The freezing shock of the water stole Alex's breath the instant he plunged in. His scream turned into a burst of bubbles, swallowed by the dark depths of the well. The cold seeped into his skin like knives, stealing feeling from his limbs. He fought to kick upward, but his body felt sluggish, uncooperative, as if the icy water were already claiming him.
Something tugged at his ankle. Hard.
He gasped again, this time dragging water into his lungs, coughing violently as panic surged through him. He flailed in the narrow shaft, his fingers scraping against slick stone walls, finding nothing to hold onto. The harder he struggled, the stronger the pull became, something unseen gripping him from below—something alive.
His lungs burned. His body trembled violently as the cold numbed his muscles. He tried to swim upward, to scream for help, but his voice was lost to the churning water.
This is it, his mind whispered through the blur of fear. This is how I die. In this place. In the cold. No one will find me here.
Images flickered behind his fading vision—Grey's worried face over breakfast, the empty cabin, his mother's diary lying hidden and lost. Would Grey be sad when he heard? Would anyone from school even care? A strange calm washed over him, the kind that comes when the body begins to give in.
His eyes dimmed, his body limp, drifting downward toward the bottom of the well. Then, just before his consciousness slipped away completely, a sound echoed faintly above
him—
A splash.
Someone had jumped into the water.
The dark silence of the well was broken by ripples and frantic motion. Even as his vision faded, Alex felt hands—real, warm hands—grabbing his shoulders, pulling him upward through the freezing dark. Then everything went black.
When Alex's consciousness returned, he found himself lying on cold ground. Beside him, Louis sat quietly, water dripping from his hair onto his face, his clothes soaked and clinging to his skin. Lily knelt nearby, gently licking Alex's hand in a comforting gesture. Louis's face was etched with worry, and the three sat in uneasy silence for a moment before Louis gently helped Alex sit up.
