“Windwater Beach isn’t the place to be at night. Over the past few weeks, several teenagers have gone missing. The police think they are victims of kidnapping or murder. If anybody has information, please contact 1800-FIND-THE-KIDS. This is Alexis Kyles from your local news network.”
Alexis Kyles’ droning was cut short as the TV screen turned black. Selki Conners sat on the edge of the couch, the remote clenched tightly in her hand.
She had heard about the kidnappings in school and her parents kept on telling her to be careful whenever she went out alone. Selki thought they were overreacting. She felt a vibration from her pocket.
Janie
You still coming?
Charles
She’s probably too afraid of the dark!
Janie and Charles had been Selki’s best (and only) friends for about two years. They were all she had - the other students found her unapproachable for some reason. Selki briefly considered not meeting them. It was late; she was tired. Yet, it would be stupid not to go. What was there to be afraid of?
I’ll be right there!
She leapt off the couch. She left a note for her parents and walked outside. The road was slightly slick from night mist, and Selki’s flip-flops squeaked every time she took a step. The only light that Selki could see was from the neighbors window. She could see the silhouettes of Mr. and Mrs. Dawson in their kitchen. They looked like they were talking, and each of them had a bottle of what Selki guessed was beer in their hands. Along the sides of the road were bare trees. Selki picked up her pace. She didn’t want to be even later.
***
“There you are!” Janie called from somewhere in the fog. Selki walked towards the sound of her voice, and eventually found her and Charles lounging in the sand. Wind whistled in her ears, and the sound of crashing waves filled the air.
“I lost track of time,” Selki apologized, sitting down with them. The sand was cool against her legs. “What should we do?”
“We could swim.” Charles suggested.
“It’s the middle of autumn. Too cold!” Janie added.
Selki nodded in agreement. “We could play a game,” she suggested. “Tag?”
“Sure.”
“Who’s It?”
“Me!” Charles offered. “I’ll give you a three second head start. One…”
Selki sprinted towards the rocky end of the beach.
“Two…”
Janie dashed in the other direction.
“Three!” Charles sprinted after Janie, laughing.
As Selki ran, their voices grew fainter. “Don’t get me!” She laughed. Neither responded. She stopped and looked around. Rocks and shells were littered about the sand. The fog embraced her with wet, icy fingers.
“Janie? Charles?” she called. How far from the boardwalk had she run? She heard the crunch of someone stepping on a shell and spun around. No one was there.
“Very funny, guys,” she called. The air was so thick she could barely see.
She gasped as she saw a faint shape moving ahead.
“You can come out now,” Selki grumbled. The figure was gone.
“Where are you?” Selki called, her voice slightly panicked.
A hand closed around her shoulder and shoved her forward. Selki fell on her face. She scrambled to her feet, looking around wildly.
“Charles, that wasn’t funny!” she gasped, clutching her nose.
“I’m not Charles,” a voice said from the darkness. It was low and scratchy, like the growl of a wolf.
Selki felt the clammy hand grab her ankle, and pull it. She fell again, and the person began dragging her. Gravel flew into her eyes and mouth, and she choked on the sand.
“Let me go!” she howled. Maybe this was a prank - someone playing some sick joke. “Stop! Please!”
Selki heard a hyena-like laugh. The sand disappeared, replaced by stone. She was being dragged down stairs now. Something hard crashed onto her head. She blinked slowly. How nice it would be to close her eyes… just for a little while…
No! I have to get away! I have to…
The world grew faint, and Selki was dragged into the darkness.
***
“Where is she?” Janie scoffed. “Did she seriously leave without us? That little twerp.”
Charles shrugged. “She probably left because she was scared of the dark.”
“Whatever, let’s go home.” Janie sighed. They walked onto the boardwalk. Janie wondered why Selki had left so suddenly. But it didn’t matter - she’d see her tomorrow and ask why she left.
***
Pain was the first thing Selki felt when she woke up. What had happened? She was in a very dark room. She could barely see her hand as she touched the cold stone floor.
Then she remembered.
Where am I? She thought, panic and adrenaline flooding her.
Oh my God, he dragged me away and…
She squeezed her eyes shut.
It’s just a dream, she told herself. It’s just a really realistic dream. She opened her eyes.
It wasn’t a dream. She buried her face in her arms.
“Let me out of here!” she yelled into the darkness. There was no response. Somebody would come save her, right? Minutes passed. Was it minutes? What is an hour? It was so hard to tell in this room.
An idea struck her. My phone! Selki took it out, her eyes wide. She had never been so happy to see it. She frantically tapped on the screen, waiting for its bright, welcoming glow.
The phone didn’t turn on.
Selki realized there was a giant crack in the screen, spreading across it like a spider’s web. She screamed and threw her phone across the room. She sat there for a few moments, breathing heavily.
This was insane. One moment she was on the beach playing tag with her friends, the next moment she was in a pitch black room with her head bashed.
She shakily got up to retrieve her phone. Even though she knew it was broken beyond repair, a tiny inkling of hope was still inside of her. Maybe, miraculously, it would turn on and she could call the police.
She stumbled over to the place where she threw her phone and felt around the floor. After a minute of searching, she felt something. But no, it was too big to be her phone. She squinted down at the object. As soon as she realized what it was, she flung it away from her, screaming. She looked around, and realized dozens of them lined the walls. She screamed again, kicking them away from her.
They were human skulls.
***
It had been several days since the game of tag. Selki hadn’t returned to school or answered any of Janie’s texts.
“Class,” the teacher said, in a sad voice, “Please bring your attention to the screen.” The TV flickered to life.
“Hello, this is Alexis Kyles on your local news network. Yesterday, local teen Selki Conners was reported missing by her parents. The police suspect that this may be connected to the other kidnappings. If you have any information about Selki Conners, please contact 1800-FIND-THE-KIDS.”
Charles looked over at Janie. She had her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide as the classroom burst into chatter.
“Selki? Didn’t she, like, not have any friends?”
“That’s horrible!”
“Poor Selki…”
“I’m never going to the beach again!”
“She was sitting right here next to me, just a few days ago…”
“Class, please,” the teacher said. The class grew silent. “I know this is a horrible shock to you and…”
But Janie wasn’t listening.
We weren't kind enough to her. Now we may never see her again. She felt horrible. We’ll find you, Selki. Somehow.
***
Everything hurt.
Why did she have to be the one taken by this crazy person? How long had she been in the stone room? Selki pushed herself further into the wall away from the skulls. Their toothy mouths grinned at her mockingly.
“Please, let me out!” Selki whimpered.
“No,” a voice snarled from the shadows. Selki screamed. She heard footsteps on the stone floor. Selki covered her head with her arms and cowered. Two cold hands yanked her to her feet. Selki whimpered and looked up. All she could see of him was a grin, full of sharp white teeth.
“Let me go!” she ordered.
“Poor little girl,” he purred. “If only her friends would come and help her.” He tilted his head. “Your friends don’t like you. They don’t care.”
Suddenly, he slammed her against the wall with such force that Selki screamed. Pain exploded in her left shoulder.
The man’s calm demeanor was gone, replaced by savageness. “I know what you did,” he snarled.
“I didn’t do anything!” Selki sobbed. “What do you want from me?”
“You know what you did. I’ll come back later once you’ve reflected on it. Maybe if you apologize, I’ll let you go,” he growled.
“But I didn’t do anything, I swear!” Selki wailed. He flung her back into the wall, and Selki collapsed on the ground, clutching her shoulder. He began to walk away, but turned back for a moment. Selki flinched.
“If you don’t admit to what you did, you know what’ll happen,” he growled, then disappeared into the darkness.
***
Selki sobbed loudly. She gripped her shoulder, gasping in pain. She didn’t know how long she had been sitting there.
“Maybe if you apologize, I’ll let you go.” The man’s horrible voice echoed in her ears.
But I didn’t do anything! I’ve never seen that guy in my life! Selki thought furiously. But… if I say that I’m sorry, he won’t know that I’m lying, Selki reasoned. And then he could let me go. She thought of her mother and father.
Are they worried about me? Are they looking for me? Will I ever get out of here?
***
The only passage of time Selki could tell was the temperature. The room grew colder every day, and frost crept around the walls and floor. She hadn’t seen the man since their last encounter. Her shoulder ached and everything else felt numb. Selki wondered if the numbness was from the cold, or if it was because of her lack of human contact.
He said he’d come back later once I’ve reflected. Didn’t know later meant a whole season. Selki thought. She began to laugh.
“They’re all gone!” she giggled. “They’ve all forgotten about me!” She burst into hysterical laughter. “Wonder if they’ll find me. I can almost imagine it! ‘Hey, Mom, Dad. How’ve you been?’ ‘Good, you?’ ‘Oh, you know, the usual. Just sitting here, kidnapped for a few months!’”
Her giggles turned into sobs. “Let me out! Please!”
“That’s not happening, girl.” a low, rumbling voice said from the corner. It was like the growl of a wild animal. Selki screamed. How long had he been in the room?
“Stay away!” she snarled.
“That’s not happening,” the man said.
“Please, just let me out of here!” Selki sobbed.
“That’s not happening,” the man repeated.
Selki remembered what the man had said the last time she saw him.
“Please, I apologize! I didn’t mean to do what I did! Please, just let me go!” she sobbed.
“I don’t believe you,” he whispered.
“But you said-” Selki stammered. He lunged forward, and she saw a flash of something silver.
“I lie, you lie,” he growled. Then he disappeared. It took a few moments for Selki to realize blood was pouring down her face. At first it didn’t hurt. But then it did.
And it hurt a lot.
Selki screeched. She covered her face in her hands and crumpled to the stone floor, barely minding its freezing surface. She writhed there for what seemed like hours. Or was it days? Selki didn’t know anymore.
“They’ve forgotten me for sure.”
***
Janie and Charles walked down Windwater Beach. The air was cold and the waves were angry. Selki had been gone for a month. The police wanted to stop searching, but Janie and Charles didn’t give up hope.
They walked in silence for a long time. Suddenly, Janie stumbled.
“You good?” Charles asked. Janie bent over and started digging in the sand.
“It’s a trap door!” Janie gasped excitedly. “We’ve found Selki! She has to be down here!”
“Can we even open it?” Charles asked, skepticism in his voice. Janie tried the handle - it was locked. She stood and brought her foot down as hard as she could on the door. After several stomps, the door creaked off of its hinges. They peered into the hole. There was a stone staircase.
Janie broke into a run, and Charles ran down the stairs after her. “Wait! We should tell somebody about this, it isn’t safe!”
Janie ignored him. She came to a door that was locked from the outside. She turned the bolt and flung the door open. Janie spotted someone in the corner. The pale girl had dried blood all over her face. Her shoulder was bent at an awkward angle, and she was curled up, shaking. Janie ran to her.
“Selki!” She crashed down beside her. “I’m so sorry! We didn’t mean to leave you!”
“J-Janie?” Selki said slowly.
“Uh huh! And Charles too! We’re here to bring you home!” Janie rushed.
“Home?” Selki asked. Charles nodded vigorously. “D-didn’t you… forget about me?”
“Of course not! We spent the whole month worrying about you!” Janie gasped.
“Month? Is that how long I’ve been away?” Selki asked.
“Come on, we’ll help you up, we’re getting out of-” Janie was cut off. Her eyes grew wide.
“Oh my God!” Charles screamed. A hand was clasped around Janie’s mouth, a knife at her throat.
“If you move, she dies,” the man said. Janie’s eyes were darting between Selki and Charles.
Help me. Janie’s eyes said, tears sliding down her face.
“L-let her go,” Selki whispered.
There was a flash of silver.
Janie gasped.
“S-Selki…” Janie whispered, then crashed to the floor. Blood was trickling down her neck, a deep red gash in her throat. Selki took her hand. It was cold - she was already dead.
“Talking counts as moving,” the man sneered.
Charles howled, “I’ll kill you!”
“I’m afraid it’s the other way around,” the man grinned. The knife moved so fast, Charles didn’t have time to see it. Selki watched in horror as he fell.
She crawled over to Charles. His breath was ragged.
“I-I’m sorry…” Charles whimpered.
“Me too.” Selki whispered as Charles went still.
Selki looked up, and saw the man standing there.
“You’re not escaping. Not this time.” he grinned.
“Someone else will come for me!” Selki whispered.
The man laughed. “Your only friends are dead. You’re stuck with me now.” He disappeared, leaving Selki alone with the corpses of her friends.
***
The summer air was warm and the ocean calm. Windwater was crowded, and a young boy was building a sand castle. He paused, thinking he heard something muffled from beneath the sand. He bent his head down, then drew it away in confusion.
Is that… the boy thought, straining to listen, screaming?