The ice didn’t just c***k under Maya’s skates—it shattered. The purple glow rising from the middle of the lake turned all the fog into this thick, electric-smelling haze. She could barely breathe; it felt like the air itself was buzzing.
“Julian! The van is sinking!” Maya’s voice broke through the noise.
She lunged forward, her fingers catching the cold, slippery ladder on the rig. The plaster cast on her arm pulled at her like an anchor, heavy and clumsy, almost yanking her into the steaming water below. Behind her, the front end of the blue delivery van slid under, bubbling and hissing as it disappeared into the dark.
Up on the platform, Julian still gripped Catherine’s wrist. Catherine dangled halfway over the edge. She wasn’t screaming, just staring at the glowing crystal under the
