A Halloween thrill for Selyndaep
Title: Sitting on the Dock
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1850
Image Prompt:
selyndaep, I hope you enjoy your Halloween fun. Thanks for participating and to nursesparky for her beta!
Napoleon checked the address on the piece of scrap paper and then looked back at the ramshackle shed they were approaching.
“Are you sure you wrote this down right, Illya?”
Illya tried to avoid a pothole in the dirt road. He was almost successful. The resounding jolt nearly knocked his fillings free. “That’s what I was told. I’m not in the habit of making mistakes.”
“That’s hardly a luxury resort.”
“Of that I would agree.” Another pothole. “I’m not sure the car can take much more of this. Perhaps we should stop here for the night and start afresh in the morning.” He pulled up beside the cabin and parked.
“I don’t know. How many critters do you feel like sleeping with?”
“You can sleep in the car if you prefer.”
A rumble of distant thunder and Napoleon gestured to the cabin. “We came this far, we might as well check it out.”
He wrestled the door open. It was stuck more from disuse than disrepair and peered into the interior. It looked moderately better than the outside, but it was too dark to really see much.
He found a kerosene lantern and gave it a shake. The slosh of liquid was reassuring, and he lit it. Immediately, the room sprang into view and he tried to ignore the skittering coming from the few remaining shadows.
“Illya?” he called over his shoulder and a moment later his partner appeared.
“Well, it’s better than I feared.” He pushed past Napoleon and checked out the interior. “Just needs a good cleaning.”
“Good idea. I’ll just give the front desk a call.”
“Funny. I’ll give you a choice, do you want to clean or gather wood for the fireplace, assuming it works?”
“That’s a choice?”
“Take it or leave it?”
The thunder rolled again and Napoleon picked up a broom from its resting place on the floor and Illya grinned.
Illya carried a last armful of wood to the battered front porch, if such a term could apply to the structure. It looked more like an afterthought, much like the dock he’d seen. His mind kept drifting back to it. A series of boards and pilings holding onto each other desperately and stretching out into an eerily quiet lake, he felt drawn to it. Common sense told him that the wood was most likely rotted and non-load bearing, but still he wanted to mount it, follow it to its end and kneel to regard the water. It was only the spattering of rain that made him run for the cabin instead.
Illya looked back reluctantly as the rain started in earnest. Instead, he headed in.
Napoleon had made himself useful and started a fire. It made the interior not quite as bleak. He’d also gotten the cast iron stove going and had a pot of something on it simmering. He grinned at Illya as his partner entered.
“I knew watching Mom in the kitchen all those years would be worth it. Even after I got her an electric range, she cooked on wood. She said it made everything taste better.”
Illya took off his jacket and hung it on a peg by the front door. “It would have to be a miracle to make some of the stuff we bought at that store even edible. There weren’t many choices.”
“Still, it will hold body and soul together and I dare say, we’ve eaten worse things than canned chili. It was either this or Spam.”
“Remember that later tonight and pray that the windows open.” Illya warmed his hands over the stove. “I saw something when I was out.”
“Something fun, odd, dangerous, or other?” Napoleon began spooning the chili into dishes.
“Probably dangerous, although odd would work as well. It was a dock… well, something reported to be one, more a bit of a shambles now.”
“And?”
“It’s odd. I knew it was unsafe, but it was all I could do to keep from trying it out.”
“Good thing you didn’t or you’d have been sleeping with the fishes tonight. I wouldn’t go out in this to rescue you.” He handed Illya a bowl, then turned back to the stove to retrieve the coffee pot. “There’s beer, but it’s warm and I’m not sure if it’s even drinkable.”
“I’ll just pretend I’m back in England.”
Illya was standing just in front of the dock, the voices inside his head begging him to reconsider. Instead, he put one foot on the plank and started walking. Without realizing it, he came to its end and seemingly miles of mirror calm water greeted him. He could feel the mist on his face, the breeze in his hair and knew that he should be cold, but it wasn’t. Around him, the storm raged, but here there was nothing but calm and peace.
He felt compelled to kneel to peer into the water, studying his reflection as he did. That’s when he saw the stranger, rock in upraised hands, prepared to strike. Illya tried to turn, but something from the lake caught and held him.
The rock met his skull with a sickening crunch and he cried out. He lost his fight with gravity and fell backwards into the water and felt the water fill his mouth and throat.
It was just like his partner to disappear when he needed him the most. Napoleon stumbled through the woods and tried to protect his face from the branches that stung his cheeks. The rain had stopped, but the air was heavy with moisture.
He caught motion, the flash of a white shirt, and headed towards it.
Illya was climbing up onto a rickety looking dock. “Illya, I need you.”
“Do your own work, Napoleon. I’m busy.”
“No, you agreed to help.”
“No, you did. You decided what you wanted and left the rest to me. Clean up your own mess.”
“You can’t talk to me like that. I’m your superior.”
Illya laughed at that, pausing to look back. “Napoleon, I hate to break it to you, but you are my inferior in every way. You couldn’t best me if you tried.”
That was it. There was a rock beside the pier and he grabbed it, stalking his partner, who seemingly had already dismissed him. It wasn’t until he came up behind Illya, lifted it to strike that he saw Illya’s startled visage, the fear in his eyes and that gave Napoleon even more strength.
He didn’t stop until there was nothing but a bloody pulp of what had once been a man. Satisfied, he kicked the body into the water and watched the water as it swirled and danced, eager to take what was offered. Then he realized what he’d done, what would be done to him and he reached for his partner. “Illya, no, don’t leave me.”
Napoleon wasn’t certain what woke him, but he was suddenly clawing his way free from a tangle of dusty-smelling blankets. It took him a minute to remember where he was. Hell, it took him a minute to remember who he was. He’d never felt such anger or blood lust.
Movement caught his eye and that’s when he saw Illya, standing in a corner, keening.
He cautiously went to Illya’s side.
“Illya! Illya, wake up!”
Napoleon’s voice finally waded through to him and he opened his eyes. He was standing in a corner of the cabin, facing a wall.
“Illya!” Napoleon was beside him, close, but an arm’s length, in case.
Illya coughed and realized his mouth was bone dry. “Water?”
Napoleon gave him a glass and watched Illya gulp it down. “You know when you warned me about the chili, I was expecting something entirely different.”
“As was I.” Illya handed the glass back and stared at his trembling hand. “I’ve never had a nightmare quite that real before.”
“That’s going some for you. That dock?”
“How did you know?”
“A wild guess.” Napoleon stoked the fire and sat down. “Want to talk about it?”
“Someone was trying to kill me.”
“Well, considering our career, that’s not unusual.”
“I went to the end of the dock and looked into the water. Someone came up behind me and was going to bludgeon me, but I saw his reflection…” Illya stopped them. “It was you. You were trying to kill me. When I tried to fight back, something reached up from the water and kept me from protecting myself.”
“Kill you? Then I’d have to do all the paperwork myself. Perish the thought.” Napoleon tried to make light of the comment. “It’ll be light soon. I’m going to make some coffee.”
“Good idea. I’d like to get out of here as soon as possible.”
They drove in an uneasy silence for nearly an hour before they saw the sign, a bright red arrow pointing the way and promising ‘luxury unbound in a tranquil and unspoiled setting.’
“I’ve never been happier to see a sign of civilization.” Illya paused at the intersection and turned in the direction of the arrow.
Another twenty minutes and they were walking thought a well-appointed lobby. It was rustic, but comfortable looking. Around them were happy smiling people, although some were looking at their rumpled appearance with concern.
“Checking in?” The desk clerk tried to keep smiling, but Napoleon could tell she was worried.
“Yes, Solo. We have a reservation.”
“We expected you last night.”
“We had a bit of trouble finding your establishment.”
“A drunk driver took the sign out a few weeks ago.” She pushed a registration book towards him. “You two look a bit rough for the wear.”
“It was an uneasy night.”
“Well, now you are here, so you can put all of that from your mind. Here is nothing but peace and tranquility. Do be aware that bottom part of the lake is currently closed.”
“Oh.”
“Nothing to worry about. Just renovations.” Her smile was forced and she quickly rang for the bellhop.
They followed the man to a room and he proudly opened the door to display the suite. “Two bedrooms, one there and another just across from it. You have a marvelous view of the lake from here.”
He set the suitcases down and hurried to open the balcony window. “It’s the prettiest at this time of the day. We have a variety of watercraft available to our guests and there’s swimming, but most of our guests prefer our heated pool. If you do decide to go out on the lake, best to steer clear of the far end.”
“Yes, your front desk was mentioning that.” Napoleon took out his money clip. The man eyed it happily. “Something about renovations?”
“Guess that’s what they are calling it this week. Better for business that a brutal murder/suicide.”
“Now I’m intrigued.”
“Two guys, best of friends, stayed in the cabin over there and one ended up killing the other. Then he drowned himself.” The bellhop took the bills Napoleon gave him. “It happened years ago, but they never had much success with the place after that.” The man laughed. “Some say it’s haunted.”
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1850
Image Prompt:
selyndaep, I hope you enjoy your Halloween fun. Thanks for participating and to nursesparky for her beta!
Napoleon checked the address on the piece of scrap paper and then looked back at the ramshackle shed they were approaching.
“Are you sure you wrote this down right, Illya?”
Illya tried to avoid a pothole in the dirt road. He was almost successful. The resounding jolt nearly knocked his fillings free. “That’s what I was told. I’m not in the habit of making mistakes.”
“That’s hardly a luxury resort.”
“Of that I would agree.” Another pothole. “I’m not sure the car can take much more of this. Perhaps we should stop here for the night and start afresh in the morning.” He pulled up beside the cabin and parked.
“I don’t know. How many critters do you feel like sleeping with?”
“You can sleep in the car if you prefer.”
A rumble of distant thunder and Napoleon gestured to the cabin. “We came this far, we might as well check it out.”
He wrestled the door open. It was stuck more from disuse than disrepair and peered into the interior. It looked moderately better than the outside, but it was too dark to really see much.
He found a kerosene lantern and gave it a shake. The slosh of liquid was reassuring, and he lit it. Immediately, the room sprang into view and he tried to ignore the skittering coming from the few remaining shadows.
“Illya?” he called over his shoulder and a moment later his partner appeared.
“Well, it’s better than I feared.” He pushed past Napoleon and checked out the interior. “Just needs a good cleaning.”
“Good idea. I’ll just give the front desk a call.”
“Funny. I’ll give you a choice, do you want to clean or gather wood for the fireplace, assuming it works?”
“That’s a choice?”
“Take it or leave it?”
The thunder rolled again and Napoleon picked up a broom from its resting place on the floor and Illya grinned.
Illya carried a last armful of wood to the battered front porch, if such a term could apply to the structure. It looked more like an afterthought, much like the dock he’d seen. His mind kept drifting back to it. A series of boards and pilings holding onto each other desperately and stretching out into an eerily quiet lake, he felt drawn to it. Common sense told him that the wood was most likely rotted and non-load bearing, but still he wanted to mount it, follow it to its end and kneel to regard the water. It was only the spattering of rain that made him run for the cabin instead.
Illya looked back reluctantly as the rain started in earnest. Instead, he headed in.
Napoleon had made himself useful and started a fire. It made the interior not quite as bleak. He’d also gotten the cast iron stove going and had a pot of something on it simmering. He grinned at Illya as his partner entered.
“I knew watching Mom in the kitchen all those years would be worth it. Even after I got her an electric range, she cooked on wood. She said it made everything taste better.”
Illya took off his jacket and hung it on a peg by the front door. “It would have to be a miracle to make some of the stuff we bought at that store even edible. There weren’t many choices.”
“Still, it will hold body and soul together and I dare say, we’ve eaten worse things than canned chili. It was either this or Spam.”
“Remember that later tonight and pray that the windows open.” Illya warmed his hands over the stove. “I saw something when I was out.”
“Something fun, odd, dangerous, or other?” Napoleon began spooning the chili into dishes.
“Probably dangerous, although odd would work as well. It was a dock… well, something reported to be one, more a bit of a shambles now.”
“And?”
“It’s odd. I knew it was unsafe, but it was all I could do to keep from trying it out.”
“Good thing you didn’t or you’d have been sleeping with the fishes tonight. I wouldn’t go out in this to rescue you.” He handed Illya a bowl, then turned back to the stove to retrieve the coffee pot. “There’s beer, but it’s warm and I’m not sure if it’s even drinkable.”
“I’ll just pretend I’m back in England.”
Illya was standing just in front of the dock, the voices inside his head begging him to reconsider. Instead, he put one foot on the plank and started walking. Without realizing it, he came to its end and seemingly miles of mirror calm water greeted him. He could feel the mist on his face, the breeze in his hair and knew that he should be cold, but it wasn’t. Around him, the storm raged, but here there was nothing but calm and peace.
He felt compelled to kneel to peer into the water, studying his reflection as he did. That’s when he saw the stranger, rock in upraised hands, prepared to strike. Illya tried to turn, but something from the lake caught and held him.
The rock met his skull with a sickening crunch and he cried out. He lost his fight with gravity and fell backwards into the water and felt the water fill his mouth and throat.
It was just like his partner to disappear when he needed him the most. Napoleon stumbled through the woods and tried to protect his face from the branches that stung his cheeks. The rain had stopped, but the air was heavy with moisture.
He caught motion, the flash of a white shirt, and headed towards it.
Illya was climbing up onto a rickety looking dock. “Illya, I need you.”
“Do your own work, Napoleon. I’m busy.”
“No, you agreed to help.”
“No, you did. You decided what you wanted and left the rest to me. Clean up your own mess.”
“You can’t talk to me like that. I’m your superior.”
Illya laughed at that, pausing to look back. “Napoleon, I hate to break it to you, but you are my inferior in every way. You couldn’t best me if you tried.”
That was it. There was a rock beside the pier and he grabbed it, stalking his partner, who seemingly had already dismissed him. It wasn’t until he came up behind Illya, lifted it to strike that he saw Illya’s startled visage, the fear in his eyes and that gave Napoleon even more strength.
He didn’t stop until there was nothing but a bloody pulp of what had once been a man. Satisfied, he kicked the body into the water and watched the water as it swirled and danced, eager to take what was offered. Then he realized what he’d done, what would be done to him and he reached for his partner. “Illya, no, don’t leave me.”
Napoleon wasn’t certain what woke him, but he was suddenly clawing his way free from a tangle of dusty-smelling blankets. It took him a minute to remember where he was. Hell, it took him a minute to remember who he was. He’d never felt such anger or blood lust.
Movement caught his eye and that’s when he saw Illya, standing in a corner, keening.
He cautiously went to Illya’s side.
“Illya! Illya, wake up!”
Napoleon’s voice finally waded through to him and he opened his eyes. He was standing in a corner of the cabin, facing a wall.
“Illya!” Napoleon was beside him, close, but an arm’s length, in case.
Illya coughed and realized his mouth was bone dry. “Water?”
Napoleon gave him a glass and watched Illya gulp it down. “You know when you warned me about the chili, I was expecting something entirely different.”
“As was I.” Illya handed the glass back and stared at his trembling hand. “I’ve never had a nightmare quite that real before.”
“That’s going some for you. That dock?”
“How did you know?”
“A wild guess.” Napoleon stoked the fire and sat down. “Want to talk about it?”
“Someone was trying to kill me.”
“Well, considering our career, that’s not unusual.”
“I went to the end of the dock and looked into the water. Someone came up behind me and was going to bludgeon me, but I saw his reflection…” Illya stopped them. “It was you. You were trying to kill me. When I tried to fight back, something reached up from the water and kept me from protecting myself.”
“Kill you? Then I’d have to do all the paperwork myself. Perish the thought.” Napoleon tried to make light of the comment. “It’ll be light soon. I’m going to make some coffee.”
“Good idea. I’d like to get out of here as soon as possible.”
They drove in an uneasy silence for nearly an hour before they saw the sign, a bright red arrow pointing the way and promising ‘luxury unbound in a tranquil and unspoiled setting.’
“I’ve never been happier to see a sign of civilization.” Illya paused at the intersection and turned in the direction of the arrow.
Another twenty minutes and they were walking thought a well-appointed lobby. It was rustic, but comfortable looking. Around them were happy smiling people, although some were looking at their rumpled appearance with concern.
“Checking in?” The desk clerk tried to keep smiling, but Napoleon could tell she was worried.
“Yes, Solo. We have a reservation.”
“We expected you last night.”
“We had a bit of trouble finding your establishment.”
“A drunk driver took the sign out a few weeks ago.” She pushed a registration book towards him. “You two look a bit rough for the wear.”
“It was an uneasy night.”
“Well, now you are here, so you can put all of that from your mind. Here is nothing but peace and tranquility. Do be aware that bottom part of the lake is currently closed.”
“Oh.”
“Nothing to worry about. Just renovations.” Her smile was forced and she quickly rang for the bellhop.
They followed the man to a room and he proudly opened the door to display the suite. “Two bedrooms, one there and another just across from it. You have a marvelous view of the lake from here.”
He set the suitcases down and hurried to open the balcony window. “It’s the prettiest at this time of the day. We have a variety of watercraft available to our guests and there’s swimming, but most of our guests prefer our heated pool. If you do decide to go out on the lake, best to steer clear of the far end.”
“Yes, your front desk was mentioning that.” Napoleon took out his money clip. The man eyed it happily. “Something about renovations?”
“Guess that’s what they are calling it this week. Better for business that a brutal murder/suicide.”
“Now I’m intrigued.”
“Two guys, best of friends, stayed in the cabin over there and one ended up killing the other. Then he drowned himself.” The bellhop took the bills Napoleon gave him. “It happened years ago, but they never had much success with the place after that.” The man laughed. “Some say it’s haunted.”