Unknown Life: Part 3 The Beginning

Part two is a fantasy poem that can be found here http://deepundergroundpoetry.com/poems/104075-unknown-life-part-2/      
       
We raised the sails on the mast and allowed the ship to catch the wind and begin its journey.  Where we were headed was the east.  For what reason, I don’t think many of us knew but the captain proclaimed it from a dream after waking up covered in sweat and wearing but long johns, running out into the stone cobble streets uttering of a lost city. He also spoke of a library containing gold lined books with all the knowledge of the world. We all thought he was crazy when he came to us with this proposition and a map drawn from dreams, but the captain had always pulled through in the past with his expeditions and paid very well in coin. We rode the seas and spoke much about what we may find and excitedly spoke of possible treasures.  The conditions were perfect out on the waters. The captain followed a very specific route, as if he had taken this path a hundred times before. For all we knew, he did so in his dreams but we just went along with the thought of adventure and money. One night, with the moon raised high in the sky, the crew and I were enjoying some ale when we heard the most horrific screams coming from the captain’s cabin. Rushing there behind the rest of the crew I pushed past the throng and in through the doorway.  We witnessed the captain sitting on his bed just awakening from a nightmare. Sitting the opposite direction and facing the back most of the room. Trembling, he would not speak of the dream or nightmare he had just possessed.      
       
      I first met the Captain 5 years ago. I was 23 at the time and the year was 1920. He enlisted me in his crew and I’ve traveled the world with him visiting distant lands, all the while reading through history books on foreign lands. The man came from a wealthy family and we believed he was just doing this to break the mundane of everyday life. We all were I think.      
       
      After that night the crew was on edge more than normal and the captains eyes shifted more than usual, as if expecting something. We all wondered what he had witnessed in that sleep world, where he had gone. One day during the expedition we encountered a great, giant wall of mist out on the ocean. Not a thing in sight in any other direction. The crew expressed concerns about the wall but the captain insisted upon sailing through it. So we continued on with a weary sense of uneasiness. We passed the threshold of the misty wall and all became very silent. I squinted my eyes as I could see what appeared to be shadows of birds flying in the mist, but they looked much bigger. I was surrounded by the mist, barely able to see the rest of the crew. Hearing eerie bird calls that sounded evil. My heart was beating slightly faster at this point. I could hear water splashing from other sources besides the ship as pillars began to appear as outlines in the mist. The crew was beginning to worry as we had never witnessed something like this before. Unknown creatures in the mist moving, shadows of what looked like big worms moving in the water above the surface. Never being able to see them though, just their outlines.  Some of the most grotesque sounds coming from all around the ship making us wonder of the things that lurked in the mist. One of the outlines of the pillars standing high, I swear I saw a creature stand up and spread its wings…on human looking legs.      
       
      All at once we emerged through the mist and were completely stunned by the light of the sun.  There were pillars of marble standing out of the water in all different areas.  We were all dumbstruck as we ran to the sides of the ship to peer down into the crystal clear water. We were floating above an ancient city made of stone, perfectly intact as if preserved in water. There were areas high enough that only a couple of feet of water separated them from the surface. A sun dial was sticking out of the water beautifully carved out. The complexity of this place baffled us. Who could have built such a beautiful city and why was it underwater? What kinds of people lived there beforehand? I shuddered at the thoughts. “We’re almost there” proclaimed the captain. This gave me an anxious feeling deep in my stomach. That night was particularly stormy with the heavy rains and thunder. We decided to anchor for a rest close to the underwater city.  The majority of the crew and captain were sleeping except for the few on deck watching the seas in the storm.    
     
      I’m running through a field of white flowers and as happy as I could possibly be as I watch the sun setting beautifully. The white flowers turn red and I see the moon rising in the sky right next to the sun. I can’t explain why but this is the most terrifying scene ever and I’m screaming as the world turns to glass.     
       
      I awoke startled to the sounds of a crew member screaming. I rushed out followed by many of the other crew, although a couple were missing. Maybe still sleeping? We passed into the crew members’ room, thunder and screams filling the night air. The other crew member who shared his cabin was already trying to shake him awake with the most terrified look on his face. All at once the crew member gasped awake as if brought back to life. He looked at us with the most horrified look on his face. “I-I’ve seen it!” he exclaimed. “I’ve seen the place that-“he suddenly stopped mid speech and what looked like a diamond fell from his frozen open jaw. His eyes rolled back into his head and he shimmered over and turned to glass. Lightning flashed in through the window reflecting through his clear body, nearly blinding us. The one who shared quarters with him backed into the wall screaming, knocking items from the wall as he did. The rest of us just stared dumbfounded in the dark rooms’ doorway, lightning reflecting off the man casting light on our faces in various spots. A few of the crew behind me started walking backwards in horror. Their footsteps snapping me back to reality. I turned around and pushed past a couple others back outside. The rain had stopped but the area was filled once again with that white mist and lightning was flashing in the distance but no thunder. The light of the moon was just barely visible through the mist. I looked around and realized the shadows were back now too, and the flapping of wings in the misty sky. I looked around and realized the rest of the crew was standing on the deck with me; a few had pistols in their hands wildly aiming them around. Every once in a while a whoosh would fly by followed by a gunshot and a curse at the miss. “What’s going on? What do these creatures want?” a crew member asked scared of his wits. Just then a crash of thunder hit with a magnificent flash of lightning causing everyone to cringe down. The rain started up again after that. A second after we heard a baby crying. The sound was coming from the captain’s room, a horrible infant wailing. We just stared in the rain, none of us able to make a move. We watched as the wall of the captains quarters started being chiseled away. Some unknown force writing an unknown script none of us could read. We continued staring, paralyzed by fear. The whooshing all the while continuing and small screams could be heard behind me. I turned to realize there was one less crew member behind now. The whooshing sounds got louder and the men started yelling as the winged shadows were flying by closer now as they began firing shots. Something grazed my arm and I looked over to see blood dripping from it. Gunshots still going off and screams and the flapping of wings all combined with the storm it was a horrific scene enough to drive oneself insane. That’s when I noticed the captain walking by on the other side of the ship. I ran up but could tell something wasn’t right. He was clutching a book in his arms. I grabbed his shoulder and spun him towards me. “Captain what’s…” Was all I managed to get out before I realized his eyes were completely black and his mouth hung open. “Mortis” was the one word he spoke but it was in a horrific low tone. I stumbled backwards, my heart racing even more. What was happening? I watched the captain step up onto the side of the ship and walk off into the sprawling sea. A giant worm crashing down where he plunged, I could see the rows of teeth on its horrific mouth for a second.  I turned around to see all but 3 crew members still alive. The rest lay in blood or just gone all together. There behind the crew members perched on the railing of the ship were 7 wolves of sheer black with luminescent eyes, an almost beautiful scene amongst the death. They just stared. A crew member was sitting on the deck laughing maniacally while crying.  The other two just stared at each other. One raised his pistol to others head and screamed as if possessed against his will and pulled the trigger. The man fell, blood splattering everywhere. The man still screaming raised the pistol to his head and fired. The maniacal laughter was getting louder and louder. I stared horrified, barely able to breathe. The wolves all the while were calmly sitting and watching. Were they controlling them? A spark just then caught my attention. The insane laughing man had lit a stick of dynamite used for excavation. He just kept laughing and all at once my body was forced overboard. Not by the explosion but by some other force.      
       
   I floated down under the sea. The ship overhead exploding in a deafening shock wave sent through the water. I kept floating down, down to that ancient city. I could make it out through the flashes of lightning still visible from the surface. Floating down I could see the book sinking down with me as well. The one the captain held Down until I hit the stone streets in the center of the city. How I was still alive astounded me. Blood from my arm wound floating upwards. A monolith was standing in the center before me. Shadowing over me as the lightning continued to flash. I could see shadows moving around it. Then all at once a magnificent light erupted from the monolith. My eyes wider than ever before, then they closed and I could see people moving on the streets in a time long ago. Then everything was engulfed in black. I soon forgot everything ..