What They Found in the Water

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.

The flicker of light was several miles away, but Katya caught its glimmer in the corner of her eye. She squinted. “Do you see that?” she asked.

The corners of Aaron’s mouth tugged upward. A small gesture, so minuscule, most wouldn’t notice. But Katya did. She noticed everything he did. It's why she was here, at this stupid party. The small house was idyllic: nestled in an acre of lush fields, brushing up against a sparkling lake. The soothing melody of toads croaking in the evening could probably be heard if it weren’t for the hoard of drunk teenagers surrounding her.

Aaron’s smile gave way to a low laugh. “Are you paranoid or something?”

She tried to return the smile, but unease prodded at her stomach. “I'm serious,” she whined. “I think there’s someone over there across the lake. I thought you said there were no neighbors for miles.”

“There aren’t,” he replied. “At least, no living ones.” He winked before heading to the kitchen for a refill.

Katya rolled her eyes. She grabbed her phone, mindlessly scrolling to distract herself. She could still see the light when she dared to peek back up at the window. It was low and warm, flickering like a lighthouse at sea.

The couch groaned as Aaron returned to his seat across from her. Katya glared at him. “Look. I just don’t want to get in trouble. I wasn’t exactly planning on adding ‘underage drinking’ to my college applications,” she said.

He shot a teasing glance at her. “I wasn’t lying about what I said before. There’s a legend about the deserted cabin over there." He gestured to the window she was staring through moments ago. “Rumor has it, there were some gruesome murders in this hick town. It happened before my parents bought this place.”

Katya scrunched her nose in reply. “A murder? Here? This place has a population of like, 10.”

“Yeah, and maybe that’s why they moved in,” he responded.

“Who?” Katya pressed.

“The Dunns,” Aaron answered grimly.

“The story is,” he mused, “the Dunns were a family of four. They were a perfect nuclear clan: one son, one daughter.” Aaron rested his elbows on his knees, his glazed eyes looking up at Katya’s. It was an effort to stop the heat rising in her cheeks.

“The boy favored his mom, all dark hair and brown eyes,” Aaron continued. “The daughter was fair-skinned with strawberry blonde hair, like her dad. They seemed normal to everyone.”

Katya furrowed her eyebrows. “Okay, but?” she pressed.

He cleared his throat. “Except one thing. The neighbors, you know, in a town like this…they notice things. And all the neighbors kept seeing this light in their window. Almost every night,” he explained. “Apparently, the mom was some freak. Didn’t believe in using electricity or something. I dunno.”

Aaron shifted the red solo cup in his hands, sweeping his black curls from his face. “Anyways, someone eventually asked the mom about it. Their little girl kept having these nightmares. That light was the flame of a candle she burned every night to wake her parents. Because she was scared.”

“You see, the Dunn daughter’s nightmares were…vivid,” Aaron clarified. “It was the same dream every time. She saw this dark figure come up to her, and it would say her name before shoving a knife into her stomach. Then the monster would twist the knife up inside her and pull out her intestines.”

Katya’s lip twitched. “That’s very specific.”

“Oh, but that’s not even the best part,” Aaron responded. Katya could tell he was enjoying himself. “One day, the entire family was murdered. Or at least, that’s what everyone thinks. Someone reported this dark mass floating in the lake one day. You know what the police said it was?”

Katya gulped.

“Organs,” Aaron answered. “Hearts, kidneys, lungs. Three sets of them. They never figured out who was lucky enough to escape. Or if the fourth body was discarded somewhere else.” He shrugged. “Some say it was the little girl who murdered them because she wasn’t right in the head. They claim she never left the cabin, and now she lights her candle each night, waiting for her next victim. So she can live out her nightmares over and over again.”

“Okay, creep. You definitely made that up,” Katya argued, snorting. Yet, as he shook his head, her stomach knotted at the intensity in his eyes.

“Believe what you want,” Aaron retorted. “I’m just telling you the stories I’ve been told.”

“Whatever,” Katya uttered standing. “I’m excusing myself to use the ladies’ room. Go tell your ghost stories to someone else while I’m gone.”

It was only when she closed the bathroom door behind her that she realized she had lied. She wanted an excuse to escape for a second, collect herself.

“Get a grip,” she whispered, staring at her reflection, watching her amber eyes stare back, looking like a drowned sunset against her toffee-colored skin.

She ran the faucet, splashing cold water on her face. Silly—so silly, how her gut tensed and her heart raced from nothing but a story. It must be the alcohol, she told herself. Katya shut off the water, watching it drip steadily on the porcelain. She imagined the liquid filling to the brim, turning crimson. She thought of a family’s remains bobbing in it. Her mind filled with images of a lake lazily rippling in the sun, with no regard to the horrors it contained.

Katya forced herself to emerge. When she did, she braced the doorframe to steady herself. “Whoa,” she huffed. Her legs felt weak, her head spinning. “I guess that’s what one drink can do if you’re a lightweight,” she whispered to herself. She glanced to her right, seeing a pile of adolescent bodies strewn over the couch, some spilling onto the floor. Had they really passed out already? She chuckled.

A rough hand grabbed the arm she was using to brace herself, pinning it in place. Almond eyes and ebony hair greeted her.

“Oh, Aaron. Jesus, you scared me,” she gasped. “What’s up with everyone? Party over already?”

He slid his hand further up her arm, lacing his fingers with hers. “Maybe I just wanted it to be me and you,” he crooned.

A warmth spread through Katya, her eyes darting downward. She bit her lip, wondering if he was teasing her to be cruel. She opened her mouth, planning some witty response. A strange, metallic taste lingered on her tongue. “I—”

“You know,” he interrupted. “I’ve always had a thing for you, Katya. Seriously. That’s why I invited you here.” Aaron pulled his free arm behind him, reaching for something. “That’s why I’m glad you’re the first one I get to do this with tonight.”

Katya’s body went limp. She felt something press against her stomach. Looking down, her eyes met the silver glean of a knife. The blade was plunged deep into her abdomen, with Aaron’s hand gripping its handle.

She choked and sputtered, eyes wide. All she could remember was his smile and a ripping sensation before she succumbed to a deep, dreamless sleep.

---

The next day, the residents in the town surrounding Hastrose Lake woke to the red and white flashes of police cars piercing through dense fog. The last time the lake was searched was eight years ago when a family of four was murdered in the dead of night. Except, only three bodies were identified back then. This time, there were twelve.

Some say they saw a glimmering light across the lake the night the murders occurred. While there were speculations about an intruder creeping across the marsh with a flashlight, a few of the residents swore they spotted something else in the dust-crusted window belonging to an abandoned cabin in the woods. A faint outline of a child cloaked in a white nightgown with strawberry-blonde curls tumbling to her waist. She was holding a candle, her lips moving frantically.

Her frame was barely visible, wavering like a mirage. But if someone got close enough, they might have been able to make out the word she was mouthing over and over again.

“Run.”