Siren of the Lake

YEAR: 1975

The air grew more dense the closer they got to the river. As the sun set, it cast shadows along the trees and plants outlining the barely visible path.

“Are you sure this is the right way, Russ? I don’t see a clear track—maybe we missed it, took a wrong turn?”

Russ kept quiet; his eyes fixated on the shrubs that blended in with the tree stumps, his nose lifting every so often to trace unfamiliar smells.

“We didn’t miss it,” he answered randomly after the moment had passed.

“How do you—”

Russ hushed the two men following him. A deep growl hummed through the grass as the wind picked up enough to push the fallen leaves on the ground, breaking a nearby branch.

“Holy sh*t, what was that?” a third individual asked, shaking on the spot.

“What was what?” the second replied with his fear noticeably intensifying.

“Will you guys relax? It’s probably another animal.”

The sun fully had disappeared behind the horizon, changing dusk into full darkness. With its change, the wolves’ sight shifted, allowing them to see the outline of the forestry around them, as well as anything else that came along with it.

“I don’t know Russ…” the second man spoke. “I feel like we should just turn back. It’s late and I’m starving…we can pick this up tomorrow.”

“Y-yeah, come on,” the third man echoed. “It’s the best option for now.”

Russ stopped and turned to face his pack members. His blue eyes glistened as the stars reflected off their irises. He was confident and sure of his objective. “We can’t turn back. This thing has been haunting our pack for decades. It’s time to end it and we’re going to be the heroes to do so. For Moonlight, our sons, and for my father. So, shut up and just follow me. We’re almost there.”

The men continued forward—each on full alert for any sound or figure they may come across. Owls’ calls reverberated off the trees and the tall grass touched their knees as they plowed past, creating their own pathway. Suddenly, Russ stopped. He turned his head back around to the men behind him and placed his finger to his lips.

They delicately stepped through the brush making as little noise as possible, as they were trained to do. Russ moved aside leaves hanging down off branches of a tree, parting them to reveal a clearing. The immediate sound of rushing water washed over their ears and not far past the opening, was a lake.

“Is this—”

Russ covered the second man’s mouth quickly and pointed to a rock off in the distance. On top of it sat a beautiful figure, small in stature, combing its long hair.

“That’s it…” the third man whispered almost inaudibly.

Russ nodded. He pushed aside the floral and stepped silently ahead, letting it slap close behind him. The men followed, watching his every move. Russ’ eyes remained steadily on the figure, who’s hand had fallen and now sat flat upon the rock.

They slowly walked towards the being like a lion hunting its prey. They inched closer and closer, the figure becoming clearer despite the darkened atmosphere. Russ lifted his foot to take one more step when a voice stopped him.

“It’s rare anyone comes to me without a song,” the figure said—it’s voice smooth and clear, almost as if it was singing its words. The being then gradually turned its head to peer over its shoulder—it was a woman. She grinned.

The men halted; their gaze transfixed on the woman in front of them as she reassumed her position. Her hair cascaded down middle of her back in loosened waves, showcasing her exposed shoulders. She wore nothing on her top half and from her bottom half exuded a long fish-like tail where her legs should’ve been. A siren.

Russ’ concentration remained on her, unwavering and stern. “It’s more likely rare anyone comes willingly to kill you.”

“Kill me?” the siren replied with a half-hearted laugh. “I feel like I should be scared.”

“Y-you…you should be!” the third man piped up in a burst of courage that disappeared as quickly as it came.

“Oh?” The siren’s head perked up. She turned her body around on the rock without uttering a word—her hair moved with her, covering her breasts as she rotated. “It looks to me like you’re the one who’s scared. Here, let me relieve some of that pressure for you.”

Russ watched as the siren brushed pieces of her hair back and opened her eyes for the first time since meeting them. They were dark and somehow…smiling? She then took a breath and began to open her mouth. It then registered in Russ’ mind. She was about to sing.

He immediately turned back to his members, terror in his eyes. “Close your ea—!”

But he was too late. She had already started. Russ plugged his ear instantly, blocking out as much sound as he could, only it wouldn’t be enough. He glanced at his members—his friends—who were enraptured by the siren’s song.

Their gaze was glued to her every movement, rendering them immobile. There was no saving them without sacrificing himself. As much as he wanted to kill the siren, he knew if he stayed there any longer, it’d only be a moment of time until her song broke through to him too.

Russ darted back to the tree where they first saw the siren, looking back every so often at the men he was leaving to their demise. The siren made her way down her rock, concerning herself only with the ones she had ensnared. As he got closer to the tree, the song began to fade and when he pushed past the branches, it stopped entirely.

Russ slowly let go of his ears and peeked through the opening in the trees. The men still stood in their same spot, completely catatonic. Did they know what was happening? Were they scared? If they were, they didn’t show it. Their body language was softened, as if they were in love.

The siren moved around them, examining their frozen bodies. She wove in and out of each man, admiring her work. And then, without hesitation, she lunged forward, instantly killing the first individual before the second. Russ jumped back in horror, but his gaze kept held on the men as their bodies fell one by one. It was like a real-life horror movie, only he found he couldn’t look away.

The siren looked in Russ’ direction and he rapidly let go of the tree branches, letting them close back together and conceal him. He took a deep breath and then gently opened them again, only this time, the siren wasn’t there. Russ’ heartbeat grew louder in his ears, and he listened intently for any sound. His head swivelled in a hundred directions with every snap and tussle catching his attention. He needed to leave and get back to the pack—to his son.

But it was too late—because the second he turned around, the siren’s teeth charged directly for his face.