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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/NotJustSomeNumbers on 2024-10-05 19:06:50+00:00.

My grandparents owned a cabin beside a lake. They rented it so they would have extra funds for their retirement. If it wasn’t being rented out, they offered to let me stay for the weekend. Normally I refused but an old friend of mine contacted me recently to catch up. I had some time off and the cabin was free. We arranged a trip down to the lake. She was going to bring her husband I’ve met a handful of times. She also suggestion to ask another friend of ours to join us. We all grew up together and there were enough rooms at the cabin.

I arrived first and had gotten started to unpack when Brooke and her husband came walking down the trail. The path to the cabin wasn’t large enough for cars so they had to park a few minutes away. There were other cabins near us, but all of them were further down into the woods. At night you could see the lights through the branches and sometimes hear the neighbors.

She hugged me and I helped them with their bags. Her husband was shorter than her with large glasses that made him look almost insect-like. His cheeks were red from walking such a short distance. I doubted being at a cabin was his sort of thing but he came along for Brooke.

He nodded along when I started to chat away about the good old times with Brooke as we walked inside. A knock came from the door and I rushed over to answer it. We were expecting another couple. Jason and I grew up together. At some point, we had been as close as brothers but drifted apart after he was married.

“It’s been forever! Did you have issues finding the place?” I asked him and peeked my head out the door looking for his wife.

I didn’t see her and he walked past me into the cabin setting down a single bag. We had been to the cabin together before but this was the first time he was the one driving.

“No, the GPS made it easy. I didn’t stop to eat on the way. Do was have anything?” He asked and didn’t address the fact he was alone.

I gave Brooke a look which she returned signaling me to keep my mouth shut. I was a noisy person and I really, really wanted to know the gossip but I respected my friend more.

After a batch of sandwiches, we all got changed to go swimming. It was still hot a humid out despite being so close to autumn. Brooke and Erwin stayed on the beach. She wanted to get a tan and he had a pile of books to read.

I followed Jason to the edge of the dock. My grandparents had left behind their fishing gear. I’m sure it was all high-end stuff, but I didn’t know the first thing about it. I set it all down and got a pair of chairs set up so we could catch dinner after we were finished swimming.

“Do you have your phone on you?” Jason asked.

I shook my head confused over the question. My swim trunks didn’t even have pockets. Without another word, he easily lifted me and dumped my protesting body in the lake. I splashed back to the surface spraying water in his direction. My hand shot out trying to grab him by the ankle to drag him in with me but he was faster. We were both laughing as I failed to get him into the lake. I rushed over to the beach stepping on sharp shells of freshwater mussels that came back with the current every night. My wet feet slipped along the dock towards him. I grabbed Jason around the waist but I was again, tossed into the lake.

We repeated that for a few minutes until we both were tired. I doubted we would catch any fish after all the action by the dock. He picked up a fishing rod to bait the hook. I watched him and then made him do the same for mine. He called me a baby for not wanting to touch the worms. They’re just gross. That’s all there was to it.

There wasn’t much else to do besides relax in the sun feeling the cool breeze coming off the lake. I had brought my old Gameboy with a Zelda game to try and beat later. When we were younger, I always brought the same game with me every time we came to the lake. To this day I haven’t beaten it. I hoped with an adult brain I could finally see it to the end.

“What have you been doing these past few years? Any kids on the way?” I asked Jason while we sat in lawn chairs watching the ripples across the water.

I saw his face turn sour for a moment. Brooke never wanted children. She always knew that. But Jason was a good church boy who wanted a big family. The fact he didn’t have one yet must have been a sore spot that I just poked at.

“We’re working on it. You know how it is.”

I didn’t but I nodded being smart enough to not respond.

“What about you? Dating anyone?”

I shook my head feeling a batch of sweat start at the base of my neck. I wanted to avoid the subject of my dating history on this trip. I suppose when you get older you have fewer things to talk about aside from your job or who your partner is.

“Still looking. You know how it is.” I added with a smile repeating his words.

He let it slide which was a relief. To my surprise, we did catch something. A flat unappealing fish bit his line and Jason easily reeled it in. We tossed it back barely looking at it. Shortly after I hook a long and fat victim that would be perfect for that night’s dinner. He removed the hook for me. The fish met my gaze and I swear it was silently begging me to spare its life as it gasped for air.

“It’s kinda cute…” I told him hoping my friend got the hint.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. Carefully he set the fish back into the lake and let it swim off to freedom.

“We have enough food for the weekend. And I don’t feel like being the one to clean it. I know you wouldn’t.”

I let out a smug laugh agreeing with him. He often did the dirty jobs I didn’t feel like and we both knew it. We had meant to help with dinner but Brooke already got it started by the time we gave up fishing. Cooking was her favorite thing so I didn’t feel bad not doing more to help. She was the motherly type so I always wondered why she never decided to have kids.

The cabin was large but only had a few rooms. A bedroom off the side had been claimed by Brooke and Erwin. The bathroom was about the same size as the bedroom next to it. We all took turns using the shower after dinner to wash away the smell of the lake.

I walked out into the large living room before I had fully put on my shirt. Jason had been waiting by the door to use the washroom next. He caught a glimpse of a tattoo on my side. He grabbed my shirt and lifted it to get a better look at the three-inch pink Care Bear he had never seen on me before. I had worn a shirt while swimming and silently swore to myself because he saw my shame so soon.

“How drunk were you when you got this?” He commented eyebrows raised.

Erwin was nose deep in a book but Brooke looked over at us with a nervous expression. She knew something I had been hiding from Jason for a while.

“I lost a bet. Needed to man up and get it. I haven’t been able to afford to get it removed.” I lied.

He accepted the answer and moved on. Once the bathroom door was closed, Brooke and I sighed. Jason didn’t need to know I actually got a matching tattoo with my boyfriend at the time. It was a dumb choice and he would mock me for it. But he also hadn’t been very accepting in the past. Since I never came out and told him my dating preferences, I wasn’t entirely certain how he would react. Brooke had been pressuring me to just tell him. It did feel wrong to keep such a big thing from him. I simply wasn’t ready for that talk with my oldest friend just yet.

There was enough room for us to gather around a table in the living room. The plan was to play a board game. It soon devolved into chatting and retelling old stories. I had thought Erwin would be bored listening to us talk for so long. Rather he was very interested in asking questions here and there. The longer I spent with him the more I realized he was perfect for Brooke. I was glad that they found each other.

Finally, the pair decided to turn in for the night a little after one AM. Jason took the loft up the steep stairs and that left me with the couch by the fireplace. It was still too warm to light it at night. The lights went off casting the cabin in a deep darkness. You never realize just how bright the city is at night when you’re away from it. We all called out one final goodnight.

I considered playing the Zelda game for a little bit but decided against it. I had all weekend for that. It was quiet and perfect for easily drifting off. I fell asleep quickly. It felt like I had only been out for a minute when a noise caused my body to jolt. It was a loud rumble sounding like thunder that shook the entire cabin. The digital clock nearby said three AM.

I was going to fall back asleep but I heard Jason whisper over to me from the loft.

“Did you hear that bang?” His low voice came from the dark.

My eyes adjusted and I realized it was brighter in the cabin. The sun hadn’t started to rise yet. Glancing outside I spotted a strange orange glow in the sky. My brain worked slowly. There wasn’t a forest fire outside, right? Jason noticed the odd sky and started down the stairs at the same time Brooke came out of the bedroom. Erwin soon followed behind fiddling with his glasses.

“Do you think it’s a storm?” I asked now that everyone was awake. I didn’t want to consider anything worse than that.

A chill came through the air causing me to pull the blanket around my shoulders. Brooke felt the cold as well. Erwin held her, rubbing her arms to calm both of them down. …

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