And so it begins

“You guys don’t hear that?” Ethan asked for the third time.

“You are such a lightweight,” Gabe laughed, passing the joint to his left, to Alison, who was still giggling wildly with her sister Ines. He could have punched Ethan, first he whined about having to climb the fence to get into the secluded private beach, and now he was being a giant pussy about every little sound.

The four worked together at the Waterfront, a small shop that catered to tourists and surfers alike. With the stupid fair in town, it had been busier than usual, it seemed like everyone wanted to try the local waves. Gabe and Ethan had spent most of the day repairing boards from morons who didn’t heed “stay away from” signs. Gabe couldn’t wait for the damn thing to be done, and his sleepy town going back to just that.

Ethan had a different take. He wasn’t much into the fair himself, but Ines was, and she loved the yearly festival, the rides, the games, and all the little kiosks selling crafts which Ines seemed to love. And Ethan loved seeing her happy.

He’d crushed on her since the second grade, and was the reason he went to work at the surf and souvenir shop himself. He’d bought her a few things she liked, even buying a tee shirt himself with a unique design, which he wore to try and impress her.

Gabe on the other hand had actually made progress and was dating Alison, meaning if Ethan didn’t get his shit together, he and Alison wouldn’t get any one on one time at all. “Why don’t you and ‘Nes go take a walk up the beach, clear your head,” he suggested.

Ethan nodded. He was feeling restless, and whatever he was hearing - it definitely wasn’t in his head. It wasn’t smoking that was making him paranoid either, he rationalized.

“No, we’re all just chilling,” Ines said, as Alison agreed. Gabe may have had ideas - she on the other hand, was happy to just stretch out on the sand. “Besides, we’ve been standing all day.”

Ethan wasn’t keen on leaving Ines, but took the walk anyway. Between the beer and the smoke, his stomach wasn’t feeling great, so he headed towards the vacant bathrooms, but the whispers behind him became louder and louder - not whispers from his friends, whispers they seemingly couldn’t hear. When he crested a dune, they became louder and louder, and something clawed at his leg. Ethan’s breath came in ragged gasps as he sprinted across the sand, looking over his shoulder to see nothing by empty darkness. But something - he knew something was there. This time, it slashed his back, leaving his shirt ripped and slowly staining red. He tried to run faster, his legs burning, his eyes blurred.

“HELP!” He yelled. “Somebody help me!” His cries were swallowed by the sounds of the rough surf crashing on the rocks. The fence was just ahead, people, residents, someone would help!

A cold chill wrapped around his throat. Fingers unseen but undeniable, tightened. Ethan tried to scream again, but the grasping hand tore into his flesh, his scream becoming blood filled warbling. Another wave crashed onto the rocks as Ethan fell to the sand. Before he could take his last breath, something grabbed his ankles, he felt his body being dragged before he succumbed to darkness.