Page 3

Keith nodded and picked up the pitcher of beer, refilling all our mugs. Patrick pulled out his phone again and ran his finger over the screen a few times, reading updates. I swallowed a huge gulp of icy cold beer.

Back at the house, the wind whipped our hair across our cheeks when we got out of the car. It was darker than expected because the sky was completely clouded over now, hiding the stars.

I needed to clear the sluggish feeling from the beer out of my head. I’d only had one and a half mugs, but it made me feel lazy and tempted toward a ridiculously early bedtime.

“I think I’ll go for a quick swim in the pool,” I said.

“You’re insane,” Emily said. “It’s freezing cold. And the wind.”

“I need it to wake me up.” The headache was trying to return. The cold water would knock it out of me once and for all.

“It’s not safe,” Patrick said. “That storm is coming fast.”

“It’s not here yet.” I went upstairs and changed into my swimsuit. I put on a hoodie and grabbed a beach towel to wrap around my hips.

Downstairs, I walked through the living room, ignoring their comments that I shouldn’t be swimming at night in a windstorm. I turned on outdoor lights, opened the bifold doors, and stepped onto the back deck. I walked to the edge. As I brushed hair away from my face, I looked out at the swimming pool, glowing like a blue gem from the underwater light, the rest of the pool area and the towering trees beyond bathed in darkness.

As I moved toward the stairs leading down to the water, I gasped sharply, feeling as if I’d been punched in the chest. I pressed both hands over my mouth. I tried to scream, but my voice was strangled. My breath had turned into something solid, filling my lungs to the top so I couldn’t take in any more air, or release what was trapped inside. The edges of my vision blurred. Tears rushed into my eyes, but I could still see.

A man’s body was floating just below the surface of the pale, tranquil water.

THREE

SAMANTHA

He was… I gagged, seeing his face, more tears rushing into my eyes, blinding me for a moment.

His ankles were tied with a white rope. His arms were pulled behind him, telling me his wrists were also bound. He was on his back. His features were distorted, forcing me to turn away.

The pizza and beer rushed up my esophagus to the back of my throat. I lunged toward the open doors, one hand still plastered over my mouth. Despite my unsettled stomach, I let my hand fall away as a a horrific scream came from my throat, piercing the air like a knife. I screamed again, unable to stop. Horrifying shrieks that sounded nothing like my own voice.

Patrick was alone in the living room, fiddling with the TV remote. He turned sharply, dropping the remote. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s… There’s a… he… there’s a body in our pool.” I choked on the words. “Dead! He’s dead!”

“That can’t be right. It’s dark. You must be imagining⁠—”

“I’m not imagining! It’s not like that. It’s not like it was with her. Don’t say I’m hallucinating, or having a flashback. That doesn’t happen anymore.” I waved my arm toward the open doors. “Go look.” I stumbled toward the couch and collapsed onto it. “Go see!”

Patrick took several long strides toward the doors, then disappeared into the night, the darkness broken only by the lights strung across the deck. It was incredibly dark out there. Had I imagined it? Was this a flashback of some kind? But the pool was lit by an underwater light that I’d turned on for my swim. The water was almost as bright as it was on a sunny afternoon. I shoved myself off the couch and went outside.

Patrick stood at the edge of the deck, staring down at the pool six feet below. He turned slowly to face me. His face was chalk white, his eyes wide. “What the hell?” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll call⁠—”

“No. Wait.”

“Wait for what?”

“We should let Emily and Keith know first. And maybe we shouldn’t…” My voice trailed off. “It’s so awful.” My voice cracked. I moved toward him. “It’s like the same thing is happening all over again.”

“No. This is nothing like what happened when you were a kid. You said that yourself. So please don’t.” He put his phone in his pocket, moved closer, and put his arms around me, folding me into his body. He held me so tight I felt like it might all go away—the man in the pool. This empty, dead, sinking into the earth feeling.

Just as I thought I’d found some calm and could finally breathe, I heard Emily’s laughter.

“Are we interrupting something?”

I pulled away from Patrick. Emily and Keith stood at the edge of the living room, looking out at us.

“I heard you scream. Now this?” Emily laughed. “What’s going on with you two?”