Page 6 of The Sixth Spring

He walked to the edge of the road, staring where the tree line used to be. Were the men going to come back and pull the machines out of the water? He couldn’t imagine how they would, with them sunk like that.

But they couldn’t just leave them. The metal would rust and bleed into the water along with the gasoline, and–

It wouldn’t be good.

His stomach clenched. He knew other places dealt with pollution. Had seen documentaries in school about the rainforest and the arctic. About managing humanity’s need for progress and goods against the damaging ecological impacts.

He’d just never seen it here. Not up close. It had never affected him personally.

Will’s gaze drifted to the right, to something disrupting the water.

It was a stack of lumber. The ones they’d cut down. It was a grotesque showing to leave the bodies there like trophies.

At least the spring had stopped them. There’d be no plugging the hole now. This bit of land would be useless to them.

A sudden splash interrupted the night.

Will froze. He’d been humming, and he stopped as he squinted into the dark, heart starting to batter in his chest. Clouds had blown in front of the moon, making it harder to see.

The sound had been bigger than a frog jumping into the water. A gator?

Please don’t let it be a gator. Please don’t let it be a gator.

Will didn’t move. He stood, gazing out into the dark, waiting for the clouds to pass.

He noticed then that everything else had quieted too. The crickets, the frogs, even the wind had all fallen silent. His heart thudded. That… wasn’t good.

Then he heard it.

In the silence, there was a low hissing sound. Not like a snake, but almost human? Like someone who was in pain, trying to tamp down on it.

It emboldened him. “Hello?” Will called.

Water swirled somewhere in the dark. He became suddenly aware of the feeling of eyes on him.

“Is someone out here?”

More water splashing. It didn’t sound like it was getting closer. Was someone really out here?

Another splash in the dark made Will jump. It was followed by a louder hiss of pain. Will whipped his head in the direction it was coming from.

It was by one of the machines. The one that had partially fallen over.

Will stepped forward, off the edge of the road, and water swelled up to above his knees. The ground squished under his shoes, and he was grateful he always tied his laces tight for work.

He stared at the half-fallen excavator. He could see the top with clarity against the sky, but down where it met the water it was too dark. There were ripples in the water there though. Like something was moving against it.

Another hiss. It sounded human. The urge to move toward it rose sharply.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

He stepped forward again, down the drainage ditch, and the water came up to his hips. If he went farther, he’d have to swim. Will was a decent swimmer, but the water was black, and there still could be alligators or snakes around.

The clouds moved away from the moon, casting bright light down on the water again.

And Will saw a figure. They were right up against the machine, a darker shadow against the lighter gray of the metal.

“Hey, do you need help?” Will asked.