This is a story from back in my college days, when a few friends and I went down to the beach. Just so you know, all the names used below are pseudonyms.

That day, three of us guys—my friends Tanaka, Sato, and I—had driven out to the ocean. We didn't have a specific destination in mind; the plan was just to cruise along the coast and hang out wherever we found a beach that wasn't crowded. It was a pretty casual trip.

"Hey, how about here?" "Are you an idiot? It's packed. I want somewhere quieter."

As we drove along bickering like that, we stumbled upon a sandy beach dotted with rocks, situated a little ways off from the crowded public bathing area. Other than a few windsurfers way off in the distance, there was hardly anyone around. Liking the hidden-gem vibe of the place, we parked the car and decided to set up camp there.

Before getting in the water, we took turns pumping up the inner tubes and pool floats we'd brought along. To be honest, I'm not much of a swimmer, so a floatie was my lifeline. In that regard, Tanaka and Sato weren't much better off than I was.

Hanging out in the water was a blast. Having the beach to ourselves was amazing, and the weather was crystal clear—a perfect day for swimming. We tossed around a beach ball, drifted on our pool floats, and generally had a great time, until Tanaka announced he needed to go use the restroom.

"If you just gotta pee, do it right here." "Shut up, it's number two. I saw a bathroom over at that main beach back there, so I'm gonna run over for a minute."

After Tanaka left, I felt like taking a break myself, so I lay down on my float near the water's edge.

About ten minutes must have passed. As I drifted off to sleep on the float, a voice calling out from the ocean woke me up.

"Heeey!"

Looking around to see where the call came from, I spotted a figure out in the deeper water who looked like Sato, waving his hand at me.

"Heeey!" "What's up? Is something wrong?" "Heeey!"

I yelled back, but maybe he couldn't hear me, because he just kept waving in my direction. With no other choice, I paddled my float out toward where he was.

"Heeey!" "What are you doing out here? You know you can barely swim." "Heeey!"

I called out as I got closer, but no matter what I said, he just kept repeating, "Heeey!" What the hell was going on? Just as I was growing suspicious, it suddenly hit me.

(Wait... who the hell is that?)

Since he had a similar build, I'd just assumed it was Sato, but looking closer, it was a complete stranger. What's more, the guy didn't even have a floatie. There was no way Sato—who was an even worse swimmer than me—could have made it out this far without one.

The man had stopped shouting at some point and was now staring at me in total silence, his face completely expressionless. A cold shudder went down my spine. In a panic, I turned around and tried to head back to the beach. But the current was too fast, and no matter how hard I kicked on my float, I couldn't make any progress toward the shore. Suddenly, something grabbed my right ankle with a crushing grip. It dragged me under with incredible force. I struggled frantically, but eventually lost my hold on the float.

(Oh god, I'm gonna die! Someone help me!)

Swallowing water, I thought it was all over—until, at the absolute last second, a surfer who happened to be nearby pulled me out. If he had been even a moment later, I wouldn't have made it. He hauled me onto his surfboard, and I managed to get back to the beach, gasping for breath.

As I washed up on shore, Tanaka and Sato came running over, looks of sheer shock on their faces.

"Hey, are you okay?" "I'm so sorry my friend caused trouble for you. Thank you so much for saving him." "No, I'm just glad I noticed him in time. But..." "...What is it? Did something happen?"

The surfer responded to Tanaka's question.

"...You guys really shouldn't swim here anymore. See, when I was pulling your friend onto my board, I saw it... There was a man hanging onto his leg from underwater. I don't think it was human. It freaked me out so much I almost let go of him."

On my right ankle, a vivid bruise in the distinct shape of a human hand was left behind. Needless to say, swimming was out of the question now, and we fled that beach as fast as we could.

I found out later that swimming was prohibited in that area due to frequent rip currents, and none of the locals would ever go near the water there. Even today, whenever I hear someone shout "Heeey!", the horror of that day comes flooding back.