krydwen

Where mystery meets romance...

—Excerpt—
We lay next to each other, both of us not saying a thing, but I feel comfortable. I don’t have the impulse to have to talk to him to avoid an awkward silence because it has never been awkward with Ash, I realise. 

“You asleep?” he whispers to me. 

“Nope,” I reply quietly. “It’s weird because my body is so tired but I can’t seem to shut my brain off.” 

“Me neither,” he says. I hear the crackling of the fresh sheet under us move and realise Ash has turned to face me.  

“Uhm, what?” I ask dubiously. 

“Nothing, I’m just trying to find a comfortable position.” 

“Okay,” I say as I stare at him in the dim glow of the candles. 

Ash stares back at me, his hand lifts to push away a strand of hair that has fallen into my eyes, then he closes his eyes. He is asleep in the next moment, with his hand frozen on my cheek. 

Usually, with anyone else, I would push his hand away because it feels wrong and uncomfortable. But his caress felt good against the slight burn on my skin. And as he rests his hand on my cheek, I can’t help but think about how no one has ever held me close to them and makes me feel this way. Even though Ash and I are far from holding each other close, just a touch of his hand comforts me in ways that others’ hugs have tried and failed. 

Without much thinking, I push Ash’s fallen hair out of his eyes and rest my hand against his cheek. In the next moment, as my eyes start to droop, I feel a pull of his cheek against my palm and realise he is smiling. 

——————————————————————————————————————————

When an apartment building is plagued by a strange substance in its water, its residents uncover a foreboding mystery that will perish them all. With a deadly fog that blocks their escape, they must now forget their differences and work together to overcome the horrifying events that ultimately threaten their survival.

Black In the Water

"Do you think this will work?" Ash asks Mrs. Gomez as the group comes together in a corner of the room.

"We just hope that it will, I guess," I answer him when Mrs. Gomez doesn't look like she is going to say anything. Her hands are shaking as she clasps them together in front of her, the color have drained from her face, and it looks like she is having a hard time focusing.

"Mrs. Gomez, are you alright?" Brad holds out his hand, about to steady Mrs. Gomez, but Mrs. Gomez waves her hand dismissively and puts a thumb and forefinger to her forehead, on the spot in-between he eyebrows.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, honey," Mrs. Gomez says. "I just need to sit down for a bit."

Brad helps her sit on the ground and she slumps down quickly, resting her head on her folded knees. "You did a great job with the speech," Brad tells her.

Aiden Jenkins. Residential