Beneath the Surface

Ellie's breath hitched as she stood frozen in the clearing, unable to tear her eyes away from Joey. His unnatural smile stretched too wide, his glassy eyes staring through her rather than at her. The fog curled around his small frame like a living thing, shifting and twisting as though it were part of him.

"Joey?" Ellie whispered.

He didn't respond. He just stood there, smiling, his body unnaturally still.

And then the voice came again, but this time, it came from him.

"You shouldn't have come here."

Ellie stumbled back, her flashlight trembling in her hand. "What—what are you talking about? Joey, what's happening to you?"

Joey tilted his head in a way that wasn't quite human. The voice that came out of his mouth wasn't his—it was layered, deep and melodic, the same voice she'd been hearing in her dreams.

"You cannot stop it. You cannot fight it."

Ellie's knees nearly buckled. "Let him go!" she screamed, her voice cracking.

The smile on Joey's face faltered, and for a brief moment, Ellie thought she saw something flicker in his eyes—fear.

"Go to the water," the voice said from his mouth, more insistent now. "It is the only way."

Ellie's grip on the flashlight tightened. "No. Not until you let him go."

The fog around Joey thickened, swirling faster and faster, and his body began to tremble. His head jerked slightly, his lips forming words that didn't seem to match the voice.

"Mom…" Joey's real voice broke through, small and weak. "Help me…"

Ellie's heart shattered. "I'm here, baby. I'm going to help you. Just hang on!"

The fog roared, the whispers rising to a deafening crescendo. The air seemed to vibrate with pressure, and Ellie fell to her knees, clutching her ears.

When she looked up again, Joey was gone.

The Pull of the Lake

"Joey!" Ellie screamed, scrambling to her feet. Her voice echoed through the clearing, but there was no response.

The altar loomed in the center of the clearing, its jagged edges slick with moisture. The strange symbols carved into the stone seemed to pulse faintly, glowing with an otherworldly light.

Ellie's chest heaved as she turned in frantic circles, the fog pressing closer and closer. "Joey!" she screamed again.

And then she heard it—the faint sound of water lapping against the shore.

Ellie froze, her pulse pounding in her ears. The sound was coming from behind her, where there had been no water before. Slowly, she turned.

The forest had changed.

The path she had taken to get here was gone, replaced by a stretch of dark, glassy water that stretched into the fog. The lake. It had come to her.

At the edge of the water stood Joey.

His back was to her, his small figure barely visible through the mist. The fog swirled around him, curling at his feet like tendrils.

Ellie didn't hesitate. She ran toward him, her boots sinking into the soft, wet earth. "Joey!"

He didn't turn. He didn't move.

When Ellie reached him, she grabbed his shoulders and spun him around. His face was pale, his lips blue.

"Joey, look at me," Ellie said, shaking him gently. "We're going home. Right now."

But Joey's eyes didn't focus on her. He looked past her, toward the lake.

"It wants me," he whispered.

Ellie shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "No. No, it doesn't. Don't listen to it, Joey. Just come with me. Please."

Joey blinked slowly, his gaze finally meeting hers. For a brief moment, she saw the boy she knew—the boy she loved.

And then the water surged.

The Descent

The lake roared to life, waves crashing against the shore as though pulled by an unseen force. The fog thickened, swirling upward like a cyclone.

Joey's body jerked violently, and Ellie's grip on his shoulders tightened. "No!" she screamed. "You can't have him!"

Joey's mouth opened, but the sound that came out wasn't a scream—it was the voice.

"Come to the altar. Come beneath the waves."

Ellie's body trembled as the water surged higher, reaching her knees. The cold was unbearable, slicing through her like shards of ice.

"Take me instead!" she screamed into the void. "Leave him alone! Take me!"

The whispers faltered for a moment, the fog hesitating as though considering her words. And then the voice spoke again, louder this time, echoing from the water itself.

"The choice was made long ago. You cannot change it."

Ellie's breath came in ragged gasps as she clung to Joey, her legs sinking deeper into the mud beneath the water. "Please!" she begged. "He's just a child! Take me instead!"

The water surged again, and Joey's body was ripped from her grasp.

Ellie screamed as he was pulled under, his small form disappearing beneath the black surface. Without thinking, she dove after him, the icy water closing over her head.

Beneath the Waves

The world beneath the lake was silent.

The water was impossibly dark, yet Ellie could see—dim shapes moving in the blackness, shadows that seemed to pulse and writhe.

Joey was just ahead of her, floating motionless in the water, his arms outstretched as though reaching for something.

Ellie kicked her legs, her lungs burning as she swam toward him. The water felt thick and heavy, dragging at her limbs like it didn't want her to reach him.

When she finally grabbed him, her relief was short-lived.

A hand—small and pale—reached out from the darkness and wrapped around Joey's ankle.

Ellie's scream was swallowed by the water as more hands emerged, their fingers long and skeletal, pulling Joey deeper into the abyss.

"Stop!" Ellie tried to shout, bubbles streaming from her mouth. She tightened her grip on Joey, pulling against the hands, but they were too strong.

The shadows around her shifted, and Ellie realized they weren't just shapes—they were faces. Hundreds of them, their hollow eyes staring at her, their mouths whispering in unison.

"It is already done."

Ellie's lungs screamed for air, her vision blurring as the hands pulled Joey further away. She reached out one last time, her fingers brushing his as the darkness closed around him.

And then everything went still.