chapter 26

chapter 26

I didn’t think the day would end so normally after everything we’d just gone through with the well.
Classes were dull, lunch was loud, and the biggest drama in the hallway was about someone’s TikTok going viral.
If it weren’t for the occasional tugging sensation in my chest whenever I thought of the well, I could’ve almost believed we were back to being regular teenagers.
By the time the sun set, I was curled up on the couch at home with a mug of tea, listening to the quiet hum of the fridge and the distant chirping of crickets.
Dad was still out of town with Grandma. The house felt too big and too empty.
Nick texted first.
Nick: “You feel that? Weird pressure in the air?”
I frowned at my phone. Pressure?
Me: “No. Stop being creepy.”
A second later, Brandon texted in the group chat:
Brandon: “He’s not wrong. It feels heavy tonight. Like a storm coming… but sky’s clear.”
My stomach sank. I set the mug down and grabbed my jacket.

Ten minutes later we were all meeting at the path that led into the woods—Nick, Brandon, Sam, Lisa, and me. The moon was bright enough to light the trail. The air was damp and cold, though the sky stayed star-studded and cloudless.
Sam crossed her arms, shivering. “I hate that we’re doing this at night.”
Brandon flashed her a grin that somehow still looked reassuring. “Relax. If anything tries to eat us, Nick will throw his warlock sass at it until it flees.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “Sass isn’t my only weapon, you know.”
I laughed despite the tension. “Can we move before I change my mind and go home?”
We hiked deeper, the sound of our footsteps muffled by pine needles. The closer we got to the well, the thicker the air felt—like we were walking into invisible fog.
That pressure Nick mentioned was real now; it pressed against my ribs and settled at the base of my throat.
Lisa stopped walking. “Do you hear that?”
At first I thought it was the wind. But then I heard it too—low, mournful, almost like someone humming a song in their sleep. A moment later the hum rose into a soft, thin wail that made the hair on my arms prickle.
“That’s new,” Sam whispered. “I sealed it yesterday. It shouldn’t be making noise.”
The Wail
We reached the clearing around the well. The stones glistened as though wet, though there’d been no rain. A pale mist swirled above the opening like breath in the cold air.
“Stay back,” Brandon said automatically, moving a step closer to the well as if to shield us. Typical Brandon.
Nick wasn’t having it. “I can protect myself, thanks.”
I stepped forward too, hugging my jacket tighter. “You both sound like dads.”
A sudden, drawn-out wail cut through the air. I clutched my ears, feeling it vibrate straight through my bones. The sound wasn’t deafening, just wrong—too full of grief, so heavy it made my chest ache.
Lisa gasped. “It’s weakening the seal. I can feel the shift.”
Sam knelt by the edge of the well, her blue eyes reflecting the moonlight. “Something’s pushing from below.”
“Or someone,” I muttered before I could stop myself.

Another pulse of sound rose from the well, deeper this time. It triggered something inside me—like a string being plucked in my ribs.
I gasped, clutching my stomach as a sharp, icy burn rushed up my throat.
Nick caught my arm. “Aili? What’s happening?”
“I… I don’t—” I couldn’t finish. A short, shrill sound escaped me—half scream, half wail—and the trees around us shuddered as if hit by wind.
A nearby lamppost at the path’s edge cracked, its bulb bursting in a spray of sparks.
Brandon’s eyes widened. “That was you.”
“I didn’t mean to!” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “It just—happened.”
Sam stood up, tension tightening her jaw. “Whatever’s down there is stirring up your banshee side.”
Lisa looked between us nervously. “We need to restrain it before it pulls her deeper.”

The mist over the well thickened, and something dark shifted just beneath the water’s reflection far below. A claw-like shadow brushed the stones near the surface.
Before any of us could react, Sam stepped forward, planting her palms on the rim of the well. The ground trembled lightly, and the faint gurgle of underground water grew louder—like a stream rushing to the surface.
Water began rising inside the well, spiraling upward as though obeying her call. Her blue eyes glowed faintly, strands of her brown curls whipping around her face in a breeze only she could feel.
Nick whispered, “Okay… that’s new.”
Sam clenched her fists, and the water surged higher, swirling into a tight vortex that formed a glistening barrier at the mouth of the well. The clawed shadow slammed into it but couldn’t push through.
“Stay down,” Sam said through her teeth, her voice carrying an echo I’d never heard before. “You’re not coming out tonight.”
I watched, awestruck. I’d seen her control water before, but never with this much focus and force.
It was beautiful—terrifying, but beautiful.

The wailing faded to a whisper. The mist slowly thinned. Sam staggered back a step, breathing hard but still standing. The barrier of water sank back into the well as if tucking the thing in, though a soft ripple continued to disturb the surface.
Brandon stepped up beside her. “Remind me never to annoy you.”
Sam gave a shaky laugh. “I can’t promise I can do that again.”
Nick was crouched by the edge, frowning. “Look.”
We all leaned in. On the wet stones where the creature’s claw had struck, a strange dark symbol shimmered faintly—a looping spiral cut through by three claw-like slashes. It looked like it had been burned into the rock.
Lisa traced the air above it with a cautious finger. “That’s not just a mark. It’s a brand. It knows we’re trying to cage it.”
I hugged myself against a sudden chill. “Great. So now it’s mad at us.”

We left the well together, no one daring to walk too far from the others. The moonlight followed us through the branches, silver and cold. Every crack of a twig behind us made me flinch.
When we reached the edge of the woods, Brandon glanced over his shoulder at me. “You okay?”
“Define okay,” I said, trying to smile. “I screamed a streetlight to death.”
Nick smirked. “It was a good scream. Effective.”
Sam gave me a sympathetic look. “Whatever’s in that well is trying to provoke you. Don’t let it.”
Easier said than done, I thought, but nodded anyway.

Just as we were about to part ways near the road, a low wind swept past us, carrying with it a whisper so faint I wasn’t sure I’d heard it right.
I froze. “Did you guys—”
Lisa cut me off, eyes wide. “I heard it too.”
Nick’s jaw clenched. “So it can reach us outside the well now.”
Brandon glanced back at the woods, his expression unreadable. “Then we need a new plan. Fast.”
We stood there in silence for a moment, five teenagers under the moonlight, all realizing at the same time that the fight was far from over.
The wind died down, leaving the night eerily still again. But the words lingered in my head long after we went our separate ways:

I had a horrible feeling we hadn’t even begun to understand what the creature really wanted.