had taken it up as a home scattering, and he could see barrels, boxes, chests and furniture thrown about and broken, but hardly any evidence of anything valuable. No glitterings of gold or silver, no smooth marble, and no rusted gearwork. But he had only just entered.

As he swam deeper into the hull, and the darkness became ever more present, he heard a rush of water coming from outside the wood. It was a larger sound, unlike that that smaller fish fleeing from his flashlight had made, more like a whale sized creature, but moving as quickly as the smaller fish. Something wasn't right. A sound like that shouldn't have been possible this deep underwater. The only logical creature that could make that kind of sound was a larger shark perhaps, and even that was unlikely, even ignoring the fact that there weren't any sharks in these waters.

Feeling a shiver run down his spine, Jirard began to back out of the ship to check his surroundings, deciding that he had more than enough oxygen to return to the interior once he had settles his nerves to continue his search. But as he poked his head out of the hole that he had entered through, he saw something that made his jaw drop.

Above the ship was a massive shadow, noticeably only a few dozen feet away. Even in the darkness he could see its scales, but shining his light on them made them sparkle and dance like dense diamonds. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was enormous and expertly crafted, as though it had been designed intelligently. And as he sat in the water, transfixed, the creature turned its head to look down at him.

Massive red eyes pierced through him. And it opened its mouth as if smiling, and between its teeth, Jirard saw his treasures.

It was no longer worth it.