Nobody Reported the Tide
mystery◐ Mature"My name is Carol," the woman said. She didn't close the door. "You're asking about the insurance claims." It wasn't a question. "Yes." "Come inside. But you should know: after I tell you, you can't unhear it."
Carol made coffee. "I swam in that water when I was a girl," she said. "Beautiful place. Crystal clear. But I got sick—fevers, headaches. Worse every year. By twenty, I realized what was happening." She poured the coffee. "The water had changed. Something industrial. Something that kills."
What happens next?
1 ways forward"How many people know?" I asked. Carol was quiet. "The council. Tom. Me. A few families who got warned and left anyway." She showed me her arm. The skin was scarred, discolored, spreading. "I can't leave. I'm infected. So I warn the others. It's the only thing I can do."