Chapter 14 - The Rising Water
A deep, subterranean rumble shook the earth beneath their feet, sounding like a freight train passing just beneath the topsoil. The water level inside the stone well surged upward with violent speed, dark and frothy, splashing over the stone rim and soaking the hem of Maya’s oversized shirt.
Miller stumbled backward, his gun hand shaking slightly as he stared down into the churning depths. "What is happening? The water table shouldn't reach the surface for another month!"
"The pact is broken," Clara screamed, dropping the shovel as she realized the horror of what they had unleashed. "We didn't finish it in time!"
Samuel dropped the lantern, the glass shattering against the stones and instantly igniting a patch of dry grass near the well. "Thomas... he’s coming up!"
Arthur didn't hesitate. While the others were paralyzed by the surging water and the spreading fire, he lunged forward with every ounce of strength he had left, tackling Miller sideways into the brush. The deputy’s gun fired wildly into the night sky, the sharp bang echoing through the valley before the weapon slipped from his grip and disappeared into the mud.
Arthur scrambled past them, grabbing Maya off the stone rim just as a massive geyser of black water erupted from the center of the well, spraying icy liquid across the clearing.
"Run!" Arthur yelled, clutching his daughter tightly to his chest as he bolted back toward the house.
Behind them, the ground gave way with a deafening roar. The entire stone well collapsed inward, swallowing the surrounding earth in a massive sinkhole that dragged Samuel and Miller downward into the roaring darkness.
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Arthur didn't look back. He sprinted through the burning grass, leaping over fallen logs and tearing through the briars until the glowing red and blue lights of the abandoned police cruiser came into view at the edge of their driveway.
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