Story Spotlight: “The Wreck of the USS Hollander” by James Pyles
In James Pyles’ “The Wreck of the USS Hollander,” a deep-ocean research crew descends into the abyss to explore a long-lost WWII sub—and discovers that some crews never stand down, and some debts can only be paid in the dark.
Excerpt
Cora flipped a switch and the speaker grills fore and aft echoed with the steady metallic clang.
“Three dots, three dashes, three dots,” said Molina. “Yeah, that’s an SOS alright. I’ll be damned.”
“Too late,” said Vic. “We already are.”
“Cut that off,” said Simon. “It’s distracting as hell.”
She turned off the speakers but kept listening over her headphones.
“Why would they be tapping out an SOS unless they know we’re out here?” said Cora.
“Knock it off,” said Vic. “That sub went down almost sixty years ago. Even if someone had survived the implosion and sinking, they’d be long dead by now.”
“Jenkins and Barr made it,” said Cora reading out the message. “Air pocket won’t last long. That’s it. The SOS keeps repeating.”
About the Author
James Pyles is a science fiction and fantasy writer and retired technical writer. Since 2019, over sixty of his short stories have been featured in anthologies and periodicals. His most recent novel is Our Legacy The Stars: A Tom Corbett Adventure.
Find out more about James at poweredbyrobots.com
If you liked…
- The Terror by Dan Simmons—for its claustrophobic isolation and moral reckoning among doomed men
- The Abyss (1989 film)—for its haunting depiction of the deep ocean and the human spirit’s limits
- Sphere by Michael Crichton—for its psychological unraveling beneath crushing pressure
Read the Story
“The Wreck of the USS Hollander” appears in Haunted Waters, available now from Blackbird Publishing.
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