Cradle Lake - Chapter Summaries

Alan Hammerstun returns to his uncle's house in rural North Carolina, a place he barely remembers from his childhood visits. The journey from New York City is tense, marked by Heather's silence and Alan's discomfort, which is exacerbated by the recent trauma of Heather's suicide attempts and the loss of their unborn children. As they approach the house, Alan shares fragmented memories of the property, contrasting the vast, wild landscape with the dilapidated state of the house itself.

Upon arriving, Alan nearly hits a young boy who darts in front of their car, an event that further unsettles both him and Heather. The house, now in a state of disrepair, seems to loom over them with an almost oppressive presence. Heather's reaction to the house is particularly cold and detached, her emotional withdrawal evident as she stands motionless in the living room, staring out at the overgrown backyard and the encroaching forest. Alan tries to remain optimistic, hoping this new environment will help heal their fractured relationship.

The chapter ends with Alan's internal struggle to maintain hope and his fear that the move might not be the fresh start he had envisioned. The house, with its neglected appearance and the eerie vines that seem to cling to it, sets a foreboding tone for the novel. Alan's attempts to engage Heather and his reflections on their past traumas highlight the deep fissures in their marriage, suggesting that the challenges ahead may be more profound than the physical renovation of the house.

Two hours after the movers leave, Alan stands outside the house, smoking a cigarette, reflecting on the past year's traumas and his decision to start anew. A police car idles across the street, but the officer does not interact with Alan, adding to the unease of the new environment. Alan then engages with a group of local children playing baseball, initially helping one of them by catching a ball, but the interaction ends awkwardly when the kids accuse him of interference.

Exploring the backyard, Alan encounters a deer and a mysterious path leading into the forest. As he follows the path, he discovers a carved stone and a sudden, startling encounter with a large bird that leaves him injured. Returning to the house, he finds a set of unexpected visitors: his new neighbors, the Gerskis, who bring a dish and a bottle of wine as a welcome gesture. The interaction is strained, especially due to Heather's detached and unresponsive demeanor.

Alan's conversation with Hank Gerski reveals more about the neighborhood and the previous owner of the house, who was Alan's uncle. The chapter ends with Alan tending to his injury and finding Heather in a distant, uncommunicative state, highlighting the challenges they face in their new home.

Long before Alan and Heather moved to North Carolina, they had faced significant challenges in their quest to start a family. After months of trying to conceive without success, they finally learned Heather was pregnant, only to lose the baby two months into the pregnancy. The miscarriage was a traumatic experience, marked by a horrific scene where Heather hemorrhaged in the middle of the night, and Alan found himself in a state of shock and horror.

The couple struggled to recover emotionally, with Heather retreating into herself and Alan feeling helpless. Despite the setback, they decided to try again, and Heather became pregnant a second time. However, tragedy struck once more when Heather collapsed at work during the second trimester, and Alan witnessed the aftermath of another miscarriage, including a disturbing visit to the hospital where he saw the remains of their lost child. The emotional toll was immense, and Heather fell into a deep depression, quitting her job and isolating herself in their apartment.", "

Alan's mental and physical health deteriorated as he dealt with ulcers and a sense of guilt and failure. Despite this, Heather seemed to recover suddenly, returning to work and resuming her normal activities. However, the relief was short-lived when Alan woke up one night to find Heather in the bathroom, having attempted suicide. This event pushed Alan to his breaking point, and he realized the depth of their emotional wounds and the need for a fresh start, leading to the decision to move to North Carolina and take over his uncle's house.

Alan awakens in a sweat, haunted by memories of the past year's traumas, particularly the loss of their babies. He gets out of bed, feeling the pain of his ulcer, and takes antacid tablets. The rural silence is disorienting, and he steps outside to smoke, noticing the absence of city sounds and the eerie presence of his father’s cologne in the air.

As Alan wanders into the woods, he follows a path marked by glowing white stones, each carved with a unique symbol. The path leads to a moonlit clearing with a small, icy lake and a congregation of silent, watchful buzzards perched in the trees. Alan feels an overwhelming sense of being trapped when he realizes the path back is obscured by mist, but he eventually finds his way back to the house.

Outside, Alan notices a police car parked down the street, which had been present earlier. Curious, he approaches the car, and it suddenly drives away, leaving him feeling uneasy. The chapter ends with Alan returning to the house, reflecting on the strange and unsettling experiences of the night.

Alan visits Hank Gerski's basement, a shrine to the Baltimore Orioles, where Hank reminisces about his short-lived career in professional baseball. Despite the nostalgie, Hank seems content with his current life as a bookkeeper, and the conversation shifts to the neighborhood and the possibility of Alan and Heather starting a family. Alan's questions about the frequent presence of a police car and the path in his backyard are met with vague and dismissive answers from Hank, who suggests that the path and the stones with symbols might have been created by kids and warns Alan about the dangers of bears in the woods.

Later, at the Gerski's backyard barbecue, Alan feels out of place and observes the interactions among the neighbors, including the women gathered around a pregnant woman. He notices Heather sitting alone, looking distant and unresponsive. The evening takes a disturbing turn when Alan wakes up in the middle of the night to find Heather missing from their bed. Overwhelmed with fear, he searches the house and finds the bathroom empty but with the water running in the tub.

Alan's anxiety grows as he continues his search, eventually finding Heather standing in the backyard, dressed in a white nightgown and staring at the path leading into the woods. When he approaches her, she seems disoriented and claims that Alan had whispered to her about going down to the lake. Despite her insistence, Alan denies it, and he leads her back to the house, his heart heavy with the realization of the deep emotional chasm between them.

On a Sunday afternoon, a week after moving into the house, Alan finds himself alone as Heather goes shopping with Lydia. He savors the solitude but reflects on his role as Heather’s caretaker since her suicide attempt, and the chilling memory of finding her in the yard at night. The quiet is broken when he notices a vine creeping from behind the refrigerator, reminding him of the Humboldt squid he once saw in a video. The vine’s presence adds to the eerie atmosphere of the house.

While sipping coffee, Alan spots a massive bird in the tree outside, which evokes the same fear he felt during his encounter in the woods. He decides to investigate but finds the bird gone, leaving only claw marks on the tree. Hank appears, offering a beer and discussing the wildlife, but Alan’s thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a car accident across the street. A child has been hit, and Alan rushes to help, only to witness the community’s bizarre response.

The injured boy, Cory, is carried into the woods and submerged in the lake by the men, including Hank. Alan, horrified, watches as the boy is seemingly drowned but then resurfaces, coughing and conscious. The men’s actions and their subsequent stares at Alan create a tense and unsettling atmosphere, leaving Alan shaken and questioning the true nature of the community he has joined.

Alan and the community men return from the woods with Cory, the injured boy, who appears remarkably unharmed despite the severity of the accident. Cory is wrapped in extra shirts and a windbreaker, but his disoriented state and colorless lips contrast with his apparent lack of pain. Alan, still shaken by the bizarre events, walks beside Hank, who tries to reassure him that Cory is fine, attributing his recovery to being merely stunned. Alan remains skeptical, haunted by the vivid images of the accident and the community’s strange response, including the men’s actions at the lake and their subsequent cleanup of the bloodstain in the street.

Back at home, Alan and Heather sit down for a quiet dinner. Heather mentions seeing a hunter in their backyard early in the morning, a barefoot man with a gun who watched the house for a while before disappearing into the woods. Alan is disturbed by this information, especially given the recent events and his own growing sense of unease about their new home. The dinner is tense and silent, with Heather’s depression weighing heavily on Alan. Just as they are finishing, a knock at the door reveals Sheriff Hearn Landry, who inquires about the emergency call Alan made regarding the car accident.

Alan recounts the incident to the sheriff, initially confident but becoming increasingly uncertain as he describes the boy’s miraculous recovery and the community’s odd behavior. Sheriff Landry, a large, imposing figure, listens with a mix of curiosity and skepticism, asking for details about the vehicle and the driver. When Alan admits he doesn’t have much information, the sheriff seems unconvinced and suggests that the boy was simply stunned. Landry’s demeanor is casual, almost dismissive, and he mentions that his deputy had already checked the neighborhood and concluded it was a minor incident. Alan is left feeling both confused and unsettled by the sheriff’s visit and the community’s apparent efforts to downplay the accident.

Around nine o'clock that evening, Alan steps out to the back patio for a smoke, accompanied by his dog Jerry Lee. The serene night is disrupted when Hank appears with a six-pack of beer, apologizing for his earlier lies and the community's strange behavior regarding the injured boy, Cory. Hank explains that the lake, known as Cradle Lake, has mysterious healing properties, but it also exacts a price, sometimes causing harm or even death to those who use it.

Hank recounts the story of Owen and Sophie Moreland, a couple who discovered the lake's powers. Sophie benefited immensely, becoming younger and healthier, while Owen deteriorated physically and mentally. Frustrated and jealous, Owen killed Sophie and then himself, driven to madness by the disparity in their transformations. Hank emphasizes the unpredictable nature of the lake's effects, noting that it can heal some while harming others, and advises Alan to stay away from it to avoid the potential dangers.

The conversation deepens as Hank shares more stories of the lake's impact, including a dog that was healed but later gave birth to deformed puppies. Hank suggests that the lake may have a will of its own, summoning certain individuals to use its powers. Alan, though skeptical, is visibly shaken by the tales and the implications of the lake's existence. The chapter ends with Hank inviting Alan to see something, hinting at more revelations about the lake's mysterious nature.

Alan and Hank walk to the Gerski house in the light rain, where Hank leads Alan to the unfinished basement. Hank opens a photo album containing pictures of his daughter, Catherine, who suffered from childhood leukemia. The album shows Catherine's journey through hospital treatments, her use of a wheelchair, and her beautiful, resilient smile despite her illness.

Hank explains that Catherine's condition improved after six trips to Cradle Lake, a mysterious body of water with healing properties. He warns Alan about the unpredictable nature of the lake, which can both heal and harm, and advises him to stay away from it. Hank's emotional recounting of his daughter's story and the community's secretive attitude toward the lake deepen Alan's sense of unease and the ominous atmosphere surrounding their new home.

Alan returns to his house, haunted by the images from the photo album and the memory of his own lost children. He experiences a physical reaction to the stress, his ulcer acting up, and finds himself unable to shake the clinical, sterile smell of hospital corridors. As he lies in bed next to Heather, Alan reflects on the loss of their babies and the profound impact it has had on their lives. He is startled to realize that the gash on his forehead, sustained during his first encounter with the lake, has mysteriously healed, further linking his experiences to the lake's enigmatic powers.

Alan, driven by his curiosity about the Moreland murder-suicide, delves deeper into the story by accessing archived newspaper articles. Despite the article confirming Hank’s account, Alan feels a hollow sensation and a growing unease, especially when he discovers a photograph of Owen Moreland, the perpetrator, on a pharmacy website. The image of the friendly, bespectacled man contrasts sharply with the horror of his actions.

While investigating, Alan is interrupted by his dog, Jerry Lee, barking incessantly. Investigating the noise, Alan finds a wounded cat in his yard, which he rescues and brings to its owner, Cory Morris. The interaction with Cory and his mother is tense and uncomfortable, with Cory’s cold demeanor and the mother’s dismissive attitude adding to Alan’s sense of dread. The cat, Patsy, hisses at Cory, suggesting a mutual distrust.

Returning home through the woods, Alan becomes disoriented in the rain and stumbles upon a dead deer, which further unsettles him. He eventually makes it back to the house, where he finds Heather standing in the doorway of his office, staring at the computer screen displaying Owen Moreland’s photo. Heather identifies Moreland as the 'barefoot hunter' she saw in their backyard, a revelation that deepens the mystery and connects to her earlier sighting.

Alan is overtaken by a fever that plunges him into a series of intense and disturbing hallucinations. He alternates between freezing and sweating, experiencing vivid dreams where he floats above his body, watches himself from the ceiling, and sees his hands pressed against the bedroom window, with Sheriff Landry staring at him from outside. The house seems to shift and tilt, and Alan moves through it as if it were a ship at sea, guided by the cold, eerie atmosphere and the sense of an unseen presence.

In one of his fever dreams, Alan hears a faint voice and follows it to the living room, where he finds Heather sitting on the couch, singing a twisted version of a lullaby. The song is grotesque and horrific, and as he approaches her, he sees that she is cradling a mound of black feathers, which transforms into a monstrous buzzard with human-like eyes and a phallic head. The bird attacks him, and Heather’s appearance changes, her eyes becoming hollow and her mouth filled with blackened teeth, as she continues to sing the chilling lullaby. The scene is both surreal and deeply unsettling, leaving Alan shaken and disoriented.

Alan’s fever dreams continue, leading him through the house and into the backyard, where he encounters a ghostly figure of his father, who speaks of being better off without his mother. The figure then transforms into Owen Moreland, the man who committed the murder-suicide, guiding Alan down a path through the woods to Cradle Lake. Owen warns Alan about the haunted nature of the lake and its mysterious depths. Despite his desperate attempts to wake up, Alan is forced to enter the lake, where he experiences a violent jolt and wakes up in bed, sweating and trembling. He finds no blood on his hands, but the lingering fear and confusion from the dream leave him shaken. He seeks comfort in Heather’s embrace, trying to regain a sense of normalcy.

Alan awakens on the third day, feeling as if he has risen from the dead, though his muscles are rubbery and his eyes nearly blind. He finds Heather in the living room, watching television with the sound turned down low. Her gaunt, hollow appearance frightens him, and he recalls the disturbing fever dream where she cradled a monstrous buzzard. Heather informs him that Sheriff Landry visited while he was ill, leaving a business card for when Alan feels better.

In the kitchen, Alan prepares coffee and discovers that the vine he previously removed has regrown and now penetrates the refrigerator, entwining itself around the contents. He cuts the vines, which bleed a dark, warm, viscous fluid, and cleans up the mess. The discovery of the vines’ rapid regrowth and their strange properties deepens his sense of unease and the supernatural nature of their new home.

Later, Sheriff Landry visits Alan, confirming that he had indeed been outside the house during Alan’s fever. Landry warns Alan to stay away from the lake and not to cause trouble in the community, emphasizing the town’s peacefulness and the need to maintain it. Alan, feeling cornered, agrees to stay away from the lake but demands that the sheriff stop spying on his house. Landry leaves with a satisfied grin, and Alan is left to ponder the strange events and the town’s secrets.

That night, unable to sleep, Alan’s thoughts are plagued by the recurring images of his fever dreams and the warnings from Landry. He retrieves his wet pajama pants from the laundry hamper, a tangible reminder of his dream where he followed his father—or Owen Moreland—through the woods to the lake. The chapter ends with Alan’s growing suspicion that the strange occurrences in Cradle Lake are more than mere coincidences.

Alan finds himself battling the rapid growth of thorny vines that have enveloped the patio door, making it impossible to open. The vines are thick and bleed a syrupy purple fluid when cut, and they have even begun to creep up the foundation and onto the roof, prying up the shingles. Despite his efforts to saw through them, Alan is left with bloody pinpricks on his hands from the thorns.

While working on the vines, Alan notices a buzzard in the yard, its wings spread and its appearance diseased. The bird is feeding on what turns out to be the mutilated remains of Patsy, the cat he had returned to Cory Morris. Alan, disgusted and disturbed, chases the bird away with stones and then buries the cat in the woods, feeling a mix of anger and frustration.

In the woods, Alan's mind wanders to a past conversation with Dr. Chu, the psychiatrist who had treated Heather after her suicide attempt. The memory of Dr. Chu's recommendation to admit Heather to a psychiatric hospital and the intense emotional struggle it caused Alan resurfaces. This memory adds to his growing unease and the sense of being overwhelmed by the supernatural and psychological challenges they face in their new home.

Alan's walk through the woods leads him to the edge of Cradle Lake, where he reflects on his fever dreams and the bizarre events surrounding the lake. Despite his initial fear, he feels a strange sense of calm and decides to strip off his clothes and dive into the water, driven by a mix of curiosity and a desire to confront the unknown.

Still wet from his swim at Cradle Lake, Alan steps back into his yard under the intense midday sun. The heat feels invigorating after the cold lake water, and he shakes his head, running his fingers through his damp hair. As he approaches the sliding patio doors, he pauses, noticing a thin vine, reminiscent of spaghetti, that has wound itself around the door handle. The sight sends a chill through him, and he freezes, his hand suspended in mid-air as if in a photograph.

Suddenly, a noise catches his attention, and he turns to see Cory Morris standing at the edge of the yard, partially hidden by the shade of nearby trees. Alan is shocked to see the boy, whose face is slick with sweat and whose shirt is stained with perspiration. More alarmingly, Cory’s hands are covered in blood. Alan’s voice falters as he tries to call out to the boy, managing only a weak croak. Gathering his strength, he yells louder: “Hey! Did you do that to your cat?”

Cory turns and quickly heads up the street, ignoring Alan’s calls. Alan shouts the boy’s name again, but Cory disappears from view, leaving Alan alone and bewildered. The sight of the blood on Cory’s hands and the boy’s hurried departure add to the growing sense of unease and the mysterious, often sinister, nature of the community and the lake. Alan is left to ponder the connection between the boy’s actions and the supernatural elements he has encountered.

Hank visits Alan while he is cutting back the invasive vines, offering him a beer and expressing concern that Alan has been avoiding him. Alan reassures Hank that he has just been busy with housework and preparing for the upcoming school year. Hank mentions that Lydia has not seen Heather in a while, and Alan confirms that Heather is fine, though he acknowledges that he has been feeling stronger and more energetic recently, which he attributes to his increased activity around the house.

After Hank leaves, Alan is compelled to visit the old Moreland house on Cedar Avenue. The house is in a state of disrepair, with boarded-up windows and overgrown vegetation. Alan is particularly disturbed by the presence of several buzzards perched around the property. He enters the house through a back door, discovering a eerily silent and dark interior. The walls are covered in plastic tarpaulin, and the floors are littered with debris, including dried blood and strange carvings.

As Alan explores the house, he finds the word 'Devil’s Stone' repeatedly carved into the wood paneling, along with the same symbols he has seen on the stones leading to Cradle Lake. He also discovers a bloodstained wall in an upstairs bedroom, which he recognizes as the site of Sophie Moreland’s murder. The room is infested with maggots and flies, and the buzzards are actively peeling back the plastic tarpaulin to reveal more of the bloodstain. Alan confronts the birds, driving them out of the room, but is left shaken by the experience.

Alan's curiosity about the Devil’s Stone leads him to the Cherokee reservation on the other side of the Great Smoky Mountains. He purchases a map and conducts a brief internet search, learning about the Cherokee people and the location of the reservation. Early the next morning, after his usual swim in Cradle Lake, Alan sets out on a drive, feeling strong and healthy, his ulcer seemingly cured. He wears long sleeves to avoid drawing attention from the neighbors. As he drives, the landscape becomes increasingly isolated, and he eventually reaches a small, rundown town called Devil’s Stone, where he stops at a seedy bar to gather information.

Inside the bar, Alan meets a friendly but wary local who tells him about Packer’s Pass, a dangerous area in the mountains where campers have disappeared. The locals believe the disappearances are the work of a creature called Adahy. Alan feels a growing unease when he sees two men at the bar who momentarily resemble his deceased father and a friend. After a brief, unsettling conversation, the man buys him a beer and shares more about the Devil’s Stone and the local legends. Determined to learn more, Alan drives to Packer’s Pass, a narrow, dirt road shrouded in dense forest. He arrives at a desolate, abandoned house and meets an elderly woman who claims to know him and insists he drink a strange concoction to protect himself from the dangers in the woods.

The woman, who introduces herself as George YoungCalfRibs' caretaker, provides Alan with a walking stick and gives him specific instructions for his journey to the Devil’s Stone. She warns him not to cross the river and to avoid the spirits and creatures that may try to harm him. Despite his reservations, Alan decides to follow her advice and sets out on the path, feeling a growing sense of isolation and unease. The path leads him through a lush, almost otherworldly forest, and he contemplates the strange events that have led him here. Eventually, he reaches the Devil’s Stone, a massive rock formation that resembles a skull, and finds George YoungCalfRibs sitting before a smoldering fumarole, awaiting his arrival.

Alan meets George YoungCalfRibs, an elderly Cherokee man, at the Devil’s Stone. George reveals that he has been expecting Alan’s arrival, guided by dreams and the protection of the warrior Tsul Kalu. Alan is initially skeptical but becomes increasingly intrigued as George explains the history and nature of the lake, known as Ataga’hi, which was originally intended to heal animals and later humans, but has been corrupted by human greed and abuse.

George warns Alan that the lake is now a malevolent force, calling to those who are careless enough to seek it out as a form of revenge. He explains that the symbols carved into the stones serve as a judgment, permitting or turning away those who approach the lake. The vines that have grown around Alan’s house are described as conduits of the lake’s power, and the house itself is rotting, tethered to the soured land. George emphasizes the danger Alan and Heather face, urging them to leave the house and burn it to prevent further harm.

Alan is deeply shaken by George’s revelations and the sense of impending doom. As he leaves the Devil’s Stone, he encounters a mysterious voice and shadow in the woods, which he interprets as a spirit or possibly the old Indian himself. Despite the old woman’s warnings, Alan manages to make his way back to her house and then drives away, keeping the headlights off to avoid attracting unwanted attention. The chapter ends with Alan reflecting on the ominous nature of George’s message and the strange events that have led him to this point.

Alan returns home to find the house dark and the air filled with the scent of burning coffee. In the kitchen, he discovers a pot of coffee boiling over on the stove, an old stovetop percolator that has been passed down through Heather’s family. Concerned, he calls out for Heather, who is found in their bedroom, sitting on the bed in a state of distress, her face blotchy and red, and her eyes brimming with tears. She apologizes profusely, saying she can’t give him what he wants, and confesses to taking a ‘detour,’ though it is unclear what she means.

Alan is initially relieved that Heather hasn’t taken any pills or harmful substances, but her cryptic comments about taking a detour and the emotional turmoil she displays leave him deeply concerned. He contemplates calling Dr. Lawrence Chu to have Heather committed but instead retreats to the kitchen, where he smokes cigarettes and contemplates their dire situation. Later, he joins Heather in bed, holding her tightly as she expresses her pain and resignation, her words and demeanor indicating a deep sense of despair and detachment.

In the middle of the night, Alan is awakened by the laughter of dead children, which he senses floating above him. He reflects on the ominous nature of Cradle Lake and the warnings from George YoungCalfRibs about the lake’s malevolent influence. His thoughts are interrupted by the appearance of a shadowy figure in the living room, which he initially mistakes for his father. The figure, revealed to be Owen Moreland, stands at the entrance to the path leading to the lake, dressed in a blood-splattered sweatshirt and with a grotesque facial injury. Owen greets Alan with a chilling, distorted smile and disappears into the woods, prompting Alan to follow him down the path to the lake.

Alan returns home from his nocturnal excursion to Cradle Lake, drenched and shivering. He is disoriented, with no memory of how he ended up in the lake, and his dog Jerry Lee reacts fearfully to his state. Alan notices a heavy jug of water he had filled from the lake, setting it on the bathroom sink and observing the changes in his body, including the regrowth of his foreskin and the healing of his ancient scars. His ulcer, which had plagued him, is also gone, further evidence of the lake's transformative and potentially malevolent powers.

In the bedroom, Alan finds Heather awake but lying in bed, her gaze lifeless and her demeanor distant. Despite his attempts to engage her, Heather remains unresponsive, refusing even to drink water until Alan physically helps her. The chapter delves into Alan's memories of their happier times, contrasting the vibrant, loving moments from their past with the current state of their relationship, which is marked by Heather's deep depression and emotional withdrawal. Alan's internal monologue reveals his desperate longing to return to the days before their traumas and his determination to support Heather despite the strain on their marriage.

Alan's sense of unease is heightened by a mysterious phone call, which he answers to find no one on the line. He scans the street for signs of Sheriff Landry’s car but finds none. Upon returning to the bedroom, he finds Heather asleep, clutching at the air as if trying to hold onto something intangible. The chapter ends with Alan tending to Heather, covering her with blankets and adjusting her pillows, a poignant moment that underscores his commitment to her and the deep emotional chasm they must navigate.

By the time classes started in the fall, Heather Hammerstun had undergone a remarkable transformation. She had regained her natural weight, looked healthier, and had even resumed painting and working at a local gallery. Her scars and the signs of her previous trauma had vanished, and she seemed to have moved on from the dark events in New York. Alan, relieved and hopeful, attributed her recovery to their new environment and the mysterious powers of Cradle Lake.

However, the changes in Heather were not without their peculiarities. She noticed that her earlobes were no longer pierced, and she experienced mild discomfort and bleeding during sex, which she found confusing and embarrassing. Despite these oddities, her overall well-being and newfound happiness overshadowed any concerns. Alan himself experienced physical changes, such as the regrowth of his foreskin and the disappearance of his scars, though he kept these to himself.

The chapter takes a darker turn with the death of their dog, Jerry Lee. The golden retriever had become increasingly agitated and aggressive, leading Alan to consider euthanizing him. Despite a vet's reassurance of the dog's health, Jerry Lee died suddenly, leaving Alan and Heather saddened. This event was compounded by a sense of unease, particularly when Alan awoke one night feeling a third presence in the house. His fear escalated when he found a vine wrapped around his ankle, further intensifying the sense of supernatural threat.

Alan and Heather visit Dr. Regina Crawford for a prenatal checkup, where Heather undergoes an ultrasound. Dr. Crawford, a straightforward and practical doctor, reassures Heather about her health and diet, though she advises against excessive reading about pregnancy. During the ultrasound, Alan and Heather are relieved and overjoyed to see the developing fetus and hear its heartbeat, marking a significant moment of hope and renewal for them after their previous losses.

After the appointment, Alan and Heather enjoy a quiet lunch at a bistro, where Heather’s renewed optimism and joy are evident. However, their mood is abruptly shattered when they arrive home to find a large number of buzzards gathered around their house, creating a menacing and ominous atmosphere. Alan, determined to protect their home, uses road flares to scare the birds away, but one remains perched on the chimney, holding a vine in its beak, which adds to the sense of supernatural threat and the growing unease about their new environment.

The chapter highlights the fragile balance between hope and fear, as Alan and Heather’s joy over the pregnancy is tempered by the inexplicable and threatening presence of the buzzards. Alan’s actions and Heather’s reactions underscore the deep emotional and physical changes they have undergone, as well as the increasing tension and supernatural elements surrounding their new home.

Alan is jolted awake by a disturbing nightmare where his deceased father appears at the foot of his bed, motioning toward the bedroom door. In the nightmare, Alan discovers Heather shuffling past in the darkness and tries to call out to her, but finds his mouth and throat filled with black feathers and blood. He pulls a large, blood-soaked plastic bag from his throat, containing something that moves, which causes him to wake up in a panic.

In reality, Heather is still asleep beside him, and his father is not there. However, Alan is convinced that someone else is in the house. He searches the house but finds no one, though a lingering sense of unease persists. He then hears a noise from above and realizes it's coming from the attic. Determined to investigate, Alan retrieves a ladder and a flashlight from the kitchen and climbs into the attic.

The attic is infested with thick, thorny vines that have broken through the ceiling and are coiled around the joists, dripping a syrupy purple fluid. Alan is both disgusted and terrified by the sight. Over the next two days, he works tirelessly to remove the vines, cutting them away and stuffing the cut lengths into trash bags. The task is grueling, and the vines bleed onto him and the insulation. Once he has cleared the attic, he climbs onto the roof to remove the vines that have spread across it, hammering the pried-up shingles back into place.

Alan drags the trash bags to the curb, his hands bleeding from the thorns. As he finishes, he notices Sheriff Hearn Landry’s cruiser parked across the street. The chapter ends with the ominous scream of a buzzard overhead, adding to the sense of supernatural threat and the growing unease surrounding their new home.

For the next three nights, Alan awoke drenched in sweat, his heart pounding, convinced that someone had been breathing down on him. Each night, he sat up in the darkened bedroom, scanning the shadows for any sign of an intruder. Despite his heightened sense of fear and the lingering sense of a presence, the room remained eerily still, with only Heather’s silent form beside him in bed.

Alan’s recurring nightmares and the feeling of being watched added to his growing unease and the supernatural atmosphere of their new home. The vivid and disturbing nature of these dreams, coupled with the physical manifestations of his fear, highlighted the deep psychological and emotional toll of their experiences. Each night, he found himself questioning his sanity and the reality of the threats he perceived, yet the consistency of the sensations made it difficult to dismiss them as mere figments of his imagination.

The chapter underscores the ongoing struggle between Alan’s desire for a fresh start and the relentless intrusion of past traumas and the mysterious, malevolent forces surrounding Cradle Lake. The persistent sense of being watched and the physical reactions to these experiences reflect the deepening tension and the ominous nature of their environment, setting the stage for further supernatural and psychological challenges.

Heather begins to share the news of her pregnancy with family and friends, including her parents and sister, despite Alan's initial reluctance to announce it so soon. Her parents send a crib, which Alan assembles in the room he has surrendered from his home office, and he paints it a unisex pale yellow. Heather decorates the room with Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore decals, and Lydia throws her an impromptu baby shower, which Alan avoids by staying home to monitor the attic for any signs of vine regrowth.

Alan continues to be plagued by nightmares, particularly about octopus tentacles breaking through the ceiling and strangling him and Heather. On Halloween, the neighborhood kids engage in mischief, toilet-papering houses and egging cars. Alan, who remains awake most of the night, hears the commotion and feels increasingly uneasy. Heather, in good spirits, sets out a bowl of Halloween candy and takes turns with Alan in answering the door to trick-or-treaters. Around eleven o’clock, Heather goes to bed, leaving Alan to handle the last of the visitors.

When Alan opens the front door to a final knock, he finds the porch empty but notices a small, hooded figure standing among the trees. Recognizing the boy as Cory Morris, Alan is disturbed by Cory’s ghostly appearance and the eerie way he moves. Cory throws something onto the porch, which turns out to be the head and neck of a buzzard, still dripping with blood. Shocked and horrified, Alan hurriedly cleans up the mess and locks the door, feeling a deep sense of dread and unease. The next morning, Alan swims in Cradle Lake and refills his water jug, finding that his ulcer has once again disappeared.

Alan concludes his class for the day, assigning William Blake’s 'Songs of Innocence and Experience' for the Thanksgiving break. His students, distracted by the upcoming holiday, barely pay attention. After class, Alan meets with Morton Kent Boyle, the head of his department, who comments on Alan’s improved physical appearance and suggests they play golf together, an offer Alan politely declines.

On his way to his car, Alan encounters Sheriff Hearn Landry, who casually inquires about Alan’s well-being and Heather’s pregnancy. Landry’s lecherous tone and probing questions unsettle Alan, making him feel like he is being monitored. After leaving the college, Alan becomes increasingly paranoid, suspecting he is being followed by Landry. He takes several precautionary measures to ensure he is not being trailed, including random turns and speeding through a yellow light.

At home, Alan’s paranoia continues as he greets Heather, who is showing signs of her pregnancy. He lies to her about the reason for his delayed return, hiding his concerns about being followed. During their appointment with Dr. Regina Crawford, Alan’s anxiety peaks when he sees the ultrasound of their baby. He momentarily perceives the baby’s features as grotesque, but convinces himself it is a trick of his mind. Despite his fears, he agrees to keep the baby’s sex a surprise, as suggested by the doctor. The chapter ends with Alan’s nighttime panic, where he searches the house and the attic for any signs of intruders, finding none, and eventually ventures into the woods, driven by a mix of curiosity and fear.

Thanksgiving Day at the Gerski house is tense for Alan, who senses an underlying deception. He and Heather arrive with a casserole dish and a bottle of Chianti, and the initial pleasantries mask a deeper unease. Catherine, Hank and Lydia’s daughter, is fascinated by Heather’s pregnancy, and the adults retire to the living room for drinks and conversation. Hank’s casual inquiries about the baby’s sex and Alan’s readiness for fatherhood are laden with an unsettling subtext, and Alan’s discomfort grows.

During a conversation in the backyard, Hank reveals that Lydia knows about Heather’s past, including the miscarriages and her suicide attempt. Hank confronts Alan about the changes in Heather, particularly the disappearance of her scars, and insinuates that Alan has been using Cradle Lake’s powers. Alan, feeling cornered and angry, accuses Hank of trying to control him and his family. The confrontation escalates, with Hank expressing genuine concern about the dangers of the lake and the possibility that the land itself has called them there.

Despite the tension, Alan and Heather stay for dinner, but they leave early, citing Alan’s migraine. Back home, Alan bolts the door and closes the curtains, feeling a mix of paranoia and protectiveness. Heather, unaware of the full extent of the confrontation, comforts him, and they go to bed. Alan’s nightmare that night is intense and disturbing, featuring a monstrous creature by the lake and a vine that wraps around his ankle, mirroring the supernatural threats he has been facing.

Alan continues to suffer from recurring bouts of nausea and insomnia, which he attributes to the supernatural and malevolent forces surrounding their new home. Despite his efforts to keep the disturbances quiet, Heather remains oblivious to his struggles. Alan finds himself increasingly drawn to Cradle Lake, where he seeks solace and strength, but the water’s healing properties do little to alleviate his growing anxiety and paranoia. The cold, torturous visits to the lake become a daily ritual, and he fills Heather’s water jug twice a week, hoping to maintain their newfound health and well-being.

Alan’s suspicions about the town’s residents deepen, particularly regarding Hank and Sheriff Landry, whom he believes are conspiring against him. He recalls Hank’s ominous words from Thanksgiving, suggesting that the land itself may have called them to the house, using them for its own purposes. These thoughts gnaw at Alan, fueling his paranoia and driving him to take drastic measures to protect his family. He begins sleeping with a Louisville bat beside the bed and conducts nightly searches for an intruder, only to find fresh vines growing from the walls, which he burns in the yard.

One Saturday, Heather returns from Christmas shopping to find Alan breaking through the drywall in the main hallway, pulling out tangled vines. Despite the bizarre and disturbing nature of his actions, Heather remains unfazed, continuing to focus on her pregnancy and the preparations for the baby. Alan’s isolation and fear grow as he realizes that Heather is seemingly unaffected by the supernatural occurrences, leading to a tense and unsettling confrontation. During dinner, Alan’s attempts to discuss their strange dreams with Heather are met with laughter and dismissal, culminating in a terrifying moment when he wakes up to find his hands around her throat as she sleeps.

Alan is confronted by Sheriff Landry and Hank at his front door, where Landry inquires about the home improvements he is making, but Alan, feeling threatened, refuses to let them in or discuss anything further. Landry’s intimidating presence and Hank’s discomfort deepen Alan’s suspicion that they are trying to bully him into staying away from Cradle Lake. After they leave, Alan discovers Heather standing behind him, adding to his unease.

Later, Alan is disturbed by the appearance of a single, threadlike vine growing from the floor in the living room, which he burns in the yard. His paranoia and fear are further heightened when he wakes up in the middle of the night to find a vine wrapped around his neck, nearly strangling him. He manages to break the vine and checks Heather, who is still asleep, but notices an unsettling movement beneath her nightgown.

Alan spends the rest of the night vigilant, unable to sleep, and the next day he cancels his classes and sleeps on the living room couch. Throughout the night, he dreams of various unsettling images, and his fear and paranoia continue to grow, driven by the supernatural occurrences and the town’s threatening atmosphere.

The day before Christmas Eve, Heather refuses to go to her scheduled appointment with Dr. Crawford, citing concerns about the health risks of the medical equipment. She has taken up knitting and has a newfound enthusiasm for Christmas, decorating the house and even buying a stocking for the baby. Alan is uncomfortable with her decision but does not push the issue, recalling his own disturbing experience during their last visit to the doctor’s office.

Alan retreats to the master bedroom, where he has been sealing up cracks in the walls to prevent more vines from growing. He notices a police car parked down the street, which he believes is watching him, fueling his paranoia. He wonders about the lengths Sheriff Landry might go to protect the town’s secrets, including the possibility of vigilante action.

Later, Heather excitedly calls Alan to feel the baby moving, which he does, but the sensation is profoundly unsettling to him. That night, Alan is unable to sleep, haunted by his increasingly erratic dreams. He wakes to find Heather clawing at his face and struggling for breath, as he had unknowingly covered her nose and mouth during a nightmare. After a tense moment, Heather recovers, but Alan is left deeply shaken and distrustful.

Alan’s fear grows when he notices a movement beneath Heather’s nightgown, reminiscent of the deformed puppies Hank had mentioned. The chapter ends with Alan sitting up in bed, unable to sleep, his mind racing with fear and suspicion.

Christmas morning, Alan and Heather exchange gifts and enjoy a large breakfast prepared by Heather. Alan, feeling uncomfortable with the presence of Sheriff Landry’s cruiser parked down the street, retreats to the porch to smoke a cigarette. The sight of the sheriff’s car stokes his paranoia and anger, and he reflects on the need to visit Cradle Lake soon to refill Heather’s water jug.

During breakfast, Heather invites Alan to sing to the baby, which he does, though the experience is unsettling for him. After breakfast, Alan encourages Heather to soak in the tub while he cleans up. While tidying up, Alan notices a tiny vine growing through the floorboards, the same spot where Jerry Lee had once dug persistently. This discovery sends a chill through Alan, triggering memories of the dog’s strange behavior and deepening his unease.

Alan’s suspicion and paranoia grow as he contemplates the vine’s presence and the town’s secretive behavior. He decides to investigate Landry’s cruiser, finding it empty and realizing that the sheriff is likely manipulating him. Despite his initial anger, Alan laughs at the absurdity of the situation and kicks a dent in the car’s door before returning home. That night, Alan has a terrifying dream of tiny, wet hands and a creature probing his body, leaving him terrified and disoriented.

Heather finds Alan naked and asleep on the living room floor the morning after Christmas, a spot where he had previously found Jerry Lee’s dead body. Alan, still haunted by the recurring vines and the strange events, decides to investigate the crawl space beneath the house. He uncovers a tiny wooden door leading to the crawl space and, despite his hesitation, enters the cramped and eerie space with a flashlight.

Inside the crawl space, Alan discovers a horrifying sight: a pulsating, gel-coated mass that resembles a heart, surrounded by a network of thorny veins. The heart and the vines are deeply rooted in the soil, and the entire setup looks like a living, malevolent entity. Alan realizes that the house is literally being sustained and controlled by this parasitic system, which is connected to the malevolent power of Cradle Lake. Drawing on George YoungCalfRibs’ warning, Alan understands that the house and the land are irreparably corrupted.

Determined to rid the house of this infestation, Alan spends the afternoon cutting and removing the vines, filling multiple trash bags with the foliage. Despite his exhaustion and the foul-smelling gunk from the heart-like mass, he completes the task. However, his actions are observed by Sheriff Hearn Landry, who is parked across the street, adding to Alan’s growing paranoia and fear. Back inside, Alan’s love for Heather momentarily overcomes his dread, but his peace is shattered when he notices a disturbing movement under her skin, suggesting that the baby is not developing normally.

Alan's sleeplessness has reached a critical point, leaving him lethargic and visibly haggard. He catches only brief naps during the day while dreading the nights, secretly wishing for winter break to end so he can escape the house—and increasingly, Heather. He struggles with guilt over these feelings, trying to convince himself that they are finally becoming a family again.

Heather's behavior grows more erratic and controlling. She has quit her job at the art gallery, citing fears of germs and toxoplasmosis from neighborhood cats that could harm the baby. She obsessively plays classical music and practices prenatal yoga, convinced she is nurturing a genius. When Alan questions her decisions, she becomes hostile and dismissive, accusing him of being a "head case" while deflecting any criticism. Alan drinks the last of the lake water from the fridge, feeling instant relief from his ulcer and physical tension, but he grows increasingly disturbed by what the water is doing to Heather.

That night, despite his efforts to stay awake reading, exhaustion overtakes Alan. He dreams of Cory Morris dressed in black with white greasepaint, holding the dead cat Patsy and speaking cryptically about mistakes that need to be "rectified." Alan awakens to sounds of movement in the house—chairs dragging, cupboards opening, pots and pans crashing to the floor. Racing through the house, he finds the kitchen in disarray and a shattered vase in the living room. When he hears Heather cry out, he rushes to the bedroom and witnesses the most horrifying sight yet: something flesh-colored and wormlike—resembling a tiny leg with a knee or elbow joint—is protruding from between Heather's legs, making cicada-like sounds before retreating back inside her. Her belly visibly moves with something crawling within, and Heather breaks into disturbing laughter while still appearing to be asleep. Alan is left frozen in terror, finally understanding that the "intruder" he has been sensing in the house all along is the unnatural thing growing inside his wife.

In a brief but deeply unsettling scene, Alan is startled awake in the middle of the night to find Heather standing over him where he has fallen asleep on the floor against her side of the bed. Her legs are spread, her hair disheveled into a wild mop, and she stands motionless in the darkness. Alan cannot determine whether she is awake or sleepwalking, her face obscured by shadow.

The silence is oppressive, described as the aftershock of a tremendous explosion. Then Alan hears what he initially mistakes for the crackling of a distant fire—only to feel warm wetness spraying onto his bare feet. His wife is urinating on the bedroom floor while standing directly above him. Alan can only groan and pull his legs to his chest in horrified helplessness.

Once finished, Heather wordlessly climbs back into bed, pulls the covers up to her chin, and begins snoring within seconds—as if nothing happened. The chapter's brevity amplifies its horror, presenting Heather's complete dissociation from reality and the degradation of her humanity under the lake's corrupting influence. Alan is left on the floor, witness to yet another disturbing manifestation of his wife's transformation.

Alan awakens to the sound of running water, stiff from having slept on the floor against the wall. The bedroom reeks of ammonia from the puddle of urine still visible between his feet—a visceral reminder of the previous night's horror. He finds Heather soaking in the bathtub, a washcloth draped over the dome of her pregnant belly, acting as though nothing has happened.

Desperate and frightened by everything he has witnessed—the appendage emerging from Heather, her erratic behavior, the thing moving inside her—Alan insists they schedule another ultrasound with Dr. Crawford. Heather's response is immediate and violent. She throws a fist into the bathwater and turns on him with an expression that chills him to the core, demanding to know why he is "doing this" to her.

What follows is a brutal verbal assault. Heather accuses Alan of never wanting children, of being secretly happy when their previous two babies died. She weaponizes his painful family history—his criminal father, his absent mother—claiming he is weak and fears becoming like them. Her words cut deeper than anything she has ever said to him. She caresses her glistening belly protectively and warns him: "You are not taking this baby from me. Do you understand? I won't let you." She accuses him of never properly burying their dead babies, leaving them as "ashes in a trash heap" or "the city fucking sewer."

Then, as suddenly as it began, Heather's rage evaporates. Her face goes slack and expressionless, and she calmly returns to her bath, draping the washcloth over her eyes as if the confrontation never occurred. The chapter ends with the haunting image of her pregnant belly rising from the water "like a leviathan"—a monstrous presence that has completely consumed the woman Alan once knew.

Alan spends the day falling apart. After her bath, Heather returns to the bedroom humming pleasantly, acting as if their confrontation never happened. Alan cleans the urine from the floor and retreats to the backyard where he chain-smokes an entire pack of menthols in the cold air. He notices Sheriff Landry's cruiser parked down the street and observes that the buzzards have multiplied dramatically—no longer confined to the woods, they now roost in trees throughout the neighborhood, one even perched atop a telephone pole surveying everything.

Owen Moreland's ghost appears beside him, speaking with garbled words from his shotgun-destroyed face. Owen insists he is not part of "it"—whatever malevolent force controls the lake—but is merely a casualty, like Alan may soon become. He urges Alan to "fix his mistake" but cannot tell him how. In a poignant twist, Alan realizes he has been speaking with his father all along, who calls him "a good kid" before the vision fades.

That night, Alan makes a devastating decision. He retrieves his misoprostol—ulcer medication with a clear warning that pregnant women should not ingest it. Haunted by Heather's accusations and the memory of their dead babies, yet knowing the thing inside her is not natural, he crushes the tablets into powder and dissolves them in Heather's water jug, placing it back in the refrigerator.

Over the following days, Alan poisons Heather systematically. He prepares her meals with care, watching her eat without noticing anything wrong. When she asks what he put in a particularly delicious dinner, he replies: "I made it with love." He notices the lake water's healing power no longer works on him—a cut on his hand won't heal. He ignores Hank's attempts at reconciliation, watching coldly through the window as his former friend walks away dejected. He takes a leave from the college, unplugs the phone, and isolates them completely.

Heather begins showing symptoms—cramps, dizziness, vomiting—but Alan offers only hollow threats to call the doctor. The chapter ends with Alan finding the envelope Dr. Crawford had given them about the baby's sex. It has been torn open and emptied. Alan thinks: "Him. He." Behind him, the living room wall cracks as something pushes through from within—the house itself responding to his betrayal.

After two in the morning, Alan sits on the couch watching an old Humphrey Bogart film with the volume muted, a bottle of Jameson in his lap. His ulcer burns fiercely—he has used all his misoprostol poisoning Heather's food and water, leaving none for himself. He curses Sheriff Landry and the rotating surveillance outside his house.

Heather's scream shatters the silence—not a sleep moan, but real agony. Alan rushes to the bedroom to find her buckled in a fetal position, face contorted in pain, nightgown riding up her sweat-soaked body. It has begun. He approaches but doesn't touch her immediately, simply watching as she writhes and cries out that something is wrong. He brushes hair from her burning face and sings a twisted lullaby: "Mama's gonna buy you a big black bird..."

What follows is a nightmarish delivery. Black blood—squid ink dark—soaks the mattress in arcing spurts. The smell of feces, blood, and semen fills the room. Alan keeps his eyes shut through much of it, retaining only snapshot images. The thing is less born than rejected—expelled in a wave of burning amniotic fluid, coated in reeking gelatin. It rolls wetly against Alan's knee, wriggling brokenly.

When Alan finally looks at what they have created, he sees something pale and fishlike with appendages like twisted intestines. The face is barely a face—one eye a slit, the other a horrific staring emerald with a vertical pupil, a lipless slash for a mouth, ear canals drilled into an oblong head. It has what looks like a segmented tail. The poisoning worked—the thing is dead.

Alan gathers towels and trash bags. He dumps the malformed creature into a Glad bag, mops up the afterbirth, and sets the bag in the bathtub. He spoons his exhausted, blood-soaked wife as she sleeps. Before sunrise, he dresses quietly and carries the bag outside, where buzzards cover every tree, the roof, the chimney—their talons clicking like typewriter keys. They remain silent as he digs a hole at the edge of the property and buries his son. He returns to bed beside Heather, the mattress sodden with blood coating their legs.

The chapter opens with a haunting meditation: a part of Alan Hammerstun never got up from that bed. His actions feel controlled by something else, as if he had disappeared long before this moment. When he awakens, the mattress is black with blood and the room stinks of death. Heather's side is empty.

He finds her in the bathroom—haggard, vacant, lost—sitting on the edge of the tub in a blood-soaked nightgown, dark runnels of dried blood running down to her ankles, hair a rat's nest of twisted wires. There is no life left in her eyes. "We're broken," she tells him flatly. "We're ruined now."

Alan desperately insists he can fix things, begging her to trust him. Heather refuses, saying it ends here—no more. Outside, a dull crash draws Alan to the window: a buzzard has dive-bombed Sheriff Landry's cruiser, cracking the windshield. The birds have overpopulated the yard, perching on curbs, cars, and neighboring rooftops. As Alan watches, they spread their wings in unison—not to intimidate, but to provide concealment, blocking Landry's view of the house.

Understanding the opportunity, Alan grabs Heather's arm and drags her from the bed despite her protests. Naked, he carries his sobbing wife through the house and out the patio doors into the frigid morning air. The tornado sound of wings shields them from the street as he rushes down the path through the woods.

At Cradle Lake, he sets Heather down and commands her to get into the water. She refuses, screaming that he is an animal, demanding to know what he did to them. When she tries to flee, he grabs her hair and yanks her back. Restraining her flailing body, he whispers his promise: "I'm going to fix us."

Then, without taking a breath, he launches forward and carries them both into the lake.

The freezing water strikes Alan like a punch, momentarily reducing him to nothing but a pinprick of light floating in some mythic void. Heather's high-pitched keening brings him back—she scrambles toward land, but he grabs her and pulls her back. Her skin turns blue, lips quivering, eyes sunken into dark caverns. A banner of wet hair bisects her face like a theatrical mask of duality.

Heather fights desperately. She punches him in the head, causing an explosion of red flashes and sound to whoosh from his ear. She claws his arm—and the bloody tracks heal almost instantly, proof that the lake's power still flows through him. But not through her.

Alan drags her toward the center, where the lake is deepest—where no one has ever touched the bottom. He pushes her head underwater, commanding her to drink, calling her his mermaid, professing his love. Her hair tangles around his wrists like underwater plants. Bubbles rupture the surface.

As he holds her under, Alan flashes to a memory: standing as a teenager in the morgue, looking at his father's body with the bullet hole in his head. Jimmy Carmichael behind him. "What am I supposed to do now?" "Guess you can do whatever you want. Happy trails."

Heather stops moving. Alan doesn't know how long he stands there, chest-deep in freezing water, hands buried in her hair. The clouds shift overhead. Then her nightgown floats to the surface like seaweed. Her pale body rises. Her hair fans against his chest. A buttock breaks the surface—a pale, glistening orb.

She doesn't respond to his calls. His voice cracks. Trembling, something hot rushing through his soul, Alan throws his head back and screams into the air.

He gathers her body and wades out. His muscles, sore moments ago, now feel rejuvenated and powerful—the lake has healed him even as it claimed her. As he carries Heather's weightless body down the path, an enormous lumbering beast walks alongside him in the trees, its fetid stench filling the air, its footfalls punching craters in the earth. Alan refuses to look at it. The walk seems to take forever, but he eventually finds his way back to the house.

Alan locks and bolts all doors, lays Heather's body on the bloodied bed, and peers out at the street. The birds have retreated to the trees. Landry and other men, including Hank, scrape the dead buzzard from the cruiser's windshield.

For the first time in days, Alan truly sees the house: gouges in the walls, vines and ivy sprouting from jagged fissures in drywall, snakelike shoots jutting from floorboard gaps, tendrils dripping pinkish ooze from ceiling fixtures. George YoungCalfRibs' voice echoes in his mind: the lake has become a bad place, calling to the careless rather than hiding from the unworthy. The house rots with them in it, like carrion. George's final warning returns: burn it to the ground so no one else can live there.

Laughter bubbles up inside Alan. He retrieves lighter fluid from beneath the kitchen sink and begins spraying the walls, soaking the vines. Some leaves curl and brown on contact. Hank knocks frantically at the door—Alan ignores him. He empties bottle after bottle through the foyer, hallway, and finally the bedroom, soaking walls, floors, dirty clothes, bedsheets, lampshade, paperback novels.

Hank pleads from the porch. Then Landry's voice, louder, demanding. But those sounds might as well be coming from underwater.

Still naked, Alan climbs onto the blood-and-lighter-fluid-soaked mattress. He props himself against the headboard and rolls Heather's cold, weightless body onto his chest. "Shhhhh," he whispers, stroking her head. "Shhhhh, mermaid. Shhhhh."

He grabs his Marlboros and lighter. The cigarette tastes of lighter fluid but he doesn't mind. He smokes it down to the filter while tears run into his mouth.

"Shhhh, my baby, my mermaid."

He flicks the cigarette onto the mattress.

Then laughs once, sharply, as the sheets burst into flames.