We Wear The Mask

Stand Off at the Wishing Well, Part Three

It all happened so fast.

One second, Deez was standing beside the well, lit up like a torch.

Uma blinks.

A raging torch.

Next to her and Mal being stupid.

Why was it so hard to ignore Mal's insufferable attitude?

How had Deez gotten so lost in her flames without her seeing?

And then...

And then steam was rushing from the well so fast it whistled like a teapot.

Steam so thick-

She stumbles numbly into Gil, fingers tearing into the cloth of his vest as she stares at the rolling white mist.

No.

If there was steam-

Water?

Deez?

She wanted to rush forward, wanted to dive into the well.

Save her this time.

But she was stuck.

Her damn mother wasn't here!

She wasn't holding Deez under the water.

There were no tentacles choking the life out of her tiny cousin.

MOVE FEET!

But she couldn't.

The fog.

The fear.

The burning in her lungs.

When had she started holding her breath?

And why?

Someone was in the well with Deez, and she couldn't move to go save her.

Again!

Was she-

Was she okay?

Was she alive!

"Uma!" Gil's frantic voice slams through her brain.

Punches.

She sucks in a deep breath as she blinks the blur from her eyes.

Her lungs were on fire.

Her head was spinning.

She could feel Gil's tight grip around her.

Holding her up.

"Ya be ah havin' her there?"

Harry's concerned whisper sounded close too.

It was still so hard to see-

She blinks.

The steam was gone.

At least, gone from around the well.

There was still a thick swirl rising from it.

"Is she-"

Harry holds a hand up before he turns and starts to creep closer to the well.

Harry and Jay both.

It was agonizing.

How slow could they move?

A sudden scream breaks her from the trance.

She would know those screams from anywhere. They haunted her most nights.