The Dark Water Read Online Free PDF

coming next.
    Brayden steps forward. There’s no one else in the room, the other soldiers are out of the frame, searching the small tunnels nearby. Brayden, the new kid Jimmy finally got around to liking. He’s shaking his head, he’s saying no to something.
    â€œTurn on the sound,” Jimmy says.
    Veronica looks at him, then back at the screen. “Okay, but no talking. They’ll hear us.”
    She flips the switch.
    . . . no way.
    That’s the deal we made.
    It’s so strange hearing their voices in surround sound.
    You want me to jump into the well? Are you insane?
    Sutton draws his gun and holds it out to his side, the threat clear.
    Fine, say I don’t drown. Then what? What am I even looking for?
    Greg always called it the source, so it’s probably a stream or brook or whatever—I don’t know. But I bet you my life your friends are already there. I bet you Greg told them where to go. Find them, they’ll lead you to it.
    But why do you even care? What could be more “special” than this?
Brayden kicks the water with his foot.
    Jimmy wonders the same. Why not just be happy with the water? It
heals
people. What more is Sutton looking for?
    You think I wanted all this death, you think I wanted to create the virus? Not at all. I saw a way to take the water to the next level, to make it do more than just heal an injury or the flu. I wanted it to keep on healing, to make the body immune to everything.
    You mean make you immortal?
    Of course, immortal. The virus is just the other side of the coin. It is death, and I want to find life. If the crap that Greg’s been babbling about for years turns out to be true and there really is something down there, something I can use to make the water make me. . . Just find Kish’s daughter and tag along with them. Got it?
    Watching, Jimmy feels a rage building inside him that’s hard to fathom. He’s felt something like this at football games, before storming the field or after taking a big hit. He’s felt it the one time he got in a fight, when he almost killed Trent Bishop for calling him a townie. He feels it building from his gut and pushing through his skin, making his gum up and his ears burn. And when Brayden speaks next, it’s just too much for him.
    Okay, whatever. Just . . . just this is it. After this, I’m done.
    â€œBrayden!” Jimmy screams, his voice a roar, something unfamiliar and animal, his aged vocal cords tearing up his throat. On the screen, the two figures freeze, then look around. Sutton picks up his gun and aims it at the elevator.
    â€œBrayden, you fucking traitor. I’m going to rip your face off. Do you hear me? Do you
hear me
?” He’s screaming so hard he’s spitting. Veronica slams down the switch and pushes Jimmy back against the wall. For an instant, she’s about to get punched. But then Odessa’s there, calming him down, taking his arm. He breathes, big gulps of air, so angry he’s blind. So angry he hurts.
    â€œYou idiot!” Veronica says. No need to explain why. On the screen, Brayden disappears into the water. And Sutton’s men return. He points at the camera, right at them, and then his men rush offscreen.
    â€œI’m going to kill him,” Jimmy says.
    â€œYeah,” Veronica replies. “We heard.”
    â€œHey, it’s not his fault,” Odessa chimes in. She looks at Jimmy, her forehead wrinkled in concern. “That guy was our friend.”
    â€œNo one’s your friend,” Veronica says. She takes a deep breath. “Okay, the front is guarded by a tank, but the back looks clear for now. You need to get out of here. Get to safety.”
    Jimmy shakes his head. “I’m not leaving them.”
    Veronica points at the screen. “Do you see that guy? He created a
virus.
You think he’d suffer any compunction about shooting you in the head?”
    â€œJimmy,”