“I’m glad you’re back,” Ashley whispered, reading his eyes.
His cheeks flushed with heat. “I’m glad to be back.”
“No, you’re not.”
“No, I’m not.”
She laughed.
“Rory, this summer is going to be so much fun! Wait till you see new Cliff’s new boat.” Kate sent another joint around the circle.
“I heard it’s nice.”
“Wait till you see the wakeboard rig, dude. It’s sick,” Woody told him, holding in a hit. “Surround sound and a built-in bong under a seat in the pit.”
Kate nodded rapidly. “You’ll never want to leave again.”
He grimaced and forced a smile, catching an awkward look from Rachel he couldn’t quite decipher.
“Oh, sweet mother of Jesus,” Woody mumbled, smoke seeping from his lips.
Rory followed his friend’s glassy eyes to see Ashley standing naked in the sand with her sundress crumpled around her feet.
“Who wants to go for a swim?” she asked, bravely letting it all hang out. Her eyes swept to Rory and her hand followed. “You.”
“Uhhhhh,” he said, temporarily captivated by her round breasts and shaved skin. He swallowed hard and forced his eyes to Rachel who was awaiting his response with a raised brow. “I...just have to grab something in the tent and I’ll be right in.”
Ashley gestured with her hand, boobs jiggling. “Oh come on, Rory. I won’t bite,” she said, the fire sticking a devilish gleam in her eyes. “Hard.”
Rory tugged on his collar. “Well, it is getting pretty hot out, isn’t it?”
Clutch sprang to his feet and dropped his jeans, taking his boxers with them.
“Oh my God!” Rachel’s jaw dropped. “What’re you doing?”
“The fire’s too hot, babe. I need to cool off.”
She held up a hand to block him out. “Okay, this just got awkward.”
Clutch threw his hands out. “It’s a night swim. That’s what summer’s all about. Come on in; it’s Party Cove, baby!”
Rachel hid behind her hand. “Knock yourself out.”
“I’m in,” Kate said matter-of-factly, setting her cup on the ground and pushing herself from the chair. With a casual air, she wiggled out of her shorts while aiming a sultry stare Woody’s direction. The shorts hit the dirt at roughly the same time as his jaw. She pulled her tank top over her head next and let it slip from her fingers.
“Now we’re talkin! Let’s get this party started.” Clutch tipped his beer back and drained it, Adam’s apple bobbing with each chug.
Rory and Rachel looked at each other and this time he could read her embarrassment loud and clear.
Kate shook her head, letting dark hair spill over an expensive pair of breasts that Woody was staring so hard at, Rory thought drool would literally start running from the corners of his mouth. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t want Rachel catching him stealing glances of Kate and Ashley, but he didn’t and wrote it off to old habits.
“Wow, okay.” Rachel peeked through her fingers at Kate. “This is starting to get way out of hand.”
“Oh come on, Rachel.” Kate laughed. “Live a little!”
“No thanks.”
Clutch handed Rory what was left of the joint. “Last one in is a rotten girl scout cookie,” he yelled, running for the water and screaming like a banshee. He high-stepped into the shallows, white butt cheeks glowing in the moonlight, and dove in head first. A few seconds later, he came up for air and howled to the moon. “Damn, that feels good!”
Woody stood up and dropped his board shorts to the sand, making Rachel’s eyes bulge.
“Jesus!” Rory turned away as if Woody just opened the Ark and released a whirlwind of swarming spirits.
“Okay, I did not need to see that!” Rachel laughed.
Kate slapped a hand over her mouth. “Woody! You didn’t tell me you were a porn star.”
Ashley giggled, unable to look away. “Is it always that big or is it just happy to see us?”
“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” he replied, tossing his beer can into the fire and darting for the lake.
Ashley and Kate squealed with laughter and gave chase, kicking up sand as they raced to the water’s edge. Rory tried not to gawk, but the beers delayed his plan to turn away. Splashing into the black water, the girls screamed and laughed, their nude bodies glistening in the silver moonlight.
“Wow.” Rory turned to Rachel. “I guess it’s your turn.”
“Pass.”
“Awe come on, now. Don’t be shy.”
“After that toxic waste spill? No way.”
He tipped his head back and laughed. “That was like ten years ago.”
“Well, I don’t see you going in.”
Inhaling a deep breath, he grew quiet and gazed out over the lake. “Yeah well, I’m not big on growing a third nipple, so...”
She smiled, watching the others dunk each other with wild splashes and sharp screams that splattered the rolling hillsides around them.
“They’re crazy.” Rory offered her the joint.
She held up a hand and shook her head.
He tapped the joint in the sand until it stopped smoking and left it under his chair, the silence between them as oppressive as the fire’s heat. His mind scrambled for something to say, something that wasn’t about how she was doing or the weather or the price of gas. Something…natural. He got up from his chair and took the one next to her. She smiled warmly and turned to watch the others frolicking in the water like excited puppies.
“So how long have you and Clutch been…?”
“A couple months, but we’re not serious serious.” She dropped her forehead into the heel of her hand and pressed. “And I know what you’re thinking.”
“He seems like a good guy.”
“He’s better when he doesn’t talk.”
“And when is that?”
“Never.”
Their subsequent laughter faded into an awkward lull, filled with the popping fire and the croaking frogs.
“I’m sorry he was rude.”
Rory shrugged. “My fault. I should’ve just let him tell his little ghost story.”
“Holy Jesus!” Clutch yelled in the distance, reaching for the stars. “There’s something in here!” He jerked under with a violent splash, making Ashley and Kate scream.
A light breeze pushed smoke into Rory’s eyes. He squinted as it passed through him like a drifting ghost. “He just doesn’t seem like...”
“My type? He’s not.” She tipped her cup back and took a sip, the fire turning her hair from blond to orange. “He’s such a showoff which makes me uncomfortable.”
Rory’s eyes snagged on the nipples poking from her tank top. He wanted to take them into his mouth and bite down until she tipped her head back and moaned like she used to do after a straight tequila night.
Rachel sighed. “He can go and show his little wiener to everyone in town for all I care.”
Rory nearly spit beer out. “Wow, that is really vulgar,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
Lightly smacking him, she sent a shockwave through his arm and tried on a smile that almost fit. They shared a surprisingly comfortable moment of silence, getting lost in one another’s eyes like old times as embers burst into the sky like the tiny fireworks going off inside his chest.
Clutch broke the surface like a killer whale. “Good Lord! Something’s got me!” he bellowed, arms slapping at the water.
Kate and Ashley screamed and high-stepped through the water to take cover behind Woody, who gladly shielded their slick bodies with his long arms.
“I’m sorry they cut your column.”
The pity in her tone made him fidget. “Something better will come along.”
“I know it will.” She set a warm hand on his, sending another charge through him. “Your reviews always made me laugh, they were so spot on.”
His brow knitted. “You rea
d my reviews?”
“Online.” She sat back. “When you said the only reason Ed Helm did the new Vacation movie was to make The Hangover Part III look better I almost died laughing because it worked!”
Rory grunted and dug his toes into the sand, letting his eyes blur with the fire’s wavering heat. “I should’ve kept in better touch.” He cringed, wondering why he just said that. He didn’t mean it and there was no way to pull the words back into his mouth. Leaning his head back, he caught a shooting star streak across the sky. “How’re things at the coffee shop?”
“Couldn’t run without me.” She cradled her cup in her hands and got quiet. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out with Diane.”
“Danielle.”
“Danielle.” Rachel bit back a smile. “I ran into Woody last night at Target.”
“Of course you did.” Tipping his can back, he got lost in the stars. His plans to bring Danielle to Minot to meet his family and friends this coming August skittered through his mind. At the time, she was so excited and he couldn’t wait to take her wherever Rachel was going to be so he could rub Danielle in her face. A combination of guilt and humility wormed through him, weaving a rug of shame into his soul. “I should probably go find some more wood,” he finally said.
Woody dashed from the water, dripping wet and covering his privates with both hands. “This is so epic! I think I might actually have a shot with Kate and Ashley tonight,” he panted, dancing from foot to foot.
“Woody, Kate needs that job.”
He stopped dancing and frowned at Rachel. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Because as soon as you two hook up, you’ll fire her like you did Megan Crawford.”
“I fired Megan Crawford because she was always late.” He paused. “And she was crazy. Besides, Kate is different. I really like her,” he said, searching the campsite. “Now, where’s the toilet paper?”
“Left it back in the car,” Rory replied flatly.
His shoulders slumped. “Are you serious?”
Rachel thumbed behind her. “Plastic bag on the table.”
Clenching his jaw, Woody sucked a breath in through his teeth. “Damn! I hate this part. Always think a snake is going to bite me in the balls,” he said, hopping over to the picnic table.
Rachel and Rory turned to watch his ghost-white ass disappear into the trees.
“I hope we have hand-sanitizer.”
Rachel shuddered. “I always think I’m squatting in poison ivy.”
“You want me to check?”
She batted her eyelashes at him. “Would you?”
Ashley started screaming bloody murder, pulling their attention to the lake just in time to see her plunge beneath with a vicious splash. Clutch and Kate stood off to the side, laughing and pointing.
“See what he started,” Rachel murmured, shaking her head.
In a moonlit flash, a dark figure exploded from the water and grabbed Kate from behind. Rory lifted his brow, impressed with Ashley’s speed underwater. Kate’s surprised shriek turned to an echo when the silhouette yanked her under.
Clutch released a high-pitched shriek more fitting for a young girl finding a spider under the bed. He dove in and swam for shore, arms paddling like hell through the water until he beached himself. Stumbling to his feet, he sprinted toward Rachel and Rory with a look of sheer terror wrenching his face. His dick smacked against his stomach like a paddle-ball with each galloping stride, spraying the air with shiny droplets. “Holy Shit,” he panted, hitting dry sand and picking up speed. “There’s something in the water!”
Chapter Five
Run
Rory sat bolt upright in the canvas chair, gaze honing in on the old man in a suit and tie rushing from the water. Grunting and snarling, the man ran closer with a frightening quickness that turned Rory’s blood cold. His heart thundered in his chest, making his words come out in a shaky whisper. “Who the hell is that?”
Rachel’s cup slipped through her fingers, painting her bare feet with red wine. “Oh my God,” she said faintly, watching the man tackle Clutch from behind. An audible oomph escaped Clutch when he face-planted into the sand. Rolling to his dress shoes, the bald man with patches of gray hair grabbed Clutch’s ankle and dragged him back into the water.
Clutch kicked and screamed, desperately clawing at the sand. “Helppppp!”
Rory dropped his beer and sprang to his feet, knocking the chair over backwards and darting for the water.
Clutch sent one last cry into the night before the water found his gaping mouth. He choked and thrashed and then he was gone. Rory stopped with his feet in the lake, watching the spot where the old man disappeared beneath the shiny surface with Clutch in tow. For a moment, nothing moved. Nothing made a sound except the ragged breathing in his ears and the thumping in his neck. The water settled around his feet and the campfire shot sparks into the night.
“Clutch!” A deathly silence answered his fading cry. Even the crickets and frogs seemed shocked into a grave stillness that gave Rory the chills. Swallowing thickly, his eyes skimmed back and forth across the water, waiting for Clutch, Kate and Ashley to pop up and start laughing. Waiting for them to tell him it was all some sick and twisted joke they pulled off with the help of a friend. Rachel stopped beside him, their chests rising and falling in time as they watched the water without speaking. The fire popped, making them flinch. Slowly, they turned to meet each other’s horrorstricken gaze.
“Where’d they go?” Rory asked in a cold whisper.
Rachel took his elbow and pulled him away from the water. “I don’t know.”
He shrugged her off and yanked his t-shirt over his head, throwing it to the sand. “Call the police.”
“Rory, no!”
Going in up to his knees, he stopped and surveyed the lake through bloodshot eyes. A light breeze ruffled his brown hair in the dubious peace and quiet. There was no sign of them and he was about to dive in and start searching with his hands underwater when Rachel cried out behind him.
“We don’t have our phones!”
He looked over his shoulder. “Mine’s in the tent. Get it!”
Her eyes got wide and she covered her mouth with both hands like her insides might spill out through her lips onto the sand.
Twisting, Rory followed her startled gaze and staggered backwards. The young boy calmly emerging from the lake stole his breath. Dark hair ran in straight lines down his forehead, mostly hiding the hollow eyes aimed at Rory. The kid’s shoulders cleared the water, his rotting skin glowing in the moonlight. He plodded closer, suit and tie clinging to his bloated body as he reached for Rory with outstretched arms. Rory backpedaled on automatic pilot and the kid grinned, revealing stained teeth with sharpened points. He couldn’t have been older than nine or ten but looked like he had been in the lake for decades.
An elderly woman shot from the water a few yards behind him, black dress hugging her emaciated body as she ran for the shoreline at an alarming rate of speed. Rachel screamed, snapping Rory from his trance.
“Run,” he breathed, wheeling around and taking Rachel’s hand. Together, they bolted for the campfire, glancing over their shoulders just long enough to see the old lady blaze past the young boy in a moonlit blur. Her left eye was missing and there was no way they could outrun her.
“What the hell is that?” Rachel screamed in a high-pitched voice, trying not to stumble. “What the hell is that?”
“Keep moving!” His breath outran him as he navigated the campsite’s jittery shadows, expecting the senior citizen to tackle them from behind at any second. His feet responded with a surprising agility, flying over the sand and leading them into the darkened woods. The trail was narrow and overgrown and he didn’t see most of the branches until they tore at his face and arms. Everything brushed past in a stinging streak. Using one hand to swat at the prickly limbs, he pulled Rachel through the brush with the other. They ran and jumped and tripped their way through the winding trail, so
mehow managing not to fall. A thorn bush tore a lengthy gash in Rory’s right thigh, the pain all but annulled by his racing adrenaline. Despite the protest from the foliage, they shot through the woods with reckless abandon, not daring to waste a single second looking back. If they looked back now, they would trip and fall and then they would die. It was as certain as…
A black silhouette popped out from behind a thick oak and Rory slammed on the brakes too late, knocking the shadow to the ground while Rachel crashed into him from behind. Rory’s heart skidded to a stop as well as, a cold realization settling in his gut like acid reflux. Those people were all over the place and there was no escape. It was already too late. Ashley, Kate and Clutch were dead and Rory and Rachel were next because the old-timers were right.
Something was in Lake Darling.
Something deadly.
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Read the rest of Floodwater now and find out why reviewers are calling this standalone novel “creepier than A Little More Dead” and “Fisher’s best yet”.
And don’t forget to leave a quick review for A Little More Alive by turning the next page!
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Dead Series (Book 3): A Little More Alive Page 20