Thread: Let Me Reap Your Soul (Survivor00 and Autumn)

Daniel Whitaker walked quietly down the twilight beach, feeling the cool sand shifting underneath his bare feet. He sighed in needed relief, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his swim trunks, looking up at the stars and sky. Behind the line of trees, the glow of numerous fires illuminated the night sky, and loud, pulsing music thrummed over the stillness of the lake. It was the end of summer, and many of the students were throwing their last great party before college resumed in a few weeks. There had to be dozens of people partying out here at the lakeside campsite, a fact that made Daniel somewhat uncomfortable. He had never been very much of a crowd person. He liked his peace and solitude, and while he had agreed to come to the party to appease his friends, he had mostly steered clear of the open kegs and blasting music. Looking at the lake and the rolling mountains around it?this was far more enjoyable than the outdoor club behind him. He felt a strange prickle at the nape of his neck, as if though he were being watched. He looked around quickly, but he was alone along the expanse of beach. He shook it off, he probably needed this alone time more than he realized. After a few more moments of wandering and appreciating the lakeside view, he found what he thought was a good spot. He knew that swimming out here alone wasn??t the smartest of ideas, but he was sure that a quick swim wouldn??t be any problem. Pulling off his T-shirt and setting it on a rock, he slowly waded out into the water up to his waist. The water was dark, but comfortably warm against the air??s cooling chill. The glow of bonfires were swallowed up by the great light of the moon reflecting off the lake??s surface, the small waves cresting silver. Daniel swam a few quick laps out to a small marking buoy in the lake and back to shore, stretching out his muscles in the relaxing water. After one final lap, he swam out to a small, wooden diving platform that had been anchored some distance offshore. The water here was deep and free of obstructions, so diving was allowed. Swimming to the side of the platform, he swung his arms up over the side to grip at the soggy wood. He pulled himself close to the platform and swung one leg up out of the water, using it as his platform to pull himself. He was panting slightly, water pooling below him as he stood. Once again, he got the unmistakable feeling of eyes upon him, but he saw nobody as he looked around. He shuddered slightly, reaching out to grab at the rungs of the short ladder up to the top of the platform. The first few rungs gave him no trouble, but one fated rung was all that it took. His foot came down on the metal rung and slipped out from underneath him, wet from the condensation. Everything seemed incredibly focused as Daniel fell forward before he was able to hold tightly to the ladder. His world exploded in a flashbulb of white pain as his head sharply struck the ladder, the sharp metal edge splitting the skin of his forehead, letting forth a flow of blood that felt strangely hot on his skin. He dropped limply from the ladder, slamming into the platform before he plunged lifelessly into the water. He sucked in a breath of air on instinct, but he was rewarded only with water surging into his mouth and down his throat, daggers of fire stabbing into his lungs as they were flooded. He convulsed, thrashing about in the water, trying to find his bearings, but his disorientation from the blow, the blood that began to mist the water around him, and the sudden shock that had hit him had thrown him off guard. He couldn??t even figure out which way was up as he sank deeper into the murk. Bubbles escaped from his gaping mouth as the lakewater poured down his throat, filling his stomach, his lungs. His vision darkened around the edges, and images from his life began to flutter before his eyes?