Chapter 1445: Story 1445: The Smiling Drowned

The child’s smile was too wide, splitting its face almost to the ears. The others began to stir, lids peeling back to reveal pupils so dark they seemed to swallow the faint light in the chamber.

Mira grabbed Elena’s arm. “Don’t touch the water.”

Too late—Elena’s boot had already broken the surface. Ripples spread outward, touching the nearest face. The skin around its mouth puckered and split, releasing a gurgle of foul-smelling gas.

They began to hum.

It wasn’t a melody but a vibration, resonating in the liquid and through Mira’s bones. Her knees threatened to buckle as the sound deepened, becoming almost… comforting. The faces drew closer, their movements smooth and gliding, as if pulled by invisible strings beneath the surface.

One stopped inches from Elena. Its tiny, waterlogged hand broke the surface, reaching for her cheek. She stepped back—too slow. The fingers brushed her skin, and Mira saw Elena’s pupils dilate until her eyes were almost pure black.

“Elena!”

She shoved her friend away, snapping the connection. Elena gasped and stumbled, clutching her head. The hum became a shrill chorus, echoing through the liquid chamber. The faces’ smiles widened even further, revealing needle-thin teeth.

The water shifted.

From below, a long, spindly arm emerged—skinless, slick, with tendons gleaming in the faint light. It coiled around one of the children’s faces like a parent scooping up a doll. But instead of lifting it gently, the arm yanked it down beneath the black surface. Bubbles burst, and the humming momentarily faltered.

The others turned in unison toward the disturbance.

Mira didn’t wait to see what followed. She pulled Elena toward the far end of the chamber, where a sloping ramp of the same fibrous material led upward. But as they climbed, the water surged.

A massive shape rose from the depths—a torso without legs, its lower half trailing into countless tendrils that writhed like seaweed. Its upper half was studded with those same smiling faces, stitched crudely into its flesh. The mouths moved independently, humming, whispering, and sometimes screaming.

The largest face, positioned in the creature’s chest, spoke with a voice like running water.

“Stay. We are warm here. We are together.”

Elena’s steps faltered. Mira could feel the pull too, an almost physical tug toward the black water.

“No,” she hissed, digging her nails into her palm until pain cut through the fog. She slapped Elena’s arm hard. “Move!”

The creature surged forward, tendrils snapping through the water toward them. Mira and Elena scrambled up the ramp, slipping on the slick surface. One tendril caught Mira’s ankle, cold as ice, pulling her back.

She kicked wildly, boot connecting with something soft. The grip loosened just enough for her to break free, and they burst into a narrow tunnel above the waterline.

Behind them, the humming turned into a scream that echoed long after the black liquid faded from sight.

Ahead, the tunnel curved sharply—and began to glow.