A storm was brewing in his blue eyes, accompanying the thunder raging outside.

His words echoed in her head with the power of a hurricane, blurring her conception of time and space. Lynn stared at the man for long seconds, trying to come up with a sentence that would sum up her chaotic thoughts.

"What do you mean?" was her meek question, before she shook her head and let her frustration out. "What is that... thing? What is this place?"

Andrew observed her calmly, unfazed by her glare. "I see you're past the point where you think it's all in your head. Congratulations."

Common sense lost the battle against her buzzing anger, and she wasted no time in throwing a punch. His eyes widened in surprise, but he still managed to dodge her attack and grabbed her wrist to limit her movements. There was much more to Lynn than met the eye, and her vast knowledge of martial arts twisted her body and angled her trapped arm until pain shadowed his features. With a curse, he dropped her wrist and groaned as her foot slammed into the side of his knee.

Lynn felt a rush of satisfaction as the man lost his balance, before his tall form was pushed into the wooden floor with her aid.

"Is this how you thank me for saving your life?" he asked in disdain, lips pulled back to form a snarl as her foot dig into his wrist.

Irritation flooded in her veins as she watched him closely, before she stood up and huffed. "This is how I repay you for your sarcasm and lack of empathy."

Sitting up, Andrew leaned his back against the wall under the window and glanced at his wrist. Its reddish colour seemed to amuse him, for his lips curled into a wry smirk.

"Shame physical strength isn't going to get your pretty ass out of this hell."

Lynn arched an eyebrow and batted her eyelashes in a mocking way. "You think my ass is pretty?"

Not allowing him to give her an answer and not caring for one, she ran a hand through her hair and sat down on a chair. Her eyes glanced at the bookshelves to her right, taking into the many old-looking books, before drifting towards her companion.

"What is this place?" she inquired again, not as tense as before.

"My family's summer house," Andrew replied after a pregnant pause, voice emotionless. "We used to come here every summer, until..."

Lynn waited for him to continue without interrupting; something in the way he spoke, in the way his eyes clouded over, prevented her from doing so.

"Until my aunt Kristine died," he finished eventually, clearing his throat right afterwards. "After fighting cancer for years, it finally killed her. As you expect, it took its toll on all of us. But my grandmother... Well, she refused to accept it."

"Everyone deals with their pain the best way they can," she commented in a heavy voice, avoiding his inquisitive gaze by staring out of the window. "And sometimes, it's so intense that we think the best option is to live in denial until it fades."

He hummed, and then shook his head. "We thought it was what she was doing. But it was far from the truth, and I learnt it the hardest way."

"What happened?"

"She moved to this house, locked herself in. No matter how many times we called, or came here to see her... She never answered our calls, and if she opened the door, it was to tell us to go home and leave her alone," he continued. "We never knew she was lying when she said she needed more time to heal. What else would she want to be alone for?"

Movement caught her eye, leading her attention to the whispering woods spread around the house. From her seat by the window, she received the eerie stare of the ominous lake and quietly leaned away. The feeling of being watched didn't go away as she turned back to face Andrew.

"I received a call from her some months in," he was saying. "She said she missed me and wanted me to visit. But when I mentioned my parents, her voice changed and so did her behaviour."

Lynn tilted her head. "She wanted you to go alone."

With a scoff, he sent her a bitter smile. "She? I'm not even sure it was her at all."

"What do you mean?"

He looked away to stare at his folded hands. "My parents tagged along, obviously. My little sister, too. When we arrived, my grandmother welcomed us in. But as soon as my family was inside, she looked at me and..."

He took a deep breath, and Lynn finally saw the face beneath his façade — he looked drained, distraught; like a soldier not allowed to return home, forced to witness destruction and death by the hand of a never-ending war.

"She wouldn't stop crying, no matter my attempts to soothe her," he kept on in a low, strained voice. "She apologized right before I heard my father shouting. I rushed inside, and then I saw her. Standing next to my parents' dead bodies, with a knife covered in their blood and a sickening smile on her face."

Her stomach lurched as his words took her to that moment, and she felt his dread and his overwhelming pain as if they were her own. Lynn cast a glance downwards and saw his hands curling into fists; so tight was his grip on the air that his knuckles turned white.

"My aunt Kristine," Andrew answered her silent question. "Grandma had somehow found a way to bring her back."

Lynn swallowed hard, suddenly realizing her throat had become dry like sand. "Is that what's haunting this place, then?"

His eyes flickered to her, the answer clear in them.

"It wasn't you who summoned it," she pointed out, and then cleared her throat. "How did she do it?"

He leaned his head back and let out a heavy sigh. "My grandmother had become obsessed with the supernatural, thus managing to bring my aunt back from the dead by means of a deal sealed with her blood. But obviously, she got more than she bargained for. Kristine wasn't the same; her mind was twisted and held terrifying powers," he explained. "Something stayed the same, though: I was still her favourite nephew.'

"She never threatened me; my sister, on the other hand... I had to hide her." He paused and pursed his lips in thought. "I think seeing Kristine murdering my parents and chasing my sister was what snapped my grandmother out of her sick obsession. So she—"

A voice was carried in the wind, and the window suddenly opened. Taken aback, Lynn jumped and let out a startled scream while the man scrambled to his feet. Standing up, she side-stepped him and sneaked a peek outside.

Her hands flew to muffle a silent exclamation as she recognized the man crawling out of the still waters.

"It's not him," Andrew stated behind her, slapping her with the cruel reality she didn't want to believe. "It's a trick."

Unshed tears filled her eyes as she watched Mark stand up and wobble.

"I know." But knowledge doesn't make pain less intense, she thought while turning around hastily. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Andrew was watching the scene unfold with an unreadable expression. And realization hit her square in the face. "You're not scared."

"Not anymore."

She opened her mouth to ask why, when the distant creaking of a door filled her with trepidation. Quickly, she rounded on her feet just as another person came into view. Swearing under her breath, Lynn ran for the door but was stopped by Andrew.

"Don't give me that look," she warned him while snatching her wrist. "I know he's not real, but she is. And I'm not letting her die."

Without waiting for a witty reply, Lynn rushed out and almost tripped down the stairs. Loud noises came from a room as she ran past its locked door, but she had no time to spare. As the wind slapped her in the face and rain sliced through the crispy air, Lynn noticed her friend standing on the edge of the wooden platform that led into the lake.

"Dana!"

The petite woman didn't look her way and continued staring straight ahead, ignoring Lynn as she ran towards her. There was no trace of another soul in the night, but they were not alone.

"Dana, don't!" she shouted, and relief flooded her when her friend turned to face her. It was short-lived, however, for inhuman hands suddenly wrapped around her small ankles. "No!"

Dana was dragged into the lake, yet Lynn managed to get to her in time. Her hands grabbed her upper arms and stopped her body mid-water, which seemed to snap the woman out of her trance.

"Lynn?" As if suddenly realizing what was happening, Dana looked down and screamed.

The water pulled from her, causing Lynn to bite back a cry as her body inched forward. Her hands felt its malice as they were dragged under, and she winced as the wood stabbed her ribs.

"Please, don't let go. Get me out of here!" Dana begged, staring up at her with tears in her eyes.

"I will," she grunted out.

But the lake was having none of it, and its bloodthirst was so intense she could taste it in the heavy air. Her eyes glanced beyond her friend, wide as she caught a glimpse of blood darkening the water around her kicking legs.

Dana cried out, before her face disappeared beneath the surface.

"No, no, no!"

Lynn gripped her arms tighter and tried to pull her out, but she kept sinking. Refusing to let go, she followed her into the hungry lake. And then, she saw her.

Her hair weaved around her slim body, contrasting against her deathly-pale features. The woman stared at her with bright-blue eyes which seemed to glow in the darkness, and a name popped in her mind.

Kristine.

"Bitch," Lynn screamed into the water, driven by impotence and rage.

Someone grabbed her by the waist, before the terrifying image of the dead woman disappeared as she was pulled out of the lake. Air filled her lungs, and she coughed. With the help of her saviour, she sat up and frantically searched for Dana.

She was lying next to her, wide eyes staring without seeing.

"No," Lynn mumbled as she placed two fingers on her neck, knowing far too well how to search for a pulse.

There was none.

"It's no use," came the voice of Andrew. "Her heart was ripped out, Lynn."

Her eyes confirmed his words, noticing the blood pouring out of the hole in her chest.

Something dark filled her body as she listened to the man's words of consolation; like a shadow cast upon her, she could only remain still as anger blinded her sight.

"Let's take her insid—"

With a cry, she lunged at him. Her hands wrapped around his neck as he stumbled backwards, landing on the grass with a grunt. Lynn was seething; in her head, a voice whispered to her. Her friends kept dying, and someone had to pay for it.

It's his fault. He should've done more... he should've stopped his dear grandmother. Your friends would still be here if it wasn't for them!

The voice was right.

"Lynn," he wheezed out. His hands tried to peel hers off of him, but she wouldn't let him. "Don't... let her in..."

Someone shouted her name in the distance, before a pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her away. As Andrew was helped to his feet by Nick, the voice returned to the darkness it had appeared from. Its only trace was the laughter ringing in her ears, which faded as soon as Lynn snapped back to reality.

Her wide eyes met his narrowed ones across the small clearing.

"I didn't mean to—"

Andrew turned around, muttering under his breath and ignoring her attempt to apologize. "Where's that damn cat when you need it?"

Guilt gripped her heart as he disappeared inside the house, but it was gone the second her eyes landed on the spot where Dana's body should have been. The platform was empty, with the exception of a trail of blood that slithered across it.

"She's gone, Ol," Lynn whispered in a broken voice as the man led her back inside.

His words were lost in the wind, like tears in the rain.

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Word count: 2059

Total count: 21.053

Final milestone reached! But this story is not over yet...