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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Saturdead on 2024-09-20 19:49:58+00:00.

The summer before heading off to college, my friend Camden and I were celebrating our last summer together. We’d grown up together as neighbors, but we were heading off to different colleges. Our plans were about as simple as they can get. There was a blank space in our calendars, a decent sum on our bank accounts, and a gassed-up car. That’s it.

That first week was insane. Camden had to balance constant calls from his mom with being an absolute beast. He’d be doing cranberry vodka shots one second and calmly describe his breakfast in perfect detail the next. We spent two days with his distant relatives in Rochester. He may or may not have made out with his own cousin during a particularly high-stakes truth-or-dare. I can neither confirm nor deny.

A couple of days before heading home, we decided to have a final camping night. We split up for a day to see our families and get some supplies, then we met up at lake Attabat.

Lake Attabat is a bit of a local secret. We got to know about it from Camden’s cousins, who more or less dared us to go there. I mean, they expressly told us not to go there, but we took it as a challenge. It was supposed to be an old fishing lake surrounded by small cabins for rent, but the owners had neglected them for decades. All that was left were these crumbling log cabins and an absolutely stunning beach.

I was looking forward to getting some alone time with Camden. We’d been so busy living the high life that we hadn’t gotten any time to just chill. To talk about the future and make plans. Maybe we’d go fishing.

But when I rolled up to lake Attabat, Camden was already there; and he wasn’t alone.

He brought four friends to keep the party going. The only one I knew by name was Harris. He’d been an acquaintance hanging at the edge of our social circle for a while. A weird guy who asked a lot of questions. But I also knew that the only reason Camden would invite him would be to get a shot at his older sister. We’d never been formally introduced, but her name was Tami. She didn’t look the part of your average law student; she looked much more at home in a mosh pit in a sweaty basement.

Tami had, in turn, brought two of her sorority friends. The three of them were in the process of claiming the least rotten cabin off the beach as Camden and Harris collected firewood. Camden waved me over, calling out everyone to come meet me. My heart sank a little. It was gonna be fun, but I would’ve like to just spend some time with my friend, too. This was quickly turning into something different.

I was surrounded by smiles as I was introduced to Tami, Pam, and Cari. Harris gave me an uncertain wave from the sidelines. Camden wrapped an arm around my neck.

“This is my brother right here!”, he called out. “I’m the pretty one, he’s the good one!”

And just like that, the stage was set.

We ended up making a fire by the beach, grilling a few hot dogs, and having a couple of beers. Harris wasn’t feeling it and ended up spending most of his time fixing the old floating dock instead. I noticed Cari was giving me a little extra attention. She was a peculiar woman with a long face and almost cartoonishly large eyes, but her confidence and genuine personality was difficult not to like. I ended up talking to her for well over an hour.

Harris came back with his hands on his hips, clearing his throat to get some attention.

“I need something to tie the tanks with,” he said.

“The what?” Camden asked. “What are you talking about?”

“The barrels. The things that makes the dock float,” Harris sighed. “I need something to tie them on.”

“Just ditch it,” Camden frowned. “Come on, sit down. Have a snack.”

“Didn’t we say we were gonna fix this thing?” Harris snapped back. “Or was that just something you said to keep me busy?”

It got awfully quiet. I looked around and pointed to one of the old cabins.

“I think I saw a garden hose out back,” I said. “You can use that. Won’t rot.”

Harris gave his sister, and Camden, a long look. He shook his head, thanking me under his breath.

To Harris’ credit, he managed to fix that floating dock. It was big enough for all six of us, as long as we stood up. If someone was gonna sunbathe on it, we might fit three, if we crowded a bit. The thing was surprisingly solid – Harris definitely knew a couple of sailor’s knots to keep the supports in place.

Harris and his sister were polar opposites. While Harris kept to himself, Tami was taking bikini selfies next to the ‘No Diving’ sign. Pam was off talking to her parents on her phone, while Cari and I was sitting beachside, dipping our feet in the warm water. The sun was setting in about an hour or so, covering the lake in a golden glow. It was gonna be a great night; I could tell.

We all went out on the floating dock - Tami and Camden sitting side by side at the edge, kicking us out into the lake. We were cheering, teasing, laughing… all the things you’re supposed to do when you’re young and curious.

We went out on the middle of the lake. Everyone but Harris dove in headfirst, ignoring the abandoned ‘No Diving’ sign. The lake was colder than expected, and I wasn’t the only one to shiver a little. That didn’t stop us though. Within seconds, I saw a bikini top being tossed around like a ball, and there were smiles every which way I turned. Well, except for Harris.

He turned to us, saying something. I’m not sure what. He was pointing, trying to get our attention, but that wasn’t happening anytime soon. I had Cari right next to my ear, asking me to keep her warm. Camden and Tami were just full-on making out against the floating dock. I casually looked the way Harris pointed. I could see something in the distance.

There was someone on the beach.

I didn’t know what to make of it. Even at a distance, I could tell they were tall; somewhere around 6’8. Possibly a man. He was wearing some kind of World War 2 era rubber gas mask, but without a filter. He had this massive gray trench coat that looked too big even on him; it left a long trail in the sand. There were countless pockets sewn on the outside.

He had a crossbow.

Not one of those black sleek modern ones, but something he’d put together in a garage somewhere. The thing was massive; probably made from the leaf spring of an old car. It was solid metal. The second we looked his way, he hooked the crossbow to something on his belt and stepped it into the sand. Despite such a massive frame, I could tell he was struggling.

There was a loud click. He pulled something out of his coat.

An arm’s length of sharpened rebar.

It just took a couple of seconds, all in all, and the sight was too strange to react to appropriately. Harris looked back at the rest of us as the conversation died down. We were still smiling, but it wasn’t a conscious reaction. It felt like rabbits freezing at the sight of a predator, hoping it wouldn’t see us. But of course it did; we were completely exposed on the open water.

Harris turned to his sister, casually pointing towards the beach.

“You know that guy?”

Tami clung to Camden’s shoulder, looking towards the beach. I saw her eyes go wide as the man on the beach raised the crossbow. He didn’t need time to aim; we were sitting ducks. There was a click, a thunk, and a whip-like snap.

It was less than a second.

A bolt of sharpened rebar, as long as my arm, burrowed deep into Harris’ chest. There was no scream or cry, just a puff of air as his lungs emptied.

I still hear that sound sometimes. A single forceful cough, like he swallowed something the wrong way. The force was so intense that it looked like turning off a switch – Harris smacked down into the floating dock with complete abandon, splaying his arms out like a crucifixion.

Immediate panic erupted.

Camden held Tami back from climbing up on the floating dock. Cari and Pam hid under it. I didn’t understand what was happening and lingered a little too long, watching our attacker hook the crossbow on his belt and step down; preparing for a second shot. Hadn’t it been for Camden calling my name, I wouldn’t have snapped out of it. I dove, swam over to the others, and hid under the floating dock.

There was already blood dripping between the planks. Tami couldn’t stop screaming; her eyes so wide they looked black. The shouting was so loud and constant that it just blended into a mix; making it sound like nothing at all. This was just what the world was like now – panicked open mouths, screaming at everyone for answers.

There was an awful crackling sound as four planks were torn apart by a second shot. The force rippled through the air, and I could feel it even at a distance. We all hid under the dock, keeping our heads down and trying to show as little of ourselves as possible. But seconds later, I heard him firing again. Another couple planks exploded into tattered fibers; the hole funneling Harris’ blood right down on us; mixing the smell of wet wood with sickening volumes of blood.

Everyone was talking and screaming over one another. Cari was screaming at us to dive, while Pam was telling us to split up. We didn’t do either. Instead, I watched through the gaps in the dock how the man reloaded again and got down on his knees. He was planning something.

He was shooting at an angle, trying to get the bolt to skip across the surface.

It worked.

There was this approaching thu-thu-thu-thu noise heading straight for us. I could see the ripples on the lake where the bolt had…

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