—Part One— —Part Two— —Part Four—
It was like I just discovered a diamond. It had been months since I’d even seen a phone. I looked around the room, even though I was alone, just to be sure no one had seen it drop out of the pillowcase. For a moment I just stared at the black rectangle on the floor. I thought about everything I wanted to do with it of course. I wanted to call my mom first, let her know I was okay. Then I wanted to call the police and let them know what kind of place this really was. The thought of the whole place being infiltrated by the military, the FBI and the media filled me with excitement—even if it was only temporary. I let myself hold onto that emotion just for a little while before I got serious.
Of course, I couldn’t tell the police about what was really going on. I knew that. Who was going to believe a juvenile criminal that was spewing up stories about a camp who fed their campers to a giant cobra that lives in a lake? Nobody. Not just the police. NOBODY. Because it was ridiculous. I’d have to keep that bit of information to myself, as well as the other snake that attacked me in the woods. There were probably more creatures worthy of a bedtime story out there that I was yet to discover. I could tell the police just to check the lake—no, I couldn’t do that. It would be too dangerous for them.
Okay, Brody, settle down, think.
I picked up the phone, ready to call my mom before I could decide what to actually tell the police. That was until an obstacle—which didn’t even occur to me—appeared when I opened the home screen: a passcode. I tried the option for an emergency call, but there was none. The phone wasn’t made by a brand I was familiar with. I attempted the most obvious passcodes, then I tried sequences of numbers until eventually I was locked out for 5 minutes, then 15, then 30 and finally 10 hours. I had to cool it, before I made the lockout wait any longer. I felt like launching the phone at the wall. Frustrated, I sat on the edge of my bed, chewing at my nails for a minute, trying to think about what to do. I couldn’t keep the phone in the cabin. Even if I put it back, that would put Tommy in danger—all of us in danger, in fact. The only place that came to mind was the shower block. I could hide it in a plastic bag inside one of the toilet tanks. Gross, I know, but at least it wouldn’t be traced back to myself or any of the other guys. I hide it down the front of my shorts as I made my way over, making sure no one was watching me. Most of the campers were still eating in the mess hall, so at least I could hide it without being detected.
But even in broad daylight, with not a soul in sight, I still felt like I had eyes on me.
--
I watched Tommy like a hawk for the rest of the day. Josh had been given the task of being his guide around the camp, much to his pleasure, but I decided to tag along and join in with all their activities for the day. At first Josh welcomed it, but afterwards when we were walking back to the cabin, Josh kept giving me harsh side glances every time I asked Tommy a question. Probably because they were about his life before coming to Camp Stanleyside. I was weary of Josh, now that he was Uncle John’s new favourite, but it still didn’t stop me. He somehow managed to get a phone in here without it being confiscated, and I wanted to know everything about him before I confronted him about it.
I played “Fake Brody” with him. Overexaggerating the smile and interest. ‘Where are you from?’
‘Creekwood,’ Tommy said. ‘Born and bred. What about yourself?’
‘Not too far from Creekwood,’ I said, abruptly. ‘I love the tattoos.’
Josh turned to Tommy, with an apologetic smile. ‘You’ll have to excuse Brody; he doesn’t know when to shut up sometimes.’
‘I’m right here, Josh. I was just giving the guy a compliment.’
Tommy shrugged. ‘I don’t have a problem with that.’
‘Yeah, Brody seems to have that effect on the guys here . . . But just remember what we discussed. Ya’ know . . . what you don’t talk about.’
‘Whatever,’ Tommy shrugged again. ‘You guys are weird.’
We carried on walking in silence. There was no use in trying to get anything out of Tommy with Josh around, I would have to wait until we were alone. Just before we were about to make it back to the cabin, I saw Bart walking toward us. I went to follow Tommy and Josh inside, I had too much on my mind to deal with Bart. That was until Josh called Bart over. ‘Brody’s too stubborn to say anything, but I noticed he’s been limping all day. I think you should check him over again. I think he did more than cut himself last night.’
The smart little bastard. He wanted to get rid of me. ‘I’m fine, honestly.’
Josh cocked his head. ‘No, I don’t think you are,’ he said before pointing to my scratched leg. ‘Bart, could you take a look at him?’
An amused smile came over Bart’s face. I think it was because he found it just as hilarious as I did that Josh thought he could start ordering people around. Being Uncle John’s little pet was really getting to his head. But Bart played along anyway. ‘I wanted to talk to you anyway.’
‘Why? Have I done something wrong?’ I asked, a hint of sarcasm in my tone.
Bart ignored my question and waved over at Josh and Tommy. ‘See you later, boys,’ he said, before signalling for me to follow.
--
We went over to the office, a place I was yet to see the inside of. I was hesitant at first, of Uncle John, but also of Bart. I took a few steps back and looked him square in the eyes as he opened the door. ‘There’s nobody else in here, don’t worry,’ he said.
‘Oh, but I do worry.’
Bart gestured his arm into the office. ‘Brody, please.’
I rolled my eyes and trotted inside. It was what I expected: a desk, a poster with the camp’s name, a medical station and absolutely no electronics—not in sight at least. There was plenty of cabinets that I’m sure were filled with contraband such as phones, tablets, drugs, alcohol. The thought had crossed my mind before—about breaking into the office to see what I could fine. But of course, I had no chance of breaking in here and retrieving anything without getting caught or making it obvious that I had tried. I wondered just how much contraband there was, not only that but what each of the camper’s files said. Assuming there were any files on us. I suspected there would be. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in what my cabin buddies did to get here. I managed to push it to the back of my mind after finding the phone, but I remembered Luke’s revelation about still being here despite serving his sentence. I didn’t see him for the rest of the day, but that was another conversation I’d have to continue at some point. Not that he would probably tell me anything else. I snapped out of my trance and noticed Bart was sat at the edge of the table looking at me, with folded his arms.
‘What are you up to?’ he asked. Almost demanded.
I became jittery—nervous, even. Maybe it was the choice of venue to have the conversation, or maybe it was because he sounded so serious. ‘Nothing.’
‘I’ve watched you all day, you’re up to something. You promised me you wouldn’t get yourself into any more trouble.’
Did he see me go into the shower block? I wondered. ‘I didn’t promise anything. And I haven’t done anything. Why are you spying on me?’
‘Because last night, you were nearly devoured by that thing in the woods. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t keeping an eye on you.’
‘But by not telling your superior about it, you’re not doing your job, counselor.’
‘Don’t be smart.’ Bart shook his head. ‘Do you want me to tell Uncle John?’
‘If you thought that there would be no consequences for yourself, I think you already would have.’
‘That’s not true, Brody. I care about you—everyone here.’
‘Yet you still let Rich die.’
Bart stood up from the desk and squared up to me—angry, his face turning pink. ‘You’re like a broken—fucking—record, do you know that?’
This front he demonstrated made me want to challenge him, make him even more angry. I wanted to let my own anger out. ‘And you are just as bad as Uncle John. Don’t think by not snitching to that freak that you’re any better.’
Bart grabbed my arm and tightened his grip around my bicep. For a second I thought it was going to snap, and I even cowered down from it. After a few seconds he let go and brushed his hands over his face. ‘I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to go back and forth with you. I don’t want you to end up like Rich.’
‘Like I said, Bart, I haven’t done anything.’
He sat back on the edge of the table, staring down at his sneakers. The silence in the room made me feel uncomfortable. Not because I was scared of Bart, but because I was scared in general. I still had no idea what was going on and I couldn’t get any straight answers out of him or Luke.
‘You can go now,’ Bart said, still not able to face me.
I waited. I wanted him to look at me. But he squinted when I didn’t move, as though he had a headache.
‘Go!’ he yelled.
I shifted past him and practically kicked the door open on my way out the office. I had one destination on my mind: the shower block. Before I could make my way over, I stopped in my tracks when I saw Uncle John. He was standing outside with both of his hands clasped together in front of him. I felt myself getting hot, when I tried to read the neutral expression on his face. When I didn’t speak first his eyes shifted from me to the office door. ‘Everything okay, Brody?’
My body language probably revealed it wasn’t. I felt like a kid who had been caught red-handed. The longer I knew about that phone, the more paranoid I became that others did. ‘Bart was just double-checking my cuts from last night.’
He studied me from head to toe. ‘You look fine to me.’
I nodded, eager to get away from him. I noticed a couple of guys going into the shower block further down the path. It wouldn’t be practical for me to go in there if there was a load of people around. It would be too risky, even if the phone was stashed in a cubicle. I’d have to look later. ‘Yeah, I am, but you can never be too careful.’
Uncle John took a step forward. ‘I quite agree.’
‘Anyway, I’m fine,’ I said as I rushed past him.
‘You must be very grateful,’ Uncle John said behind me. ‘Whenever you’re in trouble, Bart always seems to be at your rescue.’
Perhaps he was just being observant or perhaps he knew something. But if he did, wouldn’t he have dragged me to the edge of that dock so the cobra could execute me by now?
I thought carefully before responding. ‘That’s his job, isn’t it?’
‘I would call it going above and beyond, personally.’
I turned around to face him again, having my back turned on that man when he spoke made me shudder. I found that all my focus on my own problems had gone. I wasn’t sure if it was paranoia any longer. There was something that seemed to suggest he was aware of the truth—about what really happened to me in the woods. I hoped it was just scare tactics. ‘Bart’s been a good friend to me. He was the only person I had from day one.’
Uncle John paced over to me and carefully placed a hand on my shoulder. ‘A little reminder, Mr Jackson, Bart isn’t your friend. He is your counselor. He is a guard here. Don’t forget where you are, or why you’re here.’ Uncle John stared deeply into my eyes, and I held the stare with him. ‘Do you understand what I’m saying?’
I broke the staring contest between us when I abruptly used my shoulder to shove his hand away. And I swear to god, it made the son-of-a-bitch grin. It was a filthy grin. I didn’t have to say anything else, because it was perfectly clear from that point that we understood each other. Maybe I should have gave into him and played “Fake Brody” in that moment, but I was done with playing him.
I winced before I walked away from Uncle John. I needed to get out of there for good. I wasn’t only done with playing a fake version of myself, I was done with Camp Stanleyside.
--
I couldn’t sleep that night as I reflected on the day’s events. I was unable to sleep because I hadn’t made it to the shower block since that morning. The other guys in the cabin all seemed to be asleep and Tommy showed no sign that he’d “lost” anything. I looked over to the window and saw the moonlight poking through. I thought the whole camp would have settled down for the night, so I took my chance to go and investigate the phone. Even if I couldn’t get into it, the thought of it just sitting there was too much to bear. The floor creaked as I tip-toed across to the door, I glanced behind me to see if any of the boys had shifted in their beds from the noise. When I opened it, the cold draft blew in, making the sheets move from the breeze. It was freezing outside. I should have worn something warmer, but I didn’t want to attract any attention by rustling around in my drawers.
It was the first time I’d ever snuck out of the cabin in the middle of the night. Not a single light was on in the whole camp. I looked around at the cabins, the windows were just empty black squares. The only guidance I had was the moonlight. I couldn’t even hear a cricket in the distance. The whole atmosphere made me feel cautious, because even though the camp seemed sleepy, I felt like it never really was.
I marched over to the shower block, ready to flick the light switch out of habit but then thought twice about it. I needed to remain as invisible as possible, just in case someone was patrolling the grounds. The whole room was pitch black, but I used to cubicle doors to guide me. That and the stale stench of piss that tickled my nose guided me to the cubicle I stashed the phone in. Once I was inside, I carefully removed the cover over the tank and fished my hand into the water inside of it. My search became frantic because I couldn’t feel anything at all in the water other than the mechanics. The phone was gone.
‘SHIT!’
It became quite clear that someone had seen me, and I had two suspects in mind: Uncle John or Bart. I wondered if that was what mine and Bart’s little chat in the afternoon was really about. I carefully placed the cover back over the tank, ready to make my way over to Bart’s cabin and have it out with him. I didn’t care anymore, no more games. I needed to know if he was really on my side. When I stepped outside of the cubicle, I bumped into someone. The shock made me jump back and land on my ass. Before I had time to register that I was sitting in a puddle of piss and water, I stared up at the tall, black silhouette in front of me. I had nothing to defend myself with, I was ready to start crawling under the cubicles to get away when I recognised the voice.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ Luke asked, using both of his hands to help lift me to my feet.
‘Jesus, Luke! I was about to kick the shit out of you!’
‘Sure you were,’ he said. ‘What the hell are you doing in the dark?’
‘I came to take a leak, obviously.’
I shuffled past Luke and was about to head outside until he grabbed my arm. ‘I don’t believe you.’
‘Do you make a habit of following the other boys to the bathroom at night?’
Luke let go of my arm, before letting out a mocking little laugh. ‘No, only you. Because I know you’re up to something.’
The deja vu hit me. I was about to come up with some crap excuse to throw Luke off the trail. Until the whole room lit up from the screen of the phone that Luke held up in the air. ‘I’m assuming that this is what you’re looking for?’
I could still barely see his face, but it was hard—as usual. I was careful—when I planted the phone—that no one was around, but obviously I underestimated the number of eyes there were at Camp Stanleyside.
I folded my arms. ‘That’s not mine.’
‘I know,’ Luke said. ‘Because it’s mine.’
I was confused—never mind surprised—that it was actually his phone and not Tommy’s. I still didn’t trust Luke though, so I played dumb. ‘Do you really think it’s a good idea to have that?’
‘Cut the crap, Brody. I know you took it from Tommy’s bed and put it in here because I watched you do it.’
I admitted defeat. I should have learned long ago that I couldn’t play dumb with Luke. ‘How?’
‘I turned back to wait for you after our conversation this morning, I was hoping we could continue it. Then I saw you go come out of the cabin—looking shady as hell by the way—and come straight here. So, I went back into the cabin and checked the bed. The phone was gone. It wasn’t hard to figure out.’
‘Okay, but why was it in Tommy’s bed and not yours?’
‘Haven’t you figured that part out yet, Nancy Drew?’
‘Evidently not. So, I want you to explain.’
‘Not here. Come on.’
We were both heading towards the door, until an almighty crash came from above us on the roof.
‘What the hell was that?’ I said, pacing back.
‘Shut up,’ Luke said, peaking his head up to look outside the window. ‘We need to stay quiet.’
I joined Luke and peered out the window. The camp was still a black landscape of nothing. We heard the creaking from above and stared at the ceiling. Eventually it was right above us. ‘Is it another snake?’ I whispered.
‘No, I don’t think so.’
I turned to look out the window again when I was greeted by two yellow eyes in the black square. Whatever it was it was hanging upside down. ‘Luke . . .’ I said, tapping him on the shoulder.
Luke turned and looked back the window. He slowly raised the phone up and turned the torch on. Besides the illuminous yellow eyes, it had rows of sharp teeth sitting on its gummy mouth. Two huge triangular ears rested on its head which gently twitched. It stared back at us; I could tell it was observing us too. It let out a quiet squeak when we both back away from the window and extended its fleshy brown wings across the windowpane. As I came to expect, like the other monsters in Camp Stanleyside, it was huge.
‘What do we do?’ I said
Luke put the phone away. ‘Run,’ he whispered.
I didn’t need to be told twice; we both ran out of the shower block into the camp. I ran ahead and heard a loud shriek behind me. It was coming for us. I felt the gust of wind above me when the bat flew over my head. As I ran, I watched it land on top of another cabin, ready to turn around and fly towards us again. I turned around to see Luke was quite far behind me, for a guy of his statue, I thought he’d be a fast runner.
‘Come on!’ I yelled, no longer caring who heard us.
We were nearly at the cabin when the bat flew down, coming at me like a dart. I tried to cower to the floor but before I knew it, I was lifted from the ground. I screamed when I felt its sharp claws break into my skin so it could hold its grip on me. The more I tried to struggle, the more I felt my skin tearing.
The bat lifted me higher and higher as Luke stood below myself and the winged creature. ‘BRODY!’
I struggled through the pain and used my hands to try and grab onto its face. My hand met one of its sharp teeth instead which cut straight through my palm. I still didn’t give up, I travelled upwards, past its gooey nose until I found one of its eyes. I strained my arm as high as it would let me go and I dug my thumb right into the creature’s eye. It let out a ear-piercing scream before taking a swift turn in its direction and released its grip from me. There was a relief and pain as the claws retracted from my skin. The force of the release threw me back down to the camp.
I landed on the hard ground. The shock of the landing made me dizzy, I saw the bat fly away in the sky above me. The last thing I remember seeing before I blacked out was Luke’s face.
‘Brody!’
--
When I woke up, my vision was blurry. I tried to sit up, but I was too weak. I knew this feeling; I was doped up. I felt a hand gently push me back down on the mattress.
‘You need to sit back, I had to give you some stitches,’ Bart said.
I did as he said and licked my lips. He got the hint and placed a glass of water to my lips. I managed to sip it slowly.
‘Look Brody, we don’t have much time alone.’ he said, looking behind him. ‘I know you’re still groggy but—’
‘Luke?’ I mumbled.
‘No, it’s Bart.’
‘No. Where is he?’
‘He escaped. No one knows where he is,’ Bart whispered, looking behind him once more. ‘You need to get your story straight before—Brody?’
I felt my eyes glaze over again, Before I fell asleep.
--
My vision was still a little blurry when I woke up, the sharp pain from the cuts on my back made me jolt forward in the bed. I had no shirt on and realised I was in a cabin, but it wasn’t mine. There was only a door, and no windows. The only things I could see was the single bed I lay on and a side table next to me. There was also the lightbulb in the centre of the 4 wooden walls that surrounded me.
I stumbled out of the bed, nearly tripping over as I made my way to the door. I leaned against it for a moment, hoping it would make the room stop spinning. When I grabbed the handle, it didn’t open. I tried it again, and again, and again.
‘Let me out,’ I managed in a hoarse voice. ‘Someone let me out.’
I found the strength to bang at the door. I banged at it until it started to hurt my knuckles.
‘Let me out!’
I yelled again, really banging my fist against the door this time. ‘OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!’
I kept yelling, but no one came. I slid down against the wall eventually, I don’t know how long I screamed for someone to come.
I hoped Luke really did get out. And that he was safe, because I knew my days were numbered.