The Three

Chapter 2

Ben dropped the flashlight's beam. "Oh, god." he muttered as he stumbled back. Kym however, remained staring at the body. It was definitely Toby. His face, once tan, was now grey, gaunt, and lifeless. His body was shockingly pale, and his clothing was ripped in many places. His eyes bulged, and his mouth was sucked inwards. The worst part, though, was the red stain on his chin and down his shirt. He was dead. Drowned and dead. "Toby." Kym moaned. But not in sadness. In utter horror. Ben wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "I can't even-" He gagged. He turned on his heel and ran.

Kym shrieked and followed him. The adrenaline rushing through her gave her speed, but she couldn't see where her brother was going. "Ben, I swear..." Kym growled. The blond-haired boy had vanished again. "Ben!" Kym's fingers trembled as she picked her way through some thorns. On the other side of the hill was a shack. Looking old, and dirty, and dark. "Kym!" Suddenly, a voice shrieked from inside. "Kym! Turn around!" Kym froze. "Ben?" She whispered.

Nothing could have warned her soon enough. The moan was enough to make Kym cry. She whirled in time to see a dark figure retreating into the shadows. But it wasn't gone. Kym cried out and ran towards the odd little building. She dusked under the low doorframe and crouched in a corner. Once she had flicked on her flashlight, she could see that the other person in the place was Ben. He was trembling. "What was it?" Kym gasped. Ben shook his head. Then, in a hushed voice, he murmured: "Toby... It was Toby."

Kym held her breath. That was terrifying. Toby, the annoying friend. Toby, the stubborn daredevil. Toby, the lost boy. Toby, the drowned boy. Toby, the undead. Toby. "No. No, it couldn't have been." She suddenly realized. Ben raised his eyebrows. "Yes it was, Kym." Kym shook her head. "It definitely was. Remember, when he was with us at the lake, he was wearing a green hoodie. The body we found was wearing a red polo shirt." Ben's eyes widened. "How did you remember that?" He gasped. Kym shrugged. "I don't know. Just did, I guess." Ben shook his head. His breathing was still sharp and shaky. "But the body we found... Who was that?" Kym anxiously looked about the shack. The first signs of dawn were showing, and the two felt somewhat safer. "We have to find out. If That wasn't Toby, then he could still very well be alive." Kym considered. "Wait... No. Then how did Toby's father know Toby had drowned?" She asked, shaking Ben's shoulder. He turned to her. "He just knows. Maybe he was watching from around the lake, and we didn't see him." Ben stood up. Kym followed. They cautiously snuck out of the shack. While walking, Ben suddenly said: "But if we saw Toby go down the drain... Than he's still there. Yes, and the other body..." he stopped. There, in front of them, was the same body they had seen the night before.

The siblings stared in horror at the body. Again. The boy was clearly wearing a ripped-up red polo shirt. "Your not kidding..." Ben muttered. Kym gasped. "If this is here, than the thing that followed us to the shack had to be Toby!" She knelt by the body. "I wonder who this is." Ben waved away that mutter. "Obviously, Toby is alive somewhere in the woods. We need to find him." Kym raised an eyebrow. "How do we do that?" Ben's reply was a mere whisper. "The drain. We follow the drain."

The kids stood on the dock that stretched right over the drain. The hole swirled in an endless motion, making Kym dizzy. "Are we supposed to swim down there? Ben, we'll drown." The boy managed a grim smile. After returning to the house and explaining everything to their parents, they had decided to go back to the drain and take a look on where Toby could have gone. "No, of course not. I brought this camera." He held up a small camcorder that was attached to a long, flexible stick. He pushed this into the swirling water. Moments later, the image of swirling water came up on a small portable camera feed box he had brought. The drain was illuminated by a small light on the end of the camera. Ben and Kym watched intently as the swirling water reduced to a dry, cave-like underground cavern. A sudden spiral of light made them both jump. "What was that?" Suddenly, Ben felt a tug on the camera. He tugged back. Suddenly, a face appeared on the camera. It looked tired and terrified. And it was screaming. Both kids could hear the wails from their perch. And it was Toby. Wearing a green hoodie.