Loch Down
Jacob didn’t mean to kill him. It was an accident. Wasn’t it? Yes, of course, it was. An accident. That’s all it was. A tragic accident that resulted in a man’s death. He stood over the body of his victim. Blood trickled from where his skull struck the rock. A glimmer of judgment etched in the gaze of the dead man as Jacob saw his sins reflected.
It was a silly argument, what was it even about again? Jacob struggled to remember. He failed to recall words he exchanged mere moments before. Instead, his head filled with panic at the situation he found himself in.
Dead. Terry was dead. Dead at his feet. The wound he suffered as his head met with the rock proved fatal. His life trickled down the stone, glistening black in the moonlight. The shore of the loch stretched for miles but thankfully for Jacob no one was around. They rarely were during the day, less so this time of night. That’s why they were there. It was quiet. Terry met him to buy cocaine. Not that Jacob was a drug dealer, you had to understand that. But he did find himself in possession of a bit extra and Terry was in need. He could trust Terry not to tell anyone. He could certainly trust him now.
Jacob’s head swam with fear. The police would never believe it was an accident. He, an apparent drug dealer, had murdered his punter over a disagreement. Jacob removed the baggie from his pocket that contained the white powder. He propelled it up his nose and welcomed the distorted clarity that followed. He’d already snorted some before heading to meet Terry. He hoped another bump would quiet his conscience. Sat on the shore, he looked out at the loch: that wide expanse of water, over two hundred metres deep. It was more than deep enough to hide a body. No body, no murder? People went missing all the time and are never found. Terry could be one of them.
Jacob’s gaze drifted over to the shallow pier. A couple of rowboats were tethered to it and bobbed on the surface. Perfect. The coke flooded through his body and he felt better already.
He bent over Terry’s body and his stomach somersaulted. He faced away as yellow bile crept up his throat and out his mouth. He spat on the ground, a burning sensation flooded his chest. He looked back at Terry. His expression, unsurprisingly, hadn’t changed.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Jacob said. “It’s your own fault, you tried to pull a fast one with me.”
Did he? Well, if it helped him sleep at night. Yes, Terry said he had the money, but he didn’t. Not all of it, anyway. The argument turned into a scuffle as Terry reached for Jacob’s pocket and that’s when Jacob pushed him — no — that’s when Terry tripped and hit his head on the rock. The truth didn’t matter, no one else was going to hear what happened and after tonight, Terry would be an inconvenient memory.
The effect of the coke had given Jacob a skewed perception of his morals. He wasn’t a bad guy, he was certainly no killer. But that’s exactly why he had to cover up the crime. He’d last two minutes in prison.
Jacob crouched down — second time lucky — and grabbed Terry by the ankles. He tried not to look at the dead face as he pulled the body towards the pier. If he had looked down he would have seen the blackened blood follow them as Terry’s head scoured the shore. Dead bodies were heavy and Jacob found dragging one tiring. On the pier, Terry’s skull rattled against the wood. It caused Jacob to look down and that’s when he saw the blood. This time, he wasn’t sick. He was angry. Not at himself, but at Terry for putting him in this situation.
He reached the boat and pulled it in closer. Jacob composed himself before summoning up the strength to do the next part. He pushed Terry’s corpse and with all the grace of dumping a sack of sin, the body dropped onto the boat.
This was it. Last chance to change his mind. He could stop it all now. Phone the police. Give Terry a chance at a proper burial. Give his family peace of mind. He might even get off with a slap on the wrist due to his honesty.
He rowed.
†
Exertion mixed with the drugs had caused Jacob to sweat. Terry was face down so at least he didn’t have to see his stupid judgmental face. Instead, he got to see the caved-in skull and gaping wound on the back of Terry’s head. The blood had matted the hair as a viscous sludge oozed out the crack.
Jacob stopped rowing as he tired. He figured he had ventured out far enough anyway. It dawned on him that he didn’t have anything to weigh down the body with. He had no idea if dead bodies floated. A bit late for that now, it was time to get rid of the evidence. With a herculean grip born of desperation, he was able to throw Terry into the loch. His body sunk into the darkness, replacing the dread within Jacob with relief. It was over. He would rest then return to the shore.
As he lay on the floor of the boat, it rocked with a reckless danger as something hit it from below. He jolted from his rest and looked all around him. Nothing. Nothing but the surrounding hills and faint lights from faraway houses. The boat settled as the water calmed. Jacob noticed for the first time how cold it was. The air stung at his cheeks and made him shiver. He grabbed onto the oars. Rest time was over.
As he turned the oars in the water, the right one struck an object in the water. A dull whack resonated in his ears, the impact muffled by the water. He turned instinctively, worried about what he would see. It was Terry. His body had risen back to the surface, his leg protruded out of the water. And then it upturned to show it was no longer connected to a body. The severed limb bobbed on the surface and Jacob’s heart burned with dread. His muscles tensed as his fight or flight reflex kicked in, urging him to flee. But with nowhere to flee, he found himself trapped on the boat. Far from shore. He fumbled with his phone to produce a light when the boat was struck again. The force was stronger this time and Jacob dropped his phone overboard. As the light disappeared into the abyss, he could swear he saw Terry’s face below the surface. Staring back at him, a slight smirk curled on the corner of his cheek. Then it was gone. He grabbed the oars and realised his feet were wet. The boat was taking in water. It was too dark to see the damage and he flailed with the oars as he looked to return to land.
A powerful force smashed into the back of the boat. The back half of it exploded, the wood splintered and hit Jacob’s face, causing him to shield his eyes. When he opened them, he found himself in the loch. The water was ice cold, it clung to his clothes and dragged him under.
Never the greatest swimmer, he inhaled water and paddled with ferocious futility. Terrified he’d drown, or freeze, as his survival instincts teased him with hope.
As he struggled to regain any composure, razor-sharp points tore through the flesh in his calf. He felt his leg twist as it was removed below the knee. Jacob shrieked, not in pain, but horror. Whatever had torn his leg from him with ease was something his mind couldn’t comprehend. Not in any rational manner.
His warm blood filled the cold water as his brain began to register agony. He kicked out with his full leg and sank as he struggled.
Nothing but darkness greeted him below the surface. Yet within that black abyss, he knew something came towards him. He could feel it in the water, the ripples caressed his body in fear. He sensed a large force occupy the space in front of him. A massive shadow darkened the blackness as he saw his attacker close in on him. The cold wet of his surroundings replaced by a warm stench as he realised something had covered half of his head. It was still wet, but a sticky wet. A pungent odour of rotting death welcomed him in the new darkness he found himself in. It contrasted greatly from the familiar cold of the loch. He had little time to acclimatise to his new surroundings before his skull collapsed in on itself. Shattered bone exploded outwards as the flesh of his brain turned to mush. The powerful jaws of his death opened to close down with a savage snap, it wasted little of its meal. Jacob got his wish. No one would ever find Terry. And Jacob didn’t need to worry about prison.
