The air smelled like a dying animal. That was the first thought that came to Rich as he stepped out of his smoking car. He stepped around and lifted the hood, his wife could see the cloud pour out both sides as her husband disappeared behind it.

“We’re stuck here until we get this fixed,” said Rich while rubbing smoke from his eyes.

“There was a house by that lake we passed a mile back, maybe they can help.”

There was nobody for miles, only the single house. The small town was a few miles ahead of them and so they took their chances with the lone building.

Rich walked up to what looked like an abandoned house. He knocked heavy on the wooden door. There was no response, he tried again after a few seconds.

“Shit, we’ll have to go to town,” he said turning to find his wife was no longer behind him. “Carter?” He stepped off of the porch and rounded the house to look towards the shed and pier in the back. Maybe she had found someone or something to help.

The shed was locked tight with what looked like an ancient padlock. One that had not been handled in a few years. He called her name again, no response. Looking around his surroundings, he noticed a wooden railing along the pier, something white blew like a flag from it.

It was a dirty rag that had been stained with what smelled like oil. Rich called for his wife again and pulled out his phone at the winds response. No signal still, he had that problem back at the car as well. They had not had a signal since reaching this remote town, it almost felt as if the place was disconnected from the rest of the world.

The smell was worse here, almost as if it radiated from the house. There was a warmth, an odd feeling he got from the building, like it was alive, breathing, and the lake water was it’s blood. His wife had disappeared, after they reached the house, she had to have found something, but why wouldn’t she say something?

He turned back towards the house, maybe she found a way in through the back and couldn’t get out. As he stepped along the pier, the boards creaked and water sloshed beneath him. A loud crack exploded from below as the boards he stepped on snapped. His leg broke through the old boards and hit the water. “Fuck.” He couldn’t help but to curse at the frustration. The water was freezing cold, and felt like fingers of ice grabbing ahold. That’s when something touched him, a fish or turtle maybe. Rich pulled his leg quickly from the broken pier and regained his balance.

He started towards the house after straining his pant leg free of most of the water. Then he heard a whisper.

It came from behind, the lake had said something that he couldn’t make out. Was he going insane? No, he definitely heard it. Rich walked back towards the water, taking caution and stepping over the board he had fallen through. It whispered again, he was not crazy. He looked along the horizon, the water stretched for a few miles and he could barely make out civilization on the other side, much too far to hear talking. The water was completely calm, there did not seem to be anything living within to cause waves, and nobody had boats that he could see. He looked deep into the water below him, and human eyes looked back.

Body parts, arms, legs, and eyes sat at the bottom, strapped to different things to keep them weighed down. Rich jumped back and fell on his bottom, kicking himself away from the lake’s edge. He scrambled to stand up and turn to run back towards the car, he had to get out of here. Then he ran face first into what felt like a metal wall, knocking him nearly to unconsciousness. A shovel had hit him. His head began throbbing, and a warm red dripped over his eye.

Running was no longer an option. The hit had knocked him into a state of confusion. Loud footsteps moved toward him as his vision began to coalesce. He had landed with his back against the boards, and looking towards the sky. The boots were closer, and the metal dragged behind them, seemingly bringing death towards him. Rich managed to roll himself onto his stomach just as his vision was normal again.

There she was, her head, floating in the water beneath him. He was now face first looking into the hole his leg had punctured in the pier. His wife was lifeless below him, floating in the water. She was the last thing he saw as the metal came crashing down on the back of his head.