The sun was blazing, his friends were all around him and the air was filled with the tantilising scent of cooked meats coming from the grill nearby. This event happened almost eight years ago and yet he was back there. He didn't want to question how he'd gone from driving with his wife to suddenly being there. He didn't want to question why he was so cold or why he was sitting in a car seat when everyone else was on plastic chairs.
He felt his mind screaming at him but everyone looked so happy and relaxed that he let himself join their happy lull. He'd almost fallen asleep when his wife walked into his line of sight, soaked to the bone and silently mouthing his name. He remembered he hadn't met her until a few months after this and as he began to notice more odd details about the place, he began to wake up.
He was holding a cold beer in one hand - he was holding her hand and she was so cold, so still.
None of his friend's seemed to have faces - his eyes started to open, bruised and meeting an inhuman gaze.
Everyone started some kind of chant - it was screaming at him to wake up before it was too late.
He lurched forward, gasping through broken ribs as the creature's grip began to slip and the car started to slide into the lake. A quick glance to his right confirmed his wife was already dead, her neck resting at an unnatural angle and he knew if he stayed to mourn he'd be back at the barbecue for good.
It took him several attempts before his bruised and numb hands managed to unlatch the seat belt, force the door open and roll out onto the riverbank. As soon as it saw him safely out of the car, it let go and swam for deeper water. The car slid into the murky waters after it, coming to a rest with the rear lights barely below the surface.
Every breath was agony and relief and grief all at once. He wondered what would happen if he closed his eyes for a few moments. As soon as he began to relax the creature's head was back above the water,screaming his name in his wife's voice - begging him to wake up.
She must have been crying out those very same words before she died.
He felt a chill run down his spine as the amphibious being begged him to go.
Every step felt like fire running through his body as he headed for the road, hoping to flag down help.
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