Do not go into the water. That's what everyone on the news was saying. There was some kind of chemical that was leaked into the lake from the lab. Being exposed to the water would cause a long and painful death as your skin starts to boil. Your body becomes overheated by the chemical, causing all of the veins and organs in your body to melt. You begin to drown internally by your own thick, hot blood.
The perfect way to die, Jim Longover thought. He never wanted to come home. He thought about running away, but that would only make life worse.
"If only there was a way for the pain to become real," Jim said to himself as he started towards the lake. He was walking down an alleyway as a shortcut to the woods that led to the hazardous lake. He was thinking about what it would be life if he were to just walk straight into it. How all of his problems would die off along with him.
"Hey! Stop! Get over here." A couple of the boys from Jim's senior class were running towards him. He glanced back, his eyes widened, and then he took off. Straight through the woods. Don't look back.
Jim knew he was getting close to the lake, but he didn't stop. He kept running, as fast as he could, still hearing the echoes of their taunting laughter. From afar, he could see the eerie glow coming from the lake. He let himself smile a crooked smile.
Jim stopped just short of the lake. He stood on the edge, staring off into abyss beyond it. He heard the boys come up behind him, but he didn't turn. They were whispering to each other, coming up with how they were going to bully him this time.
"Why don't you just jump in? It would probably make life much easier for the rest of us," the boy with the green ball cap on. His hat was almost as green as the lake and his name was Henry Denco.
"Yeah, just jump! It will only hurt a lot!" The other boy, Robbie Jutt laughed.
Just then Jim Had had it. He was done letting two of the dumbest boys in my class bully him anymore. He turned around and clocked Henry in the mouth, then pushed Robbie down on the ground and got on top of him. He swung as hard as he could over and over. When Henry recovered, he got up and pulled Jim off of Robbie. Jim fell back near the edge of the lake. He glanced back, then down at his blood and soot covered hands. The other two boys got up and stood over him. Jim slowly stood up, his face staring at them with a hard look. The boys kept taunting him, threatening to end his life.
Jim didn't want to hear it anymore. He didn't want to be threatened anymore. He wanted it to be all over. He wiped his eyes full of tears, looked up towards the sky, then then closed them. He took one last breath, put his arms out to his side like he was a bird, and then fell back into the deep, bubbling lake.
The boys screamed. Jim's body was burning, his skin was boiling over. The smell of rotting flesh filled the air around them. Henry and Robbie gave one last look at the boy burning alive in the water, turned, and ran home.
. . .
