Chapter 5: The Seventh Day

I strained to look down and saw a familiar figure tugging at me. I thought it was an actor set up for realism, but he was pulling with real force—like he wanted to drag me to the bottom. Moving underwater was exhausting, and I was almost out of strength. I quickly signaled for help.

My arms shook, vision closing in. I tapped the emergency signal, desperate. I heard, 'Okay, cut! Great! One take!' but the grip on my ankle didn’t let go. I swallowed water, my mind fuzzing out. I struggled, reaching for my ankle with the cross tied to my wrist, but the harness and water made it nearly impossible.

My vision blurred, my heart hammered, and panic threatened to swallow me. The figure below grew more ferocious, pulling harder. Utterly exhausted, I gave up resisting and let myself sink. I thought of Danny—his small hand in mine. Maybe this was always my price to pay.

'Daddy!'

Suddenly, Danny’s voice rang in my ears. My eyes snapped open. A surge of strength filled me, and I managed to touch my ankle with the cross. Instantly, the force vanished. The figure disappeared. The water went still, and I floated up.

They hauled me out. I coughed up water and gasped for air, shaking, furious. I glared at the nervous crew, voice barely there:

'Where’s Will Cooper? Bring him here!'

I could barely stand, but adrenaline kept me upright. I’d seen Will pulling me. How could he be so reckless? Maddie, my assistant, froze, dropping the towel. The set went eerily silent. She jumped back, face white as a sheet:

'Mr. Mason, what are you talking about? Will Cooper… he died three days before filming started!'

Her words hit me like a punch. The towel slipped from my hands, my knees almost buckling. The whole set fell silent, everyone’s eyes on me, the world tilting sideways. Today was the seventh day after his death—the day, they say, when the soul is most restless and likely to possess the living.