Waters | Dark

The splash was heavy and final. The lantern flickered out as it hit the surface, and for a moment, the silver fog swirled into the vacuum Elias left behind. Then, the lake smoothed itself over, polished and black, hiding its secrets once again beneath the dark waters.

The pale hands reached for the edge of the boat. The wood began to crack under the weight of something immense rising from the silt. Elias realized then that the hands weren't separate bodies. They were all part of one thing—a vast, singular consciousness that lived in the dark, gathering the lost to keep its own loneliness at bay. Dark Waters

As he reached the center of the lake, the air grew unnaturally still. The water began to vibrate—a low, rhythmic hum that Elias felt in his teeth. He lowered the lantern over the side. The light struggled against the murk, illuminating only a few feet of the swirling, ink-like depths. Then, he saw it. The splash was heavy and final