Killer Kid (Short Story)

Julian hadn’t been swimming for what felt like a million years, but today was a special day in the fact that it is Toby’s birthday. Toby is Julian’s best friends and they do everything together, so it was to no-one's surprise that he had invited Julian to spend time with him on his birthday. After changing into their matching swim shorts, the boys sprinted to the water's edge, counted to three and cannonballed in together. The pool was deeper than Julian had remembered, so deep that he could touch the bottom even if he jumped as hard as he could.

They both stood on the end preparing for their diving contest when Toby spotted a blonde girl staring at them, it was Sophie, Julian’s younger sister. “Can I join?” Sophie asked in her high pitched whine. Toby shrugged, “I guess, do you mind Julian?” he questioned glancing up at his friend, Julian shrugged in response. Sophie stood and watched as the boys both dived into the cool water, their splashes making her hair stick to her face; she stuck her toe in the water, she screamed and jumped back from the ice tank, “It’s so cold!” she whined. Julian and Toby just rolled their eyes and swam away to the shallow end, Sophie ran along beside them, almost slipping from going so fast.

Before she had time to think, she hurled herself forward into the water before her. “Look, I can do a handstand, look look look!” Sophie exclaimed to the boys, throwing her head underwater and demonstrating her underwater handstand abilities; the boys copied her, knowing they could do handstands much better than she could. All three ascended from the water, all stating that their did the best handstand; suddenly, from the other end of the pool, there was a shriek as the pool shifts from aqua blue to crimson red. The shriek stopped abruptly as another started, what was happening? All three children stared as the screaming lady was sucked underwater followed by another and another; the water becoming a richer and opaque.

“Blood,” Julian spoke, more to himself than the others, “those being sucked under are being killed, but by what?” Sophie shook from fear and clutched her brother arm so tight he thought she had stopped his circulation; “I don’t want to die, Julian!” she scream at him. The screams were getting closer, it would be them before they even knew it they thought when something emerged from the maroon water before them. A tentacle. Before he could run, Toby was plucked from the water and dragged below; “Toby! Toby!” Julian shouted repeatedly until the tentacle reappeared, Sophie gripped harder onto her brother, “Let go Sophie, let go and run.” As she opened her mouth to protest the tentacle flew towards them, Julian shoved Sophie away from him before he followed Toby under the water to his inevitable death.

Sophie stood, cemented in place as she felt the water around her legs ripple. In front of her, no more that four inches away from her innocent face, appeared a tremendous octopus. “I have done your bidding, Your Highness. What else does your royal heart desire?” Sophie smiled wickedly as she spoke with great  pleasure and authority, “Kill them all,” she stated as she glanced at her parents as well as Toby’s, “every last one of them.”

As the octopus climbed over the edge of the pool and people began to shriek once more, Sophie ascended from the pool and strided to the changing rooms; she showered of the bloody water and the returned to the pools edge once she was dressed. She smiled at the crimson pool and the blood-covered seats. “Only now can I become your Queen” she spoke to the octopus who in turn replied “Our Killer Queen.”