As much as I wanted to get going on my plan right away, the truth was that it took me a few days to gather all the supplies I thought I’d need. I didn’t dare purchase anything from the shops in Maidenhead. The police were likely already keeping close tabs on me after my “interview” that night, and the last thing I wanted was for them to catch wind and attempt to stop me. Instead, every evening after I finished work in London, I’d quickly swing through the shops there, picking up a few items at a time before driving back home. By Thursday I’d managed to acquire a rather sturdy kayak, along with a few underwater cameras, waterproof lights, and a fishing rod. Part of me wished that I could’ve bought a bigger boat; I felt sure the monster in the river could easily flip it if it wanted to, but it was the only thing I knew I could stealthily slide in and out of the Thames without attracting attention. I’d also decided that I would take one of the largest knives from my cutlery set as a last resort defense, if it came to that.
I was in the middle of finalizing my plans when my phone rang. Picking it up, I saw with a pang of surprise that Nigel’s name was displayed on the Caller ID screen. I quickly hit the accept button and pressed the phone to my ear. “Hello?” For a moment there was no response, and then the man’s voice filtered through the speaker. “Marshall” He paused for a moment, letting out a sigh before continuing. “Mate, I’m so sorry for what happened a few nights ago. I didn’t think they would go quite that hard on you” I let out a sigh of my own. “Don’t worry about it, man. I know it wasn’t exactly your choice, anyways. And I’m sorry as well, if I’m the reason you’re being transferred over to Swindon” The sound of a snort came from the other end of the line. “Nah, wasn’t you. I should’ve been smart enough to realize that they would’ve had someone tailing me everywhere, to make sure I didn’t flap my gums”
I hesitated for a moment. The urge to tell him what I was going to do was strong, as he was my closest friend here. Finally, I gave in. “I’m going after it, Nigel” For a few moments, there was such a silence on the other end of the line that I thought the call had been disconnected. Then, the man’s voice returned, barely above a whisper. “What?” I took a deep breath, then continued. “Just what I said, man. I’m going after it tomorrow evening. Not to kill it; you’d need a double-barreled shotgun or more at the very least to even try to hurt it. No, I’m going after it to try and get proof” More silence on Nigel’s end. Then, he let out another sigh. “Then I’m going with you, mate” The man’s words surprised me to the point of speechlessness. Before I could even attempt to argue, he continued. “Don’t try and talk me out of this. I know there’s no talking you out of it, and I’ll be damned if I’m letting you go after that bloody monster by yourself. Just shoot me the details before the end of the day, and I’ll bring my kayak to wherever we’re starting the search” And with that, he clicked off.
I slowly pulled the phone away from my ear, staring at it with my mouth hanging open slightly. Holy hell, I…I didn’t expect that. I expected a million and one possible ways that he might try and talk me out of it, but I didn’t expect him to jump feet first in to help. A new wave of gratitude washed over me as I, not for the first time, realized just how good a friend the man was. I ran my hand through my hair and stood up, moving to the sliding door to the flat’s balcony. The cool breeze felt good against my face as I slid the glass back and stepped outside. My mind churned as I mentally began re-arranging the plan to accommodate for the presence of a second person. This might actually be a good thing, I thought. With a second person, it means it’ll be harder for anything to sneak up on us. Having someone to watch your back is infinitely safer than going solo.
As I stood there, leaning on the railing and thinking, a shiver suddenly shot through me. It blindsided me with how out of nowhere it’d come from, and I stood up straight, staring around and down at the parking lot below. For a moment my eyes shifted to the gloomy corners of the lot. I wondered if, like with Nigel, the higher-ups had people watching me at all times now. It would make sense with them wanting me to stay silent. But I saw no one. The shiver came again. And with it, came a sweeping, stomach dropping feeling of dread. Because it suddenly dawned on me that I’d had the exact same sensation a few years ago. Standing on the bank of the Thames after hearing the man talk about his cow disappearing. And being certain I was being watched. Slowly, my eyes lifted, moving across the parking lot, across Ray Mead Road.
To the dark water.
Shivering a third time as the potent mixture of anxiety and fear rose, I slowly stepped back inside and closed the sliding door, choosing for the first time in a while to close the blinds as well. The feeling disappeared immediately, and I let out a relieved sigh before turning back to the couch and coffee table. I had final preparations to make.
The next day passed by in a blur. I spent most of it texting the finalized plan back and forth with Nigel. The site of our starting point was firm in my mind. Even though I felt certain that the creature had no problem moving great distances up and down the Thames, as was proven by the incident near Bourne End years ago, I felt certain that its main haunt was much closer to home. In fact, I had a hunch that the half-mile span of waterway between Maidenhead Bridge and Boulter’s Lock, possibly extending down to the railway bridge, was where we’d have the best chance of coming across it. I would wait until the sun began to lower in the sky, then bring my kayak and gear to meet the man at the Bridge Gardens. As I waited, I fully admit that the horror I’d felt, finding myself in the water with it that night returned, haunting me like some kind of vengeful specter. But I refused to budge. This is the only way anyone will ever know the truth. There’s no backing out now.
I wish in retrospect that I’d listened to my gut. That will haunt me for the rest of my life.
A few hours later, I pulled my Land Rover into the parking lot of the Texaco station opposite the park. Shutting the engine off, I spared a glance at my watch. 5:45 PM. I should be hearing from Nigel in about fifteen minutes. Stepping out of the SUV, I used the time to detach the kayak from the roof, setting it down next to the driver’s door and piling the rest of my supplies inside. A small pang of anxiety shot through me as I kept shooting looks at my watch, seeing the minutes slowly dragging by. Man, I seriously hope he doesn’t flake on me or get caught. As determined as I am, even I have to admit the idea of getting into that river, knowing what lurks beneath…scares the ever-loving shit out of me.
My worries were dispelled a moment later as I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Pulling it out, I felt relief sweep through me as I saw he’d arrived. Picking up the kayak and paddle, I jogged across the street and entered the park. Winding my way along the paths, I stopped to catch my breath near the fountain trough in the center for a moment, shooting glances around and behind me. I couldn’t help but feel a little paranoid, half-afraid that I would suddenly be swarmed by corrupt officers who’d followed me. But the park thankfully remained silent and empty. I let out a shaky breath, then picked the kayak back up and continued down to the water.
Nigel was already waiting for me by the steps, his own kayak sitting by his feet. He was fumbling with something on his waist, and as I approached him he started, tugging down on his shirt and jacket. “Oh! Oh, it’s only you, Marshall” he said, letting out a loud whoosh of air. I allowed a small smile to crack on my face. “Well, who else did you think it’d be? Patrick Allen?” A snort of laughter escaped the man. “Mate, you need to update your references. Nobody our age except cinephiles are going to have any idea who that is” I shrugged. “Hey, got you to laugh and relax a little, didn’t it?” He nodded, then turned serious, gesturing towards the water. “So, you ready?” Like a balloon being popped, the levity burst, allowing the anxiety and fear to rush back in as I turned to stare at the ever darkening water. Finally, I spoke.
“Yeah. Let’s go”
The two of us slid our kayaks into the water, climbing rather clumsily into them and pushing off. We headed in the direction of the railway bridge, away from Boulter’s Lock. We’d start our sweep up there, slowly making our way back down towards it. Each of us now had four GoPro cameras mounted on our kayaks. Two were mounted on the bow and stern of the small boat, while two others in waterproof housings were stuck to the undersides, also facing in opposite directions underwater. Small, but powerful LED lights had also been stuck to the undersides, meaning anything that came near the kayaks would be caught clearly on camera, while we each had powerful flashlights to aim up top.
I slid my paddle into the water, pushing as hard and gently as I could to avoid making too much noise. I didn’t need unwanted attention until we were squarely in place. Every second or third paddle I would swivel my head around like I was an owl, attempting shoot looks in all directions for any sign of a splash or movement beyond the norm. But nothing seemed to disturb the slowly moving surface of the Thames. Far from helping me relax, I instead felt the tendrils of anxiety, paranoia and dread begin to increase inside of me as darkness slowly began to spread across the river. This thing could be anywhere. Even directly under you, and you wouldn’t know. The thought made me snap my head down to look in the water. Nothing stirred in the illumination provided by the underwater lights. “Hey, everything all right?” came a whisper, and I looked up to see Nigel staring back at me, an expression identical to what I felt visible on his face. “Yeah, I’m fine, man. Keep going” He nodded, but I saw him nervously cast another look at the water.
As we rounded the top of Guard Club’s Island, swinging round to begin moving back up the river to begin our sweep, a sudden, ear-piercing sound caused me to almost jump out of the kayak’s cockpit. For a few moments, my mind was unable to process what it was as blind panic overtook me. Then it suddenly clicked as the whistle came again, along with the sound of clanging on the railway tracks directly over our heads. The train. It’s the freaking evening train coming into town. I let out a shaky, shuddering breath, which was followed by a short, tense laugh. I heard Nigel let out an equally nerve-wracked chuckle. “Scared the devil out of both of us, I see” he called. “That’s…one way to phrase it” I replied, then shot a glance ahead and to the right.
Where a flash of red near the waterline caught my eye.
What the? I knew it hadn’t been light reflecting off of anything; none of the pylons along the shore had reflectors on them, and the only other light I could see shone from the windows of the houses along the banks, white and soft yellow. So what the hell had that been? A shudder suddenly ran through me, and I fumbled for the flashlight in my lap, almost dropping it into the water. Snapping it on, I quickly aimed it where I’d seen the red flash.
Nothing was there.
A mixture of confusion and wariness wafted into my mind as I continued to shine the light around for a second. But the beam found nothing except speedboats and narrow boats moored at the river’s edge. Did…did I just see things? Am I getting so paranoid that I’m beginning to hallucinate? I shook my head. Focus, Marshall. You can’t lose your cool now. Losing it would be a fatal mistake. I snapped the light off, turning to Nigel, who wore a questioning look on his face. “Thought I saw something is all. Come on, let’s keep moving”
For the next twenty minutes, the two of us slowly paddled back up the river towards the lock. We slid underneath the main bridge, criss-crossing from one side of the Thames to the other. Sounds drifted out to us from the town around us; the sound of music came from one of the houses along the bank. A police car siren began wailing from somewhere closer to the town center. And the occasional hum of a boat’s generator filtered from the boats moored to either side of us. But nothing else broke the stillness except the sounds of our paddles dipping in the water. I kept watch much more vigilantly now, shooting glances to either side. With each stroke we took towards the lock, my dread and paranoia grew. It crescendoed as we finally reached the spot I’d dove in after the doomed teenager. The memory of feeling the water surge under me, along with what I’d touched in the dark fueled it even further.
Still, nothing seemed to disturb the water’s surface.
I began to wonder if we might have picked the wrong night to try and find the creature. Maybe it decided to head to Bourne End, or hell, even further downstream. We might be out here half the night for nothing. I felt a bit ashamed that the thought brought me more of a sense of relief than disappointment. Nigel seemed to read my thoughts as we drew even with Woodhurst, sparing a glance over at my flat building. “Mate, I hate to say it, but I think it’s headed elsewhere for the night. I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’re getting proof tonight” The man’s words felt a bit like a punch to the gut, and I felt myself begin to deflate. “You might be right, man” I said, then shot a glance ahead. What the hell, why not? I spoke again. “How about we just shoot quickly up by the weir, then we’ll turn around and head back to the park and call it a night?” The man’s voice immediately answered; I heard the plain relief in his voice. “Sounds like a plan to me, Marshall” He began to paddle forwards, leading the way as I followed.
As we approached Ray Mill Island, the river split off into two directions. To the left and caught in the glow of the streetlamps on the road above I could see the large black doors which marked the entrance to Boulter’s Lock, where boats would enter and have the water raised or lowered to allow passage through. To the right, clad more in darkness, was the stretch of water that would lead to the weir itself.
We headed to the right.
The low thundering sound of the water rushing down from the river above began to reach my ears as we drew closer to a walkway bridge that ran overhead. I let out a final sigh as we slid underneath it. I knew for a fact the water got shallower up near the weir; too shallow for anything monstrous to hide. “Hey, Nigel?” I called out. I saw him stop paddling, turning to look at me. “Yeah?” I began to open my mouth to answer him.
That’s when something bumped against my kayak from below.
My blood ran cold as I felt the stern rise slightly out of the water, and I whirled around in my seat, eyes wide and searching. For a split second, I saw the shadow of something moving quickly away, retreating back into the darkness. Something massive. The water became still once more. But I knew I hadn’t imagined things this time. All the terror I’d felt a few days ago returned with a vengeance. It’s here. Instantly, I realized just how foolish and suicidal my plan had been. You dumb son of a bitch, this is like going after a lion with a pork chop hung around your neck. Get OUT of the damn water.
I swallowed, hard, before speaking again. My voice came out high and squeaky. “Uh…Nigel?” The man must’ve immediately noticed the change in my voice, because when he answered, his voice was deadly serious. “What is it, Marshall?” I took another shaky breath. “We’re not alone out here anymore” I forced out. For a second, there was silence. “Oh…fuckin’ hell” he breathed. Even though I knew he couldn’t see me, I nodded. “I…suddenly get the feeling we’re in over our heads here, man. We…we need to get our asses to shore, now” The fear between the two of us now was so palpable you could’ve cut it from the air with a knife. Still, he kept his voice level and calm. “There’s no way to climb up onto the island where we are. We have to turn around and paddle back towards where the fork in the river is, back to where the docks by The Boathouse are” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him allow the water to slowly begin carrying him back downstream, the bow of his kayak coming about. “Just let the water turn you around, and then as calmly as you can, paddle. We don’t want to give it a reason to rush us”
I felt like my heart would stop, and I would die of fear at any moment. I could practically hear the pounding of it in my ears, even over the crash of water ahead. Still, I listened to the man, allowing the water to pull my kayak backwards. Slowly, almost painfully so, my bow swung around until I pointed back the way we’d come. All the while, the horrific feeling of being watched hung around my neck like a noose. Watched by something which was sizing us up for supper. Slowly, I dipped my paddle into the water and pushed, following Nigel who was now about a boat length or two ahead of me. The seconds felt like hours as we made our way towards our salvation. Splashing sounds began to come from behind us, and it took every ounce of willpower in me to not look back.
Finally, we rounded the corner under the footbridge again, and my eyes began to well with tears of relief as I saw the dock slide into view. We’re gonna make it. We’re gonna make it! Allowing a small smile to cross my face, I glanced around one more time, casting a last look down into the water.
And felt all the hope wash away like a loved one swept overboard in a storm.
Because it stared up at me, a few feet below the surface.
Even in the glow of the underwater lights, I couldn’t see it perfectly. But it was enough to make me want to scream. The head, one as wide across as my coffee table, reminded me of the head of a salamander. Except no salamander has red eyes. Eyes that reflected back in the light. And none have long, needle like looking teeth jutting from their mouths. A whimper escaped my lips. “Oh…fuck…” From the corner of my eye, I saw Nigel slowly turn around, but it was as if I’d been frozen in place. I could only look down and watch in horror as the head slowly rose up towards me, revealing its massive body behind as it began to open its mouth. I began to shake uncontrollably.
That’s when, with a flick of its tail, it suddenly shot forward, out of the glow from my lights. For a moment, my mind couldn’t comprehend what had happened. Then the horrific realization hit me like a freight train. I snapped my head up. “Nigel, LOOK OUT!”
But my warning came a moment too late.
What happened next happened in a blur. The only way to describe it is, if you’ve ever seen the film Lake Placid, and remember the scene where the canoe Bridget Fonda and Brendan Gleeson were in was literally flips up in the air and over? That’s what happened to Nigel. One second, he was sitting there. I remember seeing the look of horror flash across his face as he realized what was about to happen. The next, his kayak was slammed up and out of the water, flipping upside down as he disappeared beneath the churning surface. I screamed the man’s name again, but no answer came. Worse, his head didn’t break the water’s surface. I shot a glance over at the dock, now less than fifteen feet away. It would be so easy to quickly paddle and reach it while the beast was preoccupied.
But I couldn’t. I couldn’t just abandon my friend. Even if it was too late for him, as the animalistic side of my mind screamed, I had to try and save him. After all, if it’d been me that had just been flipped, I knew he’d have dived in after me. I snatched the large kitchen knife from where I’d stowed it, along with the waterproof flashlight. As I saw the water around Nigel’s kayak begin to froth, I stood up, the kayak beginning to tip. I took a final deep breath, saying a quick, silent prayer I’d live to breathe the air again.
And dove.
The water was as bitingly cold as it had been the last time I’d been in it, making me almost expel my breath as I slid headfirst underwater. The only thing that kept me going was sheer determination. Fighting the urge to surface, I powered forward, kicking forward towards the fray and readying the knife in my hand. With the other, I snapped the light on, the bright as hell beam cutting through the dark water. My kayak drifted over me, the underwater lights banishing away more of the gloom.
Revealing a sight that I wish I’d never seen. One that will haunt my dreams until the day I die.
The beast had to have been at least thirty or forty feet long. Its tail was pressed firmly against the bottom, stretching away into the dark. Black, slimy looking skin reflected back in my light. As did the single, red eye that momentarily flashed to look at me. It stretched up from the bottom towards the surface. Towards the overturned kayak.
Where its mouth was clasped firmly around something. No, not just something. Someone.
Instantly, I knew Nigel was dead. The amount of blood that clouded around the nightmarish sight was proof of that; no person could lose that much blood and survive. And as the realization hit me, another, more terrifying one came hot on its heels. The fucking thing is eating him….and I’m next.
That last thought was what snapped me from my horrified stupor. I turned and kicked desperately for the surface, my light revealing the creature beginning to drop from its meal as its attention focused on me. I saw the dark outlines of the dock pylons in front of me. Sparing a glance up, I saw the underside of it just a few feet above my head. I kicked harder, then spared a glance to the side.
And screamed, bubbles exploding from my mouth towards the surface.
My light reflected off a mouth opened wider than I thought possible. Translucent, needle like teeth rushed forward to pierce me as the beast lunged forward. I didn’t think, running on pure instinct as I forced myself down, towards the bottom of the river. Not a moment too soon, either. The jaws snapped shut less than a foot over my head, the momentum beginning to carry it past me. One giant, red eye glared down at me as it slid by, enraged that its next meal had outwitted it. As I stared at it, a rage unlike anything I’ve ever felt, even stronger than I’d felt for the cops which had covered up this monster’s existence began welling up inside of me. This…fucking thing has been around, devouring people in the river for God knows how long. It’s eaten people, pets, and livestock. And it just killed the best friend I had in this country.
That final thought made me bring my right hand up. The hand that was still clutching the knife, knuckles turned white from the death grip it had on it. I angled the knife upwards. And jabbed.
The creature didn’t let out any sort of cry as the knife stabbed into its eye, piercing it and filling the water with a strange, blue fluid. But it did recoil, turning and swimming quickly away into the safety of the gloom. As soon as it disappeared, my mind shifted focus, and I began racing for the surface. I knew I hadn’t killed it, as much of a blow as I’d dealt. All I’d done was infuriate it. A few moments later, my head broke the surface, sputtering water from my mouth as I raced for the dock. My fingers scrabbled at the wood as I felt the water pressure change around me.
It’s coming back!
The thought gave me the burst of strength I needed. My fingers found purchase, and I hauled myself up onto the dock. For a second, I lay on my side, gasping for air. Then, before sheer exhaustion could take hold, I forced myself to my feet and ran for the steps up to the front door of the restaurant above. Because I knew I needed to get away from the water. From it. I reached the stairs and collapsed onto them, the adrenaline beginning to wear off as my body began to uncontrollably shake from fear. My breath came in ragged gasps as I began to sob. Both for myself…and Nigel.
That horrific night was almost a year and a half ago now.
I was never able to get the proof I’d wanted. No trace of my kayak or Nigel’s was ever found, even when I reported that mine had been stolen, hoping it would turn up on the bank downstream somewhere. I have no doubt that monster tore both of them to shreds in a rage at what I’d done to it. That’s what makes everything worse, I think. Nigel died for nothing. I almost died. For nothing.
And it’s still out there.
I still live in Maidenhead. At least, for the moment. I immediately got rid of my flat in Woodhurst and moved to a place closer to the center of town. Away from the Thames. I can’t even look at it now for more than a few moments before I feel like I want to scream. A few weeks ago, I got an offer from my company to transfer back to the States. And honestly, I think I’m going to take it. I want to try and forget. Even if it means I have to drink myself to death to do so.
And that brings me to why I’m telling you this. Why I decided to write about what happened, and post it here for you all to read.
It’s to warn you.
You see, I honestly never would have said anything about that horrific night. About the creature at all. Because ever since that night, pets have stopped going missing from near the river around Maidenhead. So have people. For a while, I felt sure that my wounding it had driven it off. That I would never hear anything about it again.
Until I came across post on Reddit few weeks ago. One of a picture taken earlier in the year, taken on the banks of the Thames near London. The image is blurry, but it shows something horrifyingly familiar to me. Something which is sticking its head slightly out of the water, gazing at the viewer with what appears to be a glaring red eye.
It’s one remaining red eye.
You all need to listen to me, please. All of you who live along the shores of the Thames. Something truly monstrous lives in the river’s waters. Something that has been around for close to eighty years, if not longer. Something that has taken generations of people and animals over that time. Something which the people who know about it have covered up. Something that likely has gotten much more vicious since my escape from it. Something that is still out there, gliding and stalking below the murky surface. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in London, or farther out. Nowhere near the river is safe.
And I don’t just mean in the river. I mean anywhere near it.
You see, there’s one thing I haven’t told you yet. That night, when I made it to the stairs and collapsed? I heard a giant splash come from behind me. I turned to see one final, horrific sight. One that was far more blood chilling than anything else I’d seen. Something that made me sprint back to my flat in blind terror.
I saw it begin to climb out of the water onto the dock after me.
Using its feet to pull itself up.