by R. L. Stine
“Not here,” Erin muttered.
I picked up the phone on the desk. “Why don’t we call Camp Hawkwood ourselves?” I said.
“Does anyone know the number?” Erin asked.
“No problem,” I said. “I can dial Information.”
I raised the phone to my ear.
Silence.
I clicked it a few times. Silence. No dial tone.
I felt my throat tighten. “It—it’s dead,” I muttered.
I clicked it a few more times. Then I pulled up the cord. “Whoa—look. It’s not dead. It isn’t plugged in!” I cried.
“Huh?” Erin gasped. “What is going on here?”
I heard a cough. Looked up. And saw Uncle Brian—his big body filling the doorway.
20
“Trying to make a call?” he asked. His tiny round black eyes narrowed on me.
“Yes,” I said. “But the phone—it’s…” I held up the cord.
Uncle Brian pushed past us and stepped around his desk. “The phone has been down all day,” he said. “I tried to call out a hundred times. But I couldn’t get a dial tone.”
“But—but it’s unplugged!” I sputtered.
He frowned. “Yeah. I know. I have to admit I lost my temper. After it didn’t work for the hundredth time, I just unplugged it.”
He took the cord from me. With a groan, he bent down and plugged the cord into the wall. “Now let’s try it.”
Uncle Brian raised the phone to his ear. “No. Still not working.” He set the phone down. “This has happened before. It’s so annoying.”
“So I guess that you couldn’t reach our camp,” Charlotte said.
He shook his head. “No. I hope they’re not in a panic over there.” He rubbed his stubbled cheeks. “But they probably are. Five missing kids…”
“We—we’d kind of like to get back,” I said.
Uncle Brian nodded. “Of course. I understand. I’d drive you back myself. But some counselors took the van in to be repaired.”
He shrugged. “We’re kind of stuck. But don’t worry. I’ll keep trying. I’ll send up smoke signals if I have to!”
We all thanked him.
The knot in my throat started to loosen. I instantly felt a lot better.
“You’re all missing dessert,” Uncle Brian said, plopping into his desk chair. “Better get going. We’re having a movie tonight, too.”
He waved us to the door with both hands. “Relax. Lose those worried faces. Enjoy yourselves. I’ll take care of everything.”
We made our way out of the lodge and around to the mess hall. “Maybe we could have Camp Hawkwood send our stuff here,” David suggested. “It’s a much better camp!”
“Uncle Brian is so cool,” Marty added. “Guess that’s why everyone has such a great attitude here.”
We made it back to our table in time for dessert. And then we helped push the tables against the wall. The counselors set up a movie screen and brought in a movie projector and several large reels of film.
They shut off the lights. And we all sat on the floor and watched an old black-and-white comedy movie. It was called Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
We laughed and hooted all through it. It was kind of funny. But I wondered why they didn’t show videos like this at our camp.
After the movie, the counselors led everyone in a bunch of camp songs. Some of the songs were the same ones we sing at our camp. So we all joined in.
We were feeling really good when Uncle Brian announced lights-out in fifteen minutes. Everyone scrambled to the mess hall door.
We stepped out into a clear, cool night. A half-moon floated low in the sky. Insects chirped in the trees.
I yawned as I followed David and Marty down the path to our cabin. My legs ached. I suddenly felt really sleepy.
So many activities today, I thought. We usually don’t pack as much in back at our camp.
I could hear Charlotte and Erin laughing about something behind us on the path. David and Marty were acting crazy, slapping each other, talking really fast. They were imitating Abbott and Costello, the two comedians in the movie.
We weren’t paying attention. We must have taken a wrong fork in the path. It grew a lot darker as we wound our way down toward the lake.
Suddenly, we were walking past a wooden fence. It was a very tall fence. The planks rose at least two or three feet above our heads.
I turned to the others. “I think we went the wrong way. Do you remember this fence?”
Before anyone could answer, a low cry rang out. “Can you hear me? Please—help!”
I gasped. The frantic voice came from the other side of the fence.
“Help me. Can anyone hear me? Please!”
21
I heard footsteps thudding fast on the path.
“Hey, guys!” Will called, breathing hard. “Did you get lost? Your bunks are back there.” He pointed.
“We heard someone,” I said. “Calling for help.”
“On the other side of this fence,” Marty added.
“Huh?” Will turned and put his hands on the wooden planks. “Anyone back there?” he called. “Who’s there?”
Silence.
Will turned back to us. “No one there,” he said. “Are you guys pulling my leg or something? This is just a retaining wall. There’s nothing but woods behind it.”
“We’re not joking,” Charlotte told him. “We really did hear a boy. He was calling for help.”
Will glanced back at the fence. “Well, where is he now? I don’t hear anything. You guys are just overtired. You’re hearing things.”
He gave Marty and me a playful shove. “Let’s go, everyone. Lights-out in ten minutes.”
He led the way back up the path to our bunks. We dropped off Charlotte and Erin at the first cabin. Then we followed him to our cabin a few yards away.
I waited until I was sure Will had left. Then I turned to Marty and David. “Don’t get undressed,” I said, keeping my voice low. “I think we should go back to that fence.”
“Yeah. Let’s do it,” Marty agreed. “Will was wrong. We weren’t hearing things. That was a real boy calling for help.”
“Why didn’t Will go around to the other side of the fence and check it out?” I asked.
“And why did he hurry us away from there so fast?” David added.
I poked my head out the cabin door. No one around. The coast was clear.
The three of us crept to the girls’ cabin. They were already at the door. “Back to the fence?” Charlotte whispered.
I nodded.
We made our way through the darkness to the path. The chirping insects suddenly grew silent. I could hear voices and laughter from the cabins in the center of camp. But we couldn’t see them from down here by the lake.
I heard the scrape of tiny footsteps. Leaves crackled. Some kind of animal scampered by our feet.
The path curved up beneath low, leafy trees.
My heart started to pound as the tall fence came into view, gray against the black night. I stepped up to the fence and brought my face close to the wooden planks. The others huddled close around me.
“Anyone here?” My voice came out in a whisper.
Silence.
I could hear the plink plink of lake water splashing against the small dock.
“Anyone here?” I repeated.
And then I heard the whispered reply. “Help me. Please—hurry!”
The fence stretched for only ten or twelve yards. I pushed myself away from it. Turned and ran to the end. My friends were close behind.
I stepped off the path. Squeezed behind the fence.
And let out a startled cry.
22
A shaft of pale moonlight washed over a tiny shed. And in the faint beam of light, I recognized Drew.
His head poked out through a tiny window, his dark hair ruffling in the breeze. He raised his eyes to me and again repeated his plea. “I’m locked in. Help me. Hurry. You’ve got to
hurry.”
“Russell—what is going on?” Charlotte appeared beside me, and the others followed.
“It’s Drew,” I said. “I—I don’t believe this! He’s been locked in this tiny shed!”
“Oh, wow,” Erin muttered. Her eyes went wide with shock.
Drew banged his fists on the walls inside. “Help me. I’ve been in here all day.”
“But—but why?” I sputtered.
“Why are you in there?” Erin demanded. “Who locked you in there?”
“That counselor Will. He’s Uncle Brian’s buddy. Will heard me yesterday when I said I’d tell you the truth. He and Uncle Brian grabbed me late last night. They dragged me from my bunk and locked me in here.”
“But—that’s crazy! Why?” Charlotte demanded.
“They don’t want me to talk to you,” Drew said, his voice hoarse and frantic. “They didn’t think anyone would come down here. They figured they could keep me hidden here—until it was too late. Too late for you.”
Marty grabbed my shoulder. “This kid isn’t making any sense,” he said. “I think we should leave him here.”
“No!” Drew screamed. “I’m making sense. I’m not crazy! You don’t know the danger you’re in. You’ve got to listen to me.”
I squinted at Drew through the pale light. His eyes were wild. He was spitting as he talked.
“The other guys say he’s crazy,” I whispered to my friends. “And he looks kind of…dangerous.”
“What if he isn’t crazy?” Charlotte whispered. “What if he’s trying to help us?”
“Help us do what?” Erin asked. She turned back to Drew. “What is this about? Tell us!”
“I can’t,” Drew replied breathlessly. “There is no time. We have to get away from this camp. Listen to me. The danger is real. After we get away from here, I promise—I’ll explain everything.”
“We’re leaving this camp tomorrow,” Charlotte told Drew. “Uncle Brian promised us—”
“He’s a liar!” Drew cried. “Believe me. He’s not your friend.”
“That’s not true,” Marty insisted. “He’s been trying to call our camp all day. He—”
“On what phone?” Drew demanded. “That phone in his office is a fake. Did you see any phone lines out here? No. There are no lines. His phone isn’t hooked up to anything.”
“But—” I started to object. My words caught in my throat. Was Drew telling the truth?”
Drew slammed his hands against the inside of the shed once more. The thin walls shook. “Listen to me! Uncle Brian is not going to let you leave,” he said. “He is going to keep you prisoner here forever—like all of us.”
“Prisoner?” David cried. “Are you totally nuts?”
Drew pushed his head farther out the tiny square window. “I’m telling the truth,” he rasped. “Let me out. I’ll help you escape. We’ll help each other get away from this place. And then I’ll explain the danger. I promise. Hurry! They’ll be coming. Please—hurry!”
I studied Drew’s face, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. But I saw only fear there.
I believe him, I decided.
He’s telling the truth about Uncle Brian.
If Uncle Brian was such a good guy, why did he have Drew locked up? What kind of a man would lock a kid in a tiny shed for an entire day?
“Let’s do it,” I whispered to my friends. “He’s telling the truth. Let’s get him out of there.”
I started to walk to the shed door. But Marty grabbed me and pulled me back. “No—wait,” he pleaded. “This kid is lying, Russell.”
“Then why did they lock him up in there?” Charlotte asked.
“I—I don’t know,” Marty answered. “But if we let him out…who knows what he’ll do?”
“I’m telling the truth!” Drew insisted, frantically pounding the shed wall. “You’ll be prisoners forever. You’ll never see your families again—like us. You’ll never leave this camp. Please—”
Charlotte shuddered. “I believe him,” she said.
“So do I,” David added softly.
I stepped up to the shed door. “Okay. Let’s get him out.”
23
A metal combination lock dangled from the shed door. I took out my plastic lighter and held the flame close to the lock to see it better.
“It is all rusted,” I told my friends. “Maybe we can just tug it loose.”
“Let me try,” Marty said, pushing me aside. “I’m stronger than you.”
He bent down and wrapped both hands tightly around the lock. Then, with a loud grunt, he pulled down with all his strength.
“Whoa!” Marty stumbled back as the lock broke loose with a loud crack. I caught him and helped him regain his balance.
The shed door swung open and Drew burst out. “Yesss!” He pumped both fists above his head in triumph.
Then he gazed past us, up the path toward the center of the camp. “Let’s go,” he whispered. “The counselors will be down here soon.”
He brushed his black hair out of his eyes. Then he spun around and took off, following the path to the lake.
“Hey—wait up!” I called. My friends and I ran after him.
“Where are we going?” Charlotte asked.
“We’ll keep to the lake,” Drew called back. “Then once we’re away from the camp, we’ll cut through the woods. We have to get to the river.”
“Huh? We’re heading back to the river?” I asked.
Drew didn’t slow down. He pushed through a thick bramble of bushes, keeping low, running full speed. “We won’t be safe until we get to the other side of the river,” he called breathlessly.
Charlotte ran up beside me. “That doesn’t make any sense,” she whispered. “Why will we be safe on the other side?”
I shrugged. Maybe Drew is crazy, I thought. I ducked to keep from hitting my head on a low tree branch.
The path curved along the lakeshore. The water lapped softly, ripples shimmering under the pale moonlight.
Charlotte picked up speed to catch up to Drew. “Can’t you explain why we’re doing this?” she demanded.
“No time,” Drew muttered, gasping for breath. He kept glancing back, his face tight with fear. “They’ll be coming after us.”
He turned into the woods. “Hey—!” He tripped over a fallen tree branch. Ducked his head. Pushed through a tangle of weeds. And kept running.
“Wait up!” Marty shouted. “I don’t want to do this. This is crazy!”
“Yeah—hold on a minute!” David rasped, breathing hard.
Drew stopped and spun around. His eyes were wild. His hair flew around his face. “Shut up!” he screamed. “Just shut up!”
“Whoa. Wait a minute—” Erin called.
Drew’s chest heaved up and down. He sucked in breath after breath. “Just shut up!” he screeched. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing!”
He started running again, lowering his shoulder like a football lineman, pushing a path through the tangled woods.
My head throbbed as I followed him. Was this a mistake? Was it? The question kept repeating in my mind.
Where was he leading us?
A few minutes later, we heard the drums.
Thrum thrum…thrum thrum…
The steady rhythm of the Indian drums. Closer this time. Close and all around us.
“Where is it coming from?” Charlotte asked. “Who is doing it?”
Thrum thrum…thrum…
Drew didn’t seem to hear it. He shoved a tree limb with both hands and slipped past it.
The thud of the drums grew louder. It pounded in my ears.
So close…
And then up ahead, I saw a shimmering shadow figure float out from behind a tilted tree.
I blinked. My mouth dropped open.
The figure floated up like a wisp of fog.
And then another shadowy form floated beside it. The two figures sailed forward. Shimmering, twisting into different shapes.
A third figure sailed up from the ground. Four of them…five.
We stopped running. And gaped in horror as the figures shifted and changed.
Charlotte grabbed my arm. “They…look human!” she gasped.
“No—not human,” Erin whispered, hands pressed against her face. “They’re animals!”
The drums pounded. The steady thuds rang out through the trees.
“Black panthers,” I muttered, staring at the shifting shapes floating around us. “They look like big cats.”
But they walked on two legs now.
Circled us, floating through the trees, shimmering shadow figures. And the drums beat…beat…beat….
“Keep going!” Drew shrieked, unable to hide his panic. “Don’t let them stop us!”
But the shadow figures floated up, rose up over us. Rose up in rhythm to the drums.
And then sank down…so silently…. But so heavily. The blackness so heavy, so suffocating…as they spread over us, covering us in darkness.
24
And then we were moving through the blackness. Pushed and guided. Forced through the woods. The drums—the steady, frightening drums—pounding in our ears.
“I…can’t see a thing!” I heard Erin cry.
“Where are we going?” David’s muffled voice seemed so far away.
We were walking over weeds and through the thick bushes. Pushed through the woods. And then I heard the gentle lapping of lake water.
I blinked hard. Struggled to see. But the shadowy forms covered us like heavy blankets.
When they lifted, we all let out startled cries.
“No!” Drew was the first to find his voice. He opened his mouth in an angry cry—
—as Uncle Brian rose up in front of us.
The shimmering, dark forms had vanished. They had brought us back to the center of camp.
And now we huddled close together as Uncle Brian—his camp T-shirt stretched tight over his big frame—glared angrily at us.
Behind him, several grim-faced counselors stood in a line. Their eyes were alert. Their bodies tensed, as if expecting a fight.
