Her legs sank into the water, but then a hand took hers. Samantha looked up to see Prudence at the edge of the fountain, straining to pull her up. Samantha kicked at Reverend Crane with her free leg, but the chubby little boy that had been the reverend would not let go. "Don't let go of me!" he wailed. "I don't want to die!"
"Prudence, hurry!"
Prudence looked down at them with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said. A moment later, Pryde's knife appeared in her hand. She handed it to Samantha, who plunged it into the reverend's arm. He screamed, letting go of her and disappearing beneath the water. Prudence hauled Samantha up and they lay in a tangled heap next to the fountain. "It's over," Prudence said.
"No, it's only beginning," Samantha said.