by Amy Cross
“What the...” Pierson whispered, stopping before he got too close.
Spotting something moving out of the corner of his eye, he turned and saw a long, smooth black tendril hanging down from the ceiling just a few inches from his face. He shone his torch against the tentacle's wet, glistening skin, before seeing that there was another nearby, and another, and finally he turned and saw that half a dozen were hanging all around him.
Slowly, the tip of one of the tentacles began to curl.
Pierson reached for the button on the front of his radio.
***
As the sun continued to set outside, a horrified scream erupted from inside the cafe. The scream lasted for only a few seconds, however, before suddenly cutting off dead.
Chapter Five
“Oh my God this is so amazing!” Kirsty shouted as she flew through the air and finally crashed into the dark lake, sinking deep under the surface as she sent water splashing up onto the pier.
“She seems keen,” Lizzie said, as she and Beth stood watching.
Nearby, Todd – the only guy who'd answered Kirsty's texts and actually shown up for the midnight trip to the lake – was still taking off his shoes and socks, ready to go into the water. He hadn't said much on the way through the forest; he'd seemed mostly interested in Kirsty, ignoring the other two girls almost as if they didn't exist.
“Do you think it's safe?” Beth asked, frowning as she watched ripples of moonlight on the water's surface. “I mean, it's huge, right? Do you think anything lives in there?”
“Like crocodiles or sharks?” Lizzie asked, watching as Todd stepped past them until he was standing on the end of the pier, ready to dive in. “Relax,” she continued, “this is England. The most dangerous thing you'll meet out here is an angry beaver or a crazy squirrel.”
“It's so cold!” Kirsty shouted as she surfaced again, taking a moment to run her hands through her hair. “It's freezing in here!”
“Perfect,” Todd replied, putting his hands together and executing a perfect dive as he went headfirst into the lake.
“Come on,” Kirsty said, waving at Lizzie and Beth. “You have to come in!”
“Maybe later,” Lizzie replied. “I'm cold enough already.”
“I wish I could be like that,” Beth muttered, shivering as she stuffed her hands into her pockets.
“Like what?” Lizzie asked.
“Adventurous. Carefree.” She watched as Kirsty and Todd swam further out toward the center of the lake. “I wish I didn't analyze everything to death.”
“You could always go in,” Lizzie pointed out.
Beth shook her head.
“Why not?”
“It's just not me.” She paused, before turning to Lizzie. “Why don't you go in?”
“Maybe tomorrow,” Lizzie replied. “I don't know, I'm not really feeling it tonight.” She put a hand on her belly.
“Pain?” Beth asked.
“Not much.”
“Is it new, or constant?”
“It comes and goes,” Lizzie explained. “I don't wanna sound like a martyr or anything, but yeah...” She winced a little. “Although having said that, since we got to this goddamn camp, I swear my stomach's been acting up more than usual. It's almost like...”
She paused.
“Like what?” Beth asked.
“Nothing,” Lizzie continued. “I'm just being whiny.” She watched Kirsty and Todd for a moment, treading water in the moonlight. A few seconds later, she saw them moving a little closer, and finally they kissed. “Wow, that was fast. Credit where it's due, he got his tongue down her throat way sooner than I expected.”
“She's not going to bring him back to the cabin, is she?” Beth asked.
“I hope not.”
“I don't want to be kept up all night by the sound of them snogging. Or worse.”
“It's pretty impressive, though,” Lizzie muttered, watching as the kiss went on and on. “Meet a guy, go swimming with him in a moonlit lake, kiss him... If it wasn't for the whole cancer thing, this would be a pretty romantic moment. And us standing here like this, watching. I guess we should turn away or something.”
They both stood in silence for a moment, watching as the kiss continued.
“Have you ever kissed someone?” Beth asked.
“Not really. You?”
“Not really.”
They watched as the kiss ended, and Kirsty swam a little further out before disappearing under the surface.
“How long have you got?” Beth continued.
“Until what?”
“You know.”
“No idea,” Lizzie replied, taking a deep breath. “Not forever.”
“I think I have two years,” Beth told her. “From what I've read, and from what the doctors have told me, and from how my cancer's been progressing so far, I'm expecting eighteen months to two years. If I live any longer, that'll be a bonus, but if I go sooner, I'd be pissed off. I'll be twenty in two years' time. Twenty's not crazy young.”
“It's way too young,” Lizzie muttered, waiting to see Kirsty come back up for air. “I'm not sure I'll make it that far. I think my cancer's spread more than the doctors are letting on.”
“Haven't you asked them?”
“They're trying to lie to me,” she continued, “and I'm letting them. It's kind of an unspoken arrangement we stick to, so my mother won't start sobbing all over the place. Then again, I still feel like... I'm not ready to give up. Are you?”
Beth shook her head.
“You just have to keep fighting,” Lizzie continued. “Giving up just isn't an option. I know that. It's just hard to remember sometimes.” She paused, still looking for Kirsty out in the water. “Where is she?”
They both watched as Todd swam through a patch of moonlight.
“I don't see her,” Beth said after a moment.
“Me neither,” Lizzie continued. “You don't think...”
“She'll be okay,” Beth replied, interrupting her. “Nothing can happen to her. She's one of those people who're just always alright.”
“Says who?” Lizzie asked, before shouting out to Todd. “Hey! Where's Kirsty?”
Todd's silhouette turned to look at them. A second later, Kirsty suddenly burst up behind him and dunked him under the surface while laughing wildly.
Lizzie and Beth both let out a sigh of relief.
“Did you hear that?” Beth asked suddenly, turning and looking back at the dark forest behind them.
“Relax,” Lizzie replied, “there's -”
Before she could finish, she realized she could hear something too: there was a faint rustling sound coming from the treeline, as if something was making its way through the undergrowth. After a few seconds, they both realized that whatever they could hear, it sounded large and it was coming closer.
“Maybe it's someone from the camp,” Beth whispered. “What if they found out we came down here? We might be in trouble! Oh God, I'm going to get punished on the very first night!”
“No way,” Lizzie told her, “it's just -”
Suddenly a figure emerged from the shadows, limping on a set of crutches.
“It's Laura,” Lizzie said with a faint smile. “I guess she changed her mind.”
She waved, and Laura began to make her way slowly toward them.
“We didn't think you were coming,” Lizzie continued as Laura joined them at the water's edge. “You said you were happy in the cabin by yourself.”
“I figured I might as well come and observe the cliche,” Laura replied breathlessly, clearly exhausted after making her way through the forest. “I almost couldn't find the place, though. I was worried I'd managed to get lost.”
“You going in?”
She shook her head.
“The lovebirds are out there,” Lizzie continued, turning to watch as Kirsty and Todd swam through another patch of moonlight. “I should warn you, tongues are already involved, so if you have an aversion to that sort of thing and
you want to keep your dinner down, I'd try not to look. We can't work out whether to be impressed or disgusted.”
“It's fine,” Laura replied, leaning her crutches against the side of the pier before easing herself down and starting to remove her shoes and socks. “I just came to get my feet wet, really. I didn't think it'd be so cold.” Inching forward, she dipped her bare feet into the water. “Wow, that's, like, sub-zero.”
Lizzie reached down and checked with her fingers.
“That poor guy out there,” Laura continued, watching the two swimmers. “With water this cold, he's going to suffer some serious shrinkage. The goddamn thing's gonna be like a peanut.”
“What will?” Beth asked innocently.
Lizzie and Laura both turned to her.
“Oh, right,” she continued, starting to blush. “Sure, I get it.”
“I was pretty creeped out on the way here,” Laura continued, turning to look back toward the trees. “I kept feeling like I was being followed, like something was in the bushes, almost tracking me. I can't explain it, I just...” She paused for a moment, before smiling nervously. “I guess that's just my primitive side talking. Still, once or twice I swear I heard something moving. I've lived in London all my life, so suddenly being out here in the middle of fucking nowhere is kinda weird. I am so totally not a fresh air kinda person.”
“It was probably just squirrels,” Lizzie muttered, turning to watch as Todd hauled himself out of the water and onto the pier, followed a moment later by Kirsty. “Great, the lovebirds are back.”
“We're gonna head to the cabin,” Kirsty said as she made her way toward them. She picked up a towel and began to dry herself. “I have a ton of chocolate in my bag. Who's in?”
“I could go with that,” Beth replied. “I'm pretty cold out here. Plus, the longer we're down here, the bigger the risk that we'll get caught, and then we'll end up in trouble.”
“I think I'll stay and contemplate nature for a while,” Laura said. “It was a hell of a job getting down here on my crutches. After all that effort, I figure I need to get something out of it. Who knows? Maybe I'll discover the meaning of life or some shit like that. Or I'll take a swim and get gobbled up by a beast from the deep. I've always thought I'd like to die in an interesting way. Cancer's so... boring.”
“I can't leave you here alone,” Lizzie told her. “I'll stay.”
“We'll save some for you,” Kirsty added, heading over to her clothes. “If you're lucky.” Leaning down, she started to examine her ankle. “Goddamnit, I think I did get bitten by something.”
“In an English lake?” Lizzie asked with a smile.
“No kidding,” Kirsty continued. “I thought I felt, like, something thin brushing against my leg, and now I've got this line. See?” She turned her bare leg so that the others could see, in the moonlight, a red mark running up to her knee. “It stings.”
Lizzie turned and looked out at the gently rippling lake.
“Maybe there are monsters after all,” she said after a moment.
“Cool,” Laura replied with a grin. “I hope so.”
***
“It's pretty invasive,” Lizzie said an hour later, as she and Laura made their way slowly through the pitch-black forest, heading back to camp. “Once a month, this doctor guy shoves a camera up my rear-end and pokes around. He has a monitor and everything, and he records it so he can double-check later. Somewhere, that guy has an archive of videos from inside my bottom. Honestly, it's the closest I've ever been to an intimate relationship with anyone.”
“I'm just glad I didn't lose my hair,” Laura replied, a little out of breath as she walked with her crutches. “I know that probably sounds totally vain, but it was the major thing I was worried about. Not because I think I've got the most gorgeous hair in the world, just... It's, like, so stereotypically the cancer look, isn't it? It's like having a wooden sign around your neck with the word CANCER written in big red letters.”
“I was lucky too,” Lizzie continued, “I managed to just get a -”
“Stop!” Laura said suddenly, putting a hand out and holding her back.
“What?”
“Listen.”
They stood in silence for a moment. In the darkness all around them, a gentle breeze blew through the forest.
“I don't hear anything,” Lizzie whispered.
“There was a noise,” Laura replied. “I'm not even kidding, dude, there's something out there.”
“No way.”
“Just listen!”
Again, they waited. This time, after a few seconds, a faint rustling sound could be heard nearby, as if something was moving low through the bushes.
“What the hell is that?” Laura whispered.
“Probably nothing,” Lizzie replied, although her eyes were wide with fear. “Maybe Kirsty and the others are trying to prank us, or maybe we're not the only ones who decided to break out from the cabins and take a moonlit stroll to -”
The noise returned, and this time it was closer. Lizzie and Laura both took a step back, as the rustling continued.
“So,” Lizzie continued after a moment, “what's the most dangerous wild animal in Britain?”
“I can't run,” Laura told her. “I'm sorry, but I just can't. If something happens, you just have to go, okay?”
“No way.”
“You can't wait for me! Besides, getting mauled to death by a monster is a way better death than going back to hospital and wasting away in a bed.”
“I'm sure as hell not leaving you behind! Don't worry, we just -”
Before she could finish, a small dark shape emerged into a nearby patch of moonlight, finally revealing itself to be a squirrel. Seemingly oblivious to the two relieved humans standing nearby, the creature looked around for a moment before scurrying toward a nearby tree.
“Do you think that's what it was?” Laura asked, turning to Lizzie. “Is a squirrel big enough to make that much noise?”
“Let's just assume so,” Lizzie replied. “Come on, I think I want to get back to the cabin as fast as possible.”
As they made their way through the undergrowth, the squirrel scurried around one of the trees and then stopped again, as if it was listening for something. It turned its head first one way, then the other, before scurrying to another tree and -
Suddenly a long, thin tentacle whipped out from the nearby foliage and wrapped itself around the squirrel, quickly pulling it into the shadows. A brief cry was heard, before being cut short. A moment later, another sound could be heard coming from the darkness: flesh and fur being torn apart.
***
With Laura limping along on her crutches, it took twice as long for her and Lizzie to get back to the campsite, and the faintest smudge of dawn was already starting to show on the horizon. They moved as quickly as possible between the cabins, making sure that no-one was around to see them, before finally opening the door to their cabin and slipping inside.
“Home sweet -” Lizzie began to say, before seeing that all the bunks were empty. “Huh.”
“I guess there must have been a party after all,” Laura said as she made her way to her bed. “God, we really are uncool, aren't we? I bet it was the best party ever.”
“Where are they?” Lizzie asked, heading to the dirty window and peering out.
“They're probably at that guy's cabin.” Checking her watch, Laura sighed. “What was his name again? Beefcake McSausagepants? The blonde girl's probably draped all over him, and the quiet mousey one's probably sitting in the corner feeling miserable.”
“I don't hear a party,” Lizzie muttered, still looking out the window. She turned to Laura. “They should have been back about three hours ago.”
Laura pulled her shirt off and climbed under her duvet. “I'm sure they're -”
Before she could finish, the door burst open and Kirsty stumbled through, stopping as soon as she saw that she wasn't alone.
“Hey,” she said drunkenly, clearly struggling to stay
upright, “how the hell have you two been?” Before anyone could answer, she burst out laughing.
“Are you drunk?” Lizzie asked.
“Todd and his friends might have smuggled some beer into camp,” she replied, “but I couldn't possibly confirm or deny any such report.” Taking a few faltering steps over to her bed, she collapsed in a heap. “I need to sleep,” she continued, rolling onto her back. “Oh God, do I need to sleep...”
“Where's Beth?” Lizzie asked, heading over to her.
“Beth's right here,” Kirsty replied, looking over at the empty bed before pausing for a moment. “Oh no, that's right, Beth was too slow on the walk home so we left her to make her own way.”
“What do you mean?” Lizzie asked, sitting next to her and hauling her up. “Where exactly did you leave her?”
“It's absolutely okay,” Kirsty beamed. “We just left her in the forest, but she knew her way back.” She let out a hiccup. “She's right behind us.”
“That was hours ago. She's not here!”
“She's not?” Looking around for a moment, Kirsty seemed momentarily surprised before her smile returned. “Well, she's right behind us. She'll be here in two shakes of a lamb's...” Another hiccup. “Two shakes of a lamb's.” And another. “You know what I mean. She's right behind us, I promise.” With that, she slumped forward, landing against Lizzie, who eased her down onto the bed.
“It's been about four hours since they left us by the lake,” Lizzie said cautiously. “Beth should be back by now.”
“Maybe she went to another cabin,” Laura suggested. “I mean, it's possible...”
Lizzie turned to her.
“Fair point,” Laura continued. “She doesn't really seem the type to go off on her own, does she?”
Turning to look back out the window, Lizzie stared at the dark forest for a moment. The sun was slowly edging up the morning sky, but the forest still looked as foreboding as ever.
