Walk a Path With Me

Day 10: Prompt 26

Walk a Path with Me

Day 10: October 10, 2020

Prompt 25: They found a well with a ladder in the middle of the woods.

They weren't expecting the bodies that they found at the bottom of that well.

Warnings: dead bodies, old

Historic fuckery

He smirked at his friend as she led the way, talking about this well that was a part of an old plantation that had burnt to the ground nearly fifty years ago. It was said that it had dried out years before that and the few pictures that had lasted through the years showed a ladder that went down the side of the well.

Molly was a history nut at the best of times but when she found something that she could visit, she became crazed about getting to see it. And with this well, she wanted to see if they could climb down the ladder. They did have a rope ladder that they could anchor in various ways and climb down if they couldn't, and really? McKenzie was looking forward to this.

He looked over to his other three friends, he snorted at the fact that Maria was talking about all of the dangers of doing this while making sure that their supplies were enough for the trip. She was also making sure her phone worked while they were out in the middle of nowhere, pleased that the bars were still strong and that their small GPS was still tracking their movements.

"Come on, Maria," Ken said, slinging an arm around the pretty female's shoulders as his best friend and longtime boyfriend, Markus, rolled his eyes with a smile. "We're fine. The GPS is military-grade, which your mother insisted on when she learned we were starting these hikes. We had it fully charged by the time that we got up here. Our phones are fully charged. Our battery banks are fully charged, and we have three of them for each of us."

"Not only that," he drawled, "but we have emergency supplies, including blankets just in case, and our trucks aren't that far away from here. We came in as close as we could without getting fucked in turning around and driving out." He smiled and tapped her nose, getting a moan.

"Come on, you guys!" Molly called, bouncing at the end of the trail that opened to a large field like area. "Miles! I see the homestead!" she called. Miles hummed, eyeing the burnt-out stone walls that were still standing, making him frown slightly.

"Yeah, I see. The well is a little ways from here right?" he asked, heading after their friend. Molly nodded and pulled out the map, sliding a finger along the path line that she had created.

"See. It's a couple of minutes from here," she said, pointing to the tree lines on the other side of the field. The group of five walked over to the well and soon had the ladder anchored down. Ken and Miles agreed to head down since they were the biggest and knew how to climb the walls if they had to do so. Markus, Maria, and Molly took their packs, Ken pulling out their smaller bags for basics and handing Miles one.

They packed some water, food, and first aid kits along with phones, power banks, and a few other things just in case before heading down into the well. Stepping off the ladder, Miles pulled out his lantern, Ken pulling his own, turning them on. "Wow," Ken got out, staring at the wood that lined the bottom of the well. The dirt was dry, showing that the water in it had long since dried out and even the storms they got often were sucked down to the water tables.

"You can say that again," Miles breathed, dancing the lights around the walls before finding lines in the wall that looked more like doors. Walking over, he pushed at the wall, finding that it swung slightly open before stopping with a groan. "Hey, I think I found something," he called out, seeing his friends lean over the edge. "I'm going to take a video of it," he told them, Lee pulling out his phone and opening the video recording app on it.

Pushing against the door, Mile was able to get it open before stepping away and leading the way with his flashlight, looking around with a frown. A short hallway led the way into a round room that looked as if it had been carved out of the walls, wood, and stone mixed to keep it steady. Coming to a stop when his flashlight landed on a grinning skull with what used to be skin pulled taut over it.

Swallowing, he grabbed onto Lee and yanked at him. "Go out and tell the others to call the cops. I think we just figured out a mystery of the own," he breathed, Lee, making a sound that sounded partially curious and partially worried. He pointed his light at the dress of one of the mummified bodies. She was dressed in simple travel clothes, but it was quite obviously well made. A finely crafted necklace, while dirty and dark, had very obviously been well loved and worn around her neck.

"I'm going," Lee squeaked, leaving the room, and calling up to the other three to call the cops and tell them they found bodies. Old ones if the clothes were any indication.

An hour later and the group was heading back to their homes, shocked at having found bodies. Even more, so that the bodies were quite obviously that of a white woman of the station and her lover of color who had been killed by the girl's father.

Molly's voice came over the speakers in Mile's car as Lee rubbed at his arms. "I don't think I want to go visiting any new places."