The Shallow Waters

"C'mon, hurry up!"

"Okay, okay." I quickly ran after my childhood best friend, Anna, towards the beach we visited every summer weekend.

She was already in her swimsuit, but I still wore my regular clothes, the sun beating down on us. Luckily, the bathroom was close by, and I could change into my swimshorts when I wanted.

I didn't know why she was so excited to dive into the water today. As far as I knew, there wasn't a special occasion or event happening. Oh well. I followed her nonetheless.

Finding a nice spot to set up, I laid our blanket down on the warm sand, slipping my shoes off. Then I leaned back in my sand chair, soaking in the rays raining on me.

"Why are you being such a slowpoke?" Anna peered over me, her sunglasses covering her eyes.

I raised a brow, "I'm not a slowpoke; I'm just enjoying my time here."

Anna sat next to me, eyes darting from place to place, "I do have another reason for bringing you here."

"Now that makes sense." I smirked, "You're never one to rush."

She blushed, "There is someone I want you to meet."

"Oh, I get to finally meet the mysterious Nate?" The guy she had been talking about nonstop for several weeks.

Apparently, Anna had met him in a coffee shop and instantly knew she wanted to date him. And they'd been doing all sorts of activities almost every day of the week.

There were even pictures posted on her Instagram and Facebook pages about their adventures.

I was always skeptical about her choices involving men. Anna was a sweet, kind, trusting person, and while I loved that about her, she often ignored obvious red flags and ended up being hurt because of it.

However, I would reserve my judgment for when I met him in person. I tried keeping an open mind about most things.

About a half-hour later, I noticed someone walking towards us, Anna squealing in my ear.

I instantly got a bad feeling, trying to move Anna behind me as I stood. As a 6'4 guy who lifted weights and practiced martial arts, I could be very intimidating when I put effort into it.

Nate didn't seem put off by my presence, waving as if we were friends. "Hey, you."

Anna pushed away from me and launched herself into his arms. "I've missed you so much!"

"Aww, it's only been a couple days, hun."

"It doesn't matter. I've missed you."

He spun her around, then planted a big kiss on her mouth.

I crossed my arms, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

Anna broke away, pulling Nate towards me, "This is my best friend, Jared."

He extended a hand, "I've heard a lot about you?"

"Really?" I firmly gripped his hand with mine, "Because outside the pictures, I know barely anything about you." I shot Anna a glare.

She ignored me, "Of course I told him about you."

I stood tall, making sure I was close enough to Anna so I could grab her if needed.

I didn't know what it was since he appeared to be a nice guy, but I just did not trust him. My skin crawled just being near him, my heart rate rose, and my stomach felt heavy.

And I had learned to trust my instincts long ago.

"Is anyone hungry?" Nate looked at me.

Anna raised a hand, "Definitely!"

I shrugged.

"Great, I know a fantastic restaurant nearby."

I reluctantly packed up my beach day setup, not wanting either of us to leave with Nate. But I sure as hell wasn't going to leave Anna alone with him either.

"We'll follow you." I gripped her arm, tugging her to my car.

Nate didn't appear to mind, heading back to his vehicle.

Anna frowned at me. "What is your problem, Jared?"

I don't like or trust him, and neither should you."

"What are you talking about? He's great!"

I put my beach stuff in the trunk. "I have a feeling."

"You always have a feeling."

"And I'm right ninety-nine percent of the time." I opened the passenger door for her. "Have I led you astray before?"

"Well, no."

I smirked, moving to the driver's side, starting my engine.

She was silent the whole way to the restaurant. Not a surprise. It meant I was either right, or she was considering my point of view on a situation.

Arriving at the restaurant, I tried to be as polite as possible as we were led to a table and given menus.

I scanned mine a couple of times, deciding on a burger and ice tea. Anna ordered her favorite, which was fish tacos, and Nate got something I had never heard of before.

I engaged in casual conversation with the guy, careful not to mention any places I frequented or where I worked, sensing a stalker vibe from him.

And luckily, Anna didn't tell him those places either, giggling at the most absurd things Nate said or did.

Finally, our food showed, giving me an excuse not to talk to him. Although he was right about one thing. The food was fantastic. I could not hide my sigh as I bit into my burger.

Anna smiled, "Enjoying yourself, Jared?"

I shrugged, continuing to eat. I did not want to give either of them the satisfaction of seeing my enjoyment. But food was one way to win me over, and she knew it.

She dove into her tacos, making a small mess on her plate. Nate consumed his dish more carefully than us. At least the dude had decent table manners.

We stayed for a while after we finished eating. I still couldn't shake the feeling something bad would happen with us being around Nate.

"Wanna head back to the beach?" Anna sipped her water.

"Yes," I crossed my arms, leaned into my chair.

"I know a private alcove close to the main beach area." Nate carried an odd expression.

Alarm bells rang inside my head, "Uh, I'm not sure that's a good idea."

Anna lifted her brow at me. "C'mon, I think it would be fun."

"Okay, fine," I sighed, following them out to the parking lot, once again making sure Anna rode with me.

"You know, we could turn around right now and go home." I gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"No, that's rude!" She crossed her arms, her left knee bouncing up and down.

I groaned but kept following him.

Sure enough, the area was private, rocks acting as walls so no one could see us. The water was shallow, though. I rubbed my arms, the breeze colder than usual.

As I went to grab my beach gear, my stomach sank, and I whipped around. They were gone! Where did he take her? I didn't even hear them leave. But of course, I didn't. I knew he wasn't a good guy!

I scanned the entire area, looking in every possible hiding spot, but no Anna. My hands shook and my heart raced. I had to find her!

I called out her name many times, but it was no use. I sank to my knees, unsure how to feel. I lowered my head, hearing the waves crash upon the shore.

Then I felt a tap on my shoulder and glanced up. It was Anna.

I yanked her down to hug her, relief flooding me, "Thank God you're alive."

She squeezed me hard, "I think you were right." Her voice shook.

I stiffened.

"Nate asked me to do some things I wasn't comfortable with after we left you here and I ran back."

I quickly pulled her up and moved her into my car, locking the doors as I started the engine. "Well, At least you know this now, and you brought me with you."

Anna nodded, hugging her sides.

Suddenly, a rock hit the windshield, causing the whole thing to crack. I watched Nate stalk toward us with another rock in his hand. I was ready to run the bastard over.

"C'mon, why are you leaving so early?"

"Because you're crazy!" Anna yelled. "I am not joining your cult!"

"I know you'll love it once you join."

Other people crept out into view. I slammed on the gas, zooming past them and back onto the main road, the cracks making it difficult to see.

"Where do you find these guys?"

"Really? You wanna talk about this now?"

"I worry about you when it comes to dating, Anna!"

"I know! I'm sorry!" She turned her head, "I don't think--"

But another car slammed into her side from a driveway, knocking me off of the road, my car tumbling into the shore upside down.

I groaned, watching the water fill the roof. Broken glass and oil caused the water to glisten, the smell less than appealing. I unbuckled myself, landing on my back.

Making sure I wasn't critically injured, I quickly crawled over to Anna, who was unconscious with cuts on her skin but seemed alright otherwise. I unbuckled her as well, catching her.

I searched for my phone in the mess. It somehow still worked, dialing 911 despite the heavily cracked screen, telling the dispatcher where we were and that we needed an ambulance.

Carefully setting Anna down, I went to open the passenger door. It was jammed, but not bent like the driver's side door, so I started kicking it.

I then noticed footsteps heading our way, dread filling me. I kicked harder, my whole body hurting. It finally gave way, and I dragged Anna out.

"Are you people crazy?"

Nate shrugged, "We want her."

"Well, you can't have her."

"Oh, we'll see about that."

Other bystanders on the beach headed our way, shouting at us. Nate pulled a knife and except for a few guys, most of them backed off.

I readied myself for a fight, stepping into the proper stance. But pain enflamed my left side and I collapsed, seeing a blade sticking out of my torso and blood staining my shirt.

The cult chased the bystanders as Nate walked to us, easily picking Anna up, "I told you we'd have her."

"You won't . . . get away with . . . this." My vision narrowed, clutching my side. "Someone will . . . stop you."

His foot hit my face and everything went black.

***

Beeps were the first things I heard, unable to move. Voices then filled the room, people discussing injuries and how to treat them. I wasn't surprised I was in a hospital.

I didn't feel much of anything outside of the bed and blanket covering me. But I remembered everything that occurred on that beach, a lump forming in my throat.

Despite my efforts, I hadn't been able to protect Anna from this psycho. And now I had no idea where she was or if she was okay.

"I think he's waking up." A female voice said.

"Oh, I can take care of that."

My blood turned ice cold. It was Nate! Why was he here? What more did he want from me?

"Good, I'll be waiting in the hall."

This was not a hospital. So, where the hell was I? I wanted to run and search for Anna, but I couldn't open my eyes, much less move as a needle poked my arm.

I was suddenly able to open my eyes, seeing that I was in a dark room hooked up to hospital equipment.

Nate sat in a chair on the other side of the room. "I was beginning to worry you weren't gonna wake."

"You kicked my face hard after someone stabbed me."

"But I couldn't just allow you to escape and report us."

I shivered, "I just want Anna back."

He leaned back, "Well she is happy with us."

"Bullshit."

He made a motioning gesture, and Anna walked in, wearing a black dress, "Hi."

I lifted my head, "What have they done to you?"

"Only shown me the most amazing things you could imagine."

"But you wanted to get away from him."

Anna closed her eyes, "That was before the ceremony." She twirled her dress. "You'll understand soon enough."

This wasn't the Anna I knew. She would never be okay with them trying to hurt me. They had brainwashed her! And they planned to do the same to me! I had to get out of here!

But before I could do or say anything, I felt another pinch in my arm and remembered nothing after that.