Murder Lake

Nothing! Nothing is what I feel as I sunbathe on the dock by the lake and listen to the white noise playing through my air pods. I remember when the lake house used to be my favorite place to visit. Every fall break this was the place where I wanted to be. I couldn’t wait to come to the lake for some jet skiing, tubing, paddle boarding, and even driving the boat with my dad. It’s only been one day since we’ve arrived here, and I’m already ready to go home. Don’t get me wrong, I love the lake! The smell of the water’s sweet aroma as it constantly resonates in the air and the transparency of it as it brushes against my skin. It’s truly like my second habitat. I only wish there was peace in the air for me to enjoy it. Therefore, now, the only emotions that I have about my favorite place is nothing. In fact, I didn’t even want to come here! But of course, Dad begged me. “Come on Abs! it will be good for you. Plus, your mother will enjoy it.” I rolled my eyes at him. Hindsight, I should have told him no, but the sadness in his eyes and voice forced the dreadful, “okay, I’ll go,” to come out of my mouth.” Ugh, I wish I had the guts to say no.

I kind of feel bad for my dad. The real reason why we’re here is because he thinks it’s going to save his marriage with the cheating, drunk, that he calls his wife, and unfortunately, I call mom. Hell, she’s been cheating on the poor man since I was in the ninth grade. And with my math teacher at that! If she was any smarter, she would at least choose someone who’s richer than my dad. But hey, at least I got a B in his class for doing nothing! Maybe she’s good for something after all. Nevertheless, it sucks that my dad continuously gets his heart broken. Maybe now since this is my last year of high school, he’ll finally leave her. I can’t wait for this shit show to unfold!

Creeeeek.

What was that? Is someone on the dock with me? I think to myself as I continue to close my eyes and see if I feel any movement around me. Ignoring, the noise outside of my headphones I continue to mediate in the sun. “It’s probably nothing!” I whisper to myself as I focus my attention back to the calm noise playing through my speakers.

Bark, Bark, Bark, Barrrk

“Great, just as I’m about to relax my mind, that little mut always has to interrupt! So much for relaxation!” I spat, as I remove my headphones from my ears and sit up to see why my dog, Venus was barking so loud. “Venus, what is the commotion, girl?’

Splash Just as I open my eyes, I see a small splash coming from the corner of my eyes. My intuition is screaming for me to look and see what it is, but I change my mind once I spot Venus running at me full speed in attack mode. Behind her in a short distance, I see my dad smiling and carefully making his way toward the dock.

“Great, I wonder what he wants!” I mumble underneath my breath, as I fake smile at my dad and watch as Venus growls and barks toward the water where the mysterious splash just came from. “Venus, what did you see, girl?” I question the fussy German shepherd as I massage the top of her head, in order to calm her down.

“Looks like someone may have spotted a big catch! Too bad I don’t have my pole!” I halfheartedly smile at my dad, and I watch him step on the dock and look in the water to see if maybe he can spot a nice fish swimming by. Dad has always been a joyful and optimistic man. Although I didn’t see him much because he was usually always working. However, whenever I did, he always tries to make the time we spend special. That’s why I’ll never understand why mom had to ruin our family. “Hey, Abby how’s it going! Didn’t want to interrupt you from your mediation, but I was heading into town, and I came to see if you wanted to tag along? Your mother is making dinner and I need to grab a few things for her”

She probably just wants to talk to her side dude! I think to myself as I think about my dad’s question. “Sure, dad! I don’t mind riding with you. I’m done with my tanning anyways. I just have to put on my clothes,” I say as I pick up my towel from off the dock.

“Great, I was hoping you would say yes! Plus, that will give us chance to talk!” My dad gives me a sincere smile. I can tell he’s excited that I’m tagging along. But I can also tell that he may have something on his mind.

“No problem, dad! It’s my pleasure. Besides, I need to pick up some things from the store anyways,” I lie. Of course, I don’t mind riding with my dad, but the real reason I want to go to the store is because I have a weird feeling being out here alone. Venus is still barking at something, But, I don’t want to stay around and find out. “Let’s go, Dad! Let’s head to the truck.” After placing my flip flops back on, I grab things off the deck and follow behind my dad to the front of the house.

For the first ten minutes of the ride to the store there’s nothing but crickets between my dad and me. I want to break the ice so bad, but my mind has been mostly focused on what happened at the lake.

“So, Abs, how’s school going for you so far? Senior year, that’s big! This time next year you’ll be in college! Homecoming is right around the corner. I’m sure the boys are all lining up by your locker to ask you to the homecoming dance!”

Please, kill me now! I think as I roll my eyes and continue to look out the window and pretend that I didn’t even hear my dad talking. But I can feel his eyes piercing through the side of my face, so I know ignoring him is out of the question. “I haven’t been in the homecoming spirit!” I sarcastically answer my dad, as I glance toward him giving a look that says, “Please stop talking!”

“I can understand that.” I watch as my dad pauses for a second and tries to think of something to say. “Look, Abby, I know that it’s been tough for you with everything going on between your mom and me. And I feel like this is all my fault” I push back the tears that are forming in my eyes as I think about my dad’s words. My heart feels pain now, but not because I had to watch for years as my perfect family falls apart, but instead because I couldn’t understand how someone I believed to be so smart, is so naïve.

“She’s still cheating on you, dad!” I blurt out, unable to contain my true feelings. As much as I wanted to keep my head down and remain silent, I knew it was finally time to tell my dad the truth. “She’s been cheating for two years and six months now.” A look of embarrassment comes over my father’s face. “I’m sorry, dad! I should have told you when it initially started. I just always thought that you knew!” Snapping out of his dark trance, I silently observe my dad as he hastily pulls himself together and takes a long deep breath.

“I, I always knew, Abby! I always knew.” There’s a long pause before my dad says anything else. Tears of guilt fill the corner of my eyes as I watch my dad focus on the road and think about his next words. “As much as I wanted to leave and divorce your mom, I didn’t want to hurt you. I know how important our family use to be to you,” He hesitates again. “I guess you can say I’ve been waiting for you to go off to college,” my dad confesses as he turns into the parking lot of the mom-and-pop grocery store. I sit in silence and watch him back his truck into an empty parking spot and place the vehicle in park. Once we are stationary, he brushes his hand up against my face and sternly, yet softly looks me into my eyes “Abs, please forgive me! I never wanted things to end like this.” Using both of his hands, dad wipes away the residue of my guilty tears off my face. “This is not your fault, kid! Besides, you did tell me something was wrong. Because exactly two years and seven months ago I lost my daughter! Now, enough about your ungrateful mother, Abby! Let’s go in the store and get these supplies and get back to the lake house,”

Once dad and I get everything we need from the store, we hop back in his truck and make our way back to the lake house. When we pulled up to the house, things feel weird when we step out the car and go inside the house.

“Did you get everything that I needed, babe?” Acting like she’s the wife of the year, I watch in disgust as my mom tries to place a gently kiss on my dad’s cheek. Carefully avoiding my mom’s fake gesture, my dad steps to the side and carefully hands my mom the grocery bags.

“Mmm… something sure does smell pleasant,” My dad shouts out, trying to convert my mom’s attention to what’s cooking and not him.

“Yes, it does smell good. And it’s ready. If you guys want to go wash your hands and then have a seat in the dining room, I’ll meet you there after I add the finishing touches to the meal,” my mom says arrogantly as she glances at me then back toward my dad. Not saying a word or waiting to hear what she has to say next, I do as she asks and head to the guest bathroom to freshen up before dinner.

“How can I get out of this fake dinner?” I quietly asks myself as I wash my hands and try to think of a clever excuse. “What was that?” As I stare into the mirror, I could have sworn I saw someone peeping in the bathroom, but quickly I ignore what I thought I might have seen and continue to wash my hands. After I dry my hands, I march into the dining room, were my dad’s already sitting down and sipping on a glass of wine. He gives me a fake smile and watches me closely as I take a seat across from him at the table. I can tell that my dad wants to say something, but soon as he fixes his mouth to speak, my mom walks in with the main dish in her hands.

“Well, I hope you guys are ready to eat!” My mom announces as she sarcastically smiles and places the roast and carrots in the middle of the table.

“Everything looks so good, sweetie! Don’t you think so Abby?” I give my dad a side eye, and then I fake smile toward my mom.

“Why yes, father! Everything looks splendid.” I answer, trying to be as phony as I can. Reading the sarcasm in my voice, my mom gives a bogus smile and then joins the rest of us at the table. Wasting no time and trying to get this dinner over with as soon as possible, I hurriedly fix my plate and begin to eat as rapidly as I can.

“Slow down, Abby!” I hear my mom say as I take a bit of my meal. Before I knew it, suddenly my eyes begin to get low, and I can feel myself falling out of my chair.

“What’s going on?” Are my last words I mumble before I’m completely unconscious.

“Hurry up and get them on the boat!” The sound of my mom screaming to someone in front of me wakes me up from my blackout.

What’s happening? I think to myself as I open my eyes. The only thing I can see is the dark ground below me. I wonder who’s carrying me? Still trying to appear as if I’m unconscious, I slightly hold my head up to see who’s shoulder I’m over. Mr. Walker? What’s my mom up to? My heart leaps out of my chest when I see my teacher, aka, my mom’s lover boarding me on my dad’s boat. He must have been the one standing over me earlier today. Before I close my eyes and pretend to be unresponsive, I can see that my dad’s already on the boat and unconscious once Mr. Walker tosses me down on the empty seat.

“There, they’re both in the boat! Now we can go out in the middle of nowhere, slice their throats, and dump their bodies in the water! By the time someone finds these two we’ll be somewhere in Mexico celebrating our honeymoon.”

Dump us? Honeymoon? I question to myself as I fight back tears after hearing Mr. Walker’s statement.

“Hush, you don’t want any nosey neighbors to hear us.” Still trying to be discreet, I peep through my eyelids and watch as my mother sits a butcher knife to the side and starts up the boat. I can also see her lover untie the boat away from the dock. “And off we go.” I hear my mother say, as she attempts to drive the boat away from the lake house.

“I have to get out of here before she kills me and my dad! Dad’s still unconscious, and if I don’t do something quick, I’ll be dead.” I whisper to myself, and I open my eyes and look for a way to escape. As I glance around the boat, I can see a flare gun laying on boat beside my father’s body. Waiting for the coast to be clear, I quietly grab the gun off the ground and point it toward my mother.

“Stop the boat!” I sternly say, as tears fall from my eyes, and I point the gun at my mom. Taken back by my voice, my mom and her lover turn around to face me.

“I thought you said she was dead!” My mother spat as she looks at her lover and then back at me. “Now sweetie, put down the gun! You don’t want to do anything irrational.” My mom mockingly says as she glimpses toward the butcher knife lying beside her.

“Don’t even think about it! One false move and I’ll shoot this gun off in your face,” I say trying to sound as confident as I could. I’m not sure how effective a flare gun will be, but I’ll do anything at this point to save my life. “Mom, why are you doing this? You’ll never get away with it.” I question as silent tears fall down my face and I stare at my cold-hearted mother. After hearing my statement, my mom laughs and grimly looks me in my face.

“Ha-ha-ha, to answer your little question, Abby, why not? I’ve been miserable with this family for years. Only reason I’ve stayed is because your useless dad threatened to stop supporting me financially if I leave. And now that you are turning eighteen, I know your dad was waiting to divorce me. And because of my infidelity, I get nothing once he leaves.”

“Good! You don’t deserve anything!” I spat, cutting my mother off from her words.

“You’re right! I don’t deserve anything, I deserve EVERYTHING! My mom screams out. “Turns out, if the two of you are dead, I get a lot more money than if you are alive! Ha-ha-ha, get her!” Before I had a chance to react, my mom’s boyfriend begins to charge after me, attempting to grab the flare gun out of my hands. Without hesitation, I fire the gun toward him, and I watch as the flare guns knocks him back and into the water.

“David!” My mom screams out as she watches her lover fall into the lake. Stopping the boat, she snatches the knife off the passenger seat and launches toward me. Not knowing what to do next, I throw the empty flare gun in her direction. Quickly dunking her head down, my mom dodges the gun and continues to jump toward me. “You stupid little, witch!” All I can see is red in my mom’s eyes as she points the knife toward my throat and struggles to stab me. Allowing the superhuman strength to come over me, I grab my mother’s arms and push her and the knife away from me.

“Get off of me!” I blurt out as I wrestle with my mother trying my hardest to keep her from attacking me. Using my legs, I kick her away from me, causing the large knife to fall from her hands. Like a ninja, I quickly pick up the weapon, and when my mother launches toward me again, she lands right onto the knife.

“Abby, what have you done!” My mother blurts out as tears fall from her eyes and she takes her last and final breath!”

“Like I said mom, you deserve nothing,” Is the last thing I whisper in my mother’s ears before I watch her lifeless body drop at my feet.