by Katie Tsang
‘But . . . we don’t know what’s in there!’ I protested.
‘What’s wrong, Sam?’ said Ralph. ‘Are you scared?’ He snort-laughed.
‘I am NOT scared,’ I said hotly. ‘I’m just being responsible. What kind of captain would I be if I sent my crew into uncharted territories?’
‘I think you’re scared,’ Ralph scoffed.
‘How can I be in charge of exploring if we never do any actual exploring?’ Zoe interjected. ‘Isn’t the point of exploring to go into uncharted territories? New galaxies? Or caves?’
‘Hmmm,’ I said. I was fighting an uphill battle. Everyone had already made up their minds.
‘I’ve been inside LOTS of caves in Hong Kong,’ said Stanley. ‘Just make sure you have your flashlight. And watch your head, and where you step. Come on!’
And without waiting for a response from anyone, he went straight in the mouth of the cave.
‘Wait for me! I’m coming too!’ said Zoe as she ran after Stanley.
‘Me too!’ said Regina.
‘Looks like only the losers are staying here,’ said Ralph as he followed everyone else.
‘This is a very bad idea,’ said Bernard, shaking his head. ‘I’ve read about caves, and they are VERY dangerous and VERY dark. And usually filled with bears. Or bats!’
‘I don’t think we have a choice,’ I said. ‘Come on, let’s go in. We have to stay with the crew.’
It was dark inside the cave.
Once my eyes adjusted, I could see that there were pools of water on the floor and rocky spikes coming from the ceiling. At the end of the cave, it looked as if there were narrow tunnels. Probably going to the centre of the earth. Luckily, nobody seemed interested in the tunnels.
‘This is SO cool!’ said Zoe.
‘Mmm-hmmm,’ I said. It wasn’t that I was afraid in the cave15, I was just suspicious of it. Like any good captain would be in a new territory.
Ralph was turning his flashlight off and on and making shapes on the ceiling.
‘So!’ I said as loudly as I could, trying to get everyone’s attention. My voice echoed in the cave. ‘Sooooo . . . ooo . . . ooo! ’
And then of course everyone had to do it. I’ll admit, it was pretty fun.
Bernard stood near the entrance of the cave. ‘I don’t like this,’ he said, but nobody listened to him.
‘Hey, guys . . .’ Regina said, pointing up above her.
shouted Stanley into the abyss of the cave, ignoring Regina. His voice echoed all around us. It sounded very cool.
‘Guuuuuuys,’ Regina said, waving her arms to get our attention.
I shouted back at Stanley. My voice echoed EVERYWHERE. It was awesome.
‘I THINK WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!’ yelled Regina, running towards me.
And then a dark cloud came down from the cave ceiling, squeaking and flapping.
‘ARGH!’ we all yelled as we ran for the entrance. Bernard was standing frozen, pointing behind us with his mouth wide open.
‘BATS!’
We ran – but the bats kept coming! I was pretty sure there were at least a bajillion of them.
‘I KNEW THIS WAS A BAD IDEA!’ cried Bernard as we ran past him. I grabbed his arm.
‘COME ON, BERNARD!’ I said. ‘I THINK THESE ARE VAMPIRE BATS!’
In the heat of the moment, my captain instincts took over. ‘Follow me!’ I shouted. I led the group through the trees into a clearing we’d passed earlier. Vampires can’t stand the sun.
We’d be safe there.
When we finally got to the clearing, we all collapsed on the grass.
‘Now that was an adventure,’ said Zoe, grinning.
‘WE NEARLY GOT EATEN BY VAMPIRE BATS,’ said Bernard.
‘But we didn’t!’ said Zoe with a fist pump.
‘Do you really think those were vampire bats?’ said Regina.
‘Of course they were,’ I said. ‘And now we know what was outside our tent last night. VAMPIRES.’
I turned to Bernard. ‘Chief Research Officer, what do we know about vampires?’
‘I didn’t do any vampire research!’ Bernard wailed. ‘I was expecting bears! Or wolves!’
‘I know!’ said Stanley. ‘We can use Ralph’s phone.’
Ralph frowned. ‘Do we have to?’
‘That’s an order, Commander,’ I said as sternly as I could.
‘And I’ll tell Mum and Dad that you wouldn’t share,’ added Regina.
‘Fine,’ muttered Ralph, reaching into his pocket. Then he gasped. ‘It won’t turn on!’
We all crowded around him.
‘Let me see,’ said Stanley, reaching for the phone. ‘Ralph’s right – it’s dead.’
‘There’s only one explanation,’ I said grimly.
Everyone looked at me.
‘Alien interference.’
‘Aliens?’ gasped Regina.
I nodded. I was sure of it. ‘We’re not just dealing with vampires here. Oh no. This is something much, much bigger,’ I said.
‘Bigger than what?’ said Stanley.
I frowned. ‘Just bigger,’ I said, stretching out my arms for emphasis.
‘So what are we going to do?’ said Bernard.
‘Go back to base! I’ll tell you there.’
‘Base?’ said Regina.
‘He means our campsite,’ said Zoe. ‘You’ll understand SPACE BLASTERS speak soon, don’t worry.’
We didn’t tell the grown-ups about the bats because we knew we’d get into trouble for going off the main path.
‘So, what’s the plan, Sam?’ said Stanley.
‘Here’s what we’re going to do,’ I said.
I picked up a stick and started drawing in the dirt again.
‘This,’ I said, putting a rock in the centre of a circle, ‘is the fire. As long as we keep the fire going all night, I think we should be safe from vampires.’
‘But how will we do that?’ said Regina.
‘We’ll take shifts and stay up all night. It’s the only way. And we’ll do it in pairs. Safety in numbers.’
‘What about the aliens?’ said Zoe. ‘Will the fire keep them away?’
I wasn’t sure. But a captain can never show uncertainty.
‘Yes,’ I said confidently. ‘Aliens hate fire. And water! So we’ll keep a bucket of water next to the fire too. If anyone sees an alien, they should throw water on it.’
‘But, Sam, what if the alien’s from a water planet?’ said Bernard.
‘Then the fire will keep them away! It’s a foolproof plan,’ I said. I didn’t mention the other types of aliens that loved fire AND water, but I just had to hope we weren’t dealing with those.
‘Won’t Bernard’s dad try to put the fire out before bed, like he did last night?’ said Stanley.
‘This is where the plan gets tricky,’ I said.
‘This is where the plan gets tricky?’ scoffed Ralph. ‘This whole thing sounds RIDICULOUS!’
‘Listen to Captain Sam, Ralph,’ said Regina. ‘He knows what he’s doing.’
‘He does not,’ said Ralph, but Regina frowned at him. ‘Okay, okay,’ Ralph relented. ‘What do we do then?’
‘Okay. So tonight, after Bernard’s dad has put the fire out and gone to bed, one of us will have to start the fire back up again,’ I said.
‘Who knows how to do that?’ said Zoe.
I looked at Stanley, who smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up.
‘Our camping expert. Colonel Stanley,’ I said proudly.
Who knew Stanley’s camping expertise would actually come in handy?
We agreed on our shifts. Stanley and Ralph first, then Regina and Zoe, and Bernard and I would take the last watch.
‘What’s the code word if we see anything suspicious?’ asked Stanley.
‘Scaredy-Cat Sam Wu-s—’
‘Ralph!’ Regina jumped in.
‘Hoot like an owl three times,’ I said, ignoring Ralph and giving Regina a smile.
We al
l practised hooting.
‘And what do we do if we hear a hoot?’ said Zoe.
‘We all run out of our tents and help our crew members,’ I said.
‘This is the bravest thing we’ve EVER done,’ said Zoe.
‘I’ve never done anything like this before,’ agreed Regina. ‘It’s exciting!’
‘It’s stupid,’ said Ralph, rolling his eyes.
I turned to Ralph. ‘Commander, this is serious business. Are you in or are you out?’
‘Why does everyone keep asking me that? I’m in, I’m in, okay? Jeez.’
‘Good.’
‘But only so the aliens don’t get us,’ Ralph added.
‘Or the zombie werewolf,’ said Regina.
‘I still think it might have been a bear,’ said Bernard with a shudder.
‘Whatever it is that comes out in the dark, we’ll be ready,’ I said.
Everything started perfectly.
After Bernard’s dad went to bed and we could hear him snoring, Stanley crept out of the tent and started up the fire again.
‘Don’t forget to wake up Zoe and Regina,’ I said. I was so excited and awake I kind of wished I was taking the first watch, but I knew it made sense for it to be Stanley and Ralph. Mostly because Bernard and I didn’t know how to start a fire.
I must have fallen asleep at some point, because suddenly Zoe was shaking me awake.
‘It’s your turn,’ she said with a yawn. ‘None of us have seen anything suspicious.’
I rubbed my eyes and poked Bernard.
We sat out by the fire which was smaller now.
‘It’s cold out here,’ said Bernard, shivering.
I nodded. It was. And I was sleepy. I could hear Bernard’s dad snoring loudly in his tent.
‘I’m going to get my sleeping bag,’ Bernard said.
‘Good idea,’ I said. ‘Can you get mine too? And leave the tent unzipped in case we need to get back in really fast.’
Bernard came out of our tent, his arms full of sleeping bag. ‘Stanley looked like he was having a weird dream. He was flailing around and stuff.’
‘Yeah, he does that sometimes,’ I said. ‘It keeps me awake when we’re sharing a room.’
Bernard nodded.
I wiggled into my sleeping bag while Bernard did the same. ‘Hey, why don’t we sit back-to-back?’ I suggested. ‘That way nothing can sneak up behind us.’
We sat like that for a while, listening as hard as we could for anything.
‘Hey, Sam,’ said Bernard.
‘Mmm-hmmm?’
‘What do you think it really was? The thing we heard last night?’
‘It could have been anything,’ I said. ‘You never know in the dark.’
‘Makes sense,’ said Bernard.
I watched the fire. I knew I should have been more scared, but I was so sleepy.
‘Hey, Sam,’ Bernard said again.
‘Yeah, Bernard?’ I said with a yawn.
‘Keeping watch is pretty boring, isn’t it?’
‘Mmm-hmmm,’ I said.
He was right. And I was so tired . . .
And before I knew it, my head was tilting forwards and my eyes were closing . . .
‘OH NO! THE FIRE’S OUT!’
How long had I been asleep for? ‘Bernard!’ I said, elbowing him. ‘Bernard, wake up!’
Bernard jolted awake. ‘What? What? Where am I?’
‘We fell asleep! The fire is out! And it’s DARK!’
I couldn’t see ANYTHING.
‘Oh no!’ said Bernard.
‘Quick! Get back in the tent!’ We jumped out of our sleeping bags and rushed back into the tent.
‘Phew! That was a close one,’ said Bernard.
‘We’ve messed everything up! We let the fire out! How will we stay safe from the vampires and the bears and the aliens now?’ I moaned.
‘Let’s just wake up Stanley – he’ll be able to start the fire again,’ said Bernard.
‘Bernard, you’re a genius!’ I said.
‘I know,’ said Bernard. ‘But, Sam?’
‘Yeah?’
‘Where’s Stanley?’
‘What do you mean, where’s Stanley? ’ I said.
‘He’s not here!’ Bernard said.
I felt around blindly in the tent.
Bernard was right.
Stanley was gone.
Bernard ran outside the tent and started hooting.
‘Just three hoots!’ I said. He’d done about ten. ‘Otherwise they won’t know it’s the code word!’
‘Sorry!’ he said.
We did three loud hoots together.
‘Now what?’ said Bernard.
I hadn’t thought this through. ‘They should be coming,’ I said. ‘Or at least hooting back.’
‘Maybe we should try again?’
‘Hoot-hoot-hoot!’
Still nothing.
‘Sam,’ said Bernard. ‘You know I love a code word, but maybe we should just wake them up?’
‘Good idea,’ I said. ‘You get Zoe and Regina. I’ll get Ralph.’
‘Should we get my dad?’
I paused. I knew that if we woke up Bernard’s dad, I would have failed as a captain.
‘Not yet,’ I said. ‘I think this is something the crew can handle.’
I went into Ralph’s tent and poked him.
‘What is it?’ he said.
‘Stanley’s been taken,’ I said. Because at this point, it was the only possibility.
‘WHAT?’ said Ralph, sitting straight up.
‘Come on,’ I said. ‘We’ve got to find him.’
‘Go out in the woods in the dark? No way!’
‘We have to!’
‘I’m waking up my parents,’ Ralph said.
‘SAM, COME HERE RIGHT NOW!’ yelled Bernard.
‘Come on,’ I said, yanking Ralph’s arm.
‘There’s no time to wake up your parents!’
‘SAM!’ shouted Bernard.
‘That’ll wake them up anyway,’ said Ralph.
We stumbled out of the tent and I saw why Bernard was yelling for us.
Coming right at us from the dark woods was a strange figure, walking with its arms stretched straight out!
‘IT’S A ZOMBIE!’ yelled Ralph.
‘IT’S AN ALIEN!’ yelled Bernard.
‘IT’S A VAMPIRE!’ yelled Regina.
‘IT’S STANLEY!’ I cried. I recognized his pyjamas.
‘STANLEY’S BEEN TURNED INTO A VAMPIRE! HE MUST HAVE BEEN BITTEN BY A BAT!’ shouted Bernard.
Oh no. That hadn’t even occurred to me.
‘EVERYONE STOP YELLING!’ yelled Zoe. Then, more quietly, she added, ‘Sam, you have to try to talk to him. He’s your cousin.’
‘Yeah,’ agreed Bernard. ‘And maybe he won’t bite you.’
I took a deep breath. They were right.
It was up to me.
I held my flashlight out in front of me and walked towards Vampire Stanley.
‘Stanley,’ I said when I was closer. ‘It’s me, Sam. Wu Gabo! Your cousin!’
He kept walking towards me with his arms stretched out.
‘Stanley! Stop! It’s me! We’re family!
He kept coming.
Oh no. I definitely didn’t want to turn into a vampire too.
He was so close now. This was it. I either had to turn and run or be bitten by a vampire.
Wait. Was he . . . snoring?
‘STANLEY!’ I yelled as loud as I could and clapped my hands in his face.
He opened his eyes.
‘Sam?’ he said. ‘What are we doing? Why are we outside?’
‘What are YOU doing?’ I said.
He looked down at his feet. They were covered in mud. ‘Uh-oh, was I sleep walking? I do that sometimes. Sorry. I probably should have mentioned it.’
‘WHAT’S HAPPENING OVER THERE?’ shouted Zoe. ‘DO YOU NEED BACKUP?’
I was so relieved that we’d found Stanley, and tha
t he wasn’t a vampire, that I just started laughing.
‘He’s fine!’ I yelled back to Zoe and the rest of the crew.
Stanley and I walked back to everyone and we high-fived and cheered for saving the day. Or, I guess technically, we’d saved the night.
I still couldn’t believe that the grown-ups were sleeping through all of this.
Then Bernard started hooting. ‘Hoot-hoot-hoot!’ he said, his eyes wide as he pointed behind me.
‘Bernard, we’re all here. We don’t need the code word any more,’ I said.
‘LOOK BEHIND YOU, SAM!’ he shouted.
I heard a loud growl. Just like the one
I’d heard the night before.
I turned.
THERE WAS A HUGE HAIRY CREATURE COMING TOWARDS US!
I yelled the only captain command possible in this situation.
‘RUN!’
We all ran in different directions in the camp.
‘IT’S THE ZOMBIE WEREWOLF !’ cried Ralph. ‘I DON’T WANT IT TO EAT ME! MUM!’
‘HE’S RIGHT!’ yelled Regina, as they ran towards their parents’ tent.
‘IT’S A BEAR!’ shouted Bernard. ‘DAAAAAD!’
I was sure it was an alien. Some kind of big, furry alien with glowing yellow eyes.
A very small part of me wanted to run away on my own, and leave the others to deal with the alien monster. But that isn’t what a captain does. So I summoned all of my bravery.
‘General Zoe! Grab me that bucket of water!’ I yelled. It was our last hope.
Zoe grabbed it and raced over to me. I could see the furry alien coming even closer. It was snarling. And it looked as if it was multiplying! There was another HUGE shadow behind it! This was it. I pulled my arm back and flung the water over the creature.
‘What the heck?’ said an unfamiliar voice RIGHT AS THE ALIEN CREATURE JUMPED ON ME AND STARTED TO EAT MY FACE!
Wait.
It was just licking my face.
