BooksBarbecue
Back Blood in the Water
Chapters (82)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. SIXTY-TWO
  66. SIXTY-THREE
  67. SIXTY-FOUR
  68. SIXTY-FIVE
  69. SIXTY-SIX
  70. SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. SIXTY-NINE
  73. SEVENTY
  74. SEVENTY-ONE
  75. SEVENTY-TWO
  76. SEVENTY-THREE
  77. SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. SEVENTY-SIX
  80. Praise for Blood in the Water
  81. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  82. Newsletter Sign-up

The one that stood out most, and had stayed with her after she was fully awake, was one that started out the same as the dream that she had been having for years. She was at Nantasket Beach again. She could see Ollie up ahead of her, and she tried to run to him. At first, as always, her feet slipped beneath her, and she was able to make no headway. This time, though, her feet gained traction, and she was able to catch him. His back was to her, and when she reached him, she threw her arms around him, sobbing. She was so relieved and happy to finally be able to touch him again that it took a moment for her to notice how skinny he was. He’d always been a cherubic, healthy child, but now he was nothing more than skin and bones.

As she hugged him tighter, she could feel him grow skinnier and skinnier, until all she could feel through his clothes was brittle bone and sinew. She turned him toward her, and screamed in horror when she saw his face. She could tell it was him, but there was nothing left but a skull with patches of gray skin. He had no eyes, and the flesh of his nose had decomposed so badly that she could see the bones around his nasal cavity.

And then he spoke to her. His voice was reedy and distant, and it sounded like he was speaking to her through a long metal pipe. “The water,” he said. “It’s warm today.”

She shook her head, not comprehending. Her head and her heart were still clouded by the horror of what had become of the little boy who was the greatest love she had ever known.

“I think I’ll go in the water today,” he said. She thought he might be smiling, but she couldn’t tell. There wasn’t enough flesh around his mouth to be sure.

“No,” she said.

“You have to let me go,” he said, and now his voice sounded even more distant.

“Why?” she demanded.

“There’s nothing left,” he said. “I think I’ll go for a swim. I’ll be careful in the waves.”

He turned away from her and began to walk toward the water.

“No!” she screamed. She reached out to grab hold of him once more, but as she touched his arm, the bone turned to ash. “No!” she screamed again. She panicked and tried to wrap her arms around his chest, but as she did, his rib cage disintegrated and fell through her arms. She kept trying to hold him until every part of him vanished, and all that was left was a tattered shirt. In her head, she could hear Vincente Carpio’s maniacal cackle.