Thing

“No...”

“Well then what are we still doing here?!” He shrugged.

“We have to leave. Now!” I yanked his arm in the direction I thought was the shore. If I could find the shore, I could find the boat. Wait a second...

Stopping dead in my tracks, he bumped into me. I whirled around to face him, “How’d you get here? The island?” I said, pointing my finger in his face.

“I took my father’s motorboat.”

“Well, where is it? You lead the way. I’m sure that boat would get us back much faster.”

Wes walked in the opposite direction that I was headed. “Where are you going?” I asked.

“You said you wanted to use the motorboat, right?”

I trudged after him. Teeth chattering.

“How much farther?” I moaned. We’d only been walking for five minutes. Not even.

“Well I had to tie it to the dock. Which is on the other side. If you hadn’t come here in the first place, we wouldn’t have to be doing this.”

“Well then don’t abandon me to figure out stupid riddles!”

“I didn’t leave the riddle!”

“Sure.”

“I swear!”

“That’s what you say... But who else could have left it?!”

“Ugh! Whatever, Sam.”

We continued walking. The rain seemed to let up a little, and through the trees I noticed the stump we’d passed only so long ago. “Wes, we’re going in circles.”

“Damn it. Okay... To tell the truth I haven’t been on this island for a few years... I was lucky to find you back there before.” He looked nervous.

“What? So we’re stuck here?!” I screeched.

“Be quiet it might hear you!” What was it? Before I could ask he continued, “No, we’ll be able to find the b-” But then dark figure emerged from the bushes beside us interrupting Wes mid-sentence. It wasn’t human, it wasn’t an animal, it was a thing. The thing that must’ve slammed the door, left the riddle, made the lights, and lured us here. I was right; it was like some bad horror movie.

“RUN!” Wesley yelled at me.

Both Wes and I took off away from the creature. We ran until we came upon the far side of the island. My breathing was heavy and I stopped to catch my breath. “W-wes, we have to stop...”

“No. We can’t. Did you see that thing it’s probably still looking for us.”

“I know. But I c-can’t run anymore.” I sat on a rock covered in moss, and Wes sat on a tree stump with his back facing the trees.

“What was that thing?!!” I asked, still panting.

“I was worried this would happen…”

“What would happen?” I asked, fear creeping up my spine.

Wes stood up and walked over to the edge that dropped off as a small cliff. “Do you remember how I said we bought this property from an old man?”

“Yes.”

“Well, there’s something I haven’t told you,” his eyes locked with mine. “That old man told us that the family he bought it from, lived there about 100 years ago. There was a farmer, his wife and their daughter. They treasured her. Emily was her name. She had a thing for the stable hand, and although her father had forbidden her, she went behind his back. When she got pregnant, her father kicked out the boy, and although he was furious with her, let her stay.

One day when they were picnicking on this island she went into labour. A storm rose up and they couldn’t cross back to the house and get a doctor. She ended up dying here during childbirth. They say her father now haunts this island, targeting young couples to make sure they can never face the same fate as his daughter.

We didn’t believe in it. How could a story like that be true? I guess we were wrong. A few years back, the last time I was here I saw her. Emily. And I vowed to never come back to this island again. When I met you, I didn’t think this could ever happen. It was just so perfect. I thought he’d moved on.”

I stared blankly at his face. The rain had soaked us both to the bone and it looked like it was getting worse. I couldn’t fathom anything he had said. I had never believed in ghosts. Now I wasn’t so sure.

“Where’s the motorboat?” I asked.

“Should be somewhere over there.” He pointed to the left.

“Okay, then. Let’s get going. I don’t want to run into that thing again.”

Wesley started to turn in the direction of the dock but a black, snakelike tentacle wrapped itself around his leg, “ARGH!”

I screamed and ran to him trying to free him from the thing’s grasp. He fell down on the ground and frantically grabbed at anything that he could get a grip on. The thing was dragging him away, off the cliff.

I latched onto his hands but the mud and light rain made them slippery.

“Hold on, Wes! Please!” I screamed as our fingers started slipping apart.

“Sam, the dock is only about 500 yards away, I want you to run. NOW.” The thing had wrapped its slimy tentacle around his whole leg and had dragged him off enough so that I could only see up to his waist.

“I won’t let go! I’ve got you,” my tears mingled with the icy rain as we struggled there on the ground.

“I love you,” Wes said as I lost the grip I had and the thing pulled him over the edge.

“No!” I carefully stepped towards the ledge, but at the bottom there was only churning water. The rain seemed to let up and I could see better. The sounds in the forest had all quieted. I took off running towards where he had told me the dock was.

The only thing I could hear was my bounding steps and the blood pumping through my veins.

Turning my head to check behind me everyone and a while, I eventually made it to the dock. The boat sat, bobbing, waiting. I spun around to make sure I was safe, and when I turned back I was face to face with the thing.

“AHH!” I screamed, jolting awake. Wes beside me woke up too and immediately moved to comfort me. “What?”

“N-nothing. It was a dream.” I looked out the vast window to the island. The wind was low and barely made the trees move. The sun had set so it was dark. I looked to Wes who was still staring at me, and looked back to the island. A light flickered in the distance.