Silver Lake

"It's not actually Silver Lake, but my cousin camped around the area last year. He said the lake's nice and warm, and we get to camp for free."

Gail looked at her best friend, Donna, with a dubious expression. "So, you mean it's not a legal campsite?" Her best friend flashed her a winning smile, brushing her rainbow-colored locks out of her face before turning her attention back onto the road. "Nope! We'll have tons of privacy and no annoying guys in our faces. We can roast a few hot dogs, crack open a few beers, and chill by the lake. It'll be great." Gail already had a dreamy expression on her face. Yes, it would be nice to be apart from everyone else, even if it was just for the weekend.

While at the campsite, they unpacked the car and noticed they had forgotten the tent.

"Are you sure you packed it?"

"My hands were full. I left it on the staircase, so you would have had to trip over it on your way out!"

Donna looked back into the trunk of the jeep again, and then she rescanned the items scattered around the jeep on the forest floor. A cooler full of beer and food, her and Gail's duffle bags, a portable stove, firewood, and no tent. Shit!

"Who the hell forgets to bring a tent on a camping trip?" Donna said, looking exasperated. "I told you, I was looking for my flip-flops." The two women stared at each other for a second, both frustrated, and then they started laughing, "I should be mad, but for some reason, I'm not," Donna said, shaking her head. "I put it....on the staircase...." Gail sighed, but she was smiling. "Should we go back then...?" But Donna was firmly against the idea. "Nah, we passed a town about an hour back. I'll just get one from there."

"Should I come with you?"

"Nah, you can just stay and-" Donna paused, looking confused.

"You were going to say set up the tent, weren't you?" Gail teased.

"Ugh, whatever. Anyway, I'll be back later. Why don't you check out the lake or something?" Donna stretched and sighed, taking the keys out of her pocket.

"Ok, see you in a bit."

Once Donna drove off, Gail realized she was all alone. Donna told her this wasn't a legal campsite, and there wasn't anyone for miles.

I guess I will check out the lake, Gail thought happily. It was a beautiful body of pristine clear blue water, surrounded by all sides of the forest. Rugged mountains loomed in the distance, their tops reaching into the clouds. "Wow..." Gail said to herself.

It was about three in the afternoon, and the scorching sun was already beating down on Gail, the heat causing Gail's brown hair to be drenched with sweat. She retied her ponytail, eager to get into the lake. "Shit." She cursed, realizing that she had left her swimsuit in her backpack, and it was still in the passenger's seat when Donna had driven off.

She looked around cautiously, listening, trying to hear any voices. But there was only the gentle swishing of the water as it lapped at the beach and the calls of birds in the trees. She stripped, putting her clothes onto a large boulder before she headed for the water. She moaned in pleasure as the cool water engulfed her calves, wading into the water and shivering in delight. Donna's cousin had been spot-on about the lake. The water was cool but not cold, the perfect temperature for swimming on a hot summer's day.

She walked deeper into the lake until the water was up to her chest. She swam a few meters of freestyle, enjoying the contrast of the hot sun on her head and the coolness of the water. She trod water for a while, looking back at the shore and her clothes, and let out an immature giggle, feeling very naughty as she was swimming in the nude. She would tell Donna about this experience later. She swam a few more meters before starting to get tired. Donna will probably be back soon. She'd need help getting the tent set up.

Gail looked over at the beach and realized how much further from the shore she was. She couldn't touch the bottom anymore.

Frowning, she started to head back towards shore when suddenly there was a painful cramp in her left calf, a pain so intense she felt her whole leg seize up. Gail screamed, swallowing water as her head went under. When she surfaced again, she was desperately gasping. Suddenly, her other leg is grabbed and yanked down. A razor-sharp pain winced through her body as she felt slashes cut deep into the flesh of her leg. Gail's body started to convulse. Her eyes drifted upward to the back of her head. She tried to stay calm, but she could barely keep afloat with her legs out of commission.

"Oh god, help!" Her weak call wouldn't have been heard even if there was someone on the beach. And there was no one. Her final thought was that she regretted skinny dipping because the people who'd pull her body out of the lake would find her nude.

The demon reached up with her clawed hands and realized that this human would not survive. Turning back around, she saw that the human had gone still and was floating in the water face down. Rolling her eyes, she swam back to the human, picked her up easily, and moved quickly towards the shore. The demon stepped out of the water with the human still in her arms. Sitting her down, she realized she would still probably die from the blood loss. Gail let out a moan. The creature smiled; this would surely stop humans from swimming in her lake.

"OH MY GOD, GAIL!" Donna had just finished unpacking the tent and was going to get Gail to help her set it up when she found her lying unconscious on the beach.
Quickly scanning the area for any danger and finding none, she ran over to her best friend. "Oh God, please don't be dead, please don't be dead." She worked hastily to staunch the bleeding in her leg. With all her might, she dragged Gail to the car and rushed her to the hospital.

Deep beneath the murky water, Gail let out a horrified scream.

The demon had taken over her body and left her essence at the bottom of the lake.


(1110 Words)