The Celery Stalks at Midnight Part 3

A void, an echo of nothingness stood before Joel. One minute he was staring into the void and the next he was falling through the darkness.

Joel tried to scream but all he heard was a squeak and cold laughter. The phantom was beside him still, falling with him. Joel could feel the icy presence through the darkness and then complete blackness.

He didn't know he had blacked out until he awoke. Joel was drenched. His clothes stuck to his body and he could feel water on his face. He tested his legs in attempt to get up but the now familiar frosty hand stilled him.

Slowly through the pitch Joel could see movement, a creature coming toward him. Limbs, jellyfish like, moving slowly menacingly toward him. The creature had no head or face just tentacle like limbs. Some of the limbs had claws, grasping at the surface it walked.

By watching the creature's movement, Joel could make out water above and below where he and the ghostly specter stood. He tried to back away but the phantom stopped him. Joel wanted to cower, roll himself into a ball. Instead he forced himself to stand up and not move.

Joel did not know he was crying until he tasted the tears. The phantom laughed, "Tears only make you taste sweeter. Cry little one."

This time Joel did scream; loud and piercing the air until the water rushed in drowning him.