“Follow me,”he continues, and the wisps of my Reaper power fully leave me, twining into a glowing sphere before settling in the undead man’s hand.
He starts to swim away before I have a chance to wonder whether I’ve been robbed. Notably, he’s swimmingawayfrom the surface, and he’s taking my light with him.
I hesitate for a moment, torn between following him and my body’s desperate need for oxygen. Coming to a decision, I mentally mutter my battle cry.
Fuck it.
Thus far, dead people have been the least of my troubles.
I follow.
He swims deeper into the gloom, and thankfully, the other corpses move out of the way, ensuring I can follow. He doesn’t swim for long before he stops, waiting for me to reach him. He’s waiting by a crack in the stone wall. It’s only a few feet high and not much wider.
Dismayed, I watch as he slips into the hole, taking my light with him.
Nope, not happening.This is my spooky limit for the day.
Apparently, the corpses disagree. Three of the undead are waiting behind me, blocking my path to the surface. I only have a second to frown before they grab me and shove me into the hole.
Jagged stones scrape against my skin, and panic claws at my throat as my skirts snag on a sharp corner.
I’m stuck.
It’s too tight to turn around. I try to push myself back out, only for more hands to clamp down on my feet and legs.
They’re not letting me out. My vision darkens as I claw at the stone, fighting to get free.
Icy fingers clamp down on my wrist and pull. Their grip is unrelenting, and it feels like my arm is being tornfrom its socket until finally, the fabric tears and the resistance disappears.
I’m yanked forward into a larger space, but I don’t stop fighting. I need to go back the way I came.
The corpse tugs me through the water. They don’t release me until my head breaks the surface.
I try to take a breath, but there’s too much water in my lungs. There’s a stone ledge only a couple of feet away, and I throw myself forward. The stone slams into my chest, and the impact knocks some of the water from my lungs.
Heaving, I pull myself onto dry land.
When I’ve finally stopped retching, I gasp in stagnant air. Small pebbles on the cold, damp ground dig into my skin.
I lie there for a while, trembling, until I finally manage to stand. It’s too dark to see much of anything, since the corpse that stole my light is still underwater.
I shudder. It can stay there.
Tentatively, I try to pull on more Reaper energy, and relief washes over me when the silvery light answers.
Silver lining, at least the corpse didn’t steal all my power.
As my eyes adjust to the dim light, I realize I’m in a small cave. Only I’m not alone. There are five skeletons, slumped against the wall.
Well, that’s foreboding.
Something splashes behind me, and I whirl around. Pale, dead eyes reflect off my light. The corpse that brought me here watches me, only the upper half of his face breaking the surface.
My throat tightens, and I edge back a step.
Big mistake.
The corpse begins crawling out of the water.
