Ocean of void

⸻

Chris ran towards the edge of the lake…

Suddenly, I wake up, sweating.

“I hate this dream. It’s such a nightmare.”

Cora turns to look at the clock on her nightstand: 3:00 AM.

She gets up, feeling the cold floor under her bare feet as she quietly makes her way downstairs. The house is silent, almost unnaturally so, as she heads to the kitchen for a glass of water.

“Again, Cora? You can’t sleep?”

Cora jumps at the sound of her father’s voice. She turns towards the living room, where she sees him sitting by the fireplace, the dim light casting shadows across his face.

“Dad? I… I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Her father motions for her to come closer. Without hesitation, she sits down beside him, resting her head on his knee. She talks about the dream — the boy running towards the edge of the lake, the feeling of dread. Her father listens quietly, gently stroking her hair until she drifts off to sleep once again.

The last thing she hears is the soft crackling of the fire.

⸻

Later that morning

A soft voice pulls her from sleep.

“Cora… wake up.”

She blinks, eyes heavy, and sees her mother standing over her. The fireplace is dark now, and the air feels colder.

“Mom?” Cora whispers. “I… Dad and I fell asleep here last night.”

Her mother hesitates, her eyes filled with sadness. “Cora… your father isn’t here anymore. Don’t you remember?”

Cora stares at her, confusion clouding her mind. She slowly stands up, feeling dizzy. Without another word, she drifts upstairs, each step heavier than the last.

⸻

She enters the bathroom, avoiding her reflection. The weight in her chest feels suffocating, like a dark fog clinging to her skin. Turning on the shower, she lets the hot water cascade over her body, trying to wash away the unease.

When she steps out, steam clouds the mirror. She wipes it with her hand, but something feels… off. In the corner of the reflection, behind the shower curtain, a shadow flickers.

Her breath catches. Slowly, she turns around. Nothing.

Yet when she looks back into the mirror, the shadow is closer. A dark figure standing behind the curtain. Every time she turns, it disappears. But each time she looks back into the mirror, it’s there. Closer. And closer.

For some reason, she can’t move. Fear grips her like ice. The entity takes advantage of that, gliding silently toward her. Suddenly, cold fingers brush against her neck. Before she can scream, her head is slammed against the bathroom sink.

Darkness.

⸻

When she opens her eyes, she’s back at the lake.

The same nightmare. The same car. The same screams. She watches her younger self, happy and carefree, before the darkness creeps in.

Her parents fighting. Her father waking her up, telling her they’re leaving. Her mother’s voice, screaming his name as they ran to the boat.

“Chris!”

She sees the moment her mother kills her faher and pushes him into the lake causing him to disappear beneath the water, the weight of his screams pulling him down. Then her mother, eyes dark with rage, turning toward her.

“You weren’t supposed to see this.”

With that Coras mom kills her own daughter

⸻

Cora wakes up once more.

The fire is gone. The house is silent. Slowly, she walks toward the fireplace, expecting to see her father there.

But there’s nothing.

Just cold ashes.

She blinks, confused. The warmth she once felt is gone, replaced by a chilling emptiness. Her eyes wander across the room, searching for something — anything — that makes sense. Then she sees it.

The photo.

It sits quietly on the mantle, untouched by time. Her parents, smiling, arms wrapped around her younger self. But there’s something off. The edges of the photo are darkened, warped. Water stains smear the corners, as if it had been pulled from the depths.

Her fingers tremble as she picks it up. The memories rush back like icy waves crashing against her mind. The lake. The screams. The cold water swallowing her whole.

And then she remembers.

She was never supposed to leave the lake.

Her father’s desperate hands trying to keep her afloat. Her mother’s voice, cold and distant, whispering things she couldn’t understand. The darkness pulling her under.

She never made it out.

Cora stares into the fireplace, but there are no flames. No warmth. Just shadows dancing against the walls. She falls to her knees, clutching the photo as the truth seeps into her bones.

The entity wasn’t a stranger. It wasn’t a nightmare.

It was her.

The part of her that never grew up. The part that drowned that night.

And all this time, she had been chasing shadows. Imagining warmth that no longer existed. The house, her father, the memories… they were just echoes.

Cora closes her eyes.

The entity doesnt let her, it tells her to finally wake up

And she did…

-Licaky-