What the River Demands

There's a saying that circulates among anglers:

"If a dead fish still takes the bait… reel in and leave."

The day I went fishing with my dad, we ran into exactly that.

What unsettled me was not the fish.

It was the look on my dad's face: an excitement that felt completely wrong.

Then a message flashed across my livestream, and a chill ran down my spine.

[Get out. Now. Your dad is about to trade your life for the one who died in this river a year ago.]

A year ago, when my mom was eight months pregnant, she slipped and fell into this river.

To be exact, the one who died… was my little brother.

That summer, I went back home. My dad, who had always treated me with distant indifference, and sometimes even hit me, suddenly said he wanted to take me fishing. I did not dare say no. I knew that if I talked back even a little, he would not hesitate to hit me.

"Elaine, do you still have enough money for college?" he asked out of nowhere on the way to Sorrowmere River.

For a second, I felt something warm in my chest. After all these years, this was the first time he had ever shown concern for me.

"Yeah, it's enough," I said quickly.

I knew better than anyone that he hated spending money on me.

At home, only Grandma treated me well. She had even bought me my phone.

Dad gave me four hundred a month. Everything else I needed, I earned myself through livestreaming.

We arrived at the Sorrowmere River in our village. While my dad prepared the bait, I quietly started my livestream.

[Whoa, new map unlocked today? Are you fishing?] someone typed.

[Welcome, everyone. Today's stream is fishing,] I replied in text, since my dad was right there.

I did not understand why he had to come at noon.

The sun was so bright I could barely keep my eyes open, but somehow, I could not shake the feeling that something in the river was watching me.

Not a fish.

It felt more like… something sentient.

After my dad finished setting up the bait, he urged me to cast the line.

It did not take long before I got a bite.

When I reeled it in, I froze. "Why is it… dead?"

"Dead? Elaine, let me see." My dad took one look, and his eyes lit up with a strange excitement.

"A dead fish… and it still took the bait…" he muttered, over and over, like he was repeating some kind of ritual chant.

Then he smiled. It was the kind of smile that made my skin crawl.

I glanced at my livestream. The viewer count had skyrocketed. However, instead of excitement, the chat had been flooded with warnings.

[Streamer, there's someone behind you.]

[Get out. There's something wrong with the water.]

I streamed often, so I was used to comments like those. I figured they were just bored and messing around.

As I scrolled, one username caught my eye.

Alaric Vane.

[Leave now! A dead fish… and it still took the bait… Reel in your line and go.]

I tapped into his profile. His avatar showed a man in a black robe holding a staff made of bone.

A classic necromancer.

Thinking about my dad's strange behavior, I quickly sent him a friend request.

It seemed like his message had stirred up the chat.

[Alaric, stop spouting nonsense. I fish all the time. Never heard of that.]

[Yeah, streamer, ignore him. He just wants attention.]

[Still… you should leave. Your dad looks creepy. Who gets that excited over a dead fish?]

[Agreed. Run. Your life matters more.]

I looked closer and noticed something else. His profile had products listed.

Figures. Just another clout chaser, I thought.

However, then I remembered the eerie smile on my dad's face. I tightened my grip on the fish and decided to throw it back into the river.

"Stop! What the hell do you think you're doing, you ungrateful brat?!" my dad roared, his face twisting with rage.

He snatched the dead fish from my hands and clutched it to his chest like it was some priceless treasure.

It was clearly dead.

However, its eyes…

They seemed to glow faintly.

I only looked for a second before I turned away, my heart pounding.

"What are you standing there for? Keep fishing! One fish isn't enough for a meal!" he shouted.

Before I could react, his hand came down hard across my face.

I bit back the pain, picked up the rod again, and cast my line into the water.