It was a cloudy April morning. The beaches were empty, and the water was dark.
Bethany stood on the beach, watching the waves lap against the sand, the wind tossed her black hair this way and that. Bethany never liked Hoover Lake, something about it didn't sit with her right. Maybe it was the forest surrounding it, dark and foreboding; you needed to drive two miles through it before you reached the lake.
Or maybe it was the water that scared her, dark and always cold, even in the summertime.
She closed her eyes, trying to push away the memories of that lake.
The worry on a mother's face as she searched for her lost child.
The alarm, that sounded when danger was near.
It was a place she avoided if she could help it, but today was different.
Bethany's foster parents were taking her out on a yacht, it traveled across the lake in early spring, with a fee of only two dollars per person.
Her father patted her on the shoulder, telling her it was time to go. She held back a sigh and followed her father. The yacht waited for them at the end of a rickety dock; white and gleaming against the dark, almost black water.
She tried not to look at it as she crossed the jetty, only taking a breath after she was safely on the boat.
Her mother had taken a window seat, saving the two seats beside her for Bethany and her father. She smiled as the pair walked over. Bethany sat between her new parents and waited for the boat to start. She looked out the window, at the gray sky and wondered why she was on this boat. She had begged and pleaded with her parents on the day they told her about the boat ride, but they assured her that it would be fun. She said that she was worried that the boat would sink and the monsters would eat her. But they reassured her that the boat was perfectly safe and that there were no monsters in the lake.
She remembered the time blood clouded the lake, that one fateful summer's afternoon...
That day she had been swimming in the water when she heard screaming. The boy next to her was thrashing in the water as blood clouded around him. A lifeguard blew their whistle, screaming at people to get out of the water. People panicked, scooping up their children and surging out of the water as one. The lake was empty in minutes, except for the boy in the water, floating, still as a buoy.
Soon the beach was crowded with police and wildlife specialists, Bethany stayed on the grass, watching from afar. She saw them take his body out of the water and wrap it in plastic as the boy's mother stood nearby, bowling her eyes out.
Bethany was shaken from her thoughts as the boat's engine roared to life and it started moving. She looked out the window, this time into the water, all she saw was the gray sky reflected in it.
The tour guide started talking about the lake's history.
"In the nineteen sixties, Diana and David Hoover bought the property that surrounds Hoover lake." "They wanted the public to see the splendors of this magnificent lake, so they made it into a park, Hoover Park."
Bethany tried to listen to the tour guide but she could hardly keep her teeth from chattering, let alone listen to the guide. Someone had left the door leading to the indoor area of the yacht open, allowing cold wind coming off the lake to rush into the yacht, chilling Bethany to the bone. She looked at both her foster parents, who were listening intently to the tour guide. She sighed and folded her arms against the cold.
A crow landed on the railing outside the open door. It groomed its feathers, looking at Bethany from time to time, with its beady black eyes. She looked back once and the crow flew off. It had some sort of finality about it as it took flight. As if it had found what it was searching for.
She watched as it flew up into the gray sky, joining its brothers and sisters as they circled the lake.
Suddenly the boat jerked sharply, metal screeched and passengers stumbled. The event only lasted a few moments, before anyone could comment the yacht continued its voyage across the lake.
The guide's voice came over the loudspeakers, assuring the passengers that they had just scrapped a rock and that they'd be fine. The scrape had shaken Bethany badly.
"I want to get off," she whispered to her mother.
"Oh Bethany, it's not that bad. Only a scrape, the ride will be over before you know it," she said kindly.
Bethany sighed, shivering from the cold wind. The tour guide started talking again.
"In the mid-eighties, the government bought the property from the Hoover's and made it into the state park it is today, they paved the road and added dining pavilions. Along with trails through the dense forest."
Bethany tried to lose herself in the tour guide's words but fear was taking over. The wind had picked up, even more, making the water choppy.
"I'm cold," Bethany said shivering. "Why don't you go close the door then," her father suggested.
Bethany sighed and stood, walking toward the door. She was about to close it when she saw something in the water.
Leaving the door as it was, Bethany walked over to the side of the boat to investigate.
A rubber duck floated atop the waves, bobbing up and down. Bethany watched it, wondering how it had gotten there. It seemed to be getting further and further away from the boat.
As she watched it float away she heard the tour guide's voice come over the loudspeakers but she wasn't listening.
The rubber duck had reminded her of a time, a time before the car crash that took her birth parents' lives, a time when nothing mattered, a time when there were only love and happy days...
People started screaming and she turned, terror filling her chest. People were standing from their seats and running away from something, they were slipping and falling as the floor began to tilt.
The boat was sinking.
Bethany barely had time utter a scream as the boat overturned, dumping the passengers into the cold lake. Bethany was plunged into the freezing water, she gasped for air, flailing her arms to keep herself afloat.
Then she remembered what her mother had told her when she was young.
"Don't flail dear, you'll only sink faster. Stay calm and tread water."
She calmed her breathing and began treading water, she was beneath part of the boat, the outer deck. Lights from within the boat put off an eerie glow from the dark depths. Not wanting to spend too much time there, Bethany dove into the dark depths and swam out from under the boat. She kept her eyes shut, hoping she'd judged her dive correctly.
Breaking the water's surface, Bethany sucked in a breath of fresh air, she was safe... For now.
The boat had flipped completely upside down and was sinking slowly. Bethany spotted a large gash in the boat's haul, probably caused by the rock it scrapped against.
She heard people panicking, voices trapped beneath the sinking yacht. Her stomach churned, knowing that her foster parents were trapped there as well.
Bethany screamed their names, she heard their muffled voices call back, asking if she was okay. Another voice chimed in, telling her to climb on top of the boat. She did as she was told, swimming through the cold water, toward the bow of the boat.
She struggled to climb onto the slippery surface but eventually, she managed to gain some grip and pull herself up. Out in the cold air, she shivered, it was worse than being in the water, far worse.
Behind her there was a splash, she turned. A man was in the water barely keeping himself afloat.
"Help," he gasped desperately.
Bethany knelt at the edge of the boat and grabbed both of his hands, trying to pull him up. Just then something burst out of the water, it was dark and smooth, with beady little eyes. Within seconds it was gone, the man with it. Only bubbles remained. Bethany screamed, knowing what it was.
She scrambled up the boat, trying to get away from the water. She heard people screaming below, the water turned crimson as the screams of the trapped passengers raised in pitch. Bethany knew what was happening, they had come to feed. And they weren't going to stop until all of the passengers, were gone.
Bethany cried softly, as the screams continued. She looked around, trying to find a route of escape. But the horizon held no hope, only emptiness, and dark water.
A splash and a gasp, Bethany looked down the side of the boat to see two heads pop out of the water, at first she thought they were her parents but to her dismay, they were only random passengers, two men. They both scrambled onto the boat, panting. Bethany watched them silently.
One of the men noticed her.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded.
"What happened down there?" she asked, even though she knew exactly what had happened.
"They came, the sharks," the first man said, winching from a wound on his leg.
"Tons of them, they were so hungry, they ate every one." the second man added. "We couldn't have saved any of them, even if we tried."
A lump formed in Bethany's throat, her parents, they were gone, again. The two men spoke to each other, but she only caught snippets of their conversation through her sorrow.
"-should have been more careful..."
"That poor husband and wife... So close to escaping..."
A tear rolled down her cheek, why did life have to be so cruel to her? All she ever wanted was to be happy. She still could hear the sharks feeding, the sounds of bones crunching and flesh ripping echoed from underneath the boat.
The two men were talking to her, she looked up.
"We think we have a plan," the second man said. Bethany nodded, wiping her eyes.
"We're going to wait up here until the sharks go away, and when they do, we'll swim for the shore as fast as we can."
Bethany nodded again.
The two men sat down next to her and the three of them waited.
They watched as the water around them changed from crimson to a sickly shade of red. As they waited, the boat continued to sink, ever so slowly, reminding them that time was running out. The sounds of the feeding sharks echoed from below, a severed hand floated to the surface.
One of the men vomited over the side of the boat. Bethany covered her ears, trying to muffle the horrible sounds.
Crows called far above them, the wind blew mercilessly, chilling Bethany to the bone, small waves lapped against the overturned boat. Her eyes grew heavy, she soon fell into a restless sleep.
It felt like only seconds had passed before she was woken up by strong hands.
"It's time," one of the men said. Bethany stood, rubbing her eyes. The sounds beneath the boat had stooped, and the wind had calmed to a gentle breeze.
The boat had sunk even more since she had fallen asleep, there was barely enough room for the three of them. The two men stood near the edge of the boat, waiting for Bethany. She joined them and looked into the dark water, her pale, sad, reflection looked back at her through the ripples.
There was a moment of silence before the first man jumped into the water, followed by the second. Bethany jumped in after them. The water chilled her more than the wind ever could. Before she could even begin to gain her bearings one of the men was telling her to start swimming.
She swam, the thought of being on dry land giving her strength. The two men were better swimmers and were pulling away from her quickly. She opened her mouth, trying to call out to them, but before she could utter a sound, water rushed into her mouth. She coughed but tried to keep swimming, she thought of her parents, dead below the boat.
They didn't get a second chance, but she had, and she was going to make the most of it.
One of the men shouted something, panicked words were exchanged.
Bethany looked up, trying to see what was going on. The two men were splitting up, and there were, shapes in the water, following them. Bethany's heart sank, realizing what they were. She swam faster and harder than she had ever swum before.
Her arms ached and her legs felt as if they were filled with lead.
One of the men started screaming, Bethany didn't dare look up, she knew what was happening to him. She swam, knowing she would be reaching dry land eventually, she pushed harder and harder.
The water was cold as ever, her hands had gone numb. When she dared looked up land was close, the other man had almost reached it, he turned to look at something. Bethany looked to, but she wished she hadn't.
The body of the first man floated atop the water, shark fins circled the body. Bethany swam, using her last ounce of energy. Her limbs were like iron rods, dragging her down into the depths. She gasped one last breath of air before stopping, allowing the lake to take her.
Her life didn't flash before her eyes as everyone said, she saw everything she had ever wanted. Loving parents, friends, maybe even a crush. But she would never have any of those, the lake would take her and make her its own, her soul, trapped within the depths of Hoover Lake.
Strong arms grabbed her and she was jarred from her trance. She was surging through the water, something was pulling her through. She looked up and saw a tried, sad, face...
The second man.
She felt sand beneath her shoes, small stones, and large rocks. She started taking her own steps, "We can do it, we're almost there," the man said breathlessly. Bethany pulled herself through the water, her head bobbing just above the surface.
In a way, the first man had saved them, his sacrifice -had allowed them to swim across the lake without the sharks intercepting them.
Bethany was finally able to wade through the water on her own it felt like she was walking through deep, thick, mud.
She pulled herself through the dark water, toward the land. She was going to make it, she was going to be okay.
But out of the corner of her eye, she saw something, something thin, blade-like...
A shark fin.
The man shoved her forward, the water was up to her waist. Bethany pushed through the water, the sand swallowing each of her steps.
She felt as if the shark was right behind her. With a burst of adrenaline, she pushed her way through the watery hell she found herself trapped in and surged to freedom.
Bethany ran through the remaining water and collapsed onto the sandy beach. She could barely breathe, she gasped. Cold, sharp air, filling her tried lounges with painful oxygen.
She turned, to see where the other man was. But he was gone, she looked left and right, but there was no sign of the man that had saved her, the only thing that remained was the dark water that had taken him away. She collapsed onto the sand, exhaustion taking over. The last thing she saw before falling into unconsciousness was a single shark fin, disappearing beneath the water's surface.
The End