Ghosts of Leath Lake

Ellora tightened her grip on Drake’s hand. “I changed my mind.”

He chuckled. “Come on, El. It’s not scary-scary. It’s fun-scary.”

“No. It’s definitely scary-scary. Whose bright idea was it to put a haunted house and killer corn maze by Lethal Lake?”

“Leath Lake.”

“Locals call it Lethal Lake because of the rumors.”

“What rumors?”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s silly, really. I’m sure if it were true, the police would monitor the area.”

“What rumors? I never heard this story.”

“People say there’s a serial killer who torments his victims up here, then throws the bodies in the lake. Their ghosts haunt the place. But they’ve been telling that story for decades. My parents heard it when they were kids, and I think my grandparents did, too. So, it can’t be true. The killer would have to be eighty years old. Or immortal.” She shivered.

“Or there have been more than one killer over the years.”

“Or it’s a stupid story.” She smacked his arm. “Why are you trying to scare me? I don’t even want to be out here.”

He laughed. “So, are you afraid of the ghosts or the serial killer?”

“Both. Neither. I don’t know. Like I said, it’s just a silly story. If it were true, the cops would be all over it. Right?”

“Of course.”

“Still, I can’t believe anyone set up a haunted house and corn maze up here.”

“And what fun would it be if they set this stuff up next to one of the hundred pumpkin patches and petting zoos the little kids go to?”

“Fun enough. I’d rather watch Jason Voorhees on TV than fall victim to him here.”

“That’s Camp Crystal Lake. And I don’t see any serial killers standing around. Now, which do you want to do first? The house or the maze?”

“Neither.”

“Geez, Ellora. You promised you’d do whatever I wanted on my birthday.”

“I thought you’d ask for something dirty.”

“The night’s not over yet.” He winked and flashed a wicked grin—the one that caught her attention two months ago at the frat party.

Her heart melted a little, and she tried to relax for him. “Shouldn’t there be other cars here?”

“Maybe we’re the first ones. Or we parked on the wrong side of the lake. John doesn’t give the best directions. I may have come in the wrong way.” He turned and looked back at the road.

“I don’t see the house or the maze. Why don’t we drive to the other side?”

“It can’t be far. Has to be on the other side of those trees. Look. This path is well worn. Let’s just walk it. It’ll be faster than driving all the way around, finding a place to park, then hoofing it to the entrance.”

That probably wasn’t true. The lake was a lot bigger than it looked. The loop around it was ten miles, most of which was bordered by dense woodland. They could walk for an hour and not be halfway around the dumb thing. And God only knew what was lurking in the forest. “Why don’t we go back to my place and rent scary movies? We can skip to the last part of your birthday wish.” She bit her lower lip as she beckoned him closer with one finger.

“That would probably work better if you weren’t wearing thirty-eight layers of clothes.”

Ellora stopped trying to be sexy—she felt ridiculous even attempting to seduce him, and it clearly wasn’t working, anyway—and flung her hands in the air. “What did you expect? It’s chilly out!”

“Standing in the cold won’t make you warmer. We need to start walking. Maze or house?”

“Ugh. Fine. The house. At least my toes might thaw in there.”

“That’s the spirit!”

“Don’t say spirit.” She peered into the trees, where she thought she saw movement.

“Seriously, El?” He scoffed. “Anyway, the east side supposedly levels off into a clearing, so that’s where John said they were putting the maze. The house is to the west. That’s this path.” Drake nodded to his left as he locked the car. Two quick horn blasts cut through the still night, momentarily silencing the nocturnal chorus of toads and owls. The flash of headlights turned the rolling fog into a white gossamer veil that evaporated into the darkness like a specter.

Ellora inched closer to him.

As they walked toward the “haunted” house, he pocketed the key fob. She continued clinging to him while using her free hand to shine her cellphone’s flashlight. Mist rolled off the surface of the water, chilling her to her core, and the wet grass dampened the bottom of her pants. “It’s so dark out here.”

“That’s because of the crescent moon. If there was a full moon tonight, it would be a lot brighter.”

“And a lot creepier. People go nuts when there’s a full moon.”

“That’s a myth based on lycanthropy lore.”

“No. Trust me. I’m pre-med.” She whipped her head to the side, certain something drifted by.

Nothing was there.

“What’s that have to do with anything?”

It took her a second to pick up the conversation. “Med school students talk to us. Some of them. Sometimes. Anyway, residents on ER rotations swear things get crazy on full moon nights.”

“They only think that. There’s no real correlation between a full moon and weird stuff happening. I bet you’re just as likely to get murdered by a serial killer on a night with a waxing or waning moon. Or a crescent like tonight.”

“Gee. That’s comforting.” Ellora glanced up at the sky. The moon was barely a silver sliver on stygian field, blanketed by roiling charcoal clouds. The wind sighed, rustling the few dead leaves still clinging to naked tree limbs. Long, spindly shadows stretched across the ground, inky fingers scrabbling over soot-stained earth. Her ankle rolled in a divot she didn’t see, and she nearly pulled them both to the ground. “Sorry. My night vision sucks. Even with the flashlight, everything’s just shades of black.”

“Why don’t you give me your phone? My night vision isn’t bad. If I have the light, I won’t let you step in another hole.”

“Turn yours on. Two have got to be better than one.”

“Can’t. Left it in the car. Remember? You didn’t like my Halloween playlist and took control of the music.”

“Oh. Right.” Figured. Just her luck.

“I forgot to grab it. It’s still in the center console. Unless you took it with you?”

She sighed. “No.”

Drake held out his hand.

“Okay. But keep 911 ready to dial. Just in case.”

“Why? There’s no service out here.”

“There’s not?”

She looked at her screen. No bars. “This is right out of a slasher movie.”

“I promise you, you’re not in a slasher movie. Your phone?”

Ellora passed him her cell, then they resumed their hike. She hated to admit it, but he was doing a better job at guiding them than she had. Maybe because he was taller. Or because he was actually shining it on the path and not in the bushes looking for Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, and every other lunatic with a thirst for blood and an inability to die.

A thump sounded behind them.

She wheeled around so fast, Drake’s arm jerked in its socket.

“Ow.” He dropped her hand.

“Sorry. But did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“That noise.”

“El, we’re in the middle of the woods beside Leath Lake. I hear sporadic fish flops that ripple the water. A ton of toads croaking. The occasional owl hoot. Plenty of critters scuttling in the underbrush. The wind has picked up, causing all the dry leaves to rustle. Your teeth started chattering a few minutes ago. And no offense, but you’re not exactly light on your feet. So, when you ask if I heard something, you’re going to have to be a bit more specific.”

Huh. She hadn’t even noticed her teeth chattering. But now that he mentioned it, they sounded like automatic gunfire.

She rubbed her arms for warmth. “Thank you. That rundown was illuminating. And embarrassing. But I meant the thump.”

He flung his hands in the air. “What thump?”

“That’s what I’m asking you. Did you hear it?”

Drake sighed. “Ellora, you’re letting your imagination play tricks on you.”

“I’m telling you, I heard a thump behind us.”

“Then it was probably a car door. That should make you happy. Someone else is here. We’re not alone anymore.”

“I didn’t think we were alone in the first place. You said we parked in the wrong spot.”

“I said that was one possibility.”

“Well, which is it?”

“Which is what?”

“Did we park in the wrong spot, or is it something else? And if something else, what?”

“Are you trying to ruin my birthday?”

Her face flamed, though he couldn’t possibly tell in the dim lighting. “No.”

“Then can we please just get to the house? You’ll warm up inside. We’ll get a few cheap scares, then we can leave.”

None of that made her feel better, but she didn’t want to be a party pooper. “Sure. Lead on.”

Drake took her hand. As they resumed walking, Ellora snuck periodic glances over her shoulder, certain she’d heard a noise. If it had been a car, why hadn’t they seen headlights? Why didn’t they hear footsteps on the path? Why was there no conversation among the new arrivals drifting on the breeze?

Could be she’d just missed the headlights, and the people had headed to the killer corn maze.

Then again, it could also be that the driver had pulled in with his lights off. He’d closed his door softly to try to avoid detection. And he was currently stalking them in the dark, waiting to make his move. He’d slaughter them quickly, then deposit their bodies in the lake. Worse, he'd dice them up slowly before hiding their mangled corpses in the lake.

She shivered.

Ellora’s head was on a swivel as they walked. Drake kept the path illuminated, which meant everything in back of her and to the sides was black as pitch. On more than one occasion, she caught a wisp of something transparent out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned to see what it was, it was gone. Nothing but mist, though her sixth sense told her it was more.

She clamped her mouth shut. Drake would think she was insane if she told him she was seeing ghosts. Or that she was trying to ruin his night.

A twig snapped behind her.

Ellora yelped and jumped.

Drake began peeling her fingers off his hand. “Your nails are digging into me.”

“Sorry. But you had to have heard that.”

“What?”

“A twig snapped,” she whispered. “Not far back. I think someone’s following us.” Or something, though she didn’t give voice to that fear.

“El, no one’s back there.”

“I’m telling you, I heard something!”

The light of the phone reflected up on his face, casting it in an eerie glow. His frown caused deep shadows to accentuate the sharp angles of his cheekbones. “Nobody’s there.”

“I heard a twig!”

“You heard a raccoon. Or a possum. Or one of a million other things. Are we doing this? Or is my birthday a bust?”

“Drake, I promise I’m not trying to ruin your birthday. You know I’m not a fan of Halloween. I’m just a little freaked out.”

“If I knew you were going to lose it at every little noise, I wouldn’t have brought you out here.”

“If I knew the lake was so… loud, I might have reconsidered. You said it was peaceful.”

“It is. Well, the haunted house won’t be. Maybe we should start with the corn maze. Want to go over there?”

“No.” She didn’t want to do any of it. But she’d promised. “The house can’t be far now.”

The leaves of the bush next to them shook.

Ellora shrieked and flung herself into Drake’s arms. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she stared at the rustling foliage.

A bunny popped out of the underbrush, then hopped across the path.

Drake chuckled. “See? Nothing but a little rabbit. He’s more scared of you than you are of him.”

“That’s debatable.” She sucked quick lungfuls of air until her breathing regulated. “You’re right. You’ve been right this whole time. I’m sorry.”

Drake planted a kiss on the tip of her nose. “No problem. Now, can we get moving? I’m looking forward to you making all my birthday wishes come true.”

“Absolutely.”

They continued along the path. Ellora tried to see the lake the way Drake did—peaceful and serene, with the nightsong of animals a soothing chorus instead of a mournful dirge and the fog on the water as angelic breath rather than death’s veil. Soon, she found herself enjoying the experience. The warmth of his hand. The crisp autumn breeze. The ripple of the water.

She breathed a contented sigh. “I never thought I’d say this, but for the first time ever, I might actually be relaxed on Halloween.”

He chuckled, the sound hard in the softness of the night.

As they stepped past the tree line, Ellora looked around. Nothing but lake as far as she could see. “Drake, I think we must have taken a wrong turn. We should have been at the house or the maze by now.”

The light on her phone went out.

“Oh, no!” she cried. But when she looked at her cell in his hand, she found the bulb hadn’t died.

Drake had turned it off. And he was pocketing the device.

“What are you doing? Is this the naughty part of your birthday now?”

“You could say that.”

Ellora smiled and started to reach for him. Then she stopped. Her blood ran cold as his hand came out of his pocket—not empty as she expected. “What are you doing? What do you have there?”

Though logic dictated it was a quiet noise, the soft click seemed to echo for an eternity. The pale light of the crescent moon glinted off the switchblade’s beveled edge.

“Some legends have at least a kernel of truth to them, El.” He grinned, his once handsome face now a macabre caricature of the sweet frat boy she thought she was dating.

“Drake, no.” She shook her head as she backed away from him, her heels slipping in the muck and mud of the shoreline. Her arms windmilled as she fought for balance, but she lost the battle and fell at his feet.

He loomed over her, pointing with the blade like he was playing Eeny Meeny Miny Moe.

“Please,” Ellora begged.

“But you promised you’d make all my birthday wishes come true. Killing you is my fondest one.” He plunged the knife into her midsection. Over. And over. And over again.

As pain erupted in her belly and the scream tore from her throat, the ghosts of Leath Lake emerged from the mist to envelop her.