Short Story Collection

Welcome to Nightmare Bay

Welcome to Nightmare Bay

Cara never expected to wake up in Nightmare Bay. Of course, no one ever expects to wake up in Nightmare Bay. You just kind of end up there. Most people arrive by boat. Cara was one of the few people to swim.

One minute she was in bed and the next, she was surrounded by a dense fog. The shock of the water set her senses on high-alert. Through the fog, Cara could just barely see lights. She set her sights on them and began to swim. Before long, she was out of the fog.

Gunner spotted Cara from the shore. It was his job to welcome newcomers, and though he'd heard of it, he'd never actually seen anyone swim before. Careful not to touch the water, Gunner walked up to Cara as she got out.

"Welcome to Nightmare Bay, where the temperature is cold and the people are colder," Gunner greeted with a smile. "I'm Gunner. Who are you?"

"Cara," she replied. "Did you say Nightmare Bay? Where am I?"

"It's a small island. People come here once they die. Well, teenagers do, anyways. We don't really know why."

"Wait... but I'm not dead," Cara objected.

"It's a little hard to comprehend, I know. But you'll get used to it. Come on, I'll show you around." Gunner turned to head up the beach, but Cara didn't follow.

"Cara, are you coming?" He asked.

Gunner turned around to look at her. Cara's hand was over her chest. Sometimes they took forever to accept their death. "My heart is beating," Cara protested. Gunner sighed.

"No, you just think it is," he explained. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "Look, Cara... ouch!" Quickly, Gunner drew his hand back. Cara's skin was hot to the touch. For the first time, he took a good look at her. She had curly blonde hair and blue eyes, and she seemed to be about Gunner's own age. There was a faint aura of light surrounding her.

"What do you remember before coming here?" Gunner asked.

"I was in my bed, and I just fell asleep," Cara explained.

"I think we need to go into town," Gunner decided.

As he brought the strange girl inland, Gunner's mind was racing. Who was she? How was she alive? Why was she here? Storm would know, hopefully.

*****

'Town' seemed, to Cara, too fancy a word for what Nightmare Bay Village was. There were a few hundred dwellings of about the same size and splendor, and not much else.

"New people usually like to stay close to the coast," Gunner explained. "Once they get familiar, or bored, they'll travel around the island some more."

They approached one nicer dwelling, and Gunner knocked on the door. After a moment, the door opened to reveal a tall guy with dark hair and darker eyes. On his left cheek there was a prominent scar.

"Gunner," he greeted, inclining his head. "Who's this?"

"This is Cara. She's new here. Cara, this is Storm," Gunner introduced them. "She's alive," he whispered to Storm.

"Alive? The living don't come here," Storm frowned.

Gunner glanced at Cara, and then looked back at Storm. "We need to talk, Storm. Can we come in?"

*****

Gunner filled Storm in on Cara's situation, while Cara looked around Storm's house. It was incredibly bland, with no personal belongings anywhere. There was a large window, however, facing the bay. A hundred yards from shore, the fog rested. Several people lined the beach, like Gunner had. Torches and lanterns dotted the sand: signals for those who, like Cara, emerged from the fog. The sky was grey and cloudy, and the entire island seemed to be in a perpetual state of twilight.