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Sea of Memories

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The girl in the woods

“Joe. Paul.”

Annie’s voice was sharp. It cut through the hall.

Joe and Paul walked to her. Their boots made no sound on the clean floor.

Annie’s eyes were hard. “We need to talk about Richard.”

Joe nodded. So did Paul.

They already knew.

Joe and Paul were mostly in charge of things on the island. Nothing happened in the bunker without them knowing. And Lily’s disappearance was not nothing.

It was a week ago. One morning, the little girl’s bed was empty. No noise. No footprints. No open doors.

They searched the whole bunker. Every room. Every pipe. Every closet.

She was gone.

“Lily,” Joe said. His voice was low. “The girl.”

“Richard’s daughter,” Paul said. “Seven years old.”

Annie crossed her arms. “He’s gone too now.”

Joe’s jaw got tight. He knew this part too. But hearing it again made his chest hurt.

“When?” Joe asked.

“Three nights ago,” Annie said. “He took a knife. Some food. Water. He waited until the last watch. Then he opened the shutter himself.”

Paul shook his head. “We told him not to go. We told him what’s out there. What’s in the water. What’s in the woods.”

“He didn’t listen,” Annie said. “He said he heard her. At night. Calling for him. From the trees.”

Joe closed his eyes. He understood.

He heard his wife at night. On the water. “Joe… help me…”

If it was his kid, he would go too.

Joe was furious. Not at Richard. At this place. At the island. At whatever took the girl.

He wanted to hit the wall. Scream. But he couldn’t blame the man.

“I would do the same,” Joe said.

Annie looked at him. Her face softened for one second. Then it was hard again.

“He’s been gone three nights,” Annie said. “No sign. No signal. Nothing.”

Joe looked at the big metal shutter that sealed them in.

Somewhere past that metal… Richard was out there.

Looking for Lily.

Or dead already.

Joe looked at the metal shutter. Then he looked at Annie.

“I’ll go search for Richard,” Joe said. “The next morning. First light.”

Paul turned his head fast. “Joe. You can’t. Not alone.”

“I’m not asking,” Joe said. “I’m going.”

Annie studied his face. She did not argue. She knew that look.

“Fine,” Annie said. “But did you explain things to them yet?”

Joe frowned. “Them?”

Annie pointed down the hall. Toward the bench. “The woman in the bikini. And the other man. The ones you pulled from the water.”

Joe shook his head. “No. Not yet.”

“They don’t know where they are,” Annie said. “They don’t know about the rules. About the night. About the sound in the woods. They don’t know why we lock the doors.”

“I know,” Joe said.

“So tell them,” Annie said. “Before you run off to die. They deserve to know why their friend is in my medical room with his leg in pieces.”

Joe looked down the hall. He could see them. The woman sat with her arms around her knees. The man stared at the floor. Both of them were still in wet clothes. Cold. Shaking.

“No,” Joe said.

Annie’s eyes got narrow. “No?”

“Not now,” Joe said. “Look at them, Annie. They just saw death. They just saw things in the water that should not be real. Their friend almost died.”

He turned back to Annie.

“Get her some clothes first,” Joe said. “Dry clothes. Warm clothes. And him too.”

Annie waited.

“Feed them,” Joe said. “Hot food. Real food. Let them sit. Let them breathe. Let them feel safe for one hour.”

Annie held his stare. Then she sighed.

“You’re soft, Joe,” Annie said. But her voice was not hard.

“Maybe,” Joe said. “But we don’t scare people who are already scared.”

He looked at Paul. “After they eat. After they change. Then we tell them everything.”

Paul nodded.

Annie turned and walked down the hall.

“Fine,” she called back. “But you tell them. Not me.”

Annie came back with clothes.

Clean clothes. A gray shirt. Pants. Socks. No shoes.

She stopped in front of the woman in the bikini. The woman was still on the bench. Still wet. Still shaking.

“Here,” Annie said. She held the clothes out. “Put these on. You’ll get sick in that.”

The woman did not move. She stared at the floor.

Annie set the clothes on the bench next to her.

“I’m Annie,” she said. Her voice was softer now. “I run the medical center here.”

The woman said nothing.

Annie sat down on the other end of the bench. Not too close.

“I know you’re scared,” Annie said. “That’s normal. After what you saw.”

Still no reply.

“What’s your name?” Annie asked.

Silence.

The woman’s hands were in fists. Her nails were white. Her lips were blue from cold.

Annie sighed. She stood up.

“Okay,” Annie said. “You don’t have to talk. But if there’s anything you need… food, water, a bed… you let me know. Any of us.”

She turned to leave.

Then the woman’s voice came. Small. Broken.

“What is this place?”

Annie stopped. She did not turn around yet.

The woman’s voice shook. “What are those things? In the water?”

Annie closed her eyes for one second. Then she turned.

The woman was looking up now. Her eyes were wide. Red from crying. Her face was pale. Her expression showed she was traumatized. Like her mind was stuck back on the beach. Back in the dark water.

“Why are we locked down here?” the woman asked. “Why can’t we leave?”

Her voice got louder. “Why did those things… why did they…”

She stopped. She could not finish. She put her face in her hands.

Annie walked back slow. She sat down again. Closer this time.

“Hey,” Annie said. “Look at me.”

The woman lifted her head. Tears ran down her face.

“This place keeps us alive,” Annie said. “That’s all I can tell you right now.”

The woman shook her head. “But the things… I saw them… they had hands…”

“I know,” Annie said. “I know what you saw.”

Annie put a hand on the woman’s cold arm.

“Get changed first,” Annie said. “Eat. Then Joe will talk to you. He’ll tell you everything. I promise.”

The woman looked at Annie. Her eyes were still wet.

“My name is Linda,” she said. Her voice was quiet.

Annie nodded. She waited.

“The injured man,” Linda said. “He’s my husband. His name is Malik.”

Annie put her hand on Linda’s hand. “He’s strong. He’ll make it.”

Linda swallowed. “The unconscious woman who was with us… that’s Rose. And the man…”

The door opened.

A man stepped in. He was tall. His hair was wet. His face was tired.

He saw Linda and Annie. He started to back out. “Sorry. I can go…”

“No,” Annie said. “Wayne, right? You’re okay to stay. I was about to leave.”

Wayne stopped. He looked at Linda.

“He’s Rose’s boyfriend,” Linda said to Annie. “And he’s my brother.”

Annie nodded. “Okay. Good. I wanted to make sure you were both okay. If you need anything… food, medicine, someone to talk to… come find me.”

She stood up.

Just then, Joe entered the room too.

He looked at Linda. Then at Wayne.

“I need some minutes,” Joe said. “To explain things. To both of you.”

Linda and Wayne sat down on the bench. They waited.

Joe pulled up a chair. He sat in front of them.

“The island we’re on,” Joe said, “it’s mysterious. We don’t know where we are. Maps don’t show this place. Radios don’t work here.”

Wayne opened his mouth. No words came out.

“The water is filled with monsters,” Joe said. “You saw them. They can use the voice of your loved one. To torment you. To trick you. Then they devour you.”

Linda grabbed Wayne’s hand. Hard.

“The land itself is not safe at night,” Joe said. “Strange creatures with terrifying screams wonder the land. They come from the trees. From the hills. And those creatures also devour people.”

Wayne’s face went white.

“We don’t know who built the bunker,” Joe said. “Or who lived in the village. They were gone when we got here. But the bunker protects us at night. The doors. The shutter. It keeps them out.”

The room was quiet.

The siblings were shocked and terrified. They couldn’t say anything.

Linda looked at her brother. Wayne looked at the floor.

Finally, Linda spoke. Her voice was small.

“It’s ok,” she said.

Wayne nodded. “It’s ok, Joe.”

But their eyes said it was not ok. Not at all.

Got it. Here’s *Chapter 5, Part 5*. ∼335 words.

Night passed.

No one slept much.

The bunker was quiet. But the quiet was not calm. It was the kind of quiet that waits.

Morning came.

A loud sound rolled through the halls. _RRRRRR._

The shutters went up. Light came in through small windows.

Joe was already awake. He stood by the big metal door.

Paul walked up to him. “You’re really going.”

Joe nodded. “I told you. I’m going to search for Richard. And I’ll be back before dark.”

Paul shook his head. “Don’t go alone, Joe. Let me come. Or take two men. Three.”

“No,” Joe said. “I need someone to keep everything under control while I’m gone. That’s you, Paul. You know this place. You know the people. If something happens here… they need you.”

Paul wanted to argue. His mouth opened. Then closed.

Joe was right. Someone had to stay.

Joe picked up a rifle. It was old but clean. He checked it. Click. Loaded.

He put on a backpack. He had packed it last night. Water. Food. Rope. A light. Extra bullets.

“Be back before the sun is down,” Paul said. “Or we lock the door without you.”

“I know the rules,” Joe said.

He pushed the wheel on the door. _Click. Click. Click._

The door opened. _CREEEK._

Cold air came in. The smell of salt and trees.

Joe stepped out.

He walked past the dead village. Past the empty houses. Past the tall lighthouse.

He walked past a windmill. The big arms did not move. They were broken. Rust covered them.