Glitches (Ben Drowned x reader)

Ch.3 Into the Void

-Your pov

Ten minutes till eleven. It's almost time. I put some clothes on over my swimsuit and goggles in my pocket. My parents and Jacob were still awake watching a movie. I was hoping that I could sneak out, but the door was too loud. As always.

"Y/n, where are you going? It's late." My dad said before everyone else looked at me.

"I  was going to hang out with my friends and Alex." I lied.

"Alex. That boy with the black hair? Always wears black?" My mom said before I nodded.

"You got a boyfriend Y/n." Jacob said mockingly.

"Shut up Jacob. We're just friends." I replied clearly irritated. My dad shrugged his shoulders.

"Stay close. Don't wander around the streets." He said before I walked out the door. I wanted to run, but I need to save my energy. No idea how far I'll have to go down. I looked ahead to see a large group of lights from the bridge. Most of them shining on the water. I quickly took my clothes off and hid them in the bushes before walking towards the bridge.

"There you are. Was wondering if you would show up." Nolan said as I started to walk past him.

"You the leader?" I asked before he shook his head smirking.

"Dane is. You know. The wannabe drill sergeant." He replied. He was quiet for a moment.

"Come on.    I know you think that's funny." He said almost wining. I rolled my eyes before walking on the bridge. I could hear people talking. No one expected me to be here.

"Alright! Get in place!" Dane shouted. I took a deep breath and made my way to the edge. I looked around. Some were doing this just because. Some because of a dare. Some did this every year. Me, for the hope that Alex will be left alone. Each of us were given a flashlight to see through the water and to find the stones along with a small bag to put the stone in.

"Y/n!" A voice shouted. I turned to see Alex running towards me.

"Y/n please, you don't have to do this." He said with tears falling down his face.

"There's no going back Alex. My name is on the list. I'm doing this because you're my friend." I replied before Alex took a shaky breath. He pulled something out of his pocket. A black hair tie with an opal charm. He stepped behind me and put my hair up before stepping back to face me.

"For good luck." He whispered before I hugged him. We let go and I walked back to the bridge ledge.

"You all have seven minutes to go down and get your heads back up to the surface. One " Dane said before we got in position and turned our lights on and put our goggles on.

"Two    " I looked back to see Alex anxiously watching. I turned my focus back to the dark water and managed to keep my nerves calm. It's all or nothing now.

"Three!" He shouted before we took our dive and held our breaths. I was already ahead of the others. I did my best to not think about anything except finding a geode. I had a feeling that most people go for the ones closer to the surface. My best bet was where most would have fallen. Straight down into the trench. I looked around. I felt like I was in the void. Not a single fish swam past me. There's nothing down here. I looked around some more before my flashlight caught something. I pulled it out of the dirt. I stared in shock. It's the Ethiopian opal geode. I put it in my bag and started to swim up, but then I heard something. Metal clanking against metal. Just like the sound I heard in the pool.

-Alex pov

Everyone was back up and out of the water. Dane was checking everyone's bags to see if they found one. Most of the stones are pretty small. Some of the divers started trading with each other. Dane was checking names on the list to make sure that everyone was back up. His face said it all.

"Did anyone see Y/n?" He shouted. My heart froze when everyone realized that she hasn't come back up yet.

"Did she drown?" One viewer asked as people shined their lights on the water. I looked over the edge looking for any signs of her.

"We should call the police. An ambulance." A diver said as he grabbed his phone.

"If we call anyone then we're screwed. We keep the Scarlet Dive secret for a reason. We do this a different night every year so that we don't get caught. If she drowned, we'll wait a day before declaring her missing. It's what we've always done. There's nothing we can do now." Dane said before the diver put his phone away. I looked over at Nolan. He looked worried. Why is he worried about her? He did this to her. And I let him. That's what hurt me more. But I won't give up on her.

"Come on Y/n. You have to come back up. Don't give in." I whispered while looking down at the murky water.

-Your pov

I still have enough air to investigate and get back up. The sound was getting louder, but I was also seeing that red glitchy light around a corner. I swam closer and almost screamed. It was a boy my age chained to the rocks by his wrists. He looked like someone you would see at an anime convention or a cosplayer. I quickly grabbed one of his wrists and checked for a pulse. Slow and faint. He's barely alive. I can't leave him down here. I quickly examined the cuffs and chains looking for any possible weak spot. Nothing. I examined the rocks. Both were cracked. If I pull the chains side to side, they just might come out of the rocks. I was running out of time. It took a lot of energy, but I removed the chains from the rocks. I checked his pulse again. Nothing. I tried his neck. Nothing. It hurt a little that I couldn't save him in time. I was running really low on breath. I had the geode. Now I just need air desperately. I'm not even close to leaving the trench. I might be the one to drown this year. Nevertheless, I kept going. But then something wrapped itself around my leg. I looked down to see what I got stuck in. There was a chain wrapped around my legs. My heart was beating faster when I saw where the chain was coming from. That boy. How is he alive? I used my arms vigorously trying to get to the surface. I couldn't hold my breath for much longer. I was feeling weak. I felt him pull me down to him. I could see his eyes. Completely black with a red, glowing iris. They were glitching just like the light I saw in the past. I was sure that it'll be the last thing I see. He brought his face close to mine. I tried to push him away with all the fading strength I had. He suddenly grabbed my wrists and his lips locked onto mine. I felt air return to my lungs. Enough for me to reach the surface. I felt the chain release me before he pushed me higher to the surface. I watched as he sank back down into the abyss. The thought left my mind and I focused on getting back to where I can breath. I've never been so happy to see the bridge, yet so terrified. I could hear shouting that I was alive. That I was one second away from the seven minute mark. I didn't care. I just wanted to get out of the water. I swam towards the shore trying not to cry. I could hear Alex shout at people to get out of the way. I crawled onto the sand shaking out of fear and the cold. I held the geode tightly in my hand as I stood up. Next thing I knew, there was a towel wrapped around me and Alex holding me tight. I couldn't hold back my tears anymore and I started crying.

"Did you find one?" Dane asked before Alex took the geode from my hand and showed it to him.

"How the hell did you make it back to the surface? This thing was said to be at the deepest part of the trench." He said as everyone admired the Ethiopian geode.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." I whispered before he gave the geode back to me. I looked over at Nolan as he rolled his eyes and walked away. People were slowly leaving until it was just Alex and I. He let go of me and I readjusted the towel.

"Y/n, what happened down there? Everyone thought you drowned. I was scared that you wouldn't come back up." Alex said before I sat down followed by him.

"There was something at the bottom of the trench. I think I released it." I replied. I couldn't get the vision out of my mind. I don't know what that boy was. Why he was down there. And what series of events I've set in motion.