Chapter 9: The Forbidden Lake
1725 Words
Chapter 9: The Forbidden Lake
I woke up suddenly.
“Mary!”
I sat upright, breathing heavily.
For a few seconds, I didn’t know where I was.
I looked around the room.
There was a desk in front of me, some files stacked on top of it, and two men sitting nearby. A small lamp was still on, making the room look even darker.
Then everything came back to me.
The broken window.
The car.
Mary.
I looked around desperately.
“Where is my sister?”
One of the men stood up.
“Sam, calm down.”
“Where is Mary?”
“You’re in the investigator’s office. You passed out after everything that happened.”
I rubbed my face and looked down at my leg. It was bandaged.
I remembered the car hitting me.
I remembered the red moon symbol.
“Did you find anything?”
The investigator slowly shook his head.
“Not yet.”
My heart dropped.
“But we found something about the symbol you described.”
I immediately looked at him.
“The red moon?”
“Yes.”
He opened one of the files on his desk.
“That symbol isn’t new.”
I moved closer.
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve seen it before.”
He pulled out several old reports.
“Over the years, people have disappeared around the lake. In some of those cases, the only clue left behind was that same symbol.”
I stared at the papers.
“How many people?”
“We don’t know exactly. Some cases were never properly connected. But there have been enough of them for us to notice the pattern.”
I swallowed.
“And where did they disappear?”
The investigator looked at me.
“Near the lake.”
My stomach tightened.
“The other side?”
He nodded.
“There is an area beyond the lake that people are not allowed to enter.”
“Why?”
“It’s a restricted area.”
He leaned back in his chair.
“The water itself is dangerous. There are wild animals around the area, and people have reported strange things happening there. Because of that, the authorities have placed restrictions on entering the area.”
“And the other side?”
The investigator hesitated.
“There are old stories about that place.”
“The witch?”
He nodded slightly.
“People believe a witch lives there.”
I almost laughed.
“A witch?”
“I didn’t say I believed it.”
He closed the file.
“But the stories have been around for a long time. And whatever the truth is, we don’t allow people to go there without proper authorization.”
“So when can we go?”
“We need permission.”
“From who?”
“The proper authorities. Depending on the operation, approval may have to come through the authorities connected to the king and other government offices.”
“How long?”
“It could take some time.”
I stared at him.
Some time.
Mary didn’t have some time.
I looked down at my hands.
I had already lost my parents.
Mary was the only family I had left.
I couldn’t sit in an office waiting for permission while she was somewhere out there.
“I understand,” I said quietly.
The investigator looked at me.
“Sam, don’t do anything foolish.”
I didn’t answer.
He didn’t know what I had already decided.
That night, I would go to the lake.
I waited until I was alone before returning to my room.
I shut the door and began packing.
A small bag.
Water.
Food.
A flashlight.
Some clothes.
Anything that might help me survive the night.
I was almost done when I heard a knock.
I stopped.
Another knock came.
I opened the door.
The taxi driver stood there.
I stared at him.
“You?”
He smiled.
“Yeah, me.”
I looked at him suspiciously.
“What are you doing here?”
“I heard what happened to you.”
He stepped inside.
“Man, you don’t look good.”
“I’ll survive.”
He looked around the room.
Then he looked at the bag in my hand.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m looking for my sister.”
“Where?”
I didn’t answer.
He narrowed his eyes.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to the lake.”
I looked at him.
“How did you know?”
“Because you’re carrying food, water, a flashlight, and the face of someone about to make a very bad decision.”
I sighed.
“I’m going.”
He stared at me.
“You’re crazy.”
“I have to find Mary.”
“You know that place is restricted, right?”
“Yes.”
“You know people say nobody comes back after crossing that lake?”
“Yes.”
“You know they say a witch lives on the other side?”
I looked at him.
“Do you actually believe there’s a witch?”
He became quiet.
“Yes.”
I almost laughed.
“You’re serious?”
“Very serious.”
He sat down.
“I once dreamed about that witch.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What happened?”
He leaned closer.
“The witch had a very long nose.”
I tried not to laugh.
“And?”
“Her fingers were very long. Her ears were big and scattered like they were flying in different directions.”
I stared at him.
“Flying?”
“Yes!”
He nodded seriously.
“Then she opened her chest, took out her heart, and showed it to me.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“She was holding her own heart. It was bleeding.”
I stared at him.
“And then?”
“She crushed it.”
I waited.
“And then I woke up.”
“And?”
He looked away.
“I had already peed in my pants.”
I couldn’t stop myself.
I laughed.
For the first time since Mary was taken, I actually laughed.
He frowned.
“Don’t laugh. It was a serious dream.”
“You’re telling me a witch showed you her heart and you woke up and wet yourself?”
“You don’t understand.”
“I understand perfectly.”
He shook his head.
“You don’t trust me.”
I wiped my face.
“Okay. I trust you.”
He pointed at me.
“Good.”
“But I still don’t believe your witch story.”
He shrugged.
“Believe whatever you want. This place is more mysterious than you think.”
He suddenly became serious.
“Remember that wolf that attacked you?”
My smile disappeared.
“Yeah.”
“That was strange too.”
I looked at him.
“So?”
“So maybe this place has more secrets than people know.”
I didn’t answer.
He looked at my bag again.
“You’ve really decided to go?”
“Yes.”
He sighed.
“Fine.”
I looked at him.
“Fine?”
“I’ll take you.”
I almost smiled.
“Really?”
“On one condition.”
“What?”
“You pay me.”
I stared at him.
He stared back.
“You’re serious?”
“Very.”
I shook my head.
“Even now?”
“Especially now.”
“How much?”
He rubbed his chin.
“That depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“The danger.”
I looked at him like he had lost his mind.
“You’re charging me for risking your life?”
“No. I’m charging you for helping you risk yours.”
I laughed again.
Then I reached into my bag.
“How much?”
He looked at me carefully.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because that’s my job.”
“Your job is driving a taxi.”
“Driving a taxi is one of my jobs.”
“What are the others?”
He smiled.
“Anything that involves money.”
I stared at him.
“So you’re a businessman?”
“Exactly.”
“What kind of business?”
He shrugged.
“I do different things.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Legal things?”
He paused.
“Mostly.”
I shook my head.
“What do you spend all that money on?”
He sighed dramatically.
“I have bills.”
“Everybody has bills.”
“I also have a girlfriend.”
I looked at him.
“A girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
“Where is she?”
“Online.”
I stared at him.
“Online?”
“Yes. Her name is Jessica.”
I folded my arms.
“And you give her money?”
“I give her whatever she wants.”
I looked at him for a few seconds.
“Have you ever video-called her?”
He became quiet.
“There is always a signal problem.”
I smacked my forehead.
“You’re being scammed.”
“No!”
“Have you ever seen her face clearly?”
“We’ve tried.”
“Have you met her?”
“Not yet.”
I shook my head.
“This is unbelievable.”
He stood up.
“Are you coming or not?”
I grabbed my bag.
“Let’s go.”
He smiled.
“That’s what I’m talking about.”
We left quietly.
The investigator had warned me.
The authorities had warned me.
Everyone had warned me.
But none of them understood one thing.
I wasn’t going to the lake because I wanted to.
I was going because Mary was there.
When we finally reached the lake, the night was almost completely dark.
The water stretched endlessly in front of us.
The taxi driver stopped beside a small boat.
He looked at the water.
Then he looked at me.
“Last chance.”
I stepped into the boat.
He sighed and followed.
As the boat moved away from the shore, I looked back.
The lights of the town slowly disappeared behind us.
Ahead of us was only darkness.
And somewhere beyond that darkness was my sister.
I tightened my grip on the side of the boat.
“I’m coming, Mary.”
The boat continued deeper into the forbidden lake.
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