Blue Sink

BLUE SINK

Acid Bath’s Dead Girl rang out of the speakers of Tom Boyd’s 1990 Mustang Gt as he stuck his foot down on the accelerator spraying gravel and rocks behind the Mustangs rear bumper. The Florida sun was hot overhead, and time was wasting. Tom looked over at Charlie’s banana boat yellow 69’ Cadillac Coupe Deville and smiled, today was going to be a blast. In his backseat some of his best friends sat with their hands pressed palms up against the headliner that stretched across the GT’s roof to keep from sliding into each other as it spun out of the parking lot. Schools out was his only thought as the tires underneath the mustang screeched onto the pavement.

Charlie Brant loved to go fast especially the way his Cadillac floated above the highway when he did. Looking through the front windshield he had to squint to keep from being sun blinded. Today was a damn good day to be alive. Any day you could get drunk, really high, and possibly even laid was. Jason Barnes his best friend since forever reached over from the seat beside him and turned up the radio before hitting the skip button. Charlie lit a cigarette and a second later everyone in the car was singing the lyrics to Jason’s favorite Manson song.

Red-neck-burn-out-mid-west-mind

Blue Sink was just up ahead. The mustang had already turned off the highway and been on sugar sand for five minutes. Misty Davis couldn’t wait to get out of the cramped car. It wasn’t just that she was sitting on Ryan Peters lap in the back of Tom’s mustang or the fact that she could feel the little creep getting a stiffy against her butt. Little creep probably had little prick.

The thought made her giggle which probably made Ryan think she liked him. Nope, not now not ever not for Ryan no way, she told herself. Screw Ryan anyway she just wanted to be back at Blue Sink again. It had been too long since she had been there. And Chris was riding in Charlie’s car. She may have missed her other chances, but she was going to get Chris alone today if it was the last thing she did.

She hadn’t been to Blue Sink since her dad had been killed by the Pepsi truck that slammed into his car at a red light. Despite missing her dad and knowing he wouldn’t be there, Blue Sink was still her favorite place in the world. It was a perfect place to start something with Chris.

Her mind went to the last summer day she was there. Her last happy memory of her dad smiling on the white sand two days before the accident, and months before her mom started to drink too much. She would be happy again there today with Chris the way she had been before the Pepsi truck, before everything in her life fell apart.

On the last summer day, she spent at the Sink before the accident her dad had been the way she loved to remember him telling her bad dad jokes and making her laugh at how silly he was. She could still see him standing beside his Weber beach grill while she sunbathed with her mom on the beach.

Nobody else was there that day they had whole place to themselves just the three of them. There wasn’t even the sound of an engine out on the forest roads. Laying on her towel looking at the seclusion of the trees she loved the way the world felt a million miles away. Her dad’s voice was in her ear telling her one of his ridiculous tales.

“I’m Telling you princess if you swim all the way to the bottom of that hole you can go all the way to the aquafer and if you hold your breath long enough you can go all the way to the ocean”

“No, you can’t Daddy” She reprimanded him.

“You can baby.” Turning, he went back to flipping the chicken. His BBQ leg quarters were better than anything. “When the chicken’s done we’re gonna go out there and get us a big ol’ gator." He looked at her and stretched his famous big grin across his face. "Then we’ll grill it up and take it home for dinner.”

“Dadddyyy”

“I’m serious” She laughed the way he always made her laugh.

The mustang bounced in a rut bringing her back to the present. To her horror she realized she had leaned all the way back against Ryan. Sitting up she smiled at the image still burned in her mind of her dad standing by his grill. She could smile about him now, for a long time all she could do was cry.

The engine underneath the hood of Tom’s mustang roared as it fishtailed to the top of the white sandy hill that marked the entrance to Blue Sink with Charlie’s Cadillac, the nanner, named for its bright yellow paint job behind. Doors were open on both cars before either of them had completely stopped with feet hitting the sand to the sound of whooping and hollering. By the time Tom and Charlie got out of their cars and Tom left the doors of the mustang open so music could pour out everybody else was already down by the water. Jason Meyers was already getting wood for a fire and Stacy Banks already had a joint up to her mouth running her tongue across the top of one side of the paper before rolling it closed.

“Let’s get wasted!” Tom called out before taking a long swallow from the whiskey bottle in his hand.

“Hell Yeah!” Charlie called out from behind him already chugging a can of Old Milwaukee. When they got to the bottom of the hill on the other side of where the cars were parked Sarah Jayce ran up and grabbed Charlie’s shirt with both her hands.

“I got shrooms, Charlie.” She had a smile so big on her face he couldn’t see anything else.

“Dude” Charlie said, before adding. “Dude, I love shrooms.”

“I know, I made enough tea for everybody” she said before putting her lips against his and sliding her tongue inside his mouth. Tom never bashful put one hand on Sarah’s shoulder and the other with the whiskey bottle still in tow on Charlie’s.

“Did I hear somebody say, shrooms?” Tom asked in his trademark too loud voice. Charlie and Stacy stopped kissing to look at him. “Cuz, I freaking need some shrooms” he said bringing them in closer. Sarah pulled away and walked to where her bag lay on the sand. A second later she was back in front of them with a plastic thermos in her hands.

“Who’s ready to drink some tea?” She asked.

“Who’s ready to smoke a joint?” Stacy chimed in.

“Smoke a tha cheba!” Bryan Parrish yelled as he trudged out of the water toward them.

The afternoon wore on and the sun baked the already baked kids as five o’clock approached. Tom lay back against the hot sand while the shrooms made his head swirl. The clouds in the sky above looked like they had been drawn from Grateful Dead cartoons. Vaguely he remembered he was happy that Chris’s dad was coming to pick him up. He had been wanting to get in Misty’s pants for a while. He had tried once, and she had kissed him back before she pushed him off and said she was too drunk.

Putting his trusty glass bowl to his mouth he lit the weed inside and watched it glow amber when he inhaled. Exhaling a grey cloud of smoke, he thought he could get her this time if he took it slow and gave her time to warm up to it rather than going in for the gusto right away.

From far out on the road the loud rumble of a truck with a broken exhaust drifted over the music. Chris Davis walked out of the water from where he had been swimming with Misty. He looked back when he reached where the water met the bank and saw Misty standing a few feet behind him with arms crossed across her chest.

“Do you really have to leave?” She asked.

“My dad will go crazy if I don’t help him.” He turned and started back up the hill again before turning to look at her one last time.

“I can call you when I’m finished.” Misty smiled.

“You better.” She said before diving back in the water. He watched her wishing he could stay. I’ll call for sure, he thought as he trudged over to his worn backpack, picked it up off the sand, and headed up the hill. He made a vain attempt to clear his head. He was too high, his dad was going to be all over his shit. Nothing he could do about it now, he thought as he crested the hill and headed down the other side.

Tom laid his head back down on the sand after he watched Chris leave. He would give it a few minutes then he’d go and see how Misty was doing. He’d be a friend this afternoon and tonight he’d be a stud. Closing his eyes he listened to Zach De La Roca scream from the speakers in his car-

Rally round tha family!

With a pocket full of shells

They rally round tha family!

The music stopped. It took a second to register what had happened before Tom hoisted himself up on one elbow and looked up the hill. The sun was in his eyes. He squinted against it, but he still couldn’t see. The shrooms were making the sun pulse like a strobe light in one of the clubs in Orlando.

The outline of figure appeared where Chris had been a minute before. Whoever it was they looked drunk. His first thought was this is normal. People walked like that all the time, but there was something sticking out of the figures head. His heart began to pound faster in his chest. A jolt of adrenalin flowed into his blood. He shook his head to clear it and looked back up the hill.

Then he was up off the sand. Looking at the figure. He knew in every fiber of his body they were in trouble. He stole a look over at Charlie who had also stood up. His eyes were still adjusting but everything they brought into focus filled him with horror. It was Chris stumbling through the sand. He had blood running down his face and onto the front of his shirt, that was covered with it.

Tom strained to see what was sticking out of Chris’s head. Then it came to him. It was a handle. It was the wooden handle from a hatchet. Then it really hit him Chris had a fucking hatchet sticking out of his head. His knees went weak, he almost fell. He wanted to run. He told himself to run, but he stood frozen. A scream came from behind him.

Another figure strode up from the backside of the hill. A large bulking figure that made Tom want to shrink down into the sand. The figure walked up behind Chris grabbing him by the shoulders before turning him around. Then the man who could clearly be seen now spread his lips back in a wide smile revealing two rows of rotted teeth. The taste of bile made its way up his throat.

The man took one of his hands from Chris’s shoulders and put it on the handle of the hatchet. In one motion with a sound that made a sickening thuck he pulled the hatchet from Chris’s head. The hatchet free Chris crumpled to his knees before falling face first in the sand with blood pouring out of the visible gap in his head. In one violent convulsion Tom's hands went to his knees and everything in his stomach spilled out of him.

“Now that ain’t no way to greet somebody.” Tom wiped his mouth still hunched over looking at his vomit. “Look at ya, bunch a sissies.” The man said. Forcing himself to stand up he heard someone else get sick. He thought it might happen to him again. Then he heard Ryan yelling.

“Get out of here!!” The volume of Ryan’s voice was surprising. Of all the people he expected to have balls, it wasn’t Ryan.

“That ain’t nice” The man bellowed before stepping toward them.

“We’ll kick your ass” Ryan said moving to meet the stranger. The man swung the hatchet back and hurled it through the air. The hatchet flew at unbelievable speed as Tom watched paralyzed with fear. Then it slammed into Ryan with its blade buried deep in his Chest. Ryan’s hands went up to the hatchets handle before he fell on his back and lay motionless.

Tom could feel piss running warm down his leg. Screams erupted everywhere. To his right Bryan and Cheri started to run for the woods. A gunshot rang out and they froze in their tracks. Looking back to the man fear gripping every part of his body Tom's eyes went to the large black gun the man was now holding.

“None of ya goin anywhere.” The man shouted. Tom had never wanted to leave any place more than he wanted to leave this one.

“Now get over there in that damn water.” Tom looked around at the rest of his friends, they looked at him, and none of them moved. Another gunshot rang out and the sand between him and Charlie sprayed into the air.

“Now get moving or I’ll put the next one in one of you.” Silently they all started walking backwards into the water none of them taking their eyes off the nightmare of a man halfway up the hill from them. A moment later they were standing together with water coming up to their knees.

“Keep going till that water reaches your chests.” They started backing again. Misty mumbled something about alligators. Tiny Ripples spread away from their bodies as they shook with fear. They backed until they stood with the water lapping at their chest waiting for what would happen next. The man came closer down the hill until he reached the shoreline. Along the way he grabbed one of Ryan’s arms and drug his body into the water before pulling his hatchet out of Ryan’s chest and tossing onto the sand. Then with one foot he pushed Ryan’s body out into the water until it floated toward them.

“That’ll do it. Got to have some blood in the water to get them gators excited. Any of you kids got any ideas bout getting out, you just start and I’ll put you down before you reach one toe on the sand.” The man waved his gun at them. “Now you just stay in that water till I get bored, and then I’ll let the ones of you who are still alive, live.” The man sat down cross legged on the sand with his gun in his lap and didn’t say anymore.

They stayed frozen each one of them contemplating the end of their lives quietly for more than an hour before the water exploded with teeth and jaws that snapped down on Ryan’s body taking him below the surface. The screams erupted again. To his surprise Tom realized he was screaming too. On the shore the man sat silently as fear overtook them and Cheri ran. The man was on his feet faster than Tom could have believed. The gun went off before Cheri was halfway to the shore. The back of her head disintegrated in a spray of blood and Tom felt his heart stop in chest and then Charlie disappeared under the water and he knew they were all going to die.

Charlie felt himself being pulled diwn. He couldn’t believe how fast the gator was dragging him down. NO! He thought and kicked down hard with his free leg. To his surprise the jaws around his leg let go and he was free. Without thinking he swam hard knowing the gator was going to grab him again at any moment and drag him to the bottom.

When he broke the surface he was a hundred feet behind the others. The man was again sitting cross legged on the sand. Taking a deep breath, he went back under the water and swam. When he broke the surface again he was five feet from the trees that marked the bank opposite the man.

Moving slow through the trees doing his best not to make any noise he made his way around and behind the man. The closer he got the more he thought of leaving. He rationalized if he walked out he could get the cops and that would save his friends, but he knew they would all be dead by the time he brought the police back. He couldn’t leave was his last thought before he broke from the woods and ran hard down the sand toward the man.

Tom wasn’t sure what he was watching when he first saw Charlie. Charlie’s dead, he reminded himself. It couldn’t be Charlie. The man must have seen his eyes because he stood up and started to turn around. His stomach sank because he knew right then that Charlie was alive and he had come to save them, and he had just gotten him killed, again.

Horror ran through Charlie when he saw the man turn. Lowering his shoulder, he tried not to think of his death. He slammed into the man just as the man had made it all the way around with a thud. They both flew into the water. He kept driving the man deeper into the water not wanting him to gain his feet. He could hear his friends crashing toward the shore. Then out of nowhere he felt the man grab him and throw him back. Before he could recover the man was standing above him with the hatchet raised high above his head.

He looked up his eyes focusing on the hatchets blade. He could already feel it cutting into him. A gasp escaped his mouth when he watched the hatchet start to arch down.

Halfway toward where it would slice into his body a snout three feet long closed over the man’s arm. Another clamped around the man’s torso. Then the man was gone leaving Charlie alone in the water thinking what the hell just happened. Two hands made their way under his arms, and he felt himself being pulled to the shore. He looked up and saw Tom’s face hovering above him.

On the shore Tom helped him to his feet. Then they all stood looking at each other. Misty asked.

“What do we do?” Tom was the only one who answered.

“I don’t know.”