Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

The well was deep. Andrew estimated they had already descended about 150 feet, so he shone his high-powered flashlight downward. However, the bottom was still swallowed in darkness, with no end in sight.

Tiana gasped. "A typical well is about 45 feet deep at most? We've come down the equivalent of 15 stories, and it still goes on? How in the world did the people of Gallow's End manage to dig something this deep?"

Andrew continued his descent with steady movements. "No idea. But maybe this well wasn't dug for water, and maybe it wasn't even made by the villagers of Gallow's End."

The climbing rope was top-grade, industrial-strength. It could hold the weight of about eight people dangling at once without issue.

Andrew held the flashlight in one hand while gripping the rope tightly with the other, and a safety harness was clipped to his waist. He kicked lightly against the stone wall, letting his body drop faster using gravity to his advantage.

Tiana called down, "Andy, be careful!"

As the speed increased, the wind started howling past his ears. He clenched the flashlight between his teeth and freed one hand. He needed it in case something tried to attack from below-his combat knife had to be ready at a moment's notice.

The blackness below still gave nothing away.

Another 300 feet down, Andrew finally jerked to a stop. The sudden tension in the rope caused everyone else-Chantelle, Tiana, and the others to sway and jolt behind him.

Chantelle called out, tense. "Mr. Lloyd, what is it?"

Andrew exhaled slowly. "I can see the bottom."

What he did not mention was that the sight down there was straight out of a nightmare-bones... piles and piles of human remains.

Minutes later, the entire team made it to the bottom safely. However, every single one of them looked visibly shaken. There was nowhere clean to place their feet, just heaps of brittle corpses.

No one could possibly stomach the sight.

Even Logan, who prided himself on being tough, turned pale. He muttered, "Where did all these bodies come from? Just eyeballing it... there's gotta be over a hundred skeletons here. Even back in the day, Gallow's End couldn't have had this many people dying, right?"

Andrew's face remained unreadable, and he said nothing. He swept his flashlight

slowly across the space, then turned and moved toward the only visible

passageway.

The tunnel was just tall enough for someone to crawl through,

stretching sideways into pitch-black uncertainty. Honestly, the well did not even seem like a proper water source. If anything, it looked more like a ventilation shaft or a hidden escape route. Content bétongs to

Andrew had not seen a single sign of water down there. Normally, even a dry well would have traces of moss or signs of past moisture. Yet, this place had nothing-just smooth, bone-dry stone and those chilling remains.

The passage ahead was completely dark, with no light whatsoever. Luckily, they had come prepared.

Flashlights, flares, and backup gear-they had it all. So, despite the eerie atmosphere, their trek was steady and manageable.

After about 100 feet, the tunnel finally ended. Right in front of them stood three stone coffins. They sat quietly in a small chamber carved out of stone, lined up side by side.noveldrama

Andrew froze in place, eyes locked on the three caskets. Chantelle stepped up behind him, her throat dry as she instinctively edged closer. "Mr. Lloyd, the lids are open."

Tiana's face twisted in discomfort as she whispered two words, "Blood Ghouls."

Without saying a thing, Andrew raised a hand and gestured for Logan to circle to the other side.

Once Logan was in position, Andrew moved step by step toward the nearest coffin. He leaned forward carefully and peeked inside.

He let out a quiet breath when he noticed the coffin was empty. Seeing Andrew relax, Logan came closer too.

They checked the other two coffins as well and found them both empty.

Nonetheless, 'empty' did not mean nothing was there.