What is this, really?

Anxiety

Billie's collar slipped from my grasp as I was just glued to my spot on the floor. Staring at the pond, I started feeling a pull to it, not noticing that I had slowly made my way back to the counter, leaning over the sink inching closer to the window. It was already foggy outside, but it wasn't until the fog from the pond reached the window, cooling it enough for my breathe to show that I even realized I was that close to the glass. Blinking hard and breaking my gaze from the window, I realized Billie was barking and scratching at the door again.

"Hey!," I yelled at her, "Stop it or I'll chain you out there with it." She just growled and went back to scratching and barking at the door. I stared at her in disbelief​, usually my threats of leaving her outside caused her to calm down a little since the deer incident but there had to be something serious out there for her to not back down. "Fine." I pulled on some boots, clipped on my hunting knife and grabbed my rifle. I put my hand on the door knob and she started jumping and yipping. "Oh no, ma'am. You're not taking off on me." I set my rifle on the counter and reached into a drawer and grabbed the waistband​ leash and clipped the other end to her collar. "Jerk me down and you'll regret it," she tensed. I opened the back door and Billie slowly walked out in front of me, growling at the pond as we made our way down the back deck stairs.

We made our way down the slight hill of the yard to the small dock. Her growls had quietened as we both stood looking at the almost completely frozen over pond. I unclipped her from my waist and grabbed the top of her head between her ears. "Don't you take off on me," I warned her again as I shivered from the cold air coming off the pond. I don't know what landed down there but it was only a little over 20 feet to the bottom of the pond. I set my rifle down beside me on the edge of the dock and placed my hand onto the ice.

An electric current ran through my hand up to my elbow and I pulled my hand back. Billie had fallen silent beside me, ears perked just cocking her head here and there. I put my hand down on the ice again, feeling the same current but also feeling a thumping, like a slow heartbeat. Impossible, I thought, something is alive down there. I immediately pulled my self up into a sitting position and pulled on Billie's collar. The cold making me shiver again as I clipped her back to my waist and grabbed my rifle. "Something isn't right here, girl," I breathed out shakily, worried. "Something isn't right." I stood and clicked my tongue at her and she started whining as I walked away, looking at the pond. I tugged on the leash, but she wouldn't moved just kept whining and staring. I unclipped her again and ran back into the house, grabbing my shed keys. As I made it back onto the deck, Billie started barking again. The ice was receding.

I ran to the shed, fumbling with the keys and rifle, cursing my self for panicking, as Billie continued barking. I got the lock undone and swung open the door grabbing a coil of rope off the wall and a headlamp. I didn't even shut the door as I ran back towards the dock, Billie becoming more frantic with her barking. I slowed and stood at the edge of the dock, dropping the rope, still wary about the water now that the ice was receding back towards where the light hit it. I put on the headlamp and pulled my rifle off my shoulder, readied it and aimed at the center. I stared hard through my scope but couldn't see anything through the water, which I could normally see halfway down without it. I lowered my rifle a bit and Billie whined at me. "What? Are you going to have a look instead?," I asked sarcastically. To my surprise, she jumped in and began paddling to the center. "Damn dog," I yelled after her. 'Good job, Ly. Dog's got bigger balls than you,' I thought.

I took my boots off and cursed myself. "Should've put on that bra," as I glared at the water and turned the lamp on. I jumped off the dock and surfaced quickly, gasping and sputtering. The water was freezing me to the bone almost immediately. "Fuck, I'm really starting to hate you Billie," I called after her as she waited for me to swim to her. She barked at me calling me over, "Alright, I hear you. Damn." I swam over to her. "You really are a pain, you know that," and she barked at me. I took a deep breath and went under, turning over once to look up and make sure the dog wasn't swimming away.  I pushed myself further down, getting closer to the bottom and getting colder the further down I went. I had air enough to make it to the bottom and I felt like I was still being drawn further but I knew I couldn't linger with this cold so I decided to turn back. I resurfaced next to Billie and took in air, eyeing the dog who was starting to shiver herself. "Get back to the dock, I'll be there in a few," she whined at me. I pointed at the dock, "I'm in here because of you now g-", something touched my right calf that felt like a hand. 'Alien in my pond, there's an alien in my pond', I thought. I pushed the dog ,"Get to the do-" was all I got out as I was pulled under, down into the freezing water, feeling hands grasping my legs, as I tried to kick back to the surface.

Whatever was pulling on me was strong. I just kept kicking, I'm not going to let some alien drown me in my own damn pond. I felt it's hands on my waist, gripping the front of my shorts. I kicked as hard as I could feeling my knee bash into something. It must've been it's head because it let go and I broke the surface, hurriedly swimming to the dock. I looked back and to my horror I saw a light blue hand and a green arm break the surface. Pausing, there just for a moment in shock I began to see a blue face with red eyes cresting the water, ice forming around the creature and spreading out towards me. I kicked harder, feeling the water become colder, slowing me down. I reached the dock, Billie barking frantically above me and started pulling myself out when something, so searingly cold, caught my left ankle. My foot was caught in the ice.