The Lake of Sanctuary

In the deepest forest of Massachusetts, near a ghost town called Sanctuary, there dwells a lake. A lake that holds terrible and dark entities, only a few know and a foolish some wish to know. Locals who are aware of the ghastly body of water try to warn visitors to never go there when it’s mist covers it like a blanket of dread, for when the mist appears, death will always be the aftermath.

As though a rock was thrown into a calm puddle, the night of the forest is disturbed by the headlights of a truck and loud laughter. In the truck are four friends who, in a drunken state, decided to test the myth of the lake. Once the driver spots the lake he comes to a stop and steps out from the driver seat with his girlfriend behind him. The passenger door opens and from the truck came the other two friends. The driver and his male friend went to the truck’s bed and pull out four sleeping bags and a couple of cases of beer. Once they found a good spot to sleep, they and the two girls lay out their bags.

“I still can’t believe we’re doing this.” The driver’s girlfriend says.

“Don’t worry about it Mary, if anything comes I’ll protect you.”

“Heh, you protect me?”

“What? You don’t believe me?”

“I’m not the one who was called ‘Casey the Scardy Cat’ when we were kids.”

“That was the old Casey, this Casey is a brave boyfriend and protector.” Casey says as he wraps his arm around Mary, thinking his charm will once again win his girl over. Mary rolls her eyes and smirks at her boyfriend.

“Why are we doing this again?” the other girl asks with concern. “This place is giving me some major creeps.”

“To prove what the bartender said is a big hoax.” The other guy says “Apparently, back in the settler days, while Salem was having their witch trials, Sanctuary had theirs. The judge was so hell-bent on ridding his town of witches that anyone accused was automatically guilty. There were at least thirty-five prisoners and they were all executed.”

“How?”

“The judge had all of their legs tied to rocks and one by one, they were thrown into the lake. Everyone screaming and crying to be freed, but none of the townsfolk rescued them, fearing that they’ll be accused and suffer the same fate. Then, a few weeks later, a few went to the lake to pay their respects only, they never came back.”

“Where did they go?”

“Nobody knows, but some locals think that the spirits of all the falsely accused took them and drown them. Getting revenge on those who ordered the execution, who did it, and who allowed it to happen. Why drown people? Was it to bestow the same fate, or they were witches and they are dragging people to Hell through the lake. Either way, all who come close to the lake will always be gone by the next day.” Silence is all that’s heard as the three listeners let the story seep into their minds. Until Casey ends it by saying;

“Thanks Ron, for telling us what we already knew.”

“Hey, Karla asked.” Ron says. Karla then feels her anxiety filling her like water filling a pitcher to the rim. Mary, seeing her friend getting scared, places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t listen to Ron, it’s just a myth. We’re all gonna be fine in the morning.” Karla nods her head and puts on a brave face. The group of friends then get into their sleeping bags, allowing the sounds of the forest be their lullaby, lowering their senses to slumber.

The chirping of crickets, the hooting of occasional owls, and the rustling of leaves as they try to hold on to the branches they grew from, that is the sound that put the four thrill-seekers to sleep. A rhythm that is left uninterrupted and remains continuous, until the sound of water-plopping startles Karla. Her eyes going as wide as they can, and quickly sits up to find where it came from. She scans the lake for the source of the sound, when she finds nothing, she begins to calm herself and is about to go back to sleep when she hears another plop. She stands up and removes her sleeping bag from her body. She more thoroughly scans the lake and finds in the center of the lake is an outstretched, pale arm.

It slams against the water and what followed petrified Karla so much that she becomes stiff, like her entire spinal cord turned to stone. Rising from the lake’s murky waters is a girl, dressed in old settler’s dress, only wet and parts of her dress are ripped. The girl’s head is down, but she begins to rise it up, revealing a youthful face, yet it’s not in a healthy glow, but gray like a cold death. A few strands of hair came out of her aging bonnet, black as the night covering the New England forest. Her eyes glazed with nothing but white like a pair of full moons. Karla shakes off her initial shock and anxiously tries to wake up her friends.

“Guys, there’s someone in the lake.” Karla says shaking Ron up, with Mary and Casey following.

“Ugh, what do mean there’s someone in the lake?” Casey asks annoyed by the fact he had to wake up.

“There, see?” The three cocooned friends follow Karla’s finger and find the kid in the water. Mary then gets out of her sleeping bag and begins to walk to her.

“Mary? What’re you doing?” Casey asks.

“Hello.” She calls out “What are you doing here in the middle of the night?” the girl doesn’t respond.

“Why are you in the lake? Did someone put you up to this?” Again, no answer. Mary steps in the lake.

“Mary no!” Karla shouts.

“Mary stop.” Casey says.

“Hang on, I’ll get to you.” Mary says thinking the girl’s having hypothermia. As she gets closer to the poor thing, she now notices that while she’s waist-deep into the water, the girl’s standing on the water. Before she could ask how it’s possible, cold hands spring from the water to grab Mary like human-like tentacles and pull her down. With a scream, Mary is swallowed up by the lake.

“Mary!” Karla screams.

“No!” Casey yells, and as he tries to get out of his sleeping bag, he and the others remaining see people walking out of the lake. Only, these people are not alive, but dead. All in Plymouth clothing and moon-like eyes, like a parade of dead settlers. The three friends stare at the collection of the dead as they stop at the beach. The girl who still stands on the lake slowly raises her arm, until it shows her pointing at the mortals, Then, as though a murder of crows decided to caw at the same time in horrifying tone, she screams and it echoes around the lake. Then, taking the girl’s scream as a signal, the dead accused charged at the warm-bloodied three.

“Oh crap!” Ron shouts as he and his two friends run to the truck. Ron then trips on an exposed tree root and falls to the ground, where some of the dead grab him and bring him to the lake.

“Get off me! Let go!” Ron screams as he fights back while being pulled. Casey and Karla make it to the truck, Casey opens his door and starts the engine. Karla tries to open the passenger door, but it’s locked. She then finds herself in the arms of the dead people. Karla keeps her grip on the door handle, holding it till her knuckles are as white as the dead people’s skin. She sees Casey in the truck and his foot on the gas. She sees fear in his eyes, wanting to get out of here. She begs him not to go, but her fears are true, he steps on the gas pedal. Casey leaves the area like it’s the only way to escape the apocalypse. He keeps his face forward, not wanting to look back and pushing the screams of his girlfriend and friends out of his mind.

In the morning, after letting the traumatic moment sink in and knowing no one was going to believe what he saw, Casey left the state and never came back. The police tried to find him, but he was out of their jurisdiction. Then after a few more disappearances involving the lake, the neighboring counties decided to finally drain it until it’s nothing but a giant hole in the ground. Some prayed that it’s the end of it, however… if Heaven can perform miracles, then Hell can conjure curses.

A little bird flies to the now barren lake hoping to drink from a tiny puddle of water, only to be caught by a hand and pulled to the water.