The Corpse of the Beast

Professor Red Wilmington was a woman of her word. Always had been, and always would be. So when she stood in between a group of shivering scholars in wetsuits, pointing to the center of an ancient grave map for Lake Naring, we knew she wasn’t there to waste our time.

“The graveyard is here.” She said, in her nasally voice. A wiry, manicured finger tapping the center of the map. “The mausoleum lies in the heart of the cave. The cave is down 50 feet in the depths of the lake.”

The students at the Academy of the Unknown were accustomed to studying things out of the ordinary, but this was a coveted program. Professor Red did what most wouldn’t -- took you into the field for real hands-on training, and paid you upon completion of the program.

In theory, most teachers assumed she was taking her students on field trips to crypts, or perhaps touring through cemeteries discussing cadavers, but many had no idea what was required as part of the field of soul extractor study, and those who did, often turned a blind eye.

Students tried tooth and nail to get into her class, and after two semesters of working in the Hall of Records, I knew she only picked five students to be a part of the program. Her program’s selling point? A life or death study on how to extract souls from a corpse.

“Jeanine Powell?” Her voice pierced my ears like a high-pitched drawl. It came at a decibel my ears weren’t quite ready for. I didn’t respond right away. Mainly because I was fighting a mix of panic and cold.

“Jeanine!” Professor Red snapped. “The waking moon is upon us. We will get one shot at this. Tell me. What is the protocol for once we get into the water?”

“The protocol… um -- right. Let me --” I tried my best to hide my stutter. “Give me a minute.”

All eyes were on me, and with a temperature in the low fifties, it was hard to remember anything at nearly midnight. I looked at the map, spinning it around in my nearly frozen fingers as I stared blankly out onto Lake Naring.

It was hard to believe that we were standing in the mud and grassy marsh of one of the most sensationalized lakes in the country. But at night, the lake didn’t look like how the reporters had described it. They used words like angelic, or serene. A place of mystical wonder and intrigue. No. At night, it looked otherworldly, a place where vampires and werewolves took residence.

I stared up at the surrounding caves. They took on a ravenous shape this time of night, shooting high into the sky like large gargoyles, encircling the dark, swampy lake in front of us. The reporters had said no creatures could survive in this part of town anymore, but Professor Red knew better. We all did.

“Ms. Powell.” Red shot me a cold look. Expectant.

“Right.” I fidgeted. “So… we stay tied together, and jump off the cliff into the mouth of the lake -- then we -- we -- lower ourselves down slowly, letting the gravity pull us toward the tide. When we reach the tide, we flow into it, letting it pull us down to the -- um -- the cave’s entrance to the tomb, and then we -- we -- ”

I was blanking. The moon was beginning to part through the top of the caves. A sliver of light pierced the lake. From a distance, the groans and gnarls of something hidden were beginning to grow louder. It was only a matter of time before the countdown would begin.

“Who can help her?” Professor Red said urgently, looking at the group. There were two twin brothers -- Rugby and Fred -- short, stodgy, and trying their hardest to appear confident, but failing in every way. Then there was Serena. She was bright, and on most days a bit witchy. Right now, she was silent like the rest, concerned about the rustling noises coming from around her.

Then finally, a small voice from behind, “We slip in one by one so the tide doesn’t seep into the tomb.” I stepped aside as my classmate, Marva Grant, stepped forward. She was petite, no more than four feet tall. Unassuming, but astute.

“Correct.” The Professor shot all of us an agitated look. “And if you haven’t realized by now… half of the battle tonight will simply be staying alive. We have a small window to do that.”

Then almost as quickly as she started, Professor Red began moving us toward the mouth of the lake.

“Stay close. Move fast. There are things in these parts that no one tells you about. Things they lie to you about.” Her voice was telling. Time was getting near. Rugby, Fred, and Serena hovered close to the Professor. Marva hung back with me as we followed behind.

“Don’t worry, Jeanine,” she whispered. “We’re all scared. But it’s gonna be worth it. Don’t let Professor Red shake you.”

I nodded, appreciative of her optimism, but right now, as the moon was starting to rise higher in the distance, it meant nothing.

“Once the moon is at its highest. We need to all be in the water.” The Professor continued, tightening the rope that connected us. “This is not a time for slip-ups. I’m not dying tonight, and you have to believe that neither are you.”

CRSSSSHHHHH.

We all turned. Something was crunching the leaves behind us.

“Zip up if you haven’t. Headgear on. Check your oxygen.” Red instructed. “And whatever you do, do not look behind you.”

BUH-BOOM. BUH-BOOM.

Something was pulsing. Something was… beating. Rapidly. The moon was almost above the caves now. The trail to the lake was made more clear as we neared the edge.

BUH-BOOM. BUH-BOOM. BUH-BOOM. BUH-BOOM.

“Professor… that sound...” I heard Serena whimper up ahead of me. “In the caves...” Her eyes darted around.

“Don’t look around, Serena.” I cautioned her.

But there was another flurry of steps. Passing us on both sides. A quick wave. Something large was coming our way. A scratching noise, a desperate clawing. Something was trying to get out.

CRSSSSHHHHH. GLOP. GLOP. BUH-BOOM. BUH-BOOM.

Now it was stepping through the mud, almost like the gallop of a horse, but bigger. But then a smell that I couldn’t have been prepared for crept into my nostrils.

“What -- What is that?” I gasped. It was a rotten stench, an almost sewer-like smell that made our eyes water. I held my nose in an attempt not to hurl. But as we got closer to Lake Naring, the smell became more potent. Something was rotting around us.

“Oh my god. Oh my god.” Marva covered her mouth, trembling.

I followed Marva’s eyes from out of the shadows, as we watched as three six-legged hounds stepped out toward us. They were beasts at nearly 10 feet tall, wild red eyes, and a chest cavity that had been ripped open. Revealing a bloody heart that was literally beating outside of their chests.

I clamped my hands over my mouth, tears running down my eyes, as I tried not to scream. We were running now. Tailing Professor Red, the rope that attached us pulling us along with her.

“Look straight ahead everyone!” Professor Red yelled. “Start the countdown, now! We jump in ten seconds!”

The five of us raced to the edge. Any semblance of being cold, out the window, as a new sweat now dripped down my face. The beasts paced beside us, gnawing at the ground a few steps away from our feet.

“10… 9… 8…”

We yelled in unison, hurrying to the edge of the mouth to the lake. We clasped hands, quickly filing into formation.

We were almost to the edge. I could see the lake clearly now, a 10-foot jump. More beasts had begun to appear. All shapes and colors, surrounding the water’s edge, rising out of the ground, scurrying towards us. Their hearts pounding at a sound that could nearly shatter our eardrums.

I looked up at the clouds, the moon was almost at its peak.

“7… 6… 5… ”

“The water is changing!” Marva yelled, incredulous. “What is this? Professor what is this?”

I stared down. She was right. Lake Naring was turning a wine color red.

“Is that blood? Professor, is that blood in the lake??” Marva yelled, repulsed. “I can’t… I can’t do this!” She was panicking .

“4… 3… 2… ”

I gripped her hand. “Marva, come on! It’s time! We have to go!” I yelled at Marva. The beast's breath was nearly upon us.

“1!” Professor Red screamed, and as the moon reached its peak, she hurled her body, feet first, down into the mouth of the lake, pulling all of us simultaneously down one by one. And just as the fear consumed me, and my body left the ground, I felt a rope snap behind me.

“Jeanine!” It was Marva.

She screamed, as her tiny frame was devoured by a beast with bloody fangs.

“Noo!” I yelled, reaching for her. It was the thing I last remember, before I hit the dark, bloody water, and was knocked unconscious.