The Black Lake: Tales of Melancholic Horror Read Online Free

the snow, slowly following the woman's wailing. The wind shoved his slender body with each flurry of snow. The snow majestically danced through the air, clinging onto anything and everything. The towering trees surrounded him from every corner, ghoulishly groaning with the storm. The gloomy ambiance smothered him, slowing his arduous journey more than the frosty environment.
    Suddenly, Arthur stopped. He peered through the shimmering snow and gazed towards a secluded tree; a peculiar tree strangely separated from the bestrewn forest. From afar, Arthur could see a woman kneeling down in front of the tree. The petite woman donned a black loft jacket with a polyester hem and tight blue jeans. Her feet were buried in the snow. He could see her silky brunette hair. Arthur nervously smiled and nodded, then trudged towards the lonesome woman.
    He shouted, “Dorothy?! Dorothy, is that you? I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear! I didn't mean any of it! It was... It was an accident!” The woman did not respond. Arthur scrunched his face and continued his trek and apology, “I swear, sweetie, I'm going to change. I was stupid for far too long. I'll never act like that again, I promise. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”
    The woman wept as she slowly shook her head and indistinctly muttered. Arthur bit his bottom lip as the persistent pain struck the back of his dome. He inhaled deeply from his nose and gritted his teeth to bury the insufferable pain. The papers in his left hand rippled and crunched as he clenched his fist. He helplessly tried to endure the agony.
    The finish line was in his field of view, a headache could not stop him. Arthur weaved and bobbed his head as he turned the corner of a tree for a better view of the mysterious woman. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.
    Arthur whispered, “Who the hell is that?”
    From his vantage point, Arthur could the woman was kneeling in front of a body. He could see legs veiled by dark blue jeans and a torso covered by a heavy coat. The person's limp arms dangled at his side as his torso leaned on the tree. The person's face was shielded by the sobbing woman's body.
    The woman cried, “Why'd you do this? Why would you do this to me? You're leaving me all alone, don't you know that? You–you're taking my life away... You... You're taking everything I lived for. I loved you. I wanted to take care of you. Why didn't you let me take care of you? Why wasn't I good enough? Why? ”
    Arthur hobbled forward, persevering through the pain as he limped towards the mysterious couple in the woods. As he approached, the falling snow was miraculously whisked away. Arthur had a clear view of the woman – Dorothy.
    “You're okay...” Arthur whispered with tears swelling in his eyes.
    He loudly swallowed the anxiety clogged in his throat, then walked forward. He gaped as he finally recognized the person leaning on the tree. Arthur's own body rested on the trunk, veiled in an identical outfit. Blood oozed from his nose, dripping like an open faucet. Arthur's teeth chattered and his body trembled as he gazed at himself, like if he were staring at a grim reflection of death.
    Arthur stuttered, “A–A... A premonition? Right? It's–It's a... It's some sort of dream or something, isn't it? It's a vision, right? I'm not... No! No! I can't be dead! This isn't possible!” He shambled towards Dorothy and asked, “What kind of prank is this? Huh? Is this your way of teaching me a lesson? Is that it? You're teaching me a lesson?”
    Dorothy did not respond. She tightly clenched the deceased Arthur's right arm with both of her hands. Tears streamed down her crimson cheeks. The rivers of sadness caromed off her jaw and trickled onto the snow. Arthur shook his head as he watched the poignant portrait as it was painted before his very eyes.
    In utter disbelief, Arthur whispered, “Please, tell me this is a joke...”
    He grimaced from the emotional pain as he noticed the grisly gunshot wound at the back of his