Some Sort of Demon Squirrel

I swore I would never come back here. People always say that, and I had really meant it, but apparently four years, three months, and seventeen days was close enough to never. I squished the wet sand beneath my toes at the edge of the lake, only daring to take two steps into the diamond clear water. A bird cawed nearby and I jumped as its call pierced the calm and morphed into the sound of David's panicked last screams. I covered my ears, trying to muffle the sound, but knew it wouldn't help. I heard the same scream for the last four years, three months, and seventeen days. A breeze blew my dark hair over my face, obstructing my view, but I heard the leaves of the trees bordering the lake rustle. I flicked my hair away. No ripples marred the reflection of the blue sky on the lake's mirror surface. The leaves of the trees were deep red and vibrant yellow now, but the lake was the same.

I was different though. No matter how eerily similar Belleville lake was to my memory of it that horrific day. The thought made my heart sore, like hitting a bruise, but didn’t incapacitate me like it used to. David was gone forever. I had to accept that. I would never hear his startling laugh again. He would never be there to kiss me good morning or wrap his arm around my waist to help me over puddles. He knew I hated getting my socks wet, and even after I bought rain boots he insisted. A small, sad smile parted my lips as I turned the simple diamond ring around on my right finger, loosening it.

I came back to end it with David. Simon had my heart now. The large sapphire ring on my left finger caught the light. Simon- the one who helped me heal. His patience was endless, even when I cried over another man. He wanted to come with me today, but this was something I had to do myself. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, pulling the ring from my finger.

“Marnie” I heard on the breeze. My eyes flung open, only David called me that- an inside joke. I heard his voice as clearly as the wind in the leaves and looked around, my heart beating in double time, but there was only water. It rippled now, as disturbed as I was. Just my imagination- like his screams- I convinced myself, closing my eyes again.

“Marnie! You came back for me.” I gasped, scanning the lake. My eyes stopped on a figure clinging to a protruding rock near the opposite shore. A man was waist-deep in the water, the tips of his blonde hair brushing his shoulders. He tipped his head back and laughed loudly, exposing his perfect teeth. The sound of his voice carried to me.

“Aw c'mon Marnie, you don't recognize me?”

I froze in place. I was having visual hallucinations now- my therapist would not be pleased with this.

He swam closer, convinced I would not move. His warm brown eyes were familiar, but he had no scar on his chin, no acne scars or marks at all. It was David, but a perfect version of him. Not my David. Not my David. I squeezed my eyes shut, repeating the mantra. I opened them, sure that I had regained control, and he was only ten feet away. His gaze had changed from carefree to intense. His scar-less chin grazed the water and his eyes locked on me, menacing. My David had never looked like this. I turned and ran, the rocks bruising the bottoms of my bare feet, and covered my mouth to keep from screaming, or sobbing. I ran to my car and drove through the small town I had grown up in, memories of my David marked every street. We wanted to get out of Michigan, and one of us had. The other died here.

“David is dead. David is dead.” I muttered to myself as I sped through two yellow lights, jolting to a stop in the closest spot to the county government center. What would I say? I calmed down in the car- collecting my thoughts for twenty minutes- then sprinted to the front desk.

“Marienne!” The man at the front desk shouted. He looked familiar, but with my mind as scattered as it was I couldn't place him or remember his name. I glanced at his nametag.

“Hey- Lucas. How's it going?”

“Pretty good, you know. Working here and the salt packaging company trying to provide for-”

I was in a hurry “Oh that's great Lucas, is Ronnie here? Does he still work here?”

“Ronnie? Ya but he’s not the Chief anymore, he’s the director of Tourism now. He’ll be so glad to see you!”

A director of tourism? Here? I kept my thoughts to myself, “Okay great. Thanks.”

I paced as he called Ronnie. Minutes later, Ronnie appeared. He was tall now, his skin smooth and tanned, and he had cut his hair short. It used to be long like David’s, he’d always copied David's style. He and David were inseparable as teens- until David met me of course. Ronnie didn't have dark shadows under his eyes like I did- plagued by nightmares of David's death. I always thought the guilt would affect him, but he was here- well rested and successful; He didn't drink himself into oblivion as I had expected.

I smiled, happy for a moment, then remembered the lake.

“Ronnie!” I yelled running to him. “The most awful thing happened at the lake. It was- I don't know how to explain it but I saw him.” I dropped my voice to a whisper, “I saw David.”

Ronnie looked me over as he listened, stopping at my dirty bare feet on the tile.

I watched his expression change from surprise to confusion before settling on anger. “Marienne- you know that isn't possible,” He looked over my shoulder where a small crowd had gathered, “I need to talk to some important people now. Excuse me.”

“But Ronnie it's him-”

“It’s Ronald now actually.” He stated, pushing past me to greet the people on the sidewalk. I looked closer at the crowd, one person carried a large camera, and others held microphones towards Ronnie. I walked out the side door, standing in the back to catch what they were saying.

“- after the disappearances, people are scared to come to Belleville. Do you have anything to say to them?” One reporter in the front asked.

“I can assure you, Belleville is perfectly safe. The lake is absolutely beautiful this time of year and tourists can enjoy our historic town without any concern for their safety. The rumors spreading are just that- rumors. There is no story here. I look forward to tourists coming to see our fall foliage, which is particularly vibrant this year around the lake. Stop by the salt packaging factory to get a behind-the-scenes look at the industry that makes the town of Belleville thrive. Thank you.” He weaved his way through the people without looking back.

I took out my phone and called the only person who I knew would listen.

“Hello?” Simon answered.

“Hi hon, I really need your help. Something weird is going on in Belleville. Can you come here?”

“Anne it’s a two-hour drive, and already kinda late-” I looked at my phone screen which showed that it was three-fifteen in the afternoon, and rolled my eyes- he despised driving in the dark.

“I’ll drive us home. Please,” my voice cracked and I sniffled back fake tears, adding a little drama to persuade him.

“Of course. Yeah. I'll see you in two hours. I love you.”

“Thank you, call me when you are close. Bye.” I ended the call, unsure what to do for two hours. I knew I should stay in town- maybe catch up with friends I hadn't seen since the accident- but something pulled me to the lake. I convinced myself it was simple curiosity. I wanted to know what would've happened if I hadn't run away. What would the not-my-David do?

I drove back towards the lake, swerving as I struggled to pull my shoes on at the same time. There was a hill near the lake- a great vantage point. I stopped at the old department store and found binoculars, but the wait to purchase them tempted me to run out the door without paying. The frizzy-haired cashier scanned them while I tapped my foot on the linoleum, unable to contain my impatience. I snatched the bag from her and jogged out the door.

When I arrived at the rocky hillside, I took my binoculars and phone- hoping whoever was in the water earlier hadn't left- and started climbing. I wished I was wearing jeans instead of the white flowy dress now impeding my progress, but no; I had to wear a white dress while I threw the ring of my dead fiance into the lake where he died- damn my theatrical nature.

I reached the summit and the entire lake was visible. The trees whirled around as if alive and dancing in the wind. I tied my hair up- knotting it with itself since I was unprepared- and settled on my stomach, ignoring the sharp rocks jutting into my hip.

Raising my binoculars, I scanned the place where I had seen the not-David, but there were only small waves lapping the rock.

I swept my gaze across the dense foliage of the trees but didn't notice anything unusual. I adjusted the binoculars and started over. Nothing on the rock, nothing in the-

Something was in the trees- round fruit hung down from the canopies on the water's edge. They looked like red apples, or possibly pomegranates- some sort of large red fruit. I didn't know the trees were fruit trees. I inspected them closer, taking care to check each one.

Splash!

My heart raced as something disturbed the water to my right. I turned and discovered one of the bright red fruits bobbing in the water. I let out a breathless laugh, convinced I was scared of nothing.

A knobby, long-fingered grey hand breached the water and grabbed the fruit. I stared in horror as the creature surfaced. Its face was mangled and its wrinkled skin reminded me of grey, melting wax. Its slate skin rippled as it moved, coming waist-high out of the water- its long, thin form at least fifteen feet tall. I clenched my jaw, determined to not scream as I studied the monster. It had the outline of a humanoid, but there were six black circles on its facial structure- maybe those were its eyes- and a large mouth, drawn back, exposing perfectly white human teeth. The thing picked up the fruit and bit it clean in half. The fruit bled, dripping red down the monster's chest. I laid there, taking shallow breaths to avoid detection. The creature ate the fruit and retreated into the water, its tail flipped powerfully, propelling it out of sight. My breathing was ragged. How would I explain this? People would think I was crazy- I would end up in a mental hospital.

I tried to find the monster. The water was rippling, but I couldn't find the source. Then, a beautiful woman emerged from the water, hugging the rock as the not-David had.

The lady spoke, but I couldn't make out what she said. She swam towards the shore opposite me, my eyes followed. There was a man wearing a bright yellow shirt and black swim shorts, he had a trimmed greying beard and was in the water walking towards her, then running, his face conveying bewildered excitement. I couldn't let him get in the water with that thing. I inhaled, ready to shout at him.

The water turned murky- so cloudy and grey it looked like a flat, swirling stone. The woman hugged the yellow-shirt man, taking him deeper and deeper into the water. He started to struggle, screaming. The woman sank under the water, but didn’t release him- she was pulling him under. I remembered David's final scream again- it sounded a lot like this.

“No! No! Let him go!” I screamed, helpless, but it was too late. There were ripples, bubbles, then nothing. I shook and couldn't stop. Was this shock? It felt like shock. The moment the ripples settled, the lake became clear and inviting again. I lay there, trying to compose myself.

I picked up my binoculars and steadied my hands so I could see. I scanned the clear water, from the center of the lake all the way to the treeline. Then I saw it. Not the monster, but the man in the yellow shirt. His body was submerged near my hideout, resting on the lake floor. As I watched, tree roots grew around- and through- him. They leeched onto him, and his body shriveled. I looked away and saw red seeping through the veins of the tree's yellow leaves, turning them a bright red. The fruit on the tree grew, ripening before my eyes as the body decomposed rapidly, turning into tiny grains of bone indistinguishable from the sand. Beautiful fall foliage my ass, this thing was storing blood for winter like a demon squirrel.

How could I stop it? It needed- or wanted- the blood fruit. I could poison the trees, but there wouldn't be enough poison in the town- all Belleville had was salt.

I gasped. The salt packaging factory wasn't far away, but it would take several tons of salt. Not practical.

What kind of creature was it? It had a tail and swam fast, didn’t come out of the water, could change its shape and voice to mimic the loved one of its intended victim, and loved human blood. I typed the information into google. It came up with a Tangie, Siren, Vampire, or Encantado, but none of them fit the creature perfectly. This was some sort of hybrid. All the ways to kill these creatures were too complicated- a copper dagger dipped in the blood of a victim? I didn't want to get close enough to stab it, even with a proper weapon. Its reflection shows its true form- which explains why it disturbed the water and made it opaque. It felt like the water was watching me as I inched down the rock side, refusing to turn my back on it, and ran to the car.

No one would believe me. I had seen too many movies to believe the evidence would still be there when I returned.

Maybe I could just put up a ‘Do Not Swim’ sign.

I drove back to town. I lacked evidence but had information now.

When I got to the county building, Lucas was gone, so I wandered the halls until I found Ronnie sitting at his desk.

“Ronald.” I said coldly, “There is some sort of vampire siren creature in the lake.”

I expected him to look at me like I was crazy, or call the police to have me locked up.

“Yes. I’m aware.” He said, leaning back in his office chair.

I didn't know where the conversation should go from here.

“Well, if you know, why aren't you doing anything about it?” I sat down in the only other chair in the small office. A picture of him hugging a woman who I assumed was his wife sat on his desk. He followed my gaze and smiled.

“That's my Sandra. We got married three years ago.”

“Oh, Congratulations?” I said, unsure. The words felt awkward after the big reveal of a local sea monster.

“Thanks. She, unfortunately, passed away last year. Now I only see her at the lake.”

Now I understood.

He continued “I first heard of the mysterious sightings and disappearances two years ago when I was a police officer. I went to the lake to investigate and saw her- so beautiful.”

“It isn't really her Ronnie. You should see the creature it's hideous and huge and-”

“I won't let anyone take her away from me. I can't. It’s not for selfish reasons either. If people believed there was a monster everyone would move away, no one would visit for the history or the foliage- Belleville would be a ghost town.”

I took a few minutes to think. Belleville was barely hanging on. Ronnie was practically the mayor- loved more than the mayor actually, I remembered that much. People would listen to him.

“We can't just let people wander in there and die, but I understand what you're saying, but you're wrong about tourism- if you told everyone there is a huge vampire siren thing in the lake, tourism would increase exponentially! If people are fairly warned, at least it wouldn’t be our fault if they fell prey to the monster- kind of like having a lion in a zoo. I’m sure it only shows itself to people who go in the water alone so it knows who to mimic.” I thought about it for another moment, “Let's make the monster our mascot!”

Ronnie rocked his chair back and forth, as he considered it.

“Yes. I think that will work. I’ll get right on it.”

I smiled, happy we found a solution that wouldn't get me locked up. I stood and went to the door to call Simon.

“Oh, and Marnie,” Ronnie said from his chair. I froze in place, one hand ready to close the door behind me, and turned to him. I saw his reflection in the window for the first time. The monster's outline sat in his chair. “It was good seeing you again,” David's voice slithered. I closed the door behind me in a quick motion. I shouldn't have assumed it had to stay in the water- or that there was only one.