Maxie cursed the sonar for not updating faster. She saw the small blip where the supposed volon was walking down the lakebed, but the scan updates were about 10 seconds apart. However, she could still tell it was heading to the middle of the lake.

It's definitely a volon. No human could walk down the bottom of a lake like that without drowning. Can those things breathe underwater? Do they even need to breathe at all...?

As another 10 seconds passed and the sonar scan updated, she noticed something else. The volon was heading directly towards the big flat patch of ground at the bottom of the lake. Max watched with bated breath; every sonar update showed the blip moving closer and closer to the flat area until it reached the strange patch of ground, and then...

...Nothing. The blip vanished.

“What? Huh?” She waited for another update, and there was still no sign of the creature. Another 10 seconds – still nothing. It was completely gone.

“The hell...?” she mumbled, watching to see if anything else would happen. But half a minute went by and the sonar showed nothing new.

Max put the laptop on the passenger's seat with a sigh. She stepped back outside to look for Wire, but he hadn't returned to camp. Curious, she walked within sight of the area where the volon had appeared.

Wire was still standing there with his gun aimed forward.

“Hey?” Max whispered.

“There's another one,” he answered, just as quietly.

Max carefully walked forward until she, too, could see it.

Another figure, stumbling and staggering, just like the last. Only this time, it was moaning and flailing, swinging as if it was trying to strike itself. Max could make out details of the silhouette; it looked like a volon stuck halfway between shapeshifting to a human form, dripping and oozing white fluid that covered at least half of its body.

What the fuck is that?! Max gripped her pistol and prepared to aim.

The creature kept convulsing into the lake, splashing about as it struggled against itself, flinging bits of white liquid around. Soon, it disappeared into the water like the volon before it. The ripples in the water gradually calmed until the lake was still once again.

“Wire, are you good for a sec?”

“Go. I got you.”

Maxie dashed back to her van. Once again, she got in, opened the laptop, shut the door, and watched. The new blip on the sonar scan did the same thing as the last, creeping closer to the flat section of the lake, albeit slower than the previous volon.

Once the blip reached the flat spot on the lakebed, it remained in place for a full sonar update. 10 more seconds passed, and the blip shrunk enough for it to hardly be visible. Another 10 seconds, gone.

What in the world am I dealing with here? Is that place a portal? Some sonar-deflecting barrier for a secret volon laboratory? Although she quickly discounted the second idea, a reasonable explanation for the strange phenomenon continued to elude her. Unusual volons forcing themselves into an acid lake only to disappear, somehow causing the lake's water level to rise...?

...Wait a sec. She thought back to her theory of the volons filling up the lake. If we've already seen three volons, two of which seemed more interested in the lake than coming after us... could there really be enough volons entering this lake to raise the water level so quickly? Surely not... it would take thousands of volons to fill the lake up that much... right? There were still several details that didn't add up, but it was her best guess regardless.

Frustrated and confused, she left her van to see Wire leaning against the side of his RV.

“Any more?” Max asked.

“Doesn't look like it. We're clear for now.”

She walked beside him. “So, as if this lake wasn't weird enough already, I watched those volons on the sonar. They walked straight down to the bottom of the lake where there's this strange flat area on the lakebed, then – poof. Disappeared without a trace.”

“...Huh. Maybe your sonar is glitching like your other stuff was.”

“I doubt it. I can see them perfectly fine until they reach the lakebed.”

“Maybe there's some sort of sonar shield down there. I don't know.”

Maxie shrugged. “I kinda wondered the same thing. That seems pretty far-fetched though.”

“Well... I don't know if it's going to help your lake investigation much, but you should see what that last one left behind.”

“Ah? I don't like the sound of that...”

Wire led Max around the RV towards the spot the volons had emerged from the forest.

“Check that out.” He gestured to the shoreline where flecks of white fluid dotted the soil. Among the lumps of liquid on the ground were some solid chunks, one of which looked like a severed human finger – despite the lack of any crimson fluid.

“Oh, oh god.” Maxie put a hand over her mouth, staring at the finger. “Did that twitchy volon... dismember itself?” She glanced into the forest to ensure no more monsters were coming. For the moment, they were safe.

“Shit if I know.” Wire walked closer to the splotches on the ground. “You ever seen a volon act that way before?”

“No, I was going to ask you the same thing.” Max kept her distance, content to let Wire take point.

The remite leaned down and picked up the lone extremity between two pinched fingers. “Ew. It's squishy.”

“Wire, what the hell are you doing?!” Max hissed, scowling at her friend. “That thing could be dangerous!”

“Naw, don't sweat it. It'll be fine.”

“Dude, this lake trip is turning into a horror movie and you're messing with the freaky alien monster shit! What are you even doing with that?”

“Getting a closer look.”

“What? What for?”

“Let me show you something.”

“Oh boy...”

After a quick scan of the area, Wire holstered his weapon and retraced his steps back to the camp, holding the severed finger away from him. Max followed close behind as her friend led the way to his RV, pausing at the vehicle's door.

“It probably goes without saying, but... keep what you see in here between us,” Wire said.

“All right?”

Wire opened the door and led the way inside. Max was immediately greeted with bright white lights and equally sterile furniture and travel appliances. As she followed Wire to the back of the vehicle, her eyes met what looked like lab equipment – a microscope being the only piece she could immediately recognize – alongside neatly organized bricks of hardware she couldn't hope to identify.

The remite placed the severed finger under the microscope before washing his hands in a nearby mini sink.

“What is all this?” Max asked. “You literally said you weren't a scientist earlier.”

“I'm not, but, well...” Wire shuffled around in place, slipping his hands into his pockets. “I'm interested in expanding my other line of work into biotech rather than just electronic hardware. My clients would probably be happier with me that way. So, I picked up some stuff that might help with it.”

Max stayed quiet, opting not to continue that particular line of thought. She pursed her lips and nodded in approval after giving the microscope a quick inspection.

“I'm way too curious about this thing. Maybe I can convince you to keep watch for a few minutes while I do the fancy research this time,” Wire suggested, putting a palm on his chest.

Max frowned before reluctantly agreeing. “I guess there isn't much else for me to do while my stuff gathers data. Unless you want to do a lap around the lake to investigate with me.”

“Yeah, I think I'll do this for now.”

“I thought so. Give me a shout when you're done looking at that thing. I don't exactly love the idea of being alone out in this place.”

“No prob. I doubt I'll be too long.”

Max patted Wire's shoulder and left the RV, stepping back onto the soil. She briefly considered retreating to her campervan until Wire finished up, but ultimately decided she'd feel better knowing the campsite was safe.

She began pacing the same way Wire had, power-walking during her first lap to ensure the immediate perimeter was clear – which it was. Afterwards, she put most of her focus on the area left of camp where the volons had been emerging. Max heard nothing but faint sounds of nature; she quickly scanned the area upon hearing rustling leaves from the canopy above, not interested in having more feral creatures sneak up on her. Once she confirmed the local area was safe, her mind began wandering.

That finger... maybe it's shapeshifted volon flesh. It probably is... yeah. She kept telling herself as much, despite having another more unsavoury theory in the back of her mind, the implications of which sent shivers throughout her body. It's just a theory, she reminded herself. I've been wrong before. Maybe I'm wrong about this too.

After a few minutes of patrolling, the RV's door opened.

“Hey,” Wire beckoned from the vehicle's entrance.

“Hey.” Max walked over to him. “That was fast.”

“I checked out that finger under the microscope.”

“And?”

“Max, I don't think that thing was a volon. You might want to come and see this.”

No... please say it isn't so.