The Lodge

by Shaun Kitching

  “Seth, you coming?” asked Hank.

  “Huh?” I replied.

  “To the lake!” Hank replied. “It’s swim time.”

  “Oh! Yeah, sure,” I said, actually excited about jumping in for a splash.

  I followed Hank and the rest of the group down to a shallow inlet which was directly parallel to the lodge. This was our preferred swimming location as it not only has a nice sandy foundation, but it was only ankle deep in the shallowest section. This was great as we would sometimes just lie on our backs, the combination of the warm sun and cool water a relaxing amalgamation. Then, if we wanted a proper swim it was only a couple of paces out before the lake suddenly dropped to a more serious depth.

  “This water is stunning,” Reed said as he dropped down into the water. “The clarity is amazing and the temperature is just right.”

  “This is one of my favourite things to do after a rugby match,” Hank replied. “Nothin’ better than a nice swim for those sore muscles.”

  “You should all come on Friday night,” Reed said. “We’re playing Werner Town who apparently won the premiership last year - should be a good game.”

  “Yeah, it was supposed to be last Friday but got called off due to…errr, you know,” Hank said, the words slipping out of his mouth. “We’ll be having a minutes silence for Veronica so you should all definitely come.”

  “I’ll be there,” Amber said eagerly, slipping besides Reed onto the sandy bottom.

  “But you hate rugby!” Zoe said.

  “I’m going for Veronica,” Amber replied, but her smile to Reed suggested she had multiple reasons for attending.

  I looked at Koby who had dropped down onto his shins in the water. He was glaring at Reed who hadn’t yet noticed. Calm down Koby, I thought, calm down. As if hearing my thoughts, Koby let out a breath of air and then joined us on our backs.

  “Sounds good guys,” Koby replied. “I’m sure we’ll all be there.”

  “I’ve heard Werner Town have some serious big boys,” said Chad. “Rumours are their captain even has bigger biceps than me!”

  “Chad, even I have bigger biceps than you,” joked Zoe. With her miniature frame, the joke made us all crack up laughing. This was good, I thought. All of us just lying here having a chat; maybe, just maybe, we really could all get on with our lives sooner than we thought.

  “I’ve heard their cheerleaders are smoking hot too,” Chad said with a smile. “Bet you’re looking forward to that Hank!”

  Hank gave a bit of a chuckle. “Nah, not really,” he said, slightly stumbling on his words. What a weird thing for him to say, I thought. Usually Hank would start gloating about how many of the cheerleaders he would ask out. It seemed like everyone else thought the same thing, as they all gave him a puzzled look.

  “What?” said Hank, who was started to blush.

  “You feeling alright?” asked Koby.

  “Yeah, you haven’t been bitten by a Southern Crawling Fish have you?” Chad asked.

  “Southern Crawling Fish?” Reed interrupted, his eyes suddenly darting to the water surrounding his body.

  “Yeah,” Chad replied, “They inhabit this lake in certain months of the years. They’re about ten centimetres in length, light green in colour,” Chad paused for a brief second. “Actually, Christ almighty, that’s one crawling up your arm Reed!” Chad’s voiced echoed around us as he shouted the words in panic.

  “Wahhh,” Reed let out a small cry as he thrashed both arms in the water. Of course, everyone realised Chad was joking but it took Reed a little while to catch on.

  “Oh man,” Reed said. “Oh man.”

  “Southern Crawling Fish, seriously?” I said to Chad laughing.

  “Can’t believe you fell for that,” laughed Amber, giving him a playful splash.

  Koby said nothing, his eyes twinkling with delight. He enjoyed Reed being tricked, I realised. Next, I turned to Hank. It was obvious that he was grateful that Chad’s prank had caused everyone to stop eyeballing him around Chad’s cheerleader statement. Koby and Hank. I knew these two blokes better than anyone. Didn’t I?

  *****

  “This water is getting cold,” Zoe said.

  “Yeah, I’m done too,” replied Hank.

  We had been lying in the water for what must be close to two hours now. Our conversations hadn’t really reached any great heights. Amber had discussed how she was contemplating changing her hair style. Koby said it looked great the way it was. Reed said she should do whatever made her happy. Hank had continued talking about Werner Town and something along the lines of running rings around their players and then when he got sick of that, running straight through them instead. As I said, we weren’t really discussing rocket science. But I was enjoying myself. Even thought the water had slightly cooled, the fresh water felt nice as it lapped around my body.

  “Think I might stay here for a bit longer,” I said softly, closing my eyes as the sun continued to beat down. Even though the sun was beginning to lower, the rays still had enough warmth to keep me comfortable.

  “You sure?” said Koby. “I’m going to head up to the lodge as well.”

  “Yeah me too,” replied everyone else.

  “I’ll be up soon guys,” I replied. “I’m just so relaxed at the moment.”

  “Well, don’t go falling asleep on us,” Zoe said.

  “And watch out for those Southern Crawling Fish!” joked Chad, to which Reed gave him a light-hearted punch on the shoulder.

  “Will do,” I replied with a laugh. Before I knew it, I was alone on the lake. I closed my eyes and took in the sounds of the lodge. There was a few parrots hidden somewhere among the trees, their gentle trills resonating over me. The lake water softly splashed around my torso, as I lightly kicked my legs. This is why I came to the lodge. Not only to spend time with my friends but to shut out the world and all my thoughts. Just me. Nothing else. I’m not sure how long I had my eyes closed for but I opened them as an unfamiliar sound caught my attention.

  Cruuunch.

  Cruuunch.

  What was that?

  I slowly sat up in the water, shaking my head to rid the small amount of water that had entered my ears.

  Cruuunch.

  There it was again. Turning my head, I realised the sound was being made from footsteps which were striding on the small patch of dry grass on the edge of the inlet. I looked up. The afternoon sun had nearly set but it still shone brightly, its last hurrah before settling for the night.

  “Who’s there?” I said to the figure, as I squinted against the glow. No reply. I brought my right hand up to shield the sun and finally glimpsed the person.

  “Oh it’s you!”

  I was about to ask for a hand up but I never got the chance. I let out a large gasp as the figure plunged a knife deep into my chest, sending me back into my former position as my back hit the sandy bottom of the lake. As I stared into the person’s eyes I heard a parrot let out a high pitched shrill from the heavens above. Then came darkness.

  Chapter 12: Daisy

  Dear Diary,

  Well, it was simply too easy this time. The fishing line in my first kill gave me a challenge. I had to be creative and as a result I felt quite inspired when it was all over. It really felt like I was made to work for my reward.

  Not this time. There’s nothing difficult about using a knife. I thought that plunging the blade would give me immense satisfaction, however, the whole slaughter just felt a little bland this time round. I thought that the wind rushing against the cascading blade would generate a greater thrill. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoyed it. Revenge tastes sweet no matter what choice of weapon. But I definitely need to assess my killing principles.

  Yes, that’s it. My next murder will be different, something truly unique. Your old friend Daisy will not stop. I will continue killing until each and every one of them are………dead.

  Chapter 13: Amber

  Five days. It had been five days since Seth was tragically murder
ed. I shifted on the lounge room couch as my mind began to wander. The whole incident has been so surreal, so unthinkable. The past few nights I had been pinching myself as I brushed my teeth in front of the mirror. I honestly thought this was all a nightmare, a terrible fantasy which I couldn’t awake from. However, whenever I pinched the skin on my arm the solemn reflection in the mirror winced in pain. This was real. Veronica was dead. Seth was dead. Two of my closest friends. Gone. Taken. By who? Surely this was beyond a coincidence. It was simply not possible that two of my friends had been killed a week apart. Was someone targeting our group? Why? It just didn’t make sense. Or was someone killing people who used the lodge? Were we simply at the wrong place at the wrong time? What the hell is going on? So many questions floated through my mind as tears welled in my eyes. It could have been me. We were all swimming in the lake and it could have easily been me who decided to swim a little longer. It could have been any one of us. Why did you have to stay in the lake, Seth? Why? Why did we let him stay there? All by himself; one week after Veronica was killed. What were we thinking? Dumb! So, so dumb! It has been an emotional week. It was déjà vu in many ways. Shock, horror, tears, frustration, interviews with police, animated journalists desperate for an interview; it was a never ending list of sorrow. Then there was the daisy. That cursed flower had been keeping me up all night. Just like Veronica, a daisy had been found on Seth’s body. It had been laid perfectly over the stab wound, as if the killer took pride in how the flower was presented. The daisy was identical to the one used in Veronica’s murder - a yellow middle with white petals. Every night since Veronica’s death I would have nightmares about it. The daisy was always ten times the size I was and it had somehow captured me; a lone prisoner sitting on its yellow centre. Then the petals would start to come together, entrapping me within the flower like a tomb. There I sat, weeping and confused. Waiting. Waiting to die. The flower would then begin to fill with a liquid. A sticky substance with a distinct odour. Blood. I tried to escape the daisy; tried to squeeze through the chalk coloured petals but it was no use. Instead, in a desperate bid to escape, I would always fall over as I slipped in the blood. It now covered my body, head to toe. The blood continued to rise, filling the inside of the daisy. It was now waist deep and I was struggling to raise my legs. Before I knew it the blood had reached my neck. I tried to scream but no sound came out. And then I was fully submerged in the bright red matter. It entered my ears, nostrils and my mouth. Then I woke up. Sweat covered my body and for a minute I always thought that I was still in the nightmare. As my breaths grew longer I finally realised it wasn’t real and I would sit in bed crying, too afraid to go back to sleep. It was the same nightmare every night. Every night since Veronica was murdered. And now with Seth killed, I imagine the nightmare could only get worse. I shivered as I looked around my lounge room. Soft pastels covered the walls and a fireplace lightly roared on the wall closest to the couch. A bright, red rug took up the majority of the floor. I felt safe here. Maybe I should never leave this house ever again, I thought. I then scolded myself for even thinking such thoughts. As miserable as I currently was, I had to be strong. Unexpectedly, the home phone started ringing, which sat on the glass coffee table next to the couch.

  “Amber, honey, do you have that darl?” my mum shouted from the kitchen.

  “Yeah mum,” I shouted back.

  I picked up the phone and paused, maybe it was the police? They probably had more questions for me. Or maybe they had captured the killer and were finally delivering some good news?

  “Umm, hello,” I whispered into the speaker.

  “Amber?” the familiar voice replied.

  “Koby!” I exclaimed, glad to hear his voice.

  “So…umm, how you holding up Amber?” he asked, his voice soft and gentle.

  “Well, it’s not easy as you would know, but I have to get through this somehow. We all have to get through this somehow,” I paused waiting for Koby to respond. Only silence on the receiver. “And then there’s the nightmares…,” I continued, instantly wishing I hadn’t brought that up.

  “I understand,” Koby finally said. “I have nightmares too.”

  “I’m so sorry Koby!” I said, choking on my words.

  “For what?” he asked.

  “Seth was one of your best mates, you were practically like brothers,” my voice came out crackly and parched.

  “Yeah,” Koby said. “Seth, he-he,” Koby finished with a sigh.

  “You know you can always talk to me Koby,” I said. “About anything.”

  “I know Amber. Thanks. Seth, he was a legend,” Koby said, “I-I just can’t believe he’s gone. I can’t believe Veronica’s gone!”

  I could tell Koby was trying to hold back his tears. I suddenly had the urge to embrace him, hug him, and perhaps even kiss him.

  “Amber?”

  “Sorry, I’m still here Koby,” I responded.

  “It’s vice-versa as well,” he said.

  “What?” I asked, unsure of what he meant.

  “About what you said. You know you can tell me anything you want as well.”

  Koby was so sweet. We had been friends for such a long time and there had always been a certain temptation between us, but I had never felt so attracted to him as I did right now.

  “So are you going to the game tomorrow night?” he asked.

  “Game? As in rugby game? Please don’t tell me that’s going ahead!” I responded in shock.

  “Yeah apparently it is,” Koby replied. “I just found out from Chad. Apparently Mr. Gardiner thinks it’s a good idea if the game is played. He said that everyone is a little bit emotional right now and he thinks the game will lift the spirits of the Hollow Point community. Plus they’re doing a combined charity on the night for Veronica and Seth.”

  Mr. Gardiner was our school principal and was a respected, genuine man. I had always liked him but I’m not sure if he was making the correct decision here. Could a school rugby game really lift morale that much?

  “Wow,” I responded, as my thoughts spun in my head. “Do you think that’s such a good idea? I mean, there’s a killer somewhere out there. He probably lives in our town!”

  “Apparently there will be police at the game. Just to keep an eye on things. Their theory is that the killer only strikes at the lodge,” Koby explained.

  “Really, how do they know that?” I asked.

  “I dunno, the police told that to Chad’s parents. They explained it like the shark theory,” Koby said.

  “Shark theory?” I asked, even more perplexed.

  “Yeah, they say sharks are territorial predators. It’s called territoriality. Basically, that means that sharks hunt in certain areas and make that location their own hunting ground,” Koby explained. “The police said that the same principles can apply to serial killers.”

  “So let me get this straight,” I responded. “The police think that some crazy man has, for some unknown reason, made the lodge his hunting ground and will continue to kill people here because this person looks at the lodge as his territory,” I spat out quickly.

  “That’s how Chad explained it,” Koby said. “The police have set up hidden cameras at the lodge as well; just in case the killer decides to re-visit any time soon.”

  “Are Chad’s parents still away?” I asked.

  “They’re on their way home now. It’s a fair drive so they probably won’t get back until sometime tomorrow,” Koby said.

  “They must be in disbelief,” I stated. “After all the lodge is their residence.”

  “Yeah, it’s messed up. Anyway, about the rugby tomorrow…,” Koby continued.

  “I’m not sure. I don’t even know if my parents will let me. But you did say there would be police there and I’m assuming it will be a big crowd so….yeah, I’ll probably come,” I responded.

  “Excellent. Well, I was hoping that-that, well, you could go with me,” Koby asked.

  “What do you mean?” I replied.

&n
bsp; “Well, kinda like a date. I mean, it doesn’t have to be an official date. We don’t even have to call it a date. It would just be me and you…going to-together,” Koby managed to get the words out and even though I couldn’t see his face I could tell he was blushing.

  This was it! I had been waiting for Koby to ask me out for quite a while now and he had finally did it! Granted, it wasn’t the most perfect timing but I can’t believe he asked me! Koby’s shyness and awkwardness was very evident in his proposal but that’s what made it so cute. I smiled as I imagined Koby and I, hand in hand, walking to the bleachers at the rugby. Out of the blue, negative thoughts suddenly started spilling into my brain. What happens if it got really weird and we didn’t know what to say to each other? What happens if it didn’t work out and we couldn’t go back to being friends? What happens if my palms started sweating as I held his hand? I suddenly coughed as I realised I hadn’t responded to him yet.

  “Amber?” Koby asked nervously.

  “Umm, I gotta go Koby;” I said quickly. “Mum has just called me to dinner so I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow ok.”

  I quickly finished my sentence and placed the receiver back onto the phone. Breathe Amber, I thought. Just breathe. Now count to three. One. Two. Three. Suddenly, the phone rang once again, making me jump off the couch. I picked it up on the fourth ring.

  “Koby, I’m so sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have -“

  “Amber, it’s Reed,” the voice interrupted me.