"For Those Wishing to Escape"

The three women had been friends since grade school, supporting each other through the awkward years of puberty, the daunting unknown of graduation, and the strains of adulthood. Less than a year ago, they all would have said they could trust their childhood friends with anything, but they were barely into their mid-twenties and each of them had made mistakes that brought so much shame and guilt, they hadn’t been able to share with anyone. The obvious tragedies that had befallen each of them, Heather’s unprecedented divorce, the death of Paige’s brother and the loss of Sydney’s business, made the suggestion of a cabin getaway seem more than warranted. The idea evoked a fear in them as well though. They worried their closest friends would see through their facades, glimpse the rotting secrets within and turn away in disgust.

The winding roads through thick woods and a heavy fog made the drive take longer than anticipated and they labored to maintain their careful conversation. When they finally arrived, they stood beside their vehicle and gazed at the simple, square structure. The ad had stated it was perfect, “For those wishing to escape.” The women had each privately thought that very appropriate. The pictures had shown that the main floor contained a single, large space that served as living room and kitchen while the three bedrooms and bathroom were upstairs. A porch with no railings ran along the front, while a few posts supported a roof to protect anyone who chose to sit on one of the rocking chairs. A path led down to the lake, while another led into woods. Despite the abysmal weather, a flicker of hope that they may find a little bit of peace, flared in each of them. They shared awkward glances and small smiles before unloading the car.

As Heather stepped off the porch to get a second load, the fog parted. The dock at the end of the path and a small section of the lake became visible between the trees and she stopped abruptly to stare. A woman stood perfectly still, waist deep in the water. Her head was tilted forward. Wet, tangled strands of long, dark hair obscured her face, covered her chest and fell to the bottom of her ribcage. It stuck to the exposed skin of her arms and belly. Her exceptional paleness made Heather’s own skin prickle. The fog closed in, creating a wall of white. Heather waited, heart hammering, trying to peer through the mist, but when the lake revealed itself again, the water was calm and empty. The woman was gone. Heather worried it had been just her imagination when she noticed Sydney standing beside her, also transfixed.

“Did you see that?” Heather asked.

“Yeah,” Sydney breathed, still staring.

Heather looked back towards the lake.

“What’s that?” asked Paige as she came down the steps.

“There was a woman in the lake,” Heather gestured, “she was just standing there.”

Paige raised an eyebrow as if asking what was wrong with someone enjoying the water. Embarrassment bloomed in Heather’s chest, but one glance at Sydney told her that her disquiet was merited. Unable to explain though, she turned away and avoided looking at the lake while she finished unloading.

With their belongings unpacked, the three women stood in the living room, uncertain and hesitant. The welcoming feeling the cabin had produced upon their arrival had been slightly dampened by the appearance of the woman in the lake. The secrets they were each keeping also hung heavily in the air. Paige broke the spell by suddenly declaring she was going for a swim. As she went upstairs to change, Sydney and Heather shared a worried look.

“I’ll watch her,” Heather said reassuringly.

Paige came out of her room in bathing suit and towel and headed out the door towards the lake. Sydney excused herself and went to her room to nap, begging a headache in response to the oppressive mist. Heather remained in the kitchen and contemplated a glass of wine versus a cup of coffee before deciding on the latter to keep her alert, until everyone was safely indoors.

As they each settled into their separate spaces, their thoughts ran along similar wavelengths. This cabin getaway felt like a last chance. The weight of their secrets was pulling them under and they were drowning in guilt. The thought of reaching out was terrifying though. The hand they grasped may lift them up in love or shake them off in judgement. They had to find peace here amongst their friends. They couldn’t live with the guilt much longer.

Heather

Heather had always desired attention but never sought or received much of it. She had been an awkward and self-conscious adolescent, hiding behind baggy clothes and a quiet disposition. Outwardly, she had scoffed at other girls who put hours of energy into their appearance. Inwardly, she was envious and wanted to do the same but feared her effort would go unnoticed. She had focused, instead, on becoming indispensable by being kind and helpful.

Her husband had been her one and only boyfriend. She remembered being shocked that a boy had noticed her and that he was nice, thoughtful and funny. “‘Til death do us part,” had been comforting. People told her regularly they were a quintessential couple with their childhood romance, and, for the most part, she agreed. She therefore felt guilty whenever she wondered what might have been if she had allowed herself to mature as an individual and experience more before getting married.

Her husband’s promotion a year ago had enabled her to quit the job that she hated and to “fix” all of the things that had bothered her since she was a teenager. She went to the gym, updated her wardrobe and regularly maintained her hair, skin and nails. Her worst fear was unwarranted as it did not take long for people to start paying her compliments and attention. It was intoxicating. When it became an addiction that flattery no longer satisfied, she found herself making an unforgivable mistake.

Her husband was a gentleman and was keeping her indiscretion quiet, but he had made it clear that their marriage was over. She didn’t blame him. The pain of the loss was unbearable and she was aching to talk to someone, but the idea of sharing was petrifying. What would her friends think if they knew the truth? She couldn’t afford to lose them. The safest option, as always, was to ensure they needed her too.

She started by tidying the cabin. Then she moved on to meal prep. She placed a bathrobe by the door and readied the kettle for Paige. As she stood at the kitchen sink, she worried it would never be enough. No chore would bring her husband back. No kindness would guarantee that her friends would stay. An idle wish to cease to exist so that the guilt would be gone forever, floated across her consciousness.

The fog shifted.

She gave her head a shake and looked for something else to focus on. She spotted the gas fireplace and wondered if she could get it working. As she fiddled with the knob, she heard her name being called and froze.

“Heeeeeathhher!”

It was a woman’s voice, but it sounded wrong. It seemed to breathe down her neck but it also echoed as if far away. It was too loud, but she also had to strain to hear. It came from everywhere but it also seemed to reverberate within her. She stood slowly. The visceral reaction and inability to explain the feeling, made her think of the woman in the lake again. She didn’t want to respond to the call. Instead, she walked out to the porch and listened in the open doorway, the fireplace forgotten.

The fog had thickened again and the lake was hidden from view, but Heather could hear the rhythmic footfall of someone approaching. She waited for the mist to swirl and for Paige to emerge but the fog remained undisturbed while the footsteps continued to move closer. Heather followed the sound with her eyes but saw nothing. The footsteps seemed to stop in front of the porch. Did fog affect a person’s ability to localize sound? Heather frowned. All was quiet. She scanned and searched the fog again but a slap of skin on wood made her head jerk down to look at the section of porch right in front of her. A wet footprint had appeared. With another thunk, a second footprint materialized beside the first. Heather stood frozen, her mouth hanging open, afraid to move or make a sound. She tried to take a small step to the side but as she shifted, she bumped one of the chairs, sending it rocking.

“HEATHER!”

The voice burst forth from the empty space in front of her. Without thinking, she jumped off the porch and ran blindly until she found herself on the dock. Puddles of water and more footprints clearly showed something had pulled itself out of the lake. She continued to spin, frantically searching for Paige in the water, or along the shoreline. Despite her heart hammering in her ears and her frantic turning, she caught the subtle sound of disturbed water at the end of the dock. She glanced back at where the cabin stood behind the fog, her breathing ragged, unsure of how much time she had, then cautiously approached the end of the dock. She braced herself before peeking over the edge.

There was nothing.

There was less than nothing.

Where Heather’s reflection should have been, there was only grey sky. Her shiny hair, her straight teeth, her cheekbones, all of it was gone. She touched her face to prove she was there, then stared at her hands which seemed to look normal. She bent closer to the water, trying to catch a glimpse, a shadow, anything, staring in disbelief, willing herself to appear.

Bubbles burst the surface and Heather lurched back. The sudden movement caused her foot to slip and her legs came out from under her. Her head cracked as she landed on the dock and her world went dark. She lay unconscious for a moment, until the weight of her legs hanging off of the edge slowly pulled her into the water.

Paige

As soon as Paige reached the dock, she dove into the water. If she was moving, she couldn’t think. If she was exhausted, she wouldn’t remember.

Everything about the cabin was making it difficult though as it was very similar to the one her parents owned. Her family had spent most of their summers there, fishing, swimming and boating. As Paige and her brother got older, their parents encouraged them to use the cabin whenever they wanted. The only rule was anything they used, had to be replaced so that the next person would not be left without.

The week before her brother was scheduled to use the cabin for a fishing tournament, Paige went up without telling anyone. At the end of the weekend, she was about to fill up the boat's gas tank when she decided against it. Her and her brother had gotten in an argument earlier and it was somewhat satisfying to think of how annoyed he would be by the delay and having to pay before he could get out on the water. If he got really pissed, she could always claim some kids siphoned the gas. No big deal.

Her parents called her in a panic the next weekend. A storm had blown in and her brother hadn’t returned. They couldn’t understand it. He would have recognized the anger in the sky and come back. Unless he couldn’t.

Paige pulled herself out of the water and sat at the end of the dock, watching the water drip off of her toes. She had nightmares about what his last hours must have been like, fighting the waves to survive. Every expression of sympathy she received made her gut twist. She wanted to scream at them that she didn’t deserve any kindness. Her parents were still confused and in shock. She wasn’t sure if telling them would help them heal or if it would make things worse. She was all they had now. But she could not bring herself to go back to the cottage, even though her parents had invited her several times. She wanted nothing to do with boating, fishing or joy. At least once a day she found herself thinking she didn’t want to exist in a world that no longer contained her brother.

The fog shifted.

Paige sensed the change and frowned. She stood up and wrapped a towel around herself, looking for the reason for her unease. She hadn’t seen the woman in the lake earlier but she remembered Heather and Sydney’s faces when they had tried to explain. She looked back at the water. The mist skimmed and grazed the dark, glassy surface. The stillness seemed unnatural and Paige felt a creeping sensation along her back. She felt silly but she knew Heather had promised to stay close by so she impulsively called out.

“Heeeeeathhher!”

There was no response, only silence. She started walking back to the cabin, her fatigue forcing her to trudge. When the cottage emerged, Paige’s concern deepened. The door was open but there was no one in sight. She paused in front of the porch and as her gaze swept the area, it settled on her feet. She frowned. She wasn’t casting a shadow. She was about to dismiss the observation, blaming the fog, but realized the trees and the cabin still had shadows. Her apprehension increased. Unable to explain though, she stepped onto the porch. The silence finally broke when one of the chairs began to rock of its’ own volition. Her eyes widened in disbelief; her throat tightened in panic, but she managed to push air out into a shout.

“HEATHER!”

There was the sound of scrambling, thudding and something took off running down the path. Paige jumped back and tried to catch a glimpse of it but it was too fast or the fog too thick. When all was quiet again, she gave a small laugh and tried to convince herself that she missed spotting an animal earlier. A large animal. Paige tried to reassure herself. Sydney was taking a nap just like she said. Heather was likely out for a walk, unable to sit still and hadn’t shut the door properly.

Heather had left a robe by the door for her, however. Paige took off her wet suit, slipped the robe on and sat down on the couch to wait. Even though she had logical explanations, she wanted Heather back before she showered. Her heart slowly settled, her breathing became regular again and it wasn’t long before exhaustion and the warmth of the cabin had her eyelids drooping. She succumbed to laying down while she waited and her thoughts wandered. How had he not noticed the low fuel gauge? She wondered mournfully for the thousandth time. The fireplace gently hissed as the room slowly filled with gas.

Sydney

Sydney had done everything right. She’d had a good idea, she made a proposal, she secured a loan, and she turned it into a viable business. Unfortunately, she destroyed her success with a gambling addiction. Everyone was baffled by her failure and she was too ashamed to explain. She had agreed to the cabin getaway in the hopes that the company and no internet access would distract her, allowing her to detox. She had considered telling Paige and Heather but she didn’t feel as if she could burden them with her problems when they were dealing with their own. As she settled down to nap, she wished her and her problems could disappear.

The fog shifted.

She woke up feeling worse than when she had laid down. She was still tired, her headache persisted but now she was also nauseous. On top of everything else, her fingers were itching to open her phone and check for a signal. She held it in her hand for a moment but then threw back the covers to get some water from the kitchen.

It was quiet as she turned off the tap. Grey daylight endured which meant her friends were likely outside enjoying the lake or the woods. She used the excuse of checking for messages to open her phone. She was both disappointed and relieved that the signal was too weak. She shuffled over to the living space to sit but as she looked down at the couch, she frowned. It was lumpy and uninviting. Her brow furrowed more when she realized that it wasn’t as quiet as she thought. There was a rhythmic shifting in the air. Someone was breathing heavily. Alarmed, her eyes darted around the cabin. There was nowhere to hide, and yet the breathing grew louder and raspy.

Sydney was suddenly overtaken by a coughing fit and took a step back. She fought to control her hacking so that she could listen, but she was forced to go outside. Out on the porch she calmed her breathing and her heart. With a quick glance back at the cabin, she questioned whether it was her own breathing she had been hearing. The line between dreaming and reality was likely still blurred. She gave her head a shake and drew a shaky breath.

The rocking chairs to her right were empty. The car on her left sat undisturbed. The fog parted in front of her and once again, the lake emerged. For a moment, she glimpsed a large, dark shadow bobbing in the water. A shiver ran down her back and she wrapped her arms around herself. The fog closed in.

Sydney realized she couldn’t tolerate sitting by herself, staring at the lake, wondering if that woman would reappear. Paige and Heather had clearly gone for a walk in the woods, and if she followed the path, she might catch up to them. She debated leaving her phone to avoid temptation, but reasoned it would be dangerous to wander into unfamiliar woods with nothing to call for help.

Still feeling dazed, she set out. The longer she walked, the more frequently she checked her phone. Each time she tried to tell herself she was checking for messages from her friends but she knew the truth. She still had some data left and one working credit card. Her desperation increased. She needed to find her friends before she found a better signal. She called their names but received no answer. Eventually she gave up all pretence. When a path branched, she held up her phone. If the signal got stronger, she kept going. If the signal got worse, she double backed. She never saw the cliff. The fall knocked her unconscious and she landed near another path. A few hikers passed, and one of them even tripped over her extended arm, but when he looked down, he saw nothing. No one would see her until it was too late.

The Neighbor

A dip in the lake had been a part of the neighbor’s daily routine for years. When she eventually tired, she liked to stand in the water, hair hanging down, watching the minnows nibble at her legs while she caught her breath. It tickled, as did the air bubbles that occasionally escaped the sand when she shifted her weight, but she did her best to stay still. Nature was mesmerizing. Her fascination was broken when Heather’s body bumped into her.

The police found Paige’s body on the couch while going door-to-door, trying to find someone who could identify Heather. The immediate coughing alerted them to the gas leak. After airing out the cabin and donning protective gear, they became worried when they found a third set of luggage. Sydney was found shortly after. It was ruled an accident. The police came to the conclusion that the gas leak caused Paige to suffocate while Heather and Sydney had woken up confused and had separate fatal mishaps.

The cabin was as advertised. The three women had wished to escaped the shame of their secrets, and they did so by taking them to their graves. Unable to forgive themselves or ask for help, their mistakes haunted them, and, in turn, they had unknowingly haunted each other.