“Are you sure this is safe?” Sarah asked, eyeing the weathered life vest skeptically. The faded orange material was fraying at the edges.
“Of course it is,” Mike replied with his characteristic dismissive wave. “I’ve used it dozens of times. Now come on, the boat’s waiting.”
Sarah reluctantly slipped on the vest, trying to ignore how loose the straps felt. The couple made their way down to the small motorboat bobbing gently at the private dock. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the secluded lake.
“I still don’t understand why we had to come all the way out here,” Sarah said, settling into her seat. “There are plenty of lakes closer to home.”
Mike’s eyes gleamed strangely as he started the engine. “This one’s special. You’ll see.”
As they cruised toward the center of the lake, Sarah noticed something odd - there were no other boats in sight. No birds either. The water was perfectly still, like glass.
“Mike?” Her voice wavered. “I think we should head back.”
He didn’t respond, just stared straight ahead with that unsettling smile.
Suddenly, the engine sputtered and died. They drifted to a stop in the middle of the vast lake.
“Oops,” Mike said, his voice unnaturally calm. “Looks like we’re stuck.”
Sarah’s heart began to race. “This isn’t funny. What’s going on?”
“You know,” Mike mused, “it’s fascinating how many people trust defective safety equipment without question.” He reached over and yanked one of the straps on her vest. It came apart in his hand.
“What are you doing?” Sarah tried to move away, but he grabbed her arm.
“Did you really think I’d forgive you?” His face contorted with rage. “After what you did with David?”
“Mike, please - I’m sorry! We can talk about this!”
“Oh, we’re past talking.” He stood up, rocking the small boat. “You know what’s really interesting about this lake? It’s over 200 feet deep. And these waters… they never give up their dead.”
Sarah lunged for the radio, but Mike was faster. With one powerful shove, she went overboard.
The defective vest immediately began taking on water. Sarah thrashed desperately, trying to stay afloat. “Help! Please!”
Mike watched impassively from the boat. But then his expression changed to confusion, then horror.
Something pale and bloated broke the surface near Sarah. Then another. And another.
Corpses, dozens of them, rising from the depths. All wearing similar orange vests.
One grabbed Mike’s ankle with a waterlogged hand, pulling him overboard. As he went under, the last thing he saw was Sarah being helped into a ghostly boat by several dripping figures.
“Welcome to our lake,” a hollow voice echoed across the water. “We’ve been waiting for someone to bring us a new captain.”
The corpses descended with their struggling prize, leaving Sarah alone in their spectral vessel. As she shivered in shock, she noticed something about her mysterious rescuers’ life vests - they were all the exact same model as hers.
The lake had chosen to save her instead of her would-be murderer. But as the ghost boat began to move of its own accord toward the far shore, Sarah wondered if perhaps there were worse fates than drowning.