The Depth

There it was. The lake where his little sister had drowned the previous year. The investigation had ruled her death a suicide but it was unlike her. Their father had brought her out to the cabin on the lake for her sixteenth birthday. He promised her he'd teach her how to fish and make traps. She was so excited but the first night, she left the cabin. She made her way to the water and never came back. Eleven months went by and her father couldn't handle the guilt anymore. He took his own life and left his son behind.

"It will be okay, Lucas," his girlfriend said while grabbing his hand.

"I don't know," a worried Lucas replied as he stopped the car.

"You'll see," she said. "You'll cover up the bad memories with new ones. Good ones."

She smiled at him before getting out of the car. Lucas stared at the cabin and then at the lake. His eyes started to sting and tears filled up the corners. He jumped as his girlfriend tapped on his window.

"Can you open the trunk?" she asked.

Lucas nodded and pulled the lever to open it. He made sure his keys were in his pocket before exiting the vehicle. It was very quiet outside. Not even the chirping of a bird could be heard. He walked to the back of the car and saw his girlfriend struggling with a cooler.

"Johanna, let me get that," Lucas said.

Just then, a dog's bark broke the silence. Lucas jumped once again and quickly sat the cooler on the ground.

"Sounds like somebody is finally awake!" Johanna laughed.

She walked to the back door and opened it. A golden retriever immediately jumped out and began running around. Lucas smiled and picked the cooler back up as the dog rolled in the grass.

"She's happy," Johanna said while grabbing some bags. "I suppose three hours in the car will do that though."

"Yeah," Lucas nodded. "Let's get this all inside and fix something to eat."

They both emptied the trunk and piled all their supplies in front of the cabin door. Lucas grabbed the keys from his pocket and realized his hand was shaking. He missed the lock and tried to focus on stabilizing his hand.

"Here, let me," Johanna said in a calming voice.

He passed the keys to her and watched as she opened the door with ease. They both grabbed supplies as they entered. Lucas was relieved that the place was cleared out but for a few books on the table. Maybe Johanna was right. He could start fresh and make the place feel new.

They finished bringing everything in and together they made sandwiches with chips. It brought back memories of all the summers he spent here while growing up. Each one was different which seemed odd to him as they never did anything different. He recalled the first time he caught a fish and it seemed everyone who lived on the lake congratulated him.

"Did you see or hear anyone else?" he asked Johanna.

She shook her head as she had a mouthful. She quickly chewed and swallowed.

"No, I don't think anyone comes here anymore. At least, that's what my dad told me."

"Did he know why?"

"I think everyone just got a little spooked over what happened. You know?"

"Yeah, I guess," Lucas responded, wishing he hadn't asked.

"I mean look at the books your dad left," she said while picking one up. "Monsters of the Deep. What an interesting read."

"Yeah, he was looking for any explanation before the end."

"He has a page marked on one of the monsters," Johana said curiously. "I can't pronounce the name but it says it feeds on a victim for several days. The victim feels nothing as they relive their last day over and over."

"Yeah, I think he tried telling me about that one," Lucas shook his head. "I tried to sway him away from that stuff but he wouldn't budge. It finally pushed him over the edge."

"Look at that creepy picture!" Johanna laughed.

Lucas looked at the picture of the creature. It was very poorly drawn but it did have a creepy vibe to it.

"SASHA!" Johanna yelled as the dog began barking vigorously.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked as he had his back to the window.

"I don't know. She's just barking at the lake," Johanna answered while standing up.

"She probably saw a bird swoop down to catch a fish."

"SASHA!" Johanna yelled once more.

This time the dog stopped barking and Lucas could hear her running towards the cabin. Johanna opened the door and Sasha walked in.

"What's the matter, girl?" Lucas asked her.

The dog didn't acknowledge him but rather began sniffing the floor. She began barking again but this time she growled.

"Sasha!" Johanna snapped at her. "You need to calm down!"

"We're not going to be able to sleep if she's doing that," Lucas said.

"I'll hook her up outside after she eats," Johanna said. "She likes sleeping outdoors anyways. Sasha!"

Lucas grabbed some of the meat they used for their sandwiches and gave it to Sasha on a plate. The dog stopped barking and began eating up the food as if nothing happened.

"Well, while she's eating, why don't we go walk along the beach?" Johanna suggested. "I mean the sun is setting and it's just gorgeous out. It will make for some great photos."

"Yeah, okay. Let's do it," Lucas smiled.

They left Sasha in the cabin and headed down to the beach. A strong breeze made the water restless and with the sunset reflecting across it, it was quite beautiful.

"Come on," Johanna laughed as she removed her sandals.

Lucas smiled and did the same. The warm sand felt relaxing in between his toes. He grabbed Johanna's hand walked with her down the beach. She pulled out her phone and held it out in front of her. They positioned themselves with the water to their backs. Lucas almost jumped, feeling the water nipping at his heels.

"Say cheese," she said joyfully.

"Cheese!" they both said.

She snapped the photo and quickly looked at her phone. Lucas patiently waited to see it. He watched her smile slowly sink and confusion ran through her eyes.

"What? Were my eyes closed?" Lucas asked.

Before she could answer, a child's laughter could be heard coming from the lake. The sound felt as though it was crawling up his spine. He looked out towards the water without hesitation. There was no one there. Just the waves pushing on the beach.

"You heard it too?" Johanna asked shakenly.

"Yeah," Lucas slowly replied. "Let's get back to the cabin."

He grabbed her hand and walked back to the cabin. She kept whispering for them to run but he felt that wouldn't be wise. They walked into the small building and Sasha was growling at the door.

"Maybe she should sleep in here," Johanna said.

"Maybe if she's outside, she'll scare it away," Lucas countered. "Plus, maybe all that was was the wind."

"You think so?"

"Yes," Lucas said while holding her. "I bet it was nothing."

The sun had fully set and darkness overtook the lake. Clouds blocked out the light of the moon the wind had died down. Lucas tied Sasha to the railing outside the cabin before retiring inside. All was quiet as he and Johanna climbed up to the loft.

"Goodnight," Johanna kissed Lucas.

"G'night."

Lucas laid awake for what felt like hours but he was sure it was only minutes. He never could fall asleep all that quickly. He listened to the slow breathing of his girlfriend and the crickets chirping outside. He began thinking of all the times he and his father spent the night here. It seemed like another world.

Just as Lucas began to drift off, he and Johanna both shot up. Sasha was barking like crazy. Crazier than Lucas had ever heard her. Then just as quickly as she started, she was silent.

"See? She scared it away," Lucas said, trying to calm her.

Then he felt chills down his spine as heavy footsteps began running beside the cabin. He held on to Johanna as the stomping continued around the cabin. It kept going in circles around them and was getting faster and heavier. Johanna began to cry and Lucas tried to quiet her down. Then the footsteps stopped. Lucas focused on trying to listen for any more sounds but it was completely silent. Then a child's laughter rang out once more and Johanna screamed. The heavy footsteps started up again and this time there was scratching around the walls. It was trying to find a way in.

"Do something!" Johanna cried.

Lucas quietly climbed down and pushed the table in front of the door. The scratching went over it and continued around the cabin once more. Then finally, the heavy footsteps took off in the direction of the lake.

"It's gone," Lucas whispered up to her.

"We need to leave," she cried.

"Not while it's dark. It will be safer as soon as the sun comes up."

He knew she wouldn't argue with that logic but he too didn't want to wait. He sat against the table for the rest of the night. He tried to rationalize what kind of animal it could have been or if it was just a prankster.

After several fearful hours, the sunlight began shining through the window. Johanna immediately joined him and together they prepared themselves to leave. They packed what they could carry in one trip and decided to leave the rest. Lucas pushed the table aside and slowly opened the door.

"Come on," he said reassuring her.

They walked out the door and loaded the car. Lucas opened the driver's side door was about to enter.

"Sasha," Johanna said.

"Whatever it was...it killed her," Lucas said empathetically.

"No. There's no blood and her leash is cut."

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked. "It was some prankster. Whoever it was must have stolen her."

"SASHA!" Johanna yelled. "Or she ran away!"

"You want to look for her? Now?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, now! It might be the only chance we get."

"I don't know. I think we should leave and get a police officer to come back with us at least. I mean, we can show the scratches on the side of the cabin."

Lucas pointed at the cabin and realized how high the scratches were. Not even he could reach that high.

"Please, Lucas. Let's just walk around the lake once. Just once."

He caved and agreed to search around the lake once.

"Let's go!" Johanna grabbed his hand.

They began jogging around the lake, screaming out the dog's name. It took them a few hours to make it back to the cabin. Lucas sighed and caved into her pleas once more. Again, they jogged around the lake but this time they knocked on every cabin door they passed. They were all empty and for the most part, abandoned. Lucas noticed a few of them weren't locked and were full of supplies. It was as if people left in a hurry. He started to feel sick and realized they really shouldn't have come to the lake at all.

"Just one more time," Johanna begged as they reached their cabin again.

"It's going to be dark soon. We can't stay here," Lucas said calmly.

"Please, just one last time. I know we'll find her. I promise if we don't then we can leave."

"Fine," Lucas reluctantly said. "One last time and that's it."

So, for a third time, they walked around the lake and Lucas grew worried. The sun had begun to set and they were only halfway around.

"Let's hurry," he said to Johanna.

"I'm trying," she said. "SASHA!"

There was still no sign of the poor dog and darkness was overtaking the lake once more. Lucas could see the cabin and his car in the distance. They still had to run by three more cabins to get there.

"SASHA!" Johanna cried out.

This time there was a response. The child's laughter was heard again and the water was being disturbed. They both looked at the lake in horror as a silhouette of a tall, gangly creature emerged.

"Run!" Lucas said while grabbing Johanna's hand.

He knew they weren't going to make it to their cabin and car. He focused on the nearest cabin and prayed it was unlocked. He tried to ignore the heavy footsteps catching up to them. The laughter grew louder as they reached the cabin door. Lucas grabbed the handle and his heart sank.

"Kick it down!" Johanna cried.

He took a step back and gave it everything he had. The door burst open and the two of them dove inside. Lucas quickly slammed the door and slid the table in front of it. The creature ran into the wall with a loud bang.

"What do we do?" Johanna whispered.

Before he could answer, the creature did the unspeakable.

"Sasha," it said playfully.

"That sounds like me," Johanna cried in horror.

"Sasha, come here," the creature giggled.

"GO AWAY!" Johanna screamed.

The window shattered the creature's arm began swinging wildly inside the cabin. Both of them tried to back up but Johanna was too slow. It grabbed her leg and began dragging her. Lucas dove and grabbed her harms.

"Please, don't let go!" she screamed.

Lucas tried to pull her but he could feel his strength failing. The creature tugged and she slipped out of his hands. She screamed as she was taken through the window.

Lucas threw the table aside and swung the door open. He saw the creature dragging her towards the lake.

"LET HER GO!" he yelled. "LET HER GO!"

He began running after it but stopped in his tracks when it looked at him. The moonlight shined just right and he saw the creature's face. It was shaking rapidly but even with the distortion, he recognized Johanna's face. It smiled the evilest grin and continued dragging her. She continued to scream until she entered the water.

Lucas dropped to his knees and tears flowed from his eyes. He failed her and he was next. Just then a vibrating sound interrupted his cries. He looked down at the source to see Johanna's phone. He picked it up and saw it was a notification for low battery. He opened the phone and saw the picture she had taken of them yesterday.

"I'm sorry," he cried.

He was about to set the phone down but then noticed the background of the picture. It was the head of the creature, sticking out of the water. That's why she gasped after taking the photo. Something about it was familiar. He looked closer and realized it reminded him of the poorly drawn creature from the book. The phone died and the screen went black. The tears stopped filling his eyes as he realized Johanna would still be alive.

The book said it would feed on its victims for several days and that they were alive. He speculated that there must be an air pocket beneath the water. Lucas stood up and began to form a plan.

He ran back to his cabin and rummaged in the supplies until he found them. Matches. He lit a few of them and set them in the dryest spots of the cabin. He hoped his distraction would word as he left the cabin with a hatchet in hand. Soon, the whole cabin was ablaze as he hid behind a tree.

He listened and sure enough, heavy footsteps could be heard. He watched as the creature charged towards the fire. It was screaming his name but in Johanna's voice. It was calling for help. Lucas shook his head and gathered his remaining courage as he took off for the lake.

He swore as he entered the cold water. He ignored the water's sting and forced himself further into the lake. He dove beneath the water and searched for any sign of a cave. He felt his lungs tighten and an overwhelming urge to breathe. He swam back to the surface and took in as much air as he could. He searched once more and this time he found what he was looking for.

A dark hole seemed to lead deep into the lake. That had to be where it took Johanna. Lucas forced himself into the depths of the lake. He swam into the hole and used the walls around him to feel his way through. The urge to breathe was growing stronger by the second. He pushed himself and then he felt it.

His hand felt cold and he knew it was air as he broke through the surface. Moonlight was coming through a small crack in the ceiling of the cave. It was enough for Lucas to see both Johanna and Sasha in a pile of bones. He started to grow sick as he knew his sister would be among them but he shook his head.

"Johanna," he called to her but she didn't respond.

He crawled to her and noticed her eyes were wide open. He quickly checked her for a pulse. She was alive. Joy filled his heart as he tried to figure out the best way to carry her out.

"Lucas," he heard his girlfriend's voice.

He looked at Johanna and realized her mouth hadn't moved. Before he could turn around, a sharp pain buried itself in the back of his head. The cave grew dark and Johanna began to fade away.

"It will be okay, Lucas," his girlfriend said while grabbing his hand.

Lucas looked at the cabin and stopped the car.

"I don't know."