Wandering out of the thick forest of Level 445, a beaming light blinds you in the form of a haphazardly-placed lamp post. As the grass becomes more sparse and the trees thin out, you catch sight of a deep, dark lake that lay just ahead, its perimeter lined in a thin coast of damp sand. The water is unmoving, yet an unsettling aura radiates from its very depths. The potent darkness hampers your view — the other side of the lake is nowhere to be seen. Fleeing a hostile encounter with one of Level 445's residents deprived you of your supplies, so what's the risk of taking a quick swim across?
Bad idea. Bad, bad idea.
You find yourself fully submerged in the lake's tenebrous waters, yet even diving down under you can't seem to reach the bottom. You decide to brush this off as a normal occurrence; in your childhood, everyone knew about the local "bottomless lake". But, to your great horror, you realize that no one ever knew of its true depth.
As you swim on and on, the darkness surrounds you as you escape the liberation of the standalone lamp post that you'd seen almost half an hour ago now. Then, suddenly, you feel something brush past your toes. It felt as if it curled around you for a moment, only to soon let go. Could it have been a fish? Or was it perhaps some algae or seaweed? Maybe the coast could've shallowed out, allowing some sort of plantlife to graze you. Nonetheless, this faint brush reignited your resolve, allowing you to swim on.
Another five minutes pass, and as you move forward, a dim light makes its way into your view, floating up from the depths of the lake. The light is attached to something, but what could it be? You come to take a closer look as it fully surfaces, and you decide to take the headlamp off of the object to use it for yourself. As you open your eyes after strapping it to yourself, a dead man stares back at you. Your face turns paper-white as you barely manage to keep yourself afloat in utter shock. You feel the vomit encroaching its way up your throat as you desperately paddle your legs — perhaps too desperately. Your right leg begins to tense and cramp, delivering you a seering pain.
You're sinking.
A tentacle tightly grips your uncramped leg, pulling you into the depths of this lake shrouded in misery and tragedy. Hold your breath and maybe, just maybe you'll make it to the other side.
Local Tragedy
In the early dawn of July 25th, 2022, the body of a young adult by the name of Jeremey Fuller, who had previously been reported missing, was found surfaced on the coast of Lake Lauren. His death is one of several that have been reported at the lake in recent times, and as such, Lake Lauren will be permanently closed to public visitation for the safety of the public. In other news…