HOLLIS MCCALISTER SUMMER CAMP

by Keith McCloud

  The growling sounds as if it is now coming from inside the cave. It’s sounds as if the sound is echoing like it is in the area of the cave we were in. I think they have come into the cave. Max has picked up her pace and is starting to look back every few minutes to see if anyone is behind us. I am also doing the same thing. The growling is starting to get loud again and it sounds as if several of those animals have made it into the cave. I wish we had time to stop and explore the cave because with all the beautiful colors in the walls it really looks nice. We are now jogging, not at a real fast pace, but we have picked up the pace and we are trying to leave the growling sounds behind us. It is getting a little cold in the cave now and the further we go, the colder it seems to be getting. It also feels like we are gradually going downhill a small distance at a time. I hate not knowing where we are going. I am truly starting to worry that we are going to get lost even more than we are, and that we are going to run into a dead end and then we will be stuck trying to fight the animals that are chasing us.

  Man, this cave just keeps going and going and we just continue to run in order to outrun the growling which, by the way, is getting louder and louder and that means they are getting closer and closer. I wonder if they can smell our scent, or do they smell our blood and that’s what’s keeping them chasing us? I had figured once we ran into the cave that they would have forgotten about us, and then we could have just snuck out after a couple of hours, but that has not been the case at all. They are persistent and they just keep coming. All of a sudden Max stops and I almost run right past her. She looks to be listening for something, but I can’t hear what she is hearing and it is like a swarm of something heading our way. Max almost lies down, so I do the same thing. The sound is getting louder and is coming fast, and right then all over the top of us are bats, and there seem to be thousands of them flying over the top of us. Since they are so loud, we cannot hear the growling that is getting close behind us. The last couple fly over us and Max jumps up and starts to jog again, and of course I have no choice and start following her. She again starts to turn back and look and see if something is behind us. the bats flew over us, I haven’t heard the growling. Maybe the bats knock our scent away and can’t smell us anymore.

  Well, that doesn’t last long: the growling is back and it is just as loud as it was before and seems to be getting louder. Max now has started running again and she is running fast and so I have to pick up the pace just to try and keep up with her. I don’t think she would leave me, but I am sure she is thinking that I am slow and keep holding her back. Looks as if the cave ahead is getting wider and it is: we just run into a big, open area and it is huge just like before when we first ran into the cave. Max is running around looking for an entrance to another tunnel we can run into. So far I do not see any. I have stopped running and I am looking around to try and find an exit just like Max is. This part of the cave has some huge boulder rocks in it. Some of them look to me to be 12 feet high, if not higher, and 20 feet around them. They are all spread out throughout this part of the cave. I see Max has stopped and looks over at the entrance of the cave where we just ran from. I look over also and it looks like a huge animal walking into the cave we are in. Max starts to growl, not loud, but she is growling. From a first glimpse the animal looks to be really big. I would say about 6 feet high and a big, built body. I turn away for a second to look at Max and when I look back I do not see that animal anymore. I believe it to be somewhere in the cave with us. I am turning around and around looking for it, but I do not see anything. It is probably circling us like it circles its prey, or it could be waiting on more of its pack to show up. It’s not even growling now. It is being really quiet and I am sure it’s because it doesn’t want us to know where it is. Max has now come over and is standing right next to me, like she is protecting me again like before with that big snake.

  Max is growling now, not loud again, but she is growling. She is also lifting her nose up like she is trying to smell where it is. She has just nudged me on the leg like she wants me to move towards the left. She nudged me again; she wants me to go over towards the wall of the cave. Maybe that’s so that animals can’t come up behind us. This dog is so smart, it’s like she is not even a dog. You would think she was part-human or something supernatural. We are slowly making our way over towards the wall of the cave. When I say slowly, I mean really slow. The whole time we are walking towards the cave wall we are turning around in circles, looking to see if we can see that animal anywhere. We have now made it up against the wall in the cave. Now we don’t have to worry about the animal coming up behind us and attacking us from the backside. At least now we can try and fight them head on.

  Max starts growling loudly for a moment. I look at what she looks at and I see the shadow of something big. It stands about six feet tall and looks to be about two hundred pounds. It is moving all over part of the cave, but for some reason it doesn’t seem to know exactly where we are. Not sure if the light in the cave is doing something to the eyes of the animal, or maybe the smell of the cave is masking the smell of us: the cave does have a sulfur type of smell in here. I have lost where the animal went. Maybe that’s why Max has stopped growling. Maybe it couldn’t see us and has left. It was very big and I hope it left.

  We start slowly walking close to each other, and next to the wall. The sulfur smell is stronger next to the wall. Maybe that’s why Max pushed us this way. Maybe she knew the smell of sulfur would affect the way the wild animal could smell. Also, up against the wall it is darker, so we are not out in the bright opening of the cave. If the animal can’t see us and can’t smell us, then maybe, just maybe, it will not try to rip us apart and try to eat us. We continue to walk along the side of the wall. I am feeling the wall, trying to feel any kind of opening. Max seems to be doing the same thing, but more with her nose. I am sure the sulfur smell is something she doesn’t like to smell either. Every few minutes she has a little sneeze. As Max and I are slowly moving along in the cave I hear a faint growl in the distance. I wonder if the animal went back to get some help to help it look for us. It might have seen that it was only one person and a dog, or it might think there are a few of us since it never really spotted us to see how many of us were in here. I am starting to panic again just thinking about it. Max must think that I am getting all worked up again. She can hear my breathing and can tell it is heavier, and I am getting upset again. She turns her head around and then licks me on my hand.

  It’s getting darker and darker in this cave. Also, the darker it gets, the air seems to feel more damp. It gives you a wet feeling. The growling is getting very loud and it sounds like a couple of them now are in the cave with us. We are still walking right next to the wall of the cave. We are taking a few steps at a time and not trying to make any noise. I can tell when my breathing is getting louder that Max does not like that and she gives me a look, and if she could speak she would have probably told me to keep it down. I am getting to know her behavior and what she’s thinking. I am sure someone has to be looking for her. She’s too well trained and beautiful not to belong to someone. We take a couple more steps up against the wall, but we stop suddenly when we hear a very loud growl, which is very close to us. I am not sure what to do. If we move, the wild animals might hear us, or smell us and rip our heads off, and probably eat us piece-by-piece, limb-by-limb.

  I look down for just a moment, and I look back up to see a huge, at least 6’ wild animal which looks to be a baboon mixed with something because of how big it is. It is growling right in my face. It has a long snout like a dog or something. It has huge teeth, and it has some kind of snot drooling everywhere. Its breath stinks of a blood and death smell. It has long arms with like hands with very long nails on them. It looks to weigh about 200 pounds. It is breathing on me and letting out a huge growl. I feel like it is calling its pack to join it. I am scared it’s going to rip my face off, and start eating me piece-by-piece. I am not sure what to do. I do not have any weapons, and it is way too big to
fight.

  I want to look down and check on Max, but I am afraid to turn my head or move at all. I notice behind the beast there are several more of these beasts and they all look to me to be about the same size, give or take a few inches or pounds. They are all slowly walking over towards where we are. All I can think of now is: this is going to be where Max and I die. I want them to kill me first because I do not want to hear Max cry out in pain. In the short time we have been together I have grown fond of her. She doesn’t judge me and she has helped me and been right by my side.

  Next to me, I hear some commotion going on and again I can’t turn my head to look and see. It sounds like Max is fighting with something, not sure if she is trying to fight one of these beasts. The beast in front of me is not taking its eyes off of me. It has not moved at all: it is still like just inches from touching my nose. We are locked eye-to-eye. All of a sudden something to the right of me, where Max is, punches the beast right in the side of the beast’s head, and it falls like slow motion: the beast goes down to the ground. I quickly look over and it is what had to be a 7’ beast standing next to me. I do not see Max. It looks like it has big hands with long nails and it grabs a hold of my wrist. Not hurting me, though, and it looks back at the beasts, of which there have to be about 20 plus, and it lets out a huge, and I mean huge, growl-like yell. The beast that was in my face starts waking up and then looks up and slowly crawls backwards. All the other beasts stop coming towards us and just start growling at each other and looking at us. I am looking over to see if I can see Max anywhere.

  Max seems to not be around: it was the same way when that big snake tried to attack me. I can’t see Max anywhere, just that big snake that came from nowhere that started fighting the snake that was ready to kill me. Now Max has disappeared and there is this huge beast next to me looking like it is going to try and protect me. It’s just strange how this has happened twice now.

  The beasts all start to gather together. They then start making like a strange growling noise. It seems as if they are all talking to each other, making up a plan or something. Trying to figure out what their next move is going to be. They all seem kind of scared of the big beast that is standing right next to me. I am sure they are trying to figure out how to take out the beast next to me and then decide which one of them gets to eat me. The big beast beside me has a long snout and huge teeth. As I am looking at the beast next to me, I can see that it looks like the other beasts. The beast looks to me like a werewolf and a baboon had a baby and this is what they created. I know that sounds crazy, but that is what it looks like. It looks like both and it can swing through the trees like a baboon. It is very big and mean. The beasts are all looking at us and slowly coming towards us. The beast beside me is now moving in front of me and shoving me behind it. I can see it is trying to protect me. It is slowly walking along the wall and I am right behind it, right up against the wall. They are getting closer to us and the beast is letting out a big growl at the other beasts. The beasts that are coming towards us look to be sending their biggest beast first, and their biggest beast looks to be the same size as the beast that is in front of me trying to protect me. The big beast just leaps forward at the beast that is protecting me. They lock arms with each other and now are going round and round. I am trying to keep a short distance from both of them. As they are starting to fight, the other beast creatures are coming towards me. I don’t have anywhere to run. All I can do is get as close to the wall as possible. There is nowhere else to go. I am really getting scared. I see the two beasts that are fighting seem to be moving more and more away from me and it seems like that is the plan they have come up with. The plan seems to be to have me all alone and then attack me. Their plan is starting to work and I don’t know what to do. I can’t yell or run, and I don’t even have any weapons with me. Boy, what I would do to have a crossbow right now.

  The beasts are all around me now. I can feel and smell the breath of the first beast. I feel this strange texture touch my face and it is the beast taking his tongue and licking up the side of my face. At that moment I feel a sharp pain run down my arm. It has taken its claws and ripped right down my arm. I let out a yell and then it takes its long tongue and licks my face again. Oh my gosh, I am going to die here and these beasts are going to feed on me and no one will ever find me. The beast pulls his hand/claw back and it strikes my face: everything is getting dark and black now. The cave wall at the bottom seems to have opened up and arms reach out and pull me down and through a hole big enough to get my body through.

  * * *

  CHAPTER 11: WHERE AM I?

  * * *

  “O h man, my head is killing me.”

  “It should be: it has a big bump on it with a little blood. You must have hit it when you were pulled through the cave wall,” a female voice says. Looking dazed and confused, I turn towards the voice. I look around the room and can see that I am lying on a bed in what looks to be a hospital room of some sorts. At this time I hear Cody’s voice again inside my head: “Hollis, I really need your help. Where are you?” I raise myself up really fast only to lie back down just as fast. I get very dizzy when I raise up. “Hold on, there, where do you think you are going? I guess you didn’t listen to me when I said you had a big bump on your head. You were knocked out and have been out for over eight hours. You need to stay here in bed for a little while longer,” the female voice says.

  About that time Max jumps up on the bed and licks me on the cheek. “Max, you alright? Where did you go? You had disappeared and some big beast appeared where you where.” I am hugging and loving Max. Man, I am happy to see her. I then look over to the girl sitting at the side of the bed and say, “I really need to go find my friend Cody. He is in trouble somehow and needs me to help him.”

  The female says, “First we need to get you better and talk about where you are and who I am and where your friend Cody is. My name is Stella and you are in a place we call the lost village. Since no one ever wanted to name the village, it has always been called the lost village. I grew up here and it has been a very challenging life. It used to be a great little village until years back when the Wasioux moved in. Ever since then it has been a very strange place to live. The things that were chasing you and Max were called wereboons. They are a mixture of a werewolf and a baboon. That’s why they can climb the trees and jump from tree to tree,” says Stella.

  “What? There is no such thing as werewolves. You are making this all up. For what reason I do not know.”

  “I am not making this up, it’s true. The Wasioux somehow brought the werewolves with them years back when they settled into the village. After that, they cross-breed the creatures with baboons and that’s how they came up with the wereboons. They are mean and they will rip the heads off of people if asked to by the Wasioux,” Stella says.

  “Okay, what the heck is a Wasioux anyway?”

  “A Wasioux is an old Indian tribe which was part of the Sioux Indians. Story has it, years back, one of the Sioux Indians was bitten by a human on a night that had a double moon, which you know are very rare. This human drained the blood of the Sioux, causing him to die. The next day the Sioux Indian was spotted alive and well. At that time a new tribe was born and I still don’t know how or why they started calling themselves the Wasioux tribe,” Stella says.

  “So, what you are saying is this Indian was bitten and drained of his blood by a human. So are you trying to tell me this human was a vampire? I know there is no such thing,” I ask.

  “I know it all sounds crazy and even me telling the story sounds crazy to me, but yes, that is what I am saying. There are werewolves and vampires that exist,” Stella replies.

  “Okay, did I die when I hit my head? I just can’t believe all of this. There is no way this is true. I did see those creatures and they did remind me of a wolf mixed with some type of ape, but a werewolf, I am just not buying it. How close are we to our summer camp right now? I hope no one from the camp runs into those creatures. I really need
to get back to our camp, I am sure they are probably looking for me.”

  “I am not familiar with any summer camps around here. No one has entered the lost village in years, except for your friend and when we have deliveries to the village.”

  “That has to be my friend Cody,” I say.

  “Yes, it was Cody. Right now, Cody has been captured by the Wasioux, and they are planning on feeding on him and draining all of his blood out of him,” Stella replies.

  “What? We have to help him. I need to get up and go help him,” I reply.

  “Wait, you can’t do anything right now until we can help you get better. You have a slight concussion, and you need your rest. Also, they can’t do this until the double moon. Let me tell you about the Wasioux tribe. You have read stories, I am sure, about vampires and them biting people, and then them dying and becoming vampires. Well, the Wasioux are different. First, they can’t bite anyone until it is a full moon. Second, they do not become immortal. They still grow old like the rest of us. If they bite a human on the night of a full moon, they are only feeding off of humans for blood. They do not kill the humans; they need us to live so that they can live. Third, for them to be immortal they need to feed off of a human that has the rarest blood, which is AB-, and they need to do this on a double full moon. We know that Cody has the rare AB-blood because he had cut his finger and we did a blood test and found out that he has the rare blood. We also found out by taking the blood off of you that you also have the rare AB-blood. They will eventually figure out that you also have this blood. Only the head Wasioux can smell this and he will eventually do so. We have to try and keep you away from him. His name is Otaktay, which in Sioux Indian means ‘kills, or strikes many’. How fitting for a name, isn’t it? We have to come up with a plan on how to get Cody away from there and we have two weeks until the double full moon,” Stella says.