The Well

A short story I posted a while back on a second blog. 
I stopped keeping up on it so this story will sit here instead. 
I hope you enjoy. 
If you do, let me know... I could use the ego boost.

The Well

Bobby struggled to keep the wheel straight, but the hill had other ideas. Various rocks and other pitfalls littering the embankment were taking their toll on the poor Nissan, which he ironically had lowered last week. Great timing. “Hold tight!” He shouted to Leo, who already had an iron grip the passenger side dashboard. Why did they decide today of all days to skip? Oh yeah... Mr. Harrison. The guy was such a tool, always going on about 'solving for y'. After lunch, Bobby turned to Leo and said ‘why not?’

They cut class, got some beer and went on a road trip, laughing the whole time.

The problem was, rain had been constant the last 3 days and the frigid November nights cold enough for residual ice to start sticking on the roads. He should have slowed down on that last turn.

The Nissan caught a rotten tree trunk and went airborne. Bobby came out of his seat, thankfully the belt which had been digging into his shoulder earlier now kept him from flying around painfully in the car. He watched as the scenery outside the windshield tilted sickeningly.

The car was going to tip.

He turned the wheel with every bit of energy he had before realizing he wasn't sure which direction he needed it to go. Luckily, he chose the right way... the tires found their way back to solid ground, and the roller coaster ride down the mountain continued. Instinctively, he slammed his left foot on his right, like the force of both together would work the brakes better than one. The pedal was already smashed to the floor.

By some miraculous twist of fate the car did come to rest safely, after one last resounding bounce. Bobby was happy to be alive. He sat quietly, enjoying the calm while catching his breath. That’s when he realized Leo was groaning and turned to see why.

At some point he must have connected with the dashboard, because an ugly lump was already forming directly in the center of his forehead. He blinked absently while a trickle of crimson made its way down his nose. “Dude,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes, “...that sucked.” Leo blinked as though waking from a deep sleep. “I’m driving back.”

Bobby shook his head, taking inventory of their situation. No way he’d Leo drive, the guy probably had a concussion. And that was even if the Nissan would run, which it probably wouldn’t. Smoke poured from under the hood in thick waves. They were screwed.

Bobby glanced at the hill, trying to judge how far up the road was. Pretty damn far. They had rolled a good distance... there was no way the two of them could get the car back up to it. It was pointless anyhow, the whole trip they hadn't seen any other cars, not one. Chances were slim they could flag someone down, especially since it would be dark soon. The road was a dead end.

“I can’t climb it.” Leo whispered, reading his mind. The poor guy looked terrible. Bobby heard the stress in his voice and clapped him on the shoulder for comfort. “It’s cool,” he said, “we can look for firewood and come back when it gets dark.” He hooked a thumb to the back seat. “We still got beer, we’ll camp here tonight and hitch a ride back first thing tomorrow.”

Leo rubbed his temples with relief and nodded.

Later, while searching for suitable firewood, Bobby noticed a clearing nestled behind a thick patch of trees he previously overlooked. With curiosity piqued, he jogged over to check it out further. A path, barely distinguishable under years of grass and various other vegetation weaved its way through the woods. The two lanes of bare earth carving their way through the vegetation could be none other than an old abandoned carriage road. It appeared easy going, a straight line extending some distance ahead, eventually curving to the right and out of sight.

“Leo! Come check this out!”

After reaching an agreement, that’s exactly what they did.

The sun was low on the horizon by the time they saw something ahead. Once again, Bobby’s curiosity got the better of him, so jogged ahead to investigate. When he reached the trail’s border he became lost in confusion... before him was nothing more than half a dozen hastily made shacks surrounding a large concrete platform. His attention was drawn to the ornate construction and how it differed from its shabby surroundings. Hand carved steps lead to a large well, situated at the very top. The overall effect seemed reminiscent of some exotic Egyptian pyramid dropped randomly in some farmers back yard.

Leo stumbled behind him at the edge of the trail, catching his attention. “This doesn’t make sense!” He threw his hands up in confusion, “My parents and I have camped all over these parts and I’ve never heard of this place before.” Bobby liked to think himself knowledgeable of the area also, but this was new to him too. “Well, it’s here.” He spoke slowly, straining to see in the waning light. “It’s almost dark. We could stay in one of these huts, or head back to the car. Your call.”

Leo shook his head and leaned on a nearby tree. “I need a minute to rest before we start back.” Bobby didn't want to say anything, but he was growing more and more concerned about his friend. He needed medical attention soon, and there was nothing he could do, except keep a close eye on him and do his best to get to a hospital first thing tomorrow.

Leo pointed a shaking finger to the well. “Hey, does that have any water in it?” Bobby blinked. A cool drink did sound good. But thirst turned to unease when he began walking up the stairs. Nothing about it made sense, the construction was distinctly intricate, especially when compared to the poorly built huts surrounding it. Strange, hand carved symbols filled the entirety of the surface, which seemed far too wide for a simple well. There were no signs of a bucket to draw water up. In the virtually nonexistent light he walked around it, until he ran into a bench previously hidden on the far side.

Still wincing and rubbing his shin, he ran his other hand along the smooth surface, searching for identifying characteristics. Engraved on the outward facing side were markings, different from the random symbols on the well itself. They were spaced and phrased like words, similar to some primitive language. He squatted to look closer, noting absently that the thick cloud cover began to split, cleaving an almost perfect circle of moonlight through the clouds above. It cut through the inky night like a razor, illuminating the well and bench beneath.

He recognized the words so he mouthed them quietly, thinking that hearing them aloud could shed more insight than simply reading.

Right as he finished there was a thump.

Actually, more like a deep, muted vibration... emanating from underground. It was more felt more than heard. “Bobby, what was that?” Leo asked, heading up the steps. "I... don’t know." He said. It was true, but he did know something was wrong. Very wrong. Then, his fears were confirmed.

Something rose from the well.

For a split second he didn’t know what he was looking at. An exotic animal’s head? Some kind of snake? maybe? Whatever it was, it poked from the mouth of stone pit, twisting wildly in the moonlight. The way it whipped around, like a tentacle or tail...

Except, it wasn’t a head. It was part of some much larger beast, buried deep below the ground. With horror, he watched as it shot upward, hundreds of feet, until stopped by the confines of its own girth. The well groaned as stone met flesh, impact taking his feet out from under him. He stumbled down the steps and connected painfully with hard ground as he did.

Leo gawked at the sight, frozen between the well and the bench. When the thing shot forward again the ground shook, sending him backward. His legs hit the stone behind and he sat down on it with a thump. The movement piqued the creatures attention, it swung at the bench in one fluid motion, like a whip. The scaly limb came down on the stone seat with terrific force, and Leo was gone, somewhere beneath the massive appendage. Slowly, it constricted around his form and slunk back into the well.

Suddenly, he was alone in the still night.

He shot into the forest, screaming madly and running blind. There was no thought to where he was going, only desperation to get away. A stump hooked his foot and he fell, sprawling awkwardly on the cold earth. He had just witnessed a nightmare made real... some terrible thing claiming its sacrifice.

It wasn’t a bench, it was some kind of altar.