Beyond the Deep Water

Water

Almost out of breath and in extreme pain, but Camille manages to reach the only place she feels at peace. Blue Water Lake. She stops a few feet away from the edge, breathing in, but a sharp stab in her stomach makes her wince. The night is cold, but she doesn't care anymore. She's free, finally free from the monster, but not from the shadows.

She drops on the grass, spreading her arms, still trying to catch her breath. Camille looks up to the infinite space above. The night sky, it's a comforting scene that brings a smile to Camille's face. And, even when she has suffered so much already, she wants to smile from the bottom of her heart. Her eyes scan the vast ocean of stars as she gathers her strengths to get up again.

Camille hopes to regain her confidence and the energy to face her friends, take back her life, and speak up her truth. But for now, all she wants is this peace. Her heart longs for time to heal. Camille stretches her arms, trying to make a grass angel. She looks up to the moon to trap herself in is grace. Her chest hurts as her lungs spread, but she still pushes through.

Camille becomes lost in the ocean of stars under the moonlight as a wide grin spreads across her face. She begins to laugh, laugh out loud to let go of the pain and that terrifying fear of being hurt. Closing her eyes while her broken voice echoes in the night, awakening the fireflies and croaking frogs. The grass feels humid on her back, the smell of mud intensifies as she inhales deeply.

"I'm free." She breathes out with relief.

"I am free!" She says louder. Even though she's happy, her voice breaks with tears in her eyes. The low sound of running water soothes her mind, but the pain has numbed her body to the point she's not aware of a thin curtain of a mist moving beneath her body.

Although it's not cold, the air feels damp with a slight sense of mystery. Now that she's free from Steve, Camille can feel the calmness of her surroundings. "No more..." she breathes in deeply, but deep down, there's one more fear she needs to face.

The shadows that lurk from beneath the water when she comes close. The presence awakens with her energy, and even though Camille promised herself that there's nothing that will ever make her afraid, she can't ignore the faint voice crying out her name.

"Camille..." it whispers in the distance.

Camille sits up, but the sudden movement makes her face throb. Her eyes immediately scan everything around her, slapping herself awake; she realizes that maybe she has made a mistake by coming here.

Camille gasps in shock as her unrested heart starts to accelerate once again at the sound of the night owl's hooting. "Camille..." the wind carries a chilly voice to her ears, and warning goosebumps rise all over her body.

Inside the lake, there seems to be an overwhelming energy gathering towards her body; Camille's eyes narrowed, trying to make up the mysterious sphere taking form deep below. A light so bright, it's blinding to her eyes.

"Camille..." the wind picks up, making her hair dance to a slow rhythm as she crawls closer to the edge. Immediately losing her grip thanks to the breathtaking glow, Camille notes how everything disperses with a type of energy that feels heavy but warm, something out of this world. A strange force that grovels at her feet, enchanting and sturdy with a thickly humid texture, making her flinch back as she realizes the water is slowly spreading beneath her.

It's too late for Camille to try to escape. The liquid has been silently stretching enough to wrap her around. Her heart drops as it slides like a snake, taking the little energy Camile collected in a blink of an eye. She gasps as its simple thrust is enough to trap her completely while the disembodied voice echoes loudly. Camille squirms to break free, but it's impossible. She's not strong enough to fight the unnatural.

"Oh, God," her hands are planted on the ground, but it's useless. Little by little, the water stretches in the form of tentacles, slowly spreading in all directions. Camille pushes her last breath while trying to hold on to something, but this mysterious entity moves faster, and without giving her a chance to react, she's dragged into the lake.

"Oh no, oh, no!" Camille floats in the center of the lake, inside a mysterious bubble that stops her from drowning. She can feel herself slowly moving towards the bottom. The light becomes brighter while Camille scans her surroundings, noticing the curious fish hiding in-between the seaweed, there's so much life to discover inside Blue Water Lake, but there is no time for it. Desperation starts kicking in, and the fatigue is taking over her body already. There's nothing she can do, maybe nothing to fight for either.

"Camille..." she hears her name one more time, but her reason is drifting away. Camille is tired of fighting. She's been fighting her whole life, and even though she broke off from Steve, there's something bigger she has to overcome.

"Let go, Camille..." the voice echoes in the distance as all sound is canceled by the water. Helplessly losing the last bit of energy she has, Camille closes her eyes as a comforting warmth takes over as she gets closer to the portal of water.

"Adam..." she calls out before giving up completely, surrendering to the magic and mystery of Blue Water Lake. Camille closes her eyes and hopes for the best.