Blood in the Water

Brandon woke up, coughing up drops of water. “What’s going on?” It came out frantic.

“Oh my God! We thought you were dead!”

His girlfriend, Shirley, stood over his body. He was lying on something hard. A rock? Why was he on a rock? He sat up slightly, taking in his surroundings. She moved out of the way as he sat all the way up. Then he saw it.

The Lake, his favorite place to be. The only place he ever felt alive.

“Are you okay?” Shirley asked.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“I mean you didn’t come up for a whole 3 minutes so if you need time to…”

“No, I’m good.” He stood up slowly but with determination. His friends, CJ & Brock were already back at the lake, taking turns diving in from a large rock they climbed on.

“They ran back in as soon as they saw you stirring.” Shirley seemed annoyed.

But Brandon was unbothered. ”Let’s go join them.”

Shirley stood. “Fine. But be careful. I’m sick of dragging you out of the water every time you guys play some type of psycho water game. I would like to enjoy my time here for once, instead of wondering if one of you is going to die!”

Brandon had already beat her to the lake. He jumped in immediately.

“He’s back!!” CJ cheered as he swam over to Brandon, who came up out of the water.

“What took you so long?” Brock joked as he joined them.

Brandon smiled. “I heard you thought I was dead.”

Brock shrugged and looked away. “That was CJ and Shirley.”

“Dude, you didn't respond for almost 4 minutes,” CJ explained. “The longest any of us have been out is a minute, maybe a minute and a half.”

“Where’s Shirley?” Brock asked, looking around.

Brandon turned to look at the shore, Shirley was nowhere in sight. “I’m not sure. She was right behind me.”

“Ow!” CJ moved as quickly as he said it. “What the hell?”

Brandon turned back to see CJ swim toward him, a trickle of blood falling down his forehead.

“Why are you bleeding?” Brandon asked, backing away.

“What are you talking about?” CJ seemed annoyed.

“On your forehead.” Brock said.

CJ wiped his forehead and saw the blood on the back of his hand. “What is this?”

“Maybe you should get out.” Brock suggested. “Take a break. I mean we have been in here for-”

“Ow!” Brandon grabbed his arm. “What was that?” He turned around looking frantic. “It felt like something-“

“Bit your arm.” CJ interjected.

“Yeah,” Brandon looked at CJ again. This time his nose was bleeding.

“CJ!” Brock swam away. “What is going on with you?”

“What?” CJ felt the blood hit his upper lip. He tried to look down at it but instead used his hand to move it away. “I don’t know what’s happening!”

“Get out of the lake, man.” Brock said. “Before you lose a limb or something.”

CJ held his head back. “I’m not going to lose a limb. It’s just a little nosebleed.” He held his nose, closed his eyes and dunked his head under the water. He came back up and let his nose go. “See?”

Brandon and Brock looked at CJ with horror stricken faces. Pools of blood were falling from CJ's eyes, like he was crying bloody tears.

“What the hell man!” Brock screamed swimming towards the shore, “Are you playing a trick or something? This isn't funny.”

Brandon swam in the opposite direction.

“What are you talking about?” He used his hands to wipe away what he thought was water. Confused at the blood stuck to his hands, CJ looked down and saw his reflection. He let out a blood curdling scream. He dunk himself back into the water and came back up to find his face covered in blood. He shook his head trying to see through the red waterfall in front of him. He kept screaming as he continued to dunk himself over and over again, trying to get rid of the blood.

Brandon swam further away trying not to look back. He finally made it to the other side of the lake and turned to see his friend, still screaming, dunking himself several times. His heart was beating out of his chest. He knew he had to find Shirley and fast.

He jumped out of the lake, not sure where to start looking. “SHIRLEY!?” He yelled, walking towards the wooded area behind the lake. He stopped at the edge of the woods and turned around.

Brock was running towards him, terrified and crying. “What is happening, Brandon?”

“I don’t know.” Brandon shook his head. He was nervous that he wouldn’t find Shirley in time, or that she was lost, or worse…

“I can still hear him screaming!” Brock cried. He covered his ears. “Where is Shirley?”

”I don’t know.” He looked behind Brock and saw a clearing in the woods. “Follow me.”

Brock followed closely behind Brandon as they made their way to the opening. When they reached the edge of the open path, CJ’s screams stopped.

Brandon and Brock stood frozen. “Do you think he’s…” Brandon couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“Thank God, all that screaming stopped!” Shirley said as she walked from the clearing towards Brandon and Brock. “You guys always play too much.” She noticed their faces and froze.

“What’s wrong with you two?” Her eyes fell on Brock who was crying uncontrollably. “Where’s my brother?”

Brandon didn’t know what to say to her. She looked him in the eyes and he knew that she knew. She ran past them back to the lake. Before they could stop her she jumped in without saying a word.

Brandon jumped in after her. He glanced back to see Brock in a ball on the shore.

“CJ!!!!” Shirley screamed over and over again. Brandon followed her screams.

He stopped when he saw Shirley swimming in circles.

She stopped and swam over to Brandon looking frantic. “Where is he!? What happened!?”

”I don’t know.” Brandon said. “Everything was fine and one minute he’s yelling out and then he started bleeding from his head and then…”

Shirley grabbed Brandon’s face with both hands. She wiped something off his forehead with her index finger and stuck it in her mouth. Brandon pulled back.

Shirley smiled. “I told you I was tired of watching you guys play your little weak water games. Now I don’t have to wonder if you’ll die.”

Brandon looked at Shirley in horror. He turned around and tried to swim away but she grabbed his leg and pulled him back. “No you don’t!”

“Let me go!” He screamed struggling to swim away.

“Fine!” She sounded annoyed but let him go.

Brandon swam as fast as he could to get back to Brock to warn him before it was too late. He felt something on his upper lip. He tried to ignore it but then his vision started to blur, he felt the blood pool over his face. He tried to swim harder, faster. He knew if he could make it to Brock he would have a chance at saving him. But before he knew it his body started to sink, even though he was swimming up. He kept falling deeper and deeper until everything went black.

Brandon woke up, coughing up tiny bits of blood. “What happened?” It came out frantic.

“Oh my God! We thought you were dead!”

He saw Shirley standing over his body and immediately recoiled. He slid off the rock and ran towards the lake.

“Are you okay?” Shirley asked when she caught up. She gave him a weird look.

He shook his head. In the lake, CJ and Brock were taking turns diving in from a large rock they climbed on.

“I mean you didn’t come up for a whole 3 minutes so if you need time to…”

He jumped in immediately.

“He’s back!!” CJ cheered as he swam over to Brandon.

“What took you so long?” Brock joked as he joined them.

Brandon said nothing. He just stared at them both.

“CJ and Shirley thought you were dead.”

CJ sighed. “You didn’t respond for almost 4 minutes. We’ve never been out that long.”

“Where’s Shirley?” Brock asked, looking around.

Brandon said nothing. He stared at CJ.

“Dude, why are you looking at me like that?” CJ backed away a bit. “Ow!” He swam quickly towards Brandon. “What the hell?”

Brandon immediately swam away from CJ towards the shore , “Brock, Get out now!”

“Why is there blood on your forehead?” Brock said to CJ, ignoring Brandon, who climbed out the lake.

CJ wiped his forehead and saw blood on the back of his hand.

“BROCK!” Brandon screamed. “GET OUT! NOW!”

“Chill,” CJ yelled out to Brandon from the lake. “It’s probably a little scratch from when I jumped in.”

“BROCK!” Brandon pleaded. He turned to Brandon. “Listen to me, you need to get out now!”

“What’s gotten into you?” Brock asked Brandon before turning around. “Ow!” He swam closer to shore. “Something bit me on my arm!“

“Brock, please listen to me!!!” Brandon begged. “I need you to get out now!!! It’s only a matter of time before-“

“CJ, your nose is bleeding.” Brock swam closer to Brandon.

”What?” CJ felt the blood hit his upper lip. When he couldn’t look down at it he ran his hand under his nose and looked at the blood he collected. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

Brock swam towards Brandon and climbed out of the lake.

“Get out of the lake, man.” Brock yelled to CJ. “It might be a reaction to something that bit you.”

CJ held his head back. “It’s just a little nose bleed.” He held his nose, closed his eyes and dunked his head under water. “See?” He said when he came back up.

Brock let out a scream and recoiled. He turned to Brandon. “Is this some kind of joke you guys are playing on me?”

Brandon shook his head looking sullen.

Brock looked back at CJ, pools of blood were falling from his eyes.

“What are you talking about?” CJ used his hands to wipe away what he thought was water. He caught a glimpse of reflection in the water. He let out a scream so loud Brock and Brandon instantly covered their ears.

As CJ dunked himself several times trying to clean out his eyes, only to be met with more blood flowing down his face, Brandon took Brock by his shoulders, CJ’s screams in the background.

“Listen to me.” Brandon said.

“What the hell is going on?” Brock started crying.

“It’s Shirley.” Brandon answered. “I don’t know how but she did something to us, something that only happens to us when we are in the lake.”

“But CJ.” Brock cried.

“It’s too late for CJ!” Brandon let go of Brock. “We can’t go back in the lake. We have to find a way out of here before-“ CJ’s screaming stopped.

“Thank God, all that screaming stopped!,” Shirley said as she walked from out of the woods.

“Damn it!” Brandon said.

“Shirley!” Brock ran to her. Brandon tried to pull him back but he lost his grip and Brock ran to hug Shirley. “I’m so sorry!”

“Sorry for what?” She looked bewildered at Brock’s reaction.

“Brock, let her go.” Brandon warned.

Shirley looked up from Brock to Brandon and smiled. She pushed Brock back into the lake and jumped in after him.

Brandon swore and jumped back in the lake. He broke the surface hoping to see Brock but instead saw only Shirley, swimming in circles.

“Are you looking for your friend?” Shirley said. “I’m afraid it’s too late for him.”

Brandon didn’t waste any time trying to swim back to shore.

“No you don’t!” Shirley swam after him and managed to grab his foot just as he was climbing out of the lake. She pulled him back in.

He winced when he felt the bite on his arm but he didn’t stop trying to swim away. This time it all happened quickly. The blood on his forehead, followed by his bleeding nose, then bloodily eyes, ending with massive amounts of blood covering his face.

When Shirley finally let go of his foot, he knew it was too late. He started to sink despite trying to swim to the surface. He kept sinking until everything went black.

Brandon woke up, coughing up bits of blood. He groaned and turned his head to the side.

“Oh my God! We thought you were dead!”

Brandon started crying when he saw, in his peripheral vision, Shirley standing over his body. She moved out of the way as he sat up. He slowly slid off the rock and looked ahead. And there it was.

The Lake, his favorite place to be and the last place he would ever feel alive.