Beck awoke to the sound of a chisel chipping away at a block, the constant rhythmic tik tik tik enough to finally drag him from his slumber. He stepped out of bed and trudged out toward the workshop with eyes heavy, the side effects of a terrible night's sleep. As Beck had gone to bed there was only one thing on his mind, what was in the fog, or was I just seeing things. This question plagued Beck like nothing else, he just had to know. As soon as he had finished his morning tasks, he left the house and headed straight to the docks. Beck began to untie the raft from its mooring when a voice from behind stopped him, “and where do you think you're going”? Asked Evie to which beck replied curtly “I'm just going over to the other side of the lake to check something I saw yesterday “
“Not without me you're not” and with that Evie jumped down off the jetty to join Beck on the raft. Beck knew it was going to be impossible to persuade her off the raft and besides he enjoyed her company.
“fine” Beck resigned “but don't rock the raft” and with that they were off, heading toward the other end of the lake where the fog still lingered.
As they neared the far shore the water became very shallow, shallow enough that the bottom of the lake was now visible. They decided to cast the anchor and drift a little closer to the where the lake was only waste deep. Beck grabbed the anchor line wrapped it around the tiller then tied it around his own waste “just in case” Beck said “if anything happens pull me in” a hint of nervousness entering his voice, Evie nodded, even she knew that this was a serious situation.
Beck leaned over the edge of the raft and slid out into the murky thigh deep water, instantly his hair stood on end and from within the fog a low hum began to resonate. He took a step, then another, then another until he was knee deep in the lake the hum had picked up in intensity and the water around the edge of the fog began to bubble. “Beck, I think you should come back now,” said Evie the concern very apparent in her voice, “yeah soon” replied Beck very dismissively I need to know what's out there. Another step, he was now entering the fog.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
He took one more step when suddenly the fog In front of him cleared and a dark smokey figure was revealed, the stranger stood at a height of about nine feet and everything about them screamed fear and death. They had black Armour ad two black broad swords hanging from either side of their belt, a shroud of black smoke seemed to wrap around them and inside the cowl of its hood was an empty featureless face made entirely of tar black smoke. Beck turned and ran, the knee-deep water dragging him down as he sloshed toward the raft. He was almost there when the stranger knelt and touched his hand to the water.
Beck had one hand on the raft when he was hit in the back, pain lanced up and down his entire body as the water around him danced with an electrical current, his entire body tensed up as he entered a rigamortis state. Beck's hand slipped from the railing as he fell sideways into the depths of Lofters Lake and blacked out as a seizure consumed him.
“Beck, Beck, wake up”, the voice finally breaking through the darkness that engulfed him. Beck opened his eyes but couldn't muster the strength to move. Evie was knelt next to him on his left, to his right stood one of the fishermen of Crafton he also knelt now and helped lift Beck into a sitting position, propping him up on one of the pylons of the jetty. “Man, I'm surprised you made it boy, you inhaled half the lake when you went under” the fisherman jested, “thank you, sir may I have a word with him now”, Evie interposed politely, she reached down and grabbed Beck's hand,” are you alright Beck” she asked “yes I'm fine I, I just can't see is all... my vision is very blurry and my back hurts like nothing else, but yes other than that I'm fine”
“Oh, thank goodness” Evie sighed “you had me so worried. The next time I tell you to come back you better well listen damn it” she said a hint of aggression in her voice.
From the other end of the jetty the clunk of boots came, as beck looked over, he didn't see much but was able to make out a something like eight distinct figures moving toward them. The mayor of Crafton, tailed by Beck's mother and father and a couple other towns folk made their way down the jetty to where Beck and Evie sat. The mayor stopped about a meter from Beck “once your injuries been attended to me and you need to have a serious talk, boy”!