What Lies Beneath

A short horror story about what lays in the depth of a lake.

We are swimming and laughing both with a fluid ease. There is no retention in the water, we simply float. There are small natural waves flowing against our skin. The sun is bright with puffy white clouds hanging harmlessly and promising no rain. And the water is dark and opaque, reflecting back pools of light that shimmer and dance with a dazzling sparkle. I laugh and splash you in a timid and playful fashion and you smirk and send a torrent of water in my direction. I admire you and you admire me.

Suddenly I feel a pull on my leg, a sharp and distinct yank. I plunge underwater for a moment in shock, inhaling water through my nose and mouth. I surface sputtering and you laugh but I do not. You think this is a game. I yell to get out of the water. The sun dips behind a cloud and suddenly the sky grows into a grey and dangerous canvas. The clouds have lied. They grow in size and threaten rain, there is a stillness to the water and sky that sends shivers down my spine. 

"Get out of the water!" I yell again even though you are only a few feet away and can hear quiet clear. But there is a panic in my voice that sends us into a frenzy. Suddenly I'm pulled again, this time by my hair that dips long and silky into the lake. I scream out in shock. You are no longer laughing. This is not a game. 

We begin to swim towards the shore, which is maybe 30 feet away. In the moment it does not feel possible that I will make it back. But I swim my a*s off regardless. My arms pump ferociously, my legs kick with a strength borne from my years as a rider. I am going to make it, is what I chant in a desperate mantra. 

But I am slight and quick and you are slow and unsteady. You begin to fall behind. And I keep going out of sheer panic. It pulls at me again, this time I feel cold hands on my body as I am plunged underneath the dark waters. I feel slick seaweed coating my body, grabbing onto me and beckoning me into the watery depths. I can no longer look behind me, I push forward and kick my legs harder and harder. The adrenaline courses through me like a surge in a powerhouse. 

I see the shore, it is maybe 10 feet away. I want to cry out to you but I need to keep going. The hand disappears and I plunge forward in response. Freeing myself with one more vapid kick. My feet touch the sandy bottoms and my head surges out of the water. I can breathe , I am alive. I rush onto the shore and suddenly a different dread fills my heart. Where are you?

I turn around and scan the waters and there you are, stranded. You are crying out to me but I can't hear you over a burst of thunder. It doesn't rain though, the air stays hot and humid, choking almost. You are too far and too heavy for me, I need to get help.  I see your body duck under the water and disappear from sight.

"HEEEELP" I scream but my words are torn away by a viscous clap of thunder. Lighting lights up the far sky and I begin to rush into the water knee-deep in desperation.

You surface and then to my shock and horror you are lifted out of the water screaming. You fly through the air in an arc with your limbs flailing and then you are thrusted beneath the now growing waves. I scream harder but every time I scream the thunder sounds and my voice is ripped away in a feeble attempt. You surface moments later and I go to spring forward but my feet are sunk into the sand. Gripped by a seemingly immovable force. I struggle, now I cannot move and I watch in horror as you surface 10 feet from my face. Your eyes are wide in terror, your mouth agape and your body has frozen in a stiff and unrecognizable position. I see your limbs begin to twist and writhe and I try to scream but nothing emerges from my mouth. I simply stare mouth agape as your hands rise from your side and your feet clamp together. Forming the shape of Jesus on the cross. And it is only then that I realize we are dealing with a demon. A viscous and depraved devil. 

You sink under the water and suddenly I hear voices on the path behind us, up the hill. My feet become freed from the vice like grip. I sprint back towards the sound of people, trying to scream but spewing nothing but a croaking, hoarse sob. The water I inhaled lurches in my stomach as I try to run up the hill. And suddenly before me the devil appears. It is not confined to the murky waters, it is free to roam. My heart drops to the pits of my belly and I feel sick. The face is pale and grotesque. It is bloated and grey like a rotten corpse and bits of seaweed stick to raw open wounds where the fish have picked and eaten away. It's flesh is torn and chewed and it dons a simple robe made of coiled seaweed.

"Where is he?" I choke.

It tilts its head as it listens, cocking it in an odd and unnatural position. I shiver.

And then it begins to smile, revealing sharp and splintered teeth. Teeth like sewing needles sunk into a set of bloody blue gums. It shakes its head slowly, as if it is an effort. Like a tightened lid being slowly unscrewed.  And then it begins to laugh. A quiet wet gurgling sound. Deep and bellowing. Unhinged. Animalistic. It pulls a long, crooked finger out from beneath it seaweed robes and drags it to its thin sinewy lips in a motion to be silent.

I step back and scream.  And then it is gone in an instant and a hand grabs me. It is a hiker, equipped in a sun hat and shades. His two friends emerge behind him.

"Are you okay?" they ask. A look of concern mirrored on all three faces. 

"IT DROWNED HIM! HE'S GONE, PLEASE HELP!"

The police came, the search and rescue came. Lights flashed, questions were asked. I told them the story. They took me away in an ambulance. Sending me to the nearest hospital for evaluation. I failed their tests. It held no ground, there were no witnesses, no evidence. The hikers had only heard my screams. I begged them to find him, my lover that had been taken. The detectives despised me, they thought I was making it all up. I felt their glares and stared back with vacant eyes. I lost myself when I lost you to that thing.

They searched and they searched but they never found the body. I was charged with first degree murder in the death of my lover but found not guilty by reason of insanity. The story of the demon held no ground in court or in front of anyone for that matter. Your family begged me to tell them where I put the body. They hated me for killing you. I didn't know how to save you. I lapsed into silence, never speaking another word. Living in the institution, where I will one day stand trial when I am fit mentally. If ever.

Author's Note

A thrilling read, and such a joy to write. I hope you enjoy. And I know I personally won't be swimming in a lake for awhile after this write. Please let me know your thoughts!

Reviews

[barleygirl]

WOW! This is a cliff-hanging story with literary-level storytelling! It's not polished to literary level, but you have such incredible raw talent, your writing comes out well-crafted without the need for much editing. In fact, being a little rough lends to the raw ragged effect of the story. The best part of your storytelling is how you take a deep dive into the details of each new scene of gore & you make that gore sound fresh & exciting, not like all the other gore we've read. You do gore better than any other writer at the cafe in my 6 years here. Even tho you spend ample time fleshing out each disgusting scene, you don't overdo it, you don't hijack the fast-paced action of your storyline by spending too much time sidetracking. It's the perfect balance & your story stays a cliffhanger, despite the deliciously gory embellishments (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[The Ink Chapters]

Thank you this review was incredibly helpful. This story was written with haste and of course needs A LOT of polishing. But I had the goal of it just being a simple and enjoying read, not a literary masterpiece. And from your review I believe I met that goal. I loooved filling the descriptions with vivid and fleshy detail. It made it so much fun to experience the enjoyment of exploring words. And it’s helpful to know that I did not embellish too much because I agree that it takes away from the intense and exciting experience and makes you sit and read as if the author is being paid by word (*cough, cough Stephen King although I love you). Thanks for the great review, please send me any read requests on your own work if you ever want a critique. Warm wishes, Ink

[The Ink Chapters]

And also that is such a compliment to say that my gore storytelling was impressive. Because I NEVER write horror or gore, but now I may just have started lol.

[Kari Rakitan]

This reminds me of the day I almost died in Hawaii. At least, the first part did. I knew I wasn't that strong of a swimmer and didn't want to go that far into the water, but my husband, who was my friend with benefits at the time, convinced me to try it anyway. I wound up struggling for dear life and managed to make it back to shore on my own, but I was still coughing up water an hour later.

Great story overall!

[The Ink Chapters]

thank you and oh my that sounds terrifying. I'm so glad you are ok!

[Audrey M.]

Ok, that pretty much does it for me for EVER wanting to go swimming again. Thanks for that, lol : ))
I enjoyed the story a lot. I like being scared or just given the "willies" where the hairs on the back of my head stand up. The only thing I can suggest is if you could put some space in between the paragraphs. It makes for easier reading.

[The Ink Chapters]

thanks for the review! Yes I tried to put spacing in but the formatting on this wouldn't allow it. Every time I edited and put space it got rid of them :(

[Audrey M.]

Yeah I'm so sorry for that. I didn't know that that's what the formatting did automatically. I saw and experienced it myself. My deepest apologies.

[The Ink Chapters]

no problem, it's so frustrating though because it makes it incredibly hard to look at

[Nomo]

This story is written well, I felt the cliffhangers of your raw talent. You made it seem as if we were in the story capturing our minds to hang onto every word. Good job.

[The Ink Chapters]

Thank you for your kind review. I’m glad I was able to hold your attention with the stories progression. Thanks for reading!

[Nix is typing...]

Woah, Ink...This was an intense read!!!
It honestly feels like a bad dream I would have after eating a pizza too close to bedtime!!!
I can't believe she got arrested for the murder of her own lover!! O.O
I enjoyed this little story!!

100/100

Nix ❤️

[The Ink Chapters]

LOL I like that, a pizza too close to bedtime. Yes it is inspired by a nightmare I recently had that woke me in a panic and I had to get out of my system. I wanted a twisty ending so hopefully it made you wonder if she REALLY had a demon attack her or if it was simply a cover up in her damaged mind for a murder she committed.

[Nix is typing...]

It really did!!! It made me think like, "Hmmm... did her mind twist and distort her murdering her own lover?" I guess I'll never find out, that little twist at the end really made me think!!!!!
I loved this story!! ❤️

[Chris Shaw]

I used to have nightmares, and this is the type of nightmare that would wake me in a cold sweat. I felt the frustration here, the fear of your lover disappearing below the water. I felt the frustration and anger of not being believed and being incarcerated for something I wasn't responsible for. The twist at the end was being unsure as to exactly what had taken place. Thank you for the read. You conveyed the story with enthusiasm, keeping the interest throughout. I am a poetry freak, not often wandering into reading stories. I enjoyed this one though. All good wishes.

Chris

[The Ink Chapters]

Yay thanks for enjoying :) I am definitely a poetry freak too but this story came spilling out of me after waking from a terrible nightmare. We will never know if she really killed him or not. Thanks for giving this a shot. Have a great night!

[Chris Shaw]

My pleasure :)