"I'm Starting to Think that the Beach Wants Me DEAD" | CLANCYPASTA

[00:00:01] I was convinced to take a trip to the beach for the end of year festivities. Lately, I haven't felt much like going back to the coast, but my friends got together, booked the place, and paid in advance, preventing me from saying no. We went in two groups. In my car, which I finally managed to buy last month, and I was even afraid to take it on the road. It was me, my girlfriend Carla, William, and his girlfriend, Sibylla.

[00:00:23] The other group had Fred and Sam, a couple, James, a friend I had recently made, and another William, a friend of James, who we didn't know very well. They went by bus at different times, and the first to arrive were James and William. We arrived shortly after and started unpacking our stuff. Since it was already night, we decided to leave our bags and go look for something to eat, walking along the sand in the hope of finding a beachfront restaurant that was still open.

[00:00:50] It was on the way back that I realized how isolated the house we were staying in was. It was close to the sea, but far from the city, on a side street with little traffic, and, if I remember correctly, with no neighbors for at least two blocks in the opposite direction from the beach. The place was old, and not necessarily poorly maintained, but you could tell that the owners only stopped by before renting it out to give it a little cleaning. That must be why the rent was so cheap.

[00:01:20] We spent some time outside, chatting, some smoking cigarettes, and others smoking something more interesting, and the girls went inside to take a shower and finish making the beds. The living room was quite large, with worn wooden walls and a ceiling fan that made a low, constant noise. There was an equally large kitchen, a bathroom, and only one bedroom. We had all decided to sleep in the living room, since it would be more spacious.

[00:01:44] Fred, the two Williams, and James were at the entrance to the house, exchanging work stories and laughing, while I watched through the door as the girls arranged their air mattresses on the floor. Hey, Alex, did you guys get your mattress? What mattress? Sybilla pointed to the corner. Mine is here, yours and Carla's are over there, and Sam's is over there. She pointed to the mattresses on the floor. But there were only four more. Weren't there five? There was silence.

[00:02:14] Carla looked at me, raising an eyebrow, and started counting on her fingers. No, each of you brought your own. There were eight, right? One for each. I answered, shooting a confused look at Sybilla. Yeah, but there's one missing. She cut off the sentence in the middle, putting her hands on her hips, and turning her head down with an equally confused look. I focused, trying to remember how we organized the bags in the car. Nothing was missing when we unloaded, I was sure of that.

[00:02:44] I see those drinks had taken effect, I said jokingly. It must still be in the car, or you guys left it somewhere. We didn't sigh. We unloaded everything together, Carla answered her from the other corner of the room. They both looked at me as if they were waiting for an answer. A wave of discomfort took over the room. It wasn't just because of the mattress itself. It was as if we knew something wasn't right, but no one wanted to talk about it.

[00:03:11] Outside, I heard William, the Big William, as we called him to differentiate, laughing in a very loud tone, the way we were used to. I'll go and see with the boys, I said, heading towards the door. Outside, the air was fresh, and the conversation was accompanied by laughter and the smell of cigarettes being put out in the impoverished ashtray. Fred looked at me as I walked out the door. What gives? He asked, noticing the expression on my face. There's a mattress missing in there.

[00:03:41] Are you sure you got everything? James frowned and put out his joint on the wall. Of course we did. I checked the bags with you, remember? Fred shrugged and made a funny face. These mattresses are all the same, and you're all high as a kite. Maybe they're all stacked or something. The other William, James' friend, who had been quiet until then, pointed to the couch that was outside near the door. Isn't it that one over there? The other couch, thrown haphazardly, was a blue air mattress, just like the others still rolled up.

[00:04:10] I went over to pick it up, but something seemed strange. Was it there the whole time? Why hadn't anyone seen it before? I shook my head, pushing the thought away. Fred laughed and patted me on the shoulder. See? Problem solved. Now go in there and tell the girls they're paranoid. I went into the living room and started inflating the mattress with the air pump. There it is. Some idiot forgot it on the couch.

[00:04:37] She didn't seem completely convinced, but I accepted the explanation with a sigh. Once it was inflated, it was placed next to the others and covered with a sheet. Everything seemed to be sorted. But as I left the room to join the mess outside, I couldn't shake a bad feeling from my mind. I was sure we had brought everything inside the house. Eventually, the girls appeared outside with three glasses of drinks in their hands.

[00:05:03] The house had an outdoor area set up with a grill, a small table, and a sofa. We also set up our beach chairs and started playing cards to pass the time. Who wants to play one? Fred said, handing me the cards to shuffle as if he had already decided that I would play. I'm in. Big, William replied. Fred raised an eyebrow to the left corner of the room. You too, William? I turned to the right corner looking for the answer, but froze for a second when I heard it coming from the other side of the table. Of course.

[00:05:32] My gaze followed Fred's, and I saw the other William nodding casually. It's going to be confusing with so many Williams at the table, Sam commented in an ironic tone. It's always been confusing, I joked, trying to lighten the mood. Hey, I haven't even played yet and I'm already being accused, replied Big William laughing. I started to shuffle and deal the cards, trying to ignore the strangeness of the situation.

[00:05:59] But before I could finish, Carla leaned over to pick up her glass from the edge of the table and raised an eyebrow. Hey, William, weren't you sitting right next to me? Everyone looked at the seat next to her. It was empty. Yes, I was. I just got myself a beer. Want one? Said Big William, raising the can. Carla turned her head, following the words. No, it wasn't you. And there we go. The Williams confusion began.

[00:06:26] Fred interrupted the girl, laughing at his own joke. Carla opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something else. But when she saw everyone laughing, she shook her head and forced a smile, too. That was enough to dissolve the discomfort and the cards started to spin again. But for a moment, before Carla sat back down, I had the impression that there were more people around the table than there should have been. The sensation was so brief that it almost went unnoticed. Almost.

[00:06:56] I woke up in the middle of the night. Almost morning, actually, since we had gone to sleep late. The sound of the fan still cut through the silence of the room, but there was something different. Something I couldn't identify. The house was quieter than usual, as if it was holding its breath. I looked around the room. Everyone was there. Huddled on the mattresses and a mix of bodies and blankets.

[00:07:20] The weak sunlight, which seemed to still be deciding whether or not it would rise, entered through the window in a distorted way, creating long and strange shadows on the walls. With every movement I made, it seemed like someone was watching me. But when I looked around, I saw nothing unusual. There was just the heavy silence and the feeling that something was wrong.

[00:07:42] I suddenly remembered why I had woken up, and I made my way to the bathroom, stepping over the mattresses, trying to be as quiet as possible. Passing through the kitchen, my gaze was drawn to the figure of someone with their back turned, standing near the window. It was William, or at least it seemed like him, with his tall body and relaxed posture. But upon closer inspection, something seemed strange.

[00:08:09] He was looking outside, which didn't make sense. The window faced the opposite side of the beach, to an area of thick, dark woods. There was nothing there. William? I called softly, my heart beating faster as I approached. The figure didn't move. I hesitated for a second, thinking about going back, but the need to go to the bathroom made me take another step forward. When I got close enough, the light partially illuminated his face. I froze.

[00:08:38] It wasn't William. It was another William. His face was turned towards the window, but what made me shiver was his expression. He was smiling. I quickly moved away, taking a step back. My heart raced. I took a deep breath, trying to convince myself that it was a hallucination, or that the boy was sleepwalking, but something told me otherwise. Something was wrong. Alex? Alex?

[00:09:07] Carla's voice cut through the silence, and I turned to see her sitting up in bed, as if she had been woken up by some noise. I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll be right back. Okay. She lay back down, falling asleep almost instantly. When I came back from the bathroom, William was standing at the door, almost motionless, waiting for me to come in. Before I went to bed, I instinctively started counting heads. There were eight people sleeping in the living room.

[00:09:37] The next day, after returning from the beach, we were all sitting outside again. Empty coffee cups and breadcrumbs decorating the table. The group was trying to decide what we should have for dinner, some complaining about the heat. An argument was starting, and I couldn't help but feel that something in that house wasn't right. While they were talking, I got up and went to get another cup of coffee. James went with me. As we walked through the kitchen, I looked up and noticed a trap door in the wooden ceiling.

[00:10:07] I haven't seen this attic until now, James commented following my gaze. Me neither. It looks pretty big. He shrugged and filled our cups. On the way back, I could already hear that the argument outside had escalated. I'm telling you, we should go to the market soon, Sam said, standing up and slamming her hands on the table. We have beans and some meat here. We'll stay for three more days. We can go tomorrow, Fred replied, trying to keep his usual funny tone.

[00:10:36] Guys, let's try to settle this calmly, I said, already heading towards the group outside. Look, you guys can make up your own minds, Sam said, on the edge of anger, standing up and heading towards the kitchen. Where are you going? Fred asked with a wilted look. I'm going over there, away from here, she replied sarcastically and slammed the door. I... I'm going to grab a beer, William said.

[00:11:05] He said in a strange tone as if he didn't know how to speak properly and also went towards the kitchen. The atmosphere became awful. Fred had an expression of sadness and confusion, opening and closing his mouth without knowing what to say or do. Carla and Sibola were talking quietly as if they wanted to distract themselves. James sat in a chair and took out his cell phone. And Big William shrugged and lit another joint.

[00:11:30] He took a long drag and passed it to other William who was sitting next to him. Weren't you going to grab a beer? I asked. Sure, that I'd seen the dude go through the door. No, it was William who said it, right? I don't even drink beer. The conversation between the two namesakes was interrupted by a loud noise coming from the kitchen. Everyone stood up at once. What was that? Fred shouted. We ran to the kitchen.

[00:11:59] When we arrived, the door was open and the scene we saw gave me chills like never before. William was inside, but he didn't look the same. His body was bent over and he was contorting in an inhuman way. I could hear a strange, artificial laugh coming from his face. Not like a person normally laughs from the bottom of the chest passing through the vocal cords. The laugh seemed to literally come from his face.

[00:12:27] Lying on the floor was Sam. Her body was motionless. Her eyes wide in absolute fear. Bizarre. William was on top of her with his hands on her throat, squeezing with supernatural strength. No, she tried to say, but her voice faded before she could finish. The sight was surreal. That thing was looking at us with an unsettling smile as if this was all part of a game.

[00:12:56] His eyes were different as if they were empty. What the hell is going on? Fred shouted, trying to get closer. William looked at Fred with a cold and indifferent look, and with a quick movement pushed Sam aside as if she were just dead weight. Is there a problem? The imposter said in a voice that was both William's and someone else's. The mix of tones made my stomach turn.

[00:13:23] Carla took a step back and Sybilla turned to the door as if she was thinking about running away. William took a step towards us and with an even stranger smile, he said, Now the game begins. The fight was chaotic. A whirlwind of screams and movement. The third William was everywhere. A threatening presence attacking without warning. The first to try to confront him was Fred.

[00:13:49] Fred was a big, tall man and liked to brag about his street fights. Still, he looked like a child trying in vain to beat up his older brother. I grabbed Carla by the hand and started running, pushing Big William or other William. Honestly, at this point I didn't even know who was who inside that house anymore, and all I knew was that I had to disappear as quickly as possible. My body went into survival mode. I ran out of the house, across the garden, and towards the deserted road.

[00:14:18] The cold air cut my face while the sound of footsteps followed me closely, but I didn't dare look back. I didn't know how long I ran without letting go of Carla, dragging her through the streets of that place, and eventually I reached a gas station. We stayed there four hours, waiting for the day to dawn, not daring to go back to the house. When morning finally came, everything seemed quieter. We went back to the house.

[00:14:47] I was scared, but also feeling a deep need to understand what happened. The house was empty. There were no signs of struggle or of whatever had attacked us. What was left was a disturbing silence. The attic trap door was open. I don't know what made me notice it, and even stranger, something compelled me, almost forced me to go in there. I told Carla to stay in the living room, and if she saw or heard anything, to run away.

[00:15:15] The attic reeked of mold mixed with a metallic smell. Inside, I found more questions than answers. Notes, old photos, and newspaper clippings that talked about disappearances in the area. There was something else in the air. A feeling that everything had happened before, but I couldn't explain. When I poked my head out, trying to get Carla's attention, I found the room empty. All the hairs on my body stood on end.

[00:15:45] She was gone. I would have heard her if she had run away. The wooden floor made a lot of noise. But all I heard was a suffocating silence. I closed the trap door and placed a heavy file box on top and waited. I'm still waiting. I'm posting this here because I need someone to read it. I don't know how long it will take for it to find me. Something inside me tells me that it already knows where I am.

[00:16:13] It is just playing its demonic game with me, again. I don't know what happened to my friends. I don't know if what I saw was real. But one thing is certain. The William that attacked us was not human. It was something much worse. I'm writing to warn others. So if anyone is planning a trip to this place, stay away from isolated houses and never, ever trust anyone you think you know.

[00:16:40] Because now I know, in a very haunting way, that there is more than one William in this world. So if I can, I'm going to see you in the world. So if I can, I'm going to be doing it. So if I can, I can, I will be doing it. Thank you.