“A Night on the Beach”
“Summer vacation is starting out a blast this year,” Toby was saying as he chugged his third brewsky.
The bonfire they’d lit hours earlier was still burning hot and strong, fed by whatever the guys could get their hands on. Laughter echoed across the sand as the fire crackled and threw sparks into the night.
Toby had always been his own clown show. Anyone who knew him knew to keep a sharp eye out for the next prank—and prank was a mild way of putting it. There was no limit to how far he’d go for a laugh. Having rich, influential parents didn’t help much either. If anything, it gave him more room to push boundaries.
Last year in Daytona proved that.
Using his father’s influence with local law enforcement, Toby had staged a mock drug raid at the Airbnb they were staying in. Six local officers burst in, lights flashing, shouting orders. It looked legitimate. No one was arrested, but the entire party was shaken. It wasn’t until the next day that Toby finally confessed to being the mastermind behind it.
Tonight, though, things seemed uneventful.
Too uneventful.
No one was fully relaxed. A couple of the guys had even started an open bet on what Toby’s next prank would be. The pot was already up to four thousand dollars.
At 10:37 p.m., Toby glanced at his watch.
He looked restless as he put on his usual show, pacing, joking, drawing attention. It was as if he were waiting for something.
Stacy had been sitting on the hill when her favorite song blasted through the stereo. Smiling, she made her way down toward the fire and grabbed Toby, trying to force him into a dance. She knew that behind the tough-guy persona, he hated dancing. It embarrassed him. He always said he was terrible at it.
After a couple of minutes of failed attempts, Stacy finally gave up.
“Screw it, Toby,” she shouted over the music, laughing at his victorious smirk. “Let’s go take a quick ride on the jet ski.”
She wasn’t done with him yet.
Surprisingly, Toby agreed. He took one last glance at his watch, then the two of them jogged toward the water where the jet skis were tied off.
As they disappeared into the darkness, something about the atmosphere shifted.
A few of the guys noticed it, even if they couldn’t quite explain why. The laughter felt forced now.
“No, Toby!” Tim shouted through stomach-wrenching laughter. “Don’t even think about it!”
The whole party erupted again.
Kyle, Toby’s best friend, leaned back and watched the fire. He knew they all loved the clown, but he had to admit—it was strangely peaceful without him around.
At 11:59 p.m., someone checked the time.
The bet had a limit: 12:30 a.m. If Toby hadn’t pulled off his prank by then, nobody won.
Suddenly, a lot of people wanted the prank to happen.
That’s when the question finally surfaced.
Where were Toby and Stacy?
They’d been gone more than forty minutes. And now that someone mentioned it, there hadn’t been any jet ski noise for a while.
Unease spread through the group.
They rushed to the dock.
Both jet skis had drifted back on their own, bumping against the wooden pilings in rhythm with the waves. No Toby. No Stacy.
Then someone noticed it.
Blood.
Dark and smeared across one of the jet ski seats.
Panic set in.
People scattered along the beach, shouting names into the night.
“Toby!”
“Stacy!”
Then someone laughed.
“SUCKERS!” a voice shouted. “He got us again!”
Relief washed over the group like a tide. Nervous laughter followed. They headed back to the house, convinced it was another one of Toby’s elaborate setups.
The bet was awarded to the winner—Shelly Payne.
The party resumed.
At 1:10 a.m., a scream cut through the night.
It was loud. Raw. The kind of scream that ripped straight out of a horror movie.
Everyone ran outside.
On the beach stood a creature.
Not human.
It had scales and fins, but it stood on two legs, arms hanging at its sides. Moonlight glimmered across its wet skin.
In its hand, it held Toby’s head.
Blood dripped from its mouth, mixing with saliva as it let out a deep, echoing roar. Then it turned and disappeared back into the water.
It could have been Toby’s ultimate prank.
But he never came back to claim it.
And Stacy was never seen again.