09 - Welcome to Camp Nightmare

  I had just saved Larry’s life, but Uncle Al didn’t care about that.

  And he didn’t care that two campers were lost on the river.

  He didn’t care that two campers and a counselor never returned from their hike.

  He didn’t care that boys were attacked by creatures!

  He didn’t care that kids disappeared and were never mentioned again.

  He didn’t care about any of us.

  He only cared about his canoe.

  My anger quickly turned to fear.

  Of course, I had no way of knowing that the scariest part of my summer was still to come.

  19

  I was all alone in the bunk that night.

  I pulled an extra blanket onto my bed and slid into a tight ball beneath the covers. I wondered if I’d be able to fall asleep. Or if my frightened, angry thoughts would keep me tossing and turning for another night.

  But I was so weary and exhausted, even the eerie, mournful howls from the Forbidden Bunk couldn’t keep me awake.

  I fell into deep blackness and didn’t wake up until I felt someone shaking my shoulders.

  Startled alert, I sat straight up. “Larry!” I cried, my voice still clogged with sleep. “What’s happening?”

  I squinted across the room. Larry’s bed was rumpled, the blanket balled up at the end. He had obviously come in late and slept in the bunk.

  But Tommy’s and Chris’ beds were still untouched from the day before.

  “Special hike,” Larry said, walking over to his bunk. “Hurry. Get dressed.”

  “Huh?” I stretched and yawned. Outside the window, it was still gray. The sun hadn’t risen. “What kind of hike?”

  “Uncle Al called a special hike,” Larry replied, his back to me. He grabbed the sheet and started to make his bed.

  With a groan, I lowered myself to the cabin floor. It felt cold beneath my bare feet. “Don’t we get to rest? I mean, after what happened yesterday?” I glanced once again at Tommy’s and Chris’ unused beds.

  “It’s not just us,” Larry replied, smoothing the sheet. “It’s the whole camp. Everyone’s going. Uncle Al is leading it.”

  I pulled on a pair of jeans, stumbling across the cabin with one leg in. A sudden feeling of dread fell over me. “It wasn’t scheduled,” I said darkly. “Where is Uncle Al taking us?”

  Larry didn’t reply.

  “Where?” I repeated shrilly.

  He pretended he didn’t hear me.

  “Tommy and Chris—they didn’t come back?” I asked glumly, pulling on my sneakers. Luckily, I had brought two pairs. My shoes from yesterday sat in the corner, still soaked through and mud-covered.

  “They’ll turn up,” Larry replied finally. But he didn’t sound as if he meant it.

  I finished getting dressed, then ran up the hill to get breakfast. It was a warm, gray morning. It must have rained during the night. The tall grass glistened wetly.

  Yawning and blinking against the harsh gray light, campers headed quietly up the hill. I saw that most of them had the same confused expression I had.

  Why were we going on this unscheduled hike so early in the morning? How long was it going to be? Where were we going?

  I hoped that Uncle Al or one of the counselors would explain everything to us at breakfast, but none of them appeared in the mess hall.

  We ate quietly, without the usual joking around.

  I found myself thinking about the terrifying canoe trip yesterday. I could almost taste the brackish water again. I saw Larry coming toward me, facedown, floating on the churning water like a clump of seaweed.

  I pictured myself trying to get to him, struggling to swim, struggling to go against the current, to keep afloat in the swirls of white water.

  And I saw a blur of the canoe as the strong river current carried it out of sight.

  Suddenly, Dawn and Dori burst into my thoughts. I wondered if they were okay. I wondered if they were going to try to meet me again by the waterfront.

  Breakfast was French toast with syrup. It was usually my favorite. But this morning, I just poked at it with my fork.

  “Line up outside!” a counselor cried from the doorway.

  Chairs scraped loudly. We all obediently climbed to our feet and began making our way outside.

  Where are they taking us?

  Why doesn’t anyone tell us what this is about?

  The sky had brightened to pink, but the sun still hadn’t risen over the horizon.

  We formed a single line along the side wall of the lodge. I was near the end of the line toward the bottom of the hill.

  Some kids were cracking jokes and playfully shoving each other. But most were standing quietly or leaning against the wall, waiting to see what was going to happen.

  Once the line was formed, one of the counselors walked the length of it, pointing his finger and moving his lips in concentration as he counted us. He counted us twice to make sure he had the right number.

  Then Uncle Al appeared at the front of the line. He wore a brown-and-green camouflage outfit, the kind soldiers wear. He had on very black sunglasses, even though the sun wasn’t up yet.

  He didn’t say a word. He signaled to Larry and another counselor, who were both carrying very large, heavy-looking brown bags over their shoulders. Then Uncle Al strode quickly down the hill, his eyes hidden behind the dark glasses, his features set in a tight frown.

  He stopped in front of the last camper. “This way!” he announced loudly, pointing toward the waterfront.

  Those were his only words. “This way!”

  And we began to follow, walking at a pretty fast clip. Our sneakers slid against the wet grass. A few kids were giggling about something behind me.

  To my surprise, I realized I was now nearly at the front of the line. I was close enough to call out to Uncle Al. So I did. “Where are we going?” I shouted.

  He quickened his pace and didn’t reply.

  “Uncle Al—is this a long hike?” I called.

  He pretended he hadn’t heard.

  I decided to give up.

  He led us toward the waterfront, then turned right. Thick clumps of trees stood a short way up ahead where the river narrowed.

  Glancing back to the end of the line, I saw Larry and the other counselor, bags on their shoulders, hurrying to catch up to Uncle Al.

  What is this about? I wondered.

  And as I stared at the clumps of low, tangled trees up ahead, a thought pushed its way into my head.

  I can escape.

  The thought was so frightening—but suddenly so real—it took a long time to form.

  I can escape into these trees.

  I can run away from Uncle Al and this frightening camp.

  The idea was so exciting, I nearly stumbled over my own feet. I bumped into the kid ahead of me, a big bruiser of a guy named Tyler, and he turned and glared at me.

  Whoa, I told myself, feeling my heart start to pound in my chest. Think about this. Think carefully .

  I kept my eyes locked on the woods. As we drew closer, I could see that the thick trees, so close together that their branches were all intertwined, seemed to stretch on forever.

  They’d never find me in there, I told myself. It would be really easy to hide in those woods.

  But then what?

  I couldn’t stay in the woods forever.

  Then what?

  Staring at the trees, I forced myself to concentrate, forced myself to think clearly.

  I could follow the river. Yes. Stay on the shore.

  Follow the river. It was bound to come to a town eventually. It had to come to a town.

  I’d walk to the first town. Then I’d call my parents.

  I can do it, I thought, so excited I could barely stay in line.

  I just have to run. Make a dash for it. When no one is looking. Into the woods. Deep into the woods.

  We were at the edge of the trees now. The sun had pulled itself up, brightening the rose-colored morning sky. We stood in the shadows of the trees.

  I can do it, I told mysel
f.

  Soon.

  My heart thudded loudly. I was sweating even though the air was still cool.

  Calm down, Billy, I warned myself. Just calm down.

  Wait for your chance.

  Wait till the time is right.

  Then leave Camp Nightmare behind. Forever.

  Standing in the shade, I studied the trees. I spotted a narrow path into the woods a few yards up head.

  I tried to calculate how long it would take me to reach the path. Probably ten seconds at most. And then in another five seconds, I could be into the protection of the trees.

  I can do it, I thought.

  I can be gone in less than ten seconds.

  I took a deep breath. I braced myself. I tensed my leg muscles, preparing to run.

  Then I glanced to the front of the line.

  To my horror, Uncle Al was staring directly at me. And he held a rifle in his hands.

  20

  I cried out when I saw the rifle in his hands.

  Had he read my thoughts? Did he know I was about to make a run for it?

  A cold chill slid down my back as I gaped at the rifle. As I raised my eyes to Uncle Al’s face, I realized he wasn’t looking at me.

  He had turned his attention to the two counselors. They had lowered the bags to the ground and were bending over them, trying to get them open.

  “Why did we stop?” Tyler, the kid ahead of me, asked.

  “Is the hike over?” another kid joked. A few kids laughed.

  “Guess we can go back now,” another kid said.

  I stood watching in disbelief as Larry and the other counselor began unloading rifles from the two bags.

  “Line up and get one,” Uncle Al instructed us, tapping the handle of his own rifle against the ground. “One rifle per boy. Come on—hurry!”

  No one moved. I think everyone thought Uncle Al was kidding or something.

  “What’s wrong with you boys? I said hurry!” he snapped angrily. He grabbed up an armload of rifles and began moving down the line, pushing one into each boy’s hands.

  He pushed a rifle against my chest so hard, I staggered back a few steps. I grabbed it by the barrel before it fell to the ground.

  “What’s going on?” Tyler asked me.

  I shrugged, studying the rifle with horror. I’d never held any kind of real gun before. My parents were both opposed to firearms of all kinds.

  A few minutes later, we were all lined up in the shadow of the trees, each holding a rifle. Uncle Al stood near the middle of the line and motioned us into a tight circle so we could hear him.

  “What’s going on? Is this target practice?” one boy asked.

  Larry and the other counselor snickered at that. Uncle Al’s features remained hard and serious.

  “Listen up,” he barked. “No more jokes. This is serious business.”

  The circle of campers tightened around him. We grew silent. A bird squawked noisily in a nearby tree. Somehow it reminded me of my plan to escape.

  Was I about to be really sorry that I hadn’t made a run for it?

  “Two girls escaped from the girls’ camp last night,” Uncle Al announced in a flat, businesslike tone. “A blonde and a redhead.”

  Dawn and Dori! I exclaimed to myself. I’ll bet it was them!

  “I believe,” Uncle Al continued, “that these are the same two girls who sneaked over to the boys’ camp and hid near the waterfront a few days ago.”

  Yes! I thought happily. It is Dawn and Dori! They escaped!

  I suddenly realized a broad smile had broken out on my face. I quickly forced it away before Uncle Al could see my happy reaction to the news.

  “The two girls are in these woods, boys. They’re nearby,” Uncle Al continued. He raised his rifle. “Your guns are loaded. Aim carefully when you see them. They won’t get away from us!”

  21

  “Huh?” I gasped in disbelief. “You mean we’re supposed to shoot them?”

  I glanced around the circle of campers. They all looked as dazed and confused as I did.

  “Yeah. You’re supposed to shoot them,” Uncle Al replied coldly. “I told you—they’re trying to escape.”

  “But we can’t!” I cried.

  “It’s easy,” Uncle Al said. He raised his rifle to his shoulder and pretended to fire it. “See? Nothing to it.”

  “But we can’t kill people!” I insisted.

  “Kill?” His expression changed behind the dark glasses. “I didn’t say anything about killing, did I? These guns are loaded with tranquilizer darts. We just want to stop these girls—not hurt them.”

  Uncle Al took two steps toward me, the rifle still in his hands. He stood over me menacingly, lowering his face close to mine.

  “You got a problem with that, Billy?” he demanded.

  He was challenging me.

  I saw the other boys back away.

  The woods grew silent. Even the bird stopped squawking.

  “You got a problem with that?” Uncle Al repeated, his face so close to mine, I could smell his sour breath.

  Terrified, I took a step back, then another.

  Why was he doing this to me? Why was he challenging me like this?

  I took a deep breath and held it. Then I screamed as loudly as I could: “I—I won’t do it!”

  Without completely realizing what I was doing, I raised the rifle to my shoulder and aimed the barrel at Uncle Al’s chest.

  “You’re gonna be sorry,” Uncle Al growled in a low voice. He tore off the sunglasses and heaved them into the woods. Then he narrowed his eyes furiously at me. “Drop the rifle, Billy. I’m gonna make you sorry.”

  “No,” I told him, standing my ground. “You’re not. Camp is over. You’re not going to do anything.”

  My legs were trembling so hard, I could barely stand.

  But I wasn’t going to go hunting Dawn and Dori. I wasn’t going to do anything else Uncle Al said. Ever.

  “Give me the rifle, Billy,” he said in his low, menacing voice. He reached out a hand toward my gun. “Hand it over, boy.”

  “No!” I cried.

  “Hand it over now,” he ordered, his eyes narrowed, burning into mine. “Now!”

  “No!” I cried.

  He blinked once. Twice.

  Then he leaped at me.

  I took a step back with the rifle aimed at Uncle Al—and pulled the trigger.

  22

  The rifle emitted a soft pop.

  Uncle Al tossed his head back and laughed. He let his rifle drop to the ground at his feet.

  “Hey!” I cried out, confused. I kept the rifle aimed at his chest.

  “Congratulations, Billy,” Uncle Al said, grinning warmly at me. “You passed.” He stepped forward and reached out his hand to shake mine.

  The other campers dropped their rifles. Glancing at them, I saw that they were all grinning, too. Larry, also grinning, flashed me a thumbs-up sign.

  “What’s going on?” I demanded suspiciously. I slowly lowered the rifle.

  Uncle Al grabbed my hand and squeezed it hard. “Congratulations, Billy. I knew you’d pass.”

  “Huh? I don’t understand!” I screamed, totally frustrated.

  But instead of explaining anything to me, Uncle Al turned to the trees and shouted, “Okay, everyone! It’s over! He passed! Come out and congratulate him!”

  And as I stared in disbelief, my wide-open mouth hanging down around my knees, people began stepping out from behind the trees.

  First came Dawn and Dori.

  “You were hiding in the woods!” I cried.

  They laughed in response. “Congratulations!” Dawn cried.

  And then others came out, grinning and congratulating me. I screamed when I recognized Mike. He was okay!

  Beside him were Jay and Roger!

  Colin stepped out of the woods, followed by Tommy and Chris. All smiling and happy and okay.

  “What—what’s going on here?” I stammered. I was totally stunned. I felt dizzy.

  I didn’t get it. I really didn’t get it.

  And then my mom and dad stepped out from the trees.
Mom rushed up and gave me a hug. Dad patted the top of my head. “I knew you’d pass, Billy,” he said. I could see happy tears in his eyes.

  Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I pushed Mom gently away. “Passed what!?” I demanded. “What is this? What’s going on?”

  Uncle Al put his arm around my shoulders and guided me away from the group of campers. Mom and Dad followed close behind.

  “This isn’t really a summer camp,” Uncle Al explained, still grinning at me, his face bright pink. “It’s a government testing lab.”

  “Huh?” I swallowed hard.

  “You know your parents are scientists, Billy,” Uncle Al continued. “Well, they’re about to leave on a very important expedition. And this time they wanted to take you along with them.”

  “How come you didn’t tell me?” I asked my parents.

  “We couldn’t!” Mom exclaimed.

  “According to government rules, Billy,” Uncle Al continued, “children aren’t allowed to go on official expeditions unless they pass certain tests. That’s what you’ve been doing here. You’ve been taking tests.”

  “Tests to see what?” I demanded, still dazed.

  “Well, we wanted to see if you could obey orders,” Uncle Al explained. “You passed when you refused to go to the Forbidden Bunk.” He held up two fingers. “Second, we had to test your bravery. You demonstrated that by rescuing Larry.” He held up a third finger. “Third, we had to see if you knew when not to follow orders. You passed that test by refusing to hunt for Dawn and Dori.”

  “And everyone was in on it?” I asked. “All the campers? The counselors? Everyone? They were all actors?”

  Uncle Al nodded. “They all work here at the testing lab.” His expression turned serious. “You see, Billy, your parents want to take you to a very dangerous place, perhaps the most dangerous place in the known universe. So we had to make sure you can handle it.”

  The most dangerous place in the universe?

  “Where?” I asked my parents. “Where are you taking me?”

  “It’s a very strange planet called Earth,” Dad replied, glancing at Mom. “It’s very far from here. But it could be exciting. The inhabitants there are weird and unpredictable, and no one has ever studied them.”