Chapter Thirteen: Embers of Survival

The shoreline was quiet, eerily so, as they dragged themselves up to the rig's mainland supply depot. Joel took in the sight: blue-painted buildings, Company colors, with several wide garage doors and a single office door, all encased behind a high chain-link fence. At the gate, he tried the control panel, jabbing the buttons, but the screen stayed blank.

“It’s fried,” he muttered, glancing back at the others.

Craig’s face was pale, his lips nearly blue. “We can’t stay out here. Those two won’t last long.”

Joel knew he was right. The exhaustion and cold were setting in hard. With one last glance at the lifeless control panel, he yanked out the heavy wrench from his belt—the only tool he had left—and with a fierce swing, smashed the lock open. The gate creaked as it swung inward, a hint of rust breaking loose as they passed through and made their way toward the depot.

Craig asked, “Why didn’t you use your new suit?”

Joel paused for a second, and then laughed before he answered. “To be honest, I forgot about it. This whole system thing hasn’t sunken in yet. I was thinking today was a normal Tuesday.”

They head towards the main office building.

Darren didn’t waste a second. With a grunt, he lifted his boot and kicked in the small office door. The sound echoed through the dark, cold building. Inside, it was pitch black, they tried the light switch but the power was dead as everything else. Joel took a shaky breath, the exhaustion settling heavy in his bones as he spotted a metal bin by the wall. Dragging it into the supervisor’s office, he gathered whatever paper scraps and kindling he could find and managed to start a small fire.

The two men Joel hadn't yet learned the names of huddled close to the fire, their shivering bodies seeming to absorb the heat desperately as Joel, Darren, and Craig search for some supplies. They entered the first aid room beside the supervisor's office, they glanced around, eyes scanning shelves and cabinets.

“Anything useful?” Craig muttered, rummaging through a drawer.

Joel pulled out a crinkling silver package, relief flooding his face. “Space blankets! Finally, something that’ll help.”

Darren’s face broke into a weary smile. “About time. I was starting to think I’d be cold for the rest of my life.” He wrapped one around himself, the silver sheet rustling as he tugged it close.

Craig grunted, squatting down to check a low cabinet. His hand landed on something solid, and he pulled out a box. “Coveralls!” He tore open the plastic, revealing the thick, navy blue workwear. “Looks like we’re finally ditching the soggy outfits.”

“Thank god,” Joel muttered as he reached for a set. “I feel like I’ve been swimming in oil for hours.”

“Guess we’re the lucky ones,” Darren said with a weak grin, the dry fabric feeling like armor against the creeping chill.

They peeled off their wet clothes and changed quickly, relishing the dry warmth of the new gear. As they did, Craig fished his phone out of his pocket, tapping the screen. Nothing. He shook it, as if that would somehow make a difference.

Darren tried his own phone, then held it up for them to see. “Dead as a doornail. Guess our connection to civilization’s officially gone.”

Joel sighed, staring at his own dark screen. “Must’ve shorted out in the water… or maybe it’s just another one of those system’s tricks.”

“Or both,” Craig added, tucking his phone away with a shrug. “Figures. Just when we could actually use ‘em.”

They shared a look, an unspoken understanding hanging heavy in the room. The silence was deafening—no alerts, no messages, just the hum of their own breaths and the crackling fire nearby. For a moment, they were alone with their thoughts, cut off from everything familiar.

The sterile smell of the first aid room was almost comforting, a lingering sense of normalcy in the chaos they’d endured. Searching the shelves and cabinets, they found some basic medical supplies and gathered it up, bringing it over to the office.

The group settled around it, its flickering light casting shadows on their weary faces. The warmth seeped into their bones, slowly loosening the numbness in their fingers and toes. They sat in silence, the weight of everything that had happened pressing down on them. For a moment, they just let the heat fill the room, each of them caught in their own thoughts.

Finally, Darren broke the silence. “What the hell was that out there?” He looked from Joel to Craig, his eyes hollow, the disbelief evident.

Craig ran a trembling hand over his face. “It’s like…like reality split open. And those things…” He trailed off, his eyes distant as if seeing it all over again.

Joel clenched his fists, staring into the fire. “I don’t know,” he muttered. “Whatever it was, it wasn’t just some freak accident. There’s something else going on, something bigger.” He looked at the others, his jaw set. “And it’s not over yet.”

Staring into the fire. “I don’t know,” Darren muttered. “Whatever it was, I agree that it wasn’t just some freak accident. Monsters don’t just show up on Tuesdays. There’s something else going on, something bigger.” He looked at the others, his jaw set. “And it’s not over yet.”

“Yeah, like all this weird system bullshit,” one of the others said.

“Who are you by the way, I don’t think we have met,” Craig asked the man.

“I am Kevin, I work the day shift, today was my first day as a deckhand.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“What a fucking first day.” Everyone gave a light hearted laugh. Then they all seemed to pause, letting their collective trauma wash over them.

Craig shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his arms. “You think anyone’s coming for us? What about the Calgary military response staff? They should have been here by now. Those guys are pros, and they are tasked with security, they wouldn’t pass up an excuse to kill some Reds.”

Darren shook his head, the flickering firelight casting shadows across his face. “If they even know what happened, that is. Maybe they’re dealing with their own disasters out there.”

“Or maybe they’ve just left us for dead,” Craig added bitterly. “The Company’s probably more worried about covering their tracks than saving a few rig workers.”

Joel glanced at Craig, his expression hardening. “You really think they’d just abandon us?”

Craig met his gaze. “Why not? They keep us running on overtime, and when things go south, we’re expendable. It’s all about profit margins to them.”

“Either way, we need to figure out our next move,” Darren said, wrapping his blanket tighter around himself. “Sitting here isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

“Right,” Joel agreed, determination creeping back into his voice. “We need to find out what happened to the others and get word back to the mainland. If we can’t count on them, we’ll have to count on ourselves.”

Kevin, still shivering despite the warmth of the fire, looked up with wide eyes. “But where’s the mainland support staff? Like the dudes that run this depo? Shouldn’t they have been here by now? Or never left? I mean, it’s my first day, and I thought I’d be learning from the best.”

Darren frowned, shaking his head. “I don’t know, man. They should have been on rotation, but with everything that’s happened, maybe they couldn’t get out here.”

Craig kicked a stray piece of debris, sending it skittering across the floor. “Or they didn’t even know what was happening. If those creatures attacked… Gods know how far the chaos has spread.”

Kevin swallowed hard, glancing around at the others. “What if they’re all gone? What if it’s just us now?”

Joel shook his head, trying to suppress the growing unease in his gut. “We can’t think like that. We need to focus on getting out of here and finding some answers.”

Kevin looked over to the quiet guy curled up on the floor. “And who are you?” he asked, his voice cutting through the tension in the air.

He lifted his head slightly, the glow of the fire casting shadows across his face. “Name’s Alex,” he replied, his tone flat but steady. “Been on the rig for a couple of months now. Didn’t think my first major incident would be something like… whatever the hell that was.”

Kevin raised an eyebrow, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “You mean the monsters? The storms? The system? Or all of it?”

“Yeah, all of it,” Alex said, pushing himself up to sit against the wall, the heat from the fire warming his skin. “I’ve seen some rough days out here, but this? This is beyond anything I could’ve imagined.” He looked at Joel, who was still lost in thought. “What do you think is going on? Do you really think the Company’s behind this?”

Joel finally looked up, meeting Alex’s gaze. “I don’t know,” he admitted, his voice heavy with frustration. “But it sure feels like it. All those warnings we ignored… and now, everyone’s gone. The mainland support staff should’ve been here by now.” He gestured toward the darkness outside. “What are they waiting for?”

Craig leaned forward, adding, “And why isn’t anyone responding? We’re stuck in a nightmare, and it feels like the world just… turned off.”

Kevin frowned, nervously glancing toward the door as if expecting something to come bursting through. “What if they’re… what if they’re all gone too?”

Silence fell over the group, thick with dread. The fire crackled, and they could hear the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore.

“Maybe we’re the only ones left,” Darren said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Then we need to figure out how to survive this because I am getting back to Oliver, with or without you” Joel replied, resolve hardening in his chest. “Hopefully, together.”

Alex looked over at Joel, a furrow of confusion on his brow. “We’re also missing the elephant in the fucking room. What the hell are these cards?” He gestured emphatically, his frustration bubbling to the surface. “Darren mentioned his lightning ability, and you talked about your heart card, but it all sounds insane. Is this some kind of game now? Are we living in some twisted RPG?”

Joel rubbed the back of his neck, trying to process the surreal turn of events. “I don’t know, man. It feels like it, right? Like we’ve been dropped into a nightmare version of a game. But these cards… I think they’re tied to whatever that system is. I got a notification that said something about absorption and powers.”

Darren nodded, looking eager to share. “And I got a notification about a cooldown for my spell! I mean, I thought it was a joke at first, but then I zapped that creature, and it worked!”

Kevin leaned in, eyes wide with a mix of fear and excitement. “So, these cards give us abilities? Like special powers? If that’s true, how do we use them? Can we level up or something?”

Joel shrugged, still grappling with the implications. “I guess so. I activated my heart card earlier when we were in that raft. It transformed me, gave me armor. But it’s all a bit of a blur.” He paused, his voice lowering. “And it feels like there’s a price to pay for all of this. Mack… he didn’t get a chance to use his card.”

Silence hung in the air as they processed that reality. Alex looked around at the group, eyes intense. “We need to figure out how to control this… whatever it is. If it can help us survive, then we need to understand how to use it. We can’t rely on luck alone.”

“Agreed,” Craig said, pulling his blanket tighter around him. “We need to strategize, figure out what we’re dealing with. The more we understand, the better our chances of getting through this alive.”

“Let’s start by sharing what we know,” Joel suggested, his determination resurfacing. “We’re in this together. No more secrets.”

Kevin’s stomach growled loudly, breaking the conversation. He glanced sheepishly at the others, rubbing his stomach as if it would quiet the noise. “I hate to change the subject, but... first things first, let’s find some food. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving.”

“Right? I didn’t exactly pack a lunch for a freak storm and eldritch horror,” Darren replied, trying to lighten the mood. “We should see if there’s anything edible in this supply depot.”

“Good idea,” Joel said, standing up and shaking off the cold. “We need to check the storage areas. There’s got to be something here for the crew. They can’t expect us to run this place on nothing.”

Craig pushed himself off the floor, his face grim but resolute. “I’ll help you look. If they stocked this place for the rig workers, there should be something in the back.”

Kevin nodded enthusiastically. “Let’s split up. We’ll cover more ground that way. I can check the supply shelves in the back.” He pointed toward a row of shelves lined with crates through the office window. “And maybe I’ll get lucky.”

Joel agreed, motioning toward the larger garage doors. “Darren and I will check the big storage room. If they have food, it’ll likely be in bulk. Keep an eye out for anything that can help us, too. We might need more supplies to defend ourselves.”

As they began to disperse, Alex hesitated, looking between them. “Just... be careful. We don’t know what else could be lurking around here.”

“Right, but we won’t let that stop us,” Joel replied, determination lighting his eyes. “We’ll stick together, and if anything happens, we’ll signal.”

With that, they set off, each of them moving through the cold, dimly lit building, hoping to find something—anything—that could sustain them in their desperate situation.