Chapter 1257
Susan stood back, Lucy at her side, arms wrapped around herself. She hadn’t said a word since the creature’s appearance, but now her lips parted. "I hear it again."
Jude turned to her. "The monster?"
She shook her head slowly. "No. The lake. It’s... calling."
Sophie’s hand moved to Susan’s shoulder. "What is it saying?"
Susan closed her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks. "It wants to help."
The group stood in stillness, the weight of her words settling over them.
Jude looked back at the glowing water. "Then maybe this is where we stop running."
No one argued.
Together, they moved along the lake’s edge, following the narrow ledge until they found a descending path, a series of eroded stone steps leading directly into the water. They paused there, standing at the threshold of whatever came next, each of them caught between fear and resolve.
Jude stepped forward first, the water rising around his legs. It was warm, like breath, wrapping around him with surprising gentleness. Not pulling him down. Not pushing him back. Just accepting.
Sophie followed next, then Lucy, then Zoey, Susan, and Emma. As the water reached their chests, the glow intensified, and the descent revealed itself more clearly - a sloping floor beneath the surface, ancient tiles covered in luminous moss, leading down into the city below.