We got rained on this morning. Mischa discovered his backpack isn’t waterproof. Nothing’s ruined and it dried out enough that his clothes should be fine tomorrow. We have clothes hanging off all the tree branches. Bigger camping site tonight. There’s a couple of lean-tos with raised platforms. The four of us can fit in one, so we don’t need to put our tents up. Liam had a tarp he’s hung over the front so it’s more private. Should keep out the wind. Hopefully it won’t rain or Mischa’s out of luck.
The other lean-to has a group of girls in it. They were here when we hiked in. You should have seen their eyes when they saw us. They looked like they’d won the lottery. And then Quinn said, “He-ey!” and the disappointment that fell across their faces… oh man, I couldn’t help but laugh. Not that they’re totally out of luck. Mischa’s pan and Liam’s bi, when he bothers looking. Guess that makes me and Quinn the wingmen. They seem like nice girls, though. They didn’t hike the whole trail. They started in Carlton so they’ve only got a couple more days.
There’s a small lake just a stone’s throw from the campsite. Maybe that’s why it’s so popular. It should be a good night. Nice to have more people around. Maybe nothing weird will happen, or maybe someone else will be here to notice if it does. I didn’t tell the guys about last night. I don’t need any more jokes made about me. It’d almost be funny if it hadn’t been so strange. I’ve never had that happen like that before. Stray boners + wet dreams, sure, but I was wide awake. Right? I think I was. Falling asleep at the firepit would be an easier explanation. At least that couple looked happy this morning.
Oh, great. Mish has a bottle. Guess it’s going to be that kind of night. The girls don’t seem to be unwilling to partake. All we need is… who the hell brought a wireless speaker on a hike? Nothing quite like communing with nature with country tunes wailing. And Liam’s dancing, which means Quinn’s dancing. I need a drink.
Night… Quinn’s telling me to turn out the light, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. They’re still out there, calling. Once again it’s me being the voice of… reason? Ha. Unreason. Why can I see this shit and no one else can? This is insane.
The night was fine. Little drinking, little dancing. No problem until one of the girls suggested skinny dipping. Mish’s drunk ass was in the water almost before she’d said the words. Liam was stripping down, one of the girls pulling him along. Another girl dove in with Mish. A blonde pulled off her shirt and turned to Quinn. She said something to him and he laughed but didn’t follow. Not like we needed front row seats to Liam & Mischa show. Still, I don’t know. The night was warm, we’ve been hiking a couple of days… a swim to cool off and wash off some of the seat + dirt didn’t sound so bad. I shrugged to Quinn and we walked down to the water.
At first, I couldn’t see anything, but I could hear Liam talking and Mish laughing. Lots of splashing around. When I could finally make them out in the water, I saw who they were swimming with. What they were swimming with. The girls in the water were… scary. Monstrous.
Still pretty much human shaped, but their hair was like tangled weeds. Their skin looked weird, dappled green and gray, though it was dark. Still, enough light to see their eyes were unnaturally large and their mouths wider than they should have been. The blonde who’d been talking to Quinn was closest, just a few feet into the lake. Her hands were webbed and her fingers long, with claws. She turned and called for Quinn to come into the water. Even her voice changed, taking on a garbled sound, like it was fighting to get out of her throat.
I grabbed Quinn before he stepped into the water. He turned and asked me what my problem was. He obviously didn’t see what I saw. The girl called him again, her voice higher pitched than before. It made me want to cover my ears, but Quinn turned to her. She reached out with one hand, the other hand plucked at one nipple and then the other, as if she was trying to entice him… news flash, he’s not interested in women’s breasts… except he started to walk out to ther. I called his name, but he ignored me. It was like she was hypnotizing him, the way he just walked into the water.
Before he got too far, I grabbed him and yanked him back to the shore. He kept trying to get past me but he wasn’t fighting me. He didn’t even really seem to notice me. I dragged him all the way back to the fire before he finally stopped.
I tried yelling to Liam and Mischa but they never looked my way. They were out too far into the water for me to get to them. Obviously, they weren’t seeing what I did. And from the sound of things, they are enjoying themselves.
Quinn was real quiet for a while before he snapped out of it. He just blinked and looked around. Asked where Mischa + Liam were, then shook his head when he heard the sounds from the lake.
We turned in. I’m keeping an eye on Quinn. I hear that blonde calling sometimes. Her voice sounds almost normal, but I gave Quinn some earplugs and he doesn’t seem to hear her calling.
I hope the guys are okay.