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I’m pulled back into the depths of the water, my senses instantly overwhelmed by the cold, murky embrace. Panic surges through me as I desperately attempt to claw my way back up to the surface. Strong arms are still constricting around my throat like a vise, squeezing the air from my lungs.
My initial instinct is to break free, to thrash and fight off this unseen assailant, but their grip is unyielding, and I find myself rapidly running out of breath. I kick and struggle with all my might, but the water only seems to tighten its grip around me.
Just when I fear I might lose consciousness, my body convulses, and I manage to break through the surface of the water. Gasping for air, I frantically scan my surroundings, my vision blurred from the waterlogged struggle. Snow still has Kayla held under the water and dread coils in the pit of my stomach as I grapple to make sense of the chaos unfolding before my eyes. The events have taken a sinister turn, and I can’t fathom why. I struggle to free myself from my own attacker, my thoughts racing as I realise that the once-laughing faces of my comrades have transformed into masks of menace and aggression.
“What the fuck is happening?” I sputter again, my voice strained and raspy as I continue to wrestle against the relentless grip that threatens to drag me back into the abyss.
There’s movement out of the corner of my eye – a pale blur – and I yell for help one last time. “Ghost!”
I’m dragged under once more and as a second set of arms lock around my legs, I think that’ll be the last time I see the surface.
HELL IS MURKY, WET AND SUFFOCATING
‘MY SONGS KNOW WHAT YOU DID IN THE DARK’ – FALL OUT BOY
KOOKABURRA
The water takes me back. Back to a different time and place.
I always thought hell would be full of fire and brimstone – it’s what they taught us at Sunday School – but my early years taught me that hell is murky, wet and suffocating.
I thrash and kick, desperate to break free from the grip of the memory pulling me under the water. My lungs ache for air, and panic sets in as I realise I may not make it to the surface again.Not again.
But then, something strange happens. A strange energy pulses through my body, and I feel a surge of something that I can’t explain. Suddenly, I feel myself rising up from the depths of the water, and then I’m on the cold hard tiles of the water's edge, wondering what the hell happened.
“Help the others,” someone hisses. “I’ve got her.”
At first, I’m not sure what’s happening. But then I cough and blink and see a ghostly figure hovering over me.
“You’re okay, Kayla, but you have to come back to us. You’re the only one who can save them. Face your fear.”
I look up at the pale figure, my heart racing with confusion and terror. Who is this person? What do they want from me? But as I stare into their eyes, I feel a sudden sense of familiarity. It’s like I’ve known them my whole life, and they’re here to guide me through the darkness.
Then it hits me, it’s not a ghostly figure, it’sGhost. Silas.I haven’t known him all my life, but he sure knows me, and if he thinks I can do this, then I have to believe him.
With trembling limbs, I push myself up and take a step towards the water. As I do, memories rush back to me, memories of a time long ago, when I was just a child, playing in the pool with my family.
I remember the sound of splashing in the water, the feel of the cool breeze on my face, and the laughter of my sibling – a brother – as we splashed in the shallows. But then, something happened. A shadow appeared in the water, and before I knew it, I was being dragged under by an unseen force.
It was a traumatic experience, the first of many, and one that has haunted me for years. But now, as I stand before the murky water, I realise that this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. The moment when I finally face my fear and conquer the memory that’s been holding me back for so long. My family, my original family, tried to drown me, many times until disposing of me became too taxing and they abandoned me to my fate. Now’s my chance to fight back and save the only real family I’ve ever known.
“I’m ready,” I whisper, feeling a sense of determination wash over me. “I can save them.”
I take a deep breath and close my eyes, trying to clear my mind and focus on the task at hand.
The memory of that day comes flooding back to me again, and I feel myself being pulled under once more. But this time, I’m ready. This time, I fight back with all my strength, kicking and thrashing until I break free from the grip of the memory.
When I finally surface, gasping for air, I see the others in the water with me, Night and Hatchet, struggling to keep their heads above the surface. Without hesitation, I dive back under, swimming towards them with all my might.
As I reach them, I realise they’re not just struggling against the current, but something else as well. Something is pulling them down, dragging them deeper into the water. I reach out and grab hold of Night, pulling him towards the surface with all my strength.
But then I feel it too. The pull of something dark and sinister, trying to drag me down. I won’t let it. I fight against it with everything I have, and slowly we make our way towards the shallow end.
As we reach the steps, me towing Night awkwardly with one hand while he pulls Hatchet’s dead weight along too, I’m gasping for air and shivering from the cold. But we’re alive.
I made it.
I turn to Night and see a look of gratitude in his eyes. “Thank you, Red,” he says. “I’ll get Hatchet out. Now go save the others.”
