The Lake

"You think we could have a fire, maybe sleep under the stars tonight?"

"Hell baby, we can sleep anywhere you like," Alex told Penny, smiling.

They had been on the road for three hours, only stopping at the occasional road block. From everything they had seen, western Russia was a lot like the western US. As they made their way towards the Urals, it only got prettier. Pine trees dotted the ridgelines, bathing the lower valleys in long, stretched out shadows. The clear sky promised an amazing evening.

Alex thought of how amazing their trip had been so far. It had taken less than six weeks to plan it. Penny was elated, maybe even desperate, to find a particular lake she had seen on a travel blog. Supposedly, it was tranquil and rarely visited. When she asked, Alex couldn't refuse.

"You drive me wild baby," he said, slowly tracing circles on her inner thigh.

"Just wait until we get there," she shot, flashing that devilish grin that drove him to the edge of insanity.

Slowly, the road tapered down until all that lay ahead was a footpath at best. Beside the path, two signs poked out of the underbrush. One looked like a normal road sign, the other looked like the old three sided hazard symbol.

"What is this place called again?"

"I think it was called Lake Turgoyak?"

"That sign says Karachay. You sure we are going the right way?"

"Yes! Now let's go, I want to swim baby!" she whined.

"Thank god for this shitty little four by four," Alex remarked, resolute to give her the world.

"That's Lady Niva to you mister!"

Alex chuckled and threw their rig into four-wheel drive. A slight buzzing had filled his ear, followed by a metallic taste in his mouth. He needed to get out and move around.

"That map say how much further?"

Penny leaned over, squinting at the creased map. “Not far… maybe another twenty minutes. I think the trail opens up near a ridge.”

Alex nodded, rubbing at his ears. The buzzing hadn’t gone away, and now his vision felt slightly off. The trees wavered at the edges like a heat haze, and when he rolled down the window, he couldn't hear birds or anything .

He shook his head, blaming the sun. “Okay, let’s make it quick,” he said.

They followed the path deeper into the trees. The sun dipped lower, casting elongated shadows that stretched unnaturally across the mossy ground. Penny hummed to herself, trying to lighten the mood, but the tune sounded warped, like it bounced off invisible walls. Alex’s throat went dry. He swallowed and realized the metallic taste had thickened.

“You… you feeling that?”

"What?” Penny asked, glancing at him. Her eyes caught the shimmer of something ahead. There was a bright glint through the pines.

“Hey! Is that it?”

He squinted. The trail opened suddenly, and there it was: the lake.

At first, it seemed impossible. A perfect mirror, still as glass, reflecting the fiery sunset. Mist swirled across the surface in lazy, curling waves. No birds skimmed the water. No insects buzzed above it. The forest fell silent. Even the wind had stopped.

Alex’s hand brushed against his lips. The metallic taste had returned, stronger now, sour and sharp. He flexed his fingers. They tingled. He shook them, trying to dismiss it. Penny stepped forward, barefoot, drawn to the water.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

Without second thought, Penny rushed into the water. Alex watched as she splashed further in, eventually slipping beneath the surface and bobbing back up. The buzzing in his ears intensified, making him nauseous.

"Alex, get out of your clothes and get in! Kind of smells funny, but it is wonderful!" she said before going back under.

"I...I don't feel good, I-" he began but was overcome with a coughing fit. He slumped down, resting against the side of the suv. The sun seemed to pulse, and his head was pounding. He looked towards the water. Penny was nowhere to be seen.

"Penny!"

The lake rippled where she went under. Alex yelled again, but couldn't hear himself. Again and again he yelled, only being met with silence.

Struggling, he got to his feet and wobbled to the waters edge. Panic set in his chest, urging him to push forward. Step by step he hauled his feet forward. The mud underneath sucked at his shoes, tripping him. He fell in, submerging for a moment before finding his footing again.

"Silly, I'm over here!"

It took everything Alex had to turn his head. Something sloshed inside of him, sending odd sensations through his midriff. Sure enough, Penny floated serenely to his right, giving him that damn smile. He couldn't move.

"Alex what the fuck!"

He blinked, but only one eyelid responded. Warm water dribbled down his chin. Penny was panicked, fighting the water to get to him. He felt ill, but what was-

"Fuck fuck fuck! Get to shore, come on!"

Alex couldn't move. His legs refused to budge, his head would not turn, his spine felt fused. When Penny grabbed him, searing pain shot down his side. Finally, he lurched forward, one slow, agonizing step at a time.

"Penny," he managed, as they plodded to the waters edge. He collapsed and heard, more than felt, a sickening crunch. Something hot was pouring from his knees.

Penny screamed and began clawed at her arms. Her skin looked wrong, slick and translucent, veins crawling like worms under plastic. When she tried to wipe her face, chunks of hair sloughed off with the motion, hanging in ropes from her fingers. Blisters the size of golf balls formed on her shoulders, then burst in wet pops, spraying yellow-white fluid that hissed when it hit the ground.

Alex couldn’t tell if he was standing or sinking. His skin rippled, softening like fruit left too long in the sun. He felt something slide beneath it. Muscles pulling away from bone. His tongue swelled, filling his mouth with a hot, salty taste. When he tried to breathe, something thick bubbled up his throat.

He pressed his hands to his face and felt it move. The skin sagged like wet clay. His fingers sank into the skin of his cheeks, pulling away in ruddy tendrils. He opened his mouth to speak, but vomited instead. Chunks of... something, covered his chest. The violent red, mixed with deep black streams, petrified him.

Penny’s movements grew slower. Her eyes had turned milky, one sliding slightly out of line with the other. When she tried to crawl toward him, her forearms left greasy prints in the soil. The smell hit him then, burnt copper and meat.

She stopped moving, one arm outstretched, skin beginning to slip down the muscle in translucent shreds. The air shimmered around her body.

Again, Alex tried to talk, but the air wouldn’t come. His lungs felt too small. The skin around his neck had gone hard, gray in places, blistered in others. When he looked down, he saw the edges of his shirt melting into his skin. He pulled at it, and strips of both came off together.

He leaned over Penny’s body, or what was left of it. Her eyes were open but already clouding. Something in him cracked. He tried to scream but only coughed, thick, red, bubbling.

With one final act of desperation, reached into his mouth, forcing his fingers deep. Down and down he went, trying to clear his airways. Sickly squelching noises drifted up past his fingers. Still, deeper he went. All at once, he felt something hard. He dug his fingers in and yanked back.

Plop

He tossed whatever it had been beside him, wet and slick. The coppery tang coated his tongue as he gasped, warm air rushing in for a fleeting second before blood choked him again. Black spots filled his vision, each flicker accompanied by a sizzling warmth where his skin had split. Dizziness slammed into him, hot nausea curling his stomach like metal coils.

Through the haze, he saw Penny. The shape of her… what was left… lying just beyond him. His mind reeled, seeing her desiccated form.

She was deflated, thin and wispy, like a bit of smoke. Her face was... gone, replaced by charred skin and black sludge. He tried to lift a hand, to touch her, to hold her, but his fingers stiffened, curling like burnt paper. His legs trembled uselessly beneath him. Each inhale felt like dragging molten lead into his chest.

His ears rang, then dulled, the sound of his own heartbeat fading into a hollow, wet rhythm. Colors bled at the edges of his vision. Time slowed, each second dragging, each breath a battle that could not be won.

Her ruined form burned itself into his mind. The last thing he felt was the merciless pull of his own body collapsing, the hot press of air thick with copper and ash. The world went dark, and in that blackness, the lake lay still, reflecting nothing but silence.