moved away
from her friends, looking around for someplace to sit in the cool
shade. Spotting an old tree stump beneath hanging branches, she
marched off in that direction, her nose already deep into the
horror novel.
Mary cried out in frustration and
moved to go after the other girl, but Ken stopped her with a hand
on an arm.
“ Let her go,” he said. “She doesn’t
want to work, she doesn’t want to work. She’d just complain the
whole time. It’ll be easier on us if we go on without
her.”
“ I guess so,” Mary said, giving
up.
“ Well, I don’t want to help either, if
she’s not,” Gloria said, her bottom lip stick out, her eyes
appearing cold.
Seeing Mary’s face become more
downfallen, Russ said, “I’ll pitch in. My comics can wait until
tonight.”
“ Thanks, Russ,” Mary said.
Lance couldn’t help but laugh some
more. “Oh, what the hell. I’ll lend a hand. Maybe the two ladies
will realize they’re not too good to help.”
“ I heard that!” Abby shouted from her
perch, her nose still in her book.
“ And I don’t think I’m too good,”
Gloria said, looking wounded, “but it’s not far if everyone isn’t
going to help.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, Ken pointed
Russ and Lance towards the nearest of the cabins.
“ All this is getting us nowhere,” he
said. “You guys go check out the cabins while Mary and I go see
this caretaker.”
“ Won’t they be locked?” Russ asked,
nodding to the cabins.
“ Probably,” Ken said, “but we’ll get
the keys.”
“ Not much for us to look at if we
can’t go inside,” Lance said.
Groaning his frustration, Ken jabbed a
hand at the cabins. “Would you guys just go on? I don’t know, make
sure there aren’t any snakes around the places or
something.”
Fear sprang into Gloria’s features.
“Snakes?”
“ Come on, Mary,” Ken said, grabbing
his girlfriend by the hand. “Let’s go find this
caretaker.”
The couple stormed off, taking the
trail next to the counselors’ building.
“ Well, aren’t those two a little
huffy,” Gloria said to their backs.
Lance and Russ laughed and moved off
to the cabins. Even Abby let out a snicker.
***
“ Idiots,” Ken said, pulling Mary
along.
“ Don’t be like that,” she said, her
arm extended to his as she trailed in his wake. “I’m sure all of
them will help out once we get started.”
Forging ahead on the dirt track, Ken
dared a glance back at her. “Are you kidding me? They’re a bunch of
screw ups. I don’t know why you even asked them to come
along.”
“ They volunteered.”
“ Volunteered? Great. A bunch of losers
with nothing better to do.” He faced forward again and continued
on. “I don’t why the church didn’t just hire somebody to come up
here. And I don’t know why they even needed to since there’s this
caretaker.”
“ But we’re here to help,” Mary said,
Ken not seeing her hurt look.
“ Help? How?”
“ We’re saving the church money since
they didn’t have to hire somebody, and we’ll make the place nice
for the kids.”
“ Yeah, whatever.”
They slowed as they came to a
clearing. The woods continued to surround the area as a small yard
gave way to a pale clapboard house that looked as if it might have
been white once upon a time but had faded to a grimy gray over the
decades. Stained curtains hung behind windows, and a front door
stood open behind a torn screen.
“ Holy jeez,” Ken said. “This place
looks worse than the camp.”
“ Go knock on the door,” Mary
suggested.
He gave her a stern look, then let go
of her hand and marched towards the door.
He never made it.
A figure loomed from within the house
and an old man appeared, pushing the screen open before he stepped
out onto a cracked concrete slab.
Ken came up short and almost brought
his hands up into fists. The old man’s intense gaze looked as if he
held no love for the young people before him. Worse yet, the old
man appeared about half
from her friends, looking around for someplace to sit in the cool
shade. Spotting an old tree stump beneath hanging branches, she
marched off in that direction, her nose already deep into the
horror novel.
Mary cried out in frustration and
moved to go after the other girl, but Ken stopped her with a hand
on an arm.
“ Let her go,” he said. “She doesn’t
want to work, she doesn’t want to work. She’d just complain the
whole time. It’ll be easier on us if we go on without
her.”
“ I guess so,” Mary said, giving
up.
“ Well, I don’t want to help either, if
she’s not,” Gloria said, her bottom lip stick out, her eyes
appearing cold.
Seeing Mary’s face become more
downfallen, Russ said, “I’ll pitch in. My comics can wait until
tonight.”
“ Thanks, Russ,” Mary said.
Lance couldn’t help but laugh some
more. “Oh, what the hell. I’ll lend a hand. Maybe the two ladies
will realize they’re not too good to help.”
“ I heard that!” Abby shouted from her
perch, her nose still in her book.
“ And I don’t think I’m too good,”
Gloria said, looking wounded, “but it’s not far if everyone isn’t
going to help.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, Ken pointed
Russ and Lance towards the nearest of the cabins.
“ All this is getting us nowhere,” he
said. “You guys go check out the cabins while Mary and I go see
this caretaker.”
“ Won’t they be locked?” Russ asked,
nodding to the cabins.
“ Probably,” Ken said, “but we’ll get
the keys.”
“ Not much for us to look at if we
can’t go inside,” Lance said.
Groaning his frustration, Ken jabbed a
hand at the cabins. “Would you guys just go on? I don’t know, make
sure there aren’t any snakes around the places or
something.”
Fear sprang into Gloria’s features.
“Snakes?”
“ Come on, Mary,” Ken said, grabbing
his girlfriend by the hand. “Let’s go find this
caretaker.”
The couple stormed off, taking the
trail next to the counselors’ building.
“ Well, aren’t those two a little
huffy,” Gloria said to their backs.
Lance and Russ laughed and moved off
to the cabins. Even Abby let out a snicker.
***
“ Idiots,” Ken said, pulling Mary
along.
“ Don’t be like that,” she said, her
arm extended to his as she trailed in his wake. “I’m sure all of
them will help out once we get started.”
Forging ahead on the dirt track, Ken
dared a glance back at her. “Are you kidding me? They’re a bunch of
screw ups. I don’t know why you even asked them to come
along.”
“ They volunteered.”
“ Volunteered? Great. A bunch of losers
with nothing better to do.” He faced forward again and continued
on. “I don’t why the church didn’t just hire somebody to come up
here. And I don’t know why they even needed to since there’s this
caretaker.”
“ But we’re here to help,” Mary said,
Ken not seeing her hurt look.
“ Help? How?”
“ We’re saving the church money since
they didn’t have to hire somebody, and we’ll make the place nice
for the kids.”
“ Yeah, whatever.”
They slowed as they came to a
clearing. The woods continued to surround the area as a small yard
gave way to a pale clapboard house that looked as if it might have
been white once upon a time but had faded to a grimy gray over the
decades. Stained curtains hung behind windows, and a front door
stood open behind a torn screen.
“ Holy jeez,” Ken said. “This place
looks worse than the camp.”
“ Go knock on the door,” Mary
suggested.
He gave her a stern look, then let go
of her hand and marched towards the door.
He never made it.
A figure loomed from within the house
and an old man appeared, pushing the screen open before he stepped
out onto a cracked concrete slab.
Ken came up short and almost brought
his hands up into fists. The old man’s intense gaze looked as if he
held no love for the young people before him. Worse yet, the old
man appeared about half
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