All Chapters of Dark Water: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

72 Chapters

Chapter Thirty-One

My darkness is the chain that binds youMy seduction is the mist that hides you.Mortality and death combineAnd we will come to thee and thine.Nathaniel was silent as they made their way across the barren ground, interspersed by flurries of lush green and copses of trees that had once been mighty forests. There was still quite a lot of green; to most people, the woods would be large. But by the standards of old, they were small and a lot of the ancient trees were long gone to firewood.Even though it was vastly different, the memories still lingered and clawed at him as he moved.Lloyd watched his step carefully. Ivy weaved over and among the exposed roots, like snakes squeezing the life from them and making a hazard for anyone who walked there. The shadows seemed to loom in, fearing the rays of the sun but making him feel as if they were trying to box him in. As if they were alive and envious of his ability to love the daylight."It's so warm here, yet I'm cold," Lloyd said aloud,

Last Updated : 2022-09-07

Chapter Thirty-Two

The scenery was tranquil, but an unease tickled the back of Nathaniel's neck as he wandered deeper into what was left of the forest.The reminders of the past were everywhere. The nicks in the trees that had marked their way, the symbols he himself had carved as personal markers. Even the rock that marked the grave of one they had lost was still there, even if the body would be long decayed. He shifted awkwardly, looking down at the muddy tracks and glancing furtively up to see if he could catch a glimpse of the herbs needed. In the darkness, it was even harder, even with the light of the moon. Tiredness weighed him down. That was something novel. Tiredness had not been a part of his existence for so many years now.It grew as he ventured further until he admitted defeat, sitting down under the shade of an aged tree, the bark chipped and diseased. "I can't do this much longer," he whispered, allowing weakness to flood forward. "It ain't worth fighting and gettin' nowhere. But what

Last Updated : 2022-09-22

Chapter Thirty-Three

The bubbling water turned from cloudy to a sickly green. It brought to Lloyd's mind the phlegm his late grandmother had coughed up when her lungs were slowly filling with fluid and infection. The only difference was it lacked streaks of red.The woman stirred it carefully, not phased by the colour, or by the harsh smell that stung Lloyd's nostrils as he breathed. He glanced at Nathaniel who was looking away, a slight frown of discomfort blighting his features. Whether that was the smell or the entire situation, Lloyd didn't know."You must allow this to ferment. Do not open it until the colours separate, even then, do not open it until you need." The woman said solemnly. "Something will be attracted to this and will be sealed inside. You will know when you must free it.""Something?" Lloyd peered closer, seeing only foul-looking water."A spirit. One of air and fire. It dwells in the dampness of the trees. Right now, they are weak. The damage to the earth has been great but now humans

Last Updated : 2022-10-10

Chapter Thirty-Four

"Tell me more about these voices." The woman wound a strand of her wiry hair about her finger. The moonlight fell in streaks on her face and made the contours of the sunken features seem all akimbo. "Ain't much to say. The ones I hear lately are like hissing snakes," Nathaniel said frankly. "They taunt, they remind and they just make a nuisance of themselves. I know all too well they ain't friendly, just extensions of the brute that lives beneath." "Mine was different," Lloyd's voice was low. He swallowed, bolstering himself. The voice had seemed innocent until now ad the thought of that cherubic voice chilled him. "Childish. It almost sings. It also said I'd know who it was eventually. I kinda thought it might be a lost crew member." It was a logical thought. Or maybe a simple, lost soul who had taken pity on the cursed men. Yet that might be too much like a fairy tale. "The youngest before Thomas wouldn't have lingered," Nathaniel said grimly. "Lad suffered all the pains of He

Last Updated : 2022-10-17

Chapter Thirty-Five

"Get the sail down unless you want your guts tying the masts!"The sun was peeking from the ocean when Lloyd and Nathaniel returned. The first bloody lines trailed across the water like ivy, bleeding into the water and penetrating as deep as they could into the depths.The mist rose silently as soon as Lloyd's feet hit the deck and the gangplank was pulled in. He let out a sigh of relief, his eyes making out twisted fingers, the claws itching for the feel of flesh.He swore he heard a hiss of irritation as it sank down to embrace the hull, glowing eerily."I guess we got back just in time," Lloyd said to Nathaniel's retreating form after giving his orders. "I get the feeling it was looking forward to blood.""Aye," Nathaniel muttered something inaudible and headed down to his cabin. Lloyd paused before deciding to follow. He felt the crew staring at him, the eyes cold and cruel like those of a shark as it glided through the sea.God help him, he'd have preferred the quicker fate of t

Last Updated : 2022-10-28

Chapter Thirty-Six

As soon as the sails were hoisted and the helmsman had begun to guide the ship from its current resting place to another around the island, Blake beckoned several of the others over to him."Down below," he hissed, keeping one eye out for Thomas. "I've got something to discuss with you lot. But only those of you who have always been willing to risk your hides. And I want those who are willing to lose it all if we don't succeed, and also be able to stab or deal captain in the back once and for all.""I wouldn't baulk at that," the nearest replied. A weasel of a man with more hair in his eyebrows than on his head. "If I'm fated for Hell then let's make it worth it. If I ain't, then send him there. Maybe that could also wash a few past sins away.""With blood?" "If that's what it takes. And you know it does. I don't bloody care anymore. He took our lives even before all this. Treating us worse than dogs and we've all got scars to prove that."No one replied as they made their way into t

Last Updated : 2022-11-10

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"You failed them..."Nathaniel's voice was a whisper but in the solitude of the cabin, it was as clear as a preacher in the cathedral. All was silent outside. The ship drifted on a sea as still as a millpond. It was harder to tell where the water ended and the sky began.Above them, a full moon blinked lazily, surrounded by its harem of stars. No one had noticed the thin mist that was reaching up from the depths and winding about the hull. They were all below, seething with rage and disbelief as their fate registered. The sights they had seen only a few hours below were forever etched into memory.Only Nathaniel knew. And only he knew why it was there on such a fine night. He raked his hand through his hair and sat back. He trembled as he reached for the familiar bottle near him. But even the potent liquor did little to calm his nerves."They can't even mutiny," he muttered, swirling the rum in the base. "What good would it do 'em?"His eyes fell on his dagger. The blade glimmered

Last Updated : 2022-11-21

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The island looked different during the day. Once the morning mist had dispersed and the sun shimmered down, it was a picturesque, albeit lonely, sight. Even though the once proud trees that had dominated the landscape had been reduced to a shadow of their former selves, the greenery still fought through and has the first thing the eye was drawn to. 'Strength against all odds,' Lloyd thought as he emerged on deck. 'More inspiring than any living person at the moment.'He moved as if hypnotised to gaze over the view. He'd never found much inspiration in his normal life. OK, he'd admired people, Nelson Mandela, Rudolf Nureyev...but they'd always been stories and pictures. Nothing real that he could become close to.This was something he could be.Still troubled by the encounter earlier, Lloyd paced around the ship, admiring the view and dragging a broom idly behind him like a stiff tail. He had heard Nathaniel curse at someone for their idleness and threaten to gut them, even if it was

Last Updated : 2022-12-15

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Despite Nathaniel's evident curiosity, Lloyd didn't elaborate on his thoughts."It isn't worth it yet," he said as he returned to the cabin. "I'm not sure of things myself yet. So, if I tried to explain anything, I'd look like a babbling idiot.""Seen plenty of 'em, lad," Nathaniel muttered, scouring the landscape. "But do as you want. I've things to deal with up here."Routine. The routine never altered, dead or alive, or something in-between. Lloyd's pace picked up as he headed down the steps and into the uncomfortable blanket of darkness. He swore he could hear whispers in the gloom and felt eyes, unseen but angry, watching him. "You don't scare me. You won't scare me," Lloyd hissed aloud, feeling somewhat foolish as he did so. "I didn't do shit to be here and I will be getting out of it, soul and all. And I will make sure some of your so-called prizes follow."He cringed. Feeling as though he was playing a part in The Exorcist. He'd never believed in all those things that went b

Last Updated : 2023-01-14

Chapter Forty

The ship rocked slowly with the receding tides, the moon casting a silver glow over the damp decks and over the sapphire sea.The sails were down and rustling tranquilly like the sound of leaves on a breezy fall day. It had been like that for almost a week. And the passing natives were both curious and cautious. Not a soul had been seen, day or night. They had become used to seeing the mill of activity on the deck, or the men scavenging in the undergrowth.Once or twice, they noticed a shadow but that only heightened their concern. As did a low mist that embraced the hull and would not dissipate.It was the picture of eerie peace; normally, the crew would have been lulled to sleep below the deck by the undulating waves. They were downstairs. The noise indicated that, but it was the sound of bitter talk and empty threats rather than snoring and tossing blankets.In normal times, one would be worried about leaving a bottle unattended in case of poison being added. But Nathaniel, as th

Last Updated : 2023-02-04

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