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Destiny City is never quiet, but this time of day is when the evening rush has passed, a transitional period between the after work rush and evening activities. A gray fog had rolled in, making the street lights cast hazy light over the enclosed gardens, carefully marked off as ‘closed for landscaping’. Dani grunted as she pushed her hair back out of her face, taking a quick glance around to ensure there were no prying eyes. “What nobody knows won’t hurt them,” Dani hummed, averting her eyes from the ‘closed’ sign as she pressed her boot in between two sections of fencing, pushing herself up and over with a grunt and a squeak as she landed heavily with a thud on the other side, leaving her elbow throbbing before the pain faded into a dull, background sensation.

There was a sickly sweet scent in the air, like sugar and seawater that made the hair on her arms prickle. Shivering, Dani shook her head before hoisting her sweater more securely over her shoulder, she adjusted a few settings on her phone before taking a few photographs, weaving her way between flowers and whispering under her breath, as if making mental notes aloud. “It was all over the forum that there’s been strange sightings in these gardens, and they’ve been shut down for ages and nobody will say why! I’m gonna get to the bottom of it.” She grinned at her phone, sending off a couple of short clips she’d taken from her exploration so far. She saw a strange flicker on the edge of the camera view and tried to zoom in, squinting towards the shape of the old stone well that was partially obscured by the thickening fog.

When had it gotten so cold?

Dani saw her breath fog up and licked her lips. Before she could take another photograph, she heard the slosh of water under her feet, as if there were a dark pool somewhere beneath. It made her stomach roll, the idea of dark, open water beneath her, but she tried to shake it off, until a gutteral, pained sound like a wounded animal echoed from the structure. Scrabbling nails dragged along stone, a desperate, groaning sound setting her teeth on edge, making her wince. It sounded like a dog, starving and desperate to get out. Her heart dropped into her stomach at the thought, a creature trapped all alone, and it pushed her through the fear, until she peeked over the edge.

Eyes like molten gold locked on hers, and her head suddenly felt fuzzy. The fear was pushed away further, faster, the scratching, splashing and groaning from deep within the cavernous opening no longer eliciting the sharp spike of fear it had before. She leaned over the edge to try and get a better look, her knee pressed on the edge as if she were about to climb inside. “Hey there,” Dani murmured, the words coming through a haze within her mind. If she could hear herself, she might’ve thought she was drunk. “Hey, what are you? Let me help,” Dazed, she swung one leg over the edge of the pool, until she was sitting on the very edge.

The sounds from within the well grew louder, more desperate; a mournful howl echoing from down deep.