“Yes, computers can teach you a lot of stuff. It’s kind of crazy what you can learn from a computer. Doesn’t the full moon start tomorrow night?”
“Yes, that is correct. We need to hurry and get back to the village by dark time. If not, we are stuck out of the village and we would be on our own trying to hide and hope the vampires do not find us. That’s why we have to accomplish a lot tomorrow during the daytime. Once locked, the vampires will be coming to the village. We will slide the bags of blood under the door, or through the mail slot through the door if you have one in your door. Not all the doors have them. We go through this every full moon. You are now getting ready to see what this is all about and why we cannot let Danny become immortal,” Trevor says.
“I am more and more understanding. At first I thought this was some kind of prank that Cody was playing on me, because he does love to play jokes on me, but then I think, man, this is some kind of joke. I say to myself he would not have had those wereboons come after me and try to kill me. That’s one of the many reasons I say this is not a joke, this is reality, and my best friend is captured and being held hostage. I am still skeptical a little about vampires and full moons and a double red full moon: that all still sounds strange, but those wereboons are for real and if they are that real, then so is the rest of everything you guys have been telling me,” I say.
“Trust me, you are about to see how real everything is come the next few days. We will have the full moon, and the vampires only feed during the night and then at dusk the next day we will have the double red moon, and then that’s the big one. We have two days to get this done. So buckle up, you are about to go on a ride, or don’t they sometimes say the ride of your life. We need to get some sleep; rest will be good for us. I am tired thinking about all this. Goodnight, Hollis and Max,” Trevor says.
“Yes, I am very tired, so sleep will be good. I can think better on a good night’s sleep. Goodnight to you also,” I say.
We turn the lights off and next thing I know I hear knocking on the door. I raise myself up and look around. Then I hear, “Hey, you guys up? If not, it’s time to get up. Meet you in the kitchen in a half-hour. Time to rise and shine and get the day started,” Stella says.
I was thinking, man, I just got to bed, but it has been more than eight hours asleep, so that is good. It was a busy day yesterday so the sleep was something I really needed. Trevor was grunting in his bed.
“Man, I can’t believe it’s already time to get up. I remember Stella wanted us up a little earlier so we can go into the caves and we can’t stay as long at the Wasioux village this time like we did yesterday. We have to be home before dusk. You can have the bathroom first, Hollis: that gives me 15 more minutes to sleep,” Trevor says and then he turns back over and throws the covers over his head. Max and I get up and then she takes off down the hall and I hear the door open and shut. Someone must have let her out to use the bathroom. I then go into the bathroom, get ready really fast and then I go back into the room and I kick Trevor’s bed with my foot. He rolls over and says, “I am up.” He gets out of the bed and goes to the restroom. Max comes back to the room and jumps on the bed beside me. I put on some more of Trevor’s clothes and then he comes back in and gets ready, and then we head off to the kitchen.
“Good morning,” Stella’s mom says. We all say good morning back to her.
“Once again you have outdone yourself with all this food. It looks delicious, thank you again,” I say.
“Like I tell you every day, Hollis, it makes me feel happy to cook for you guys. It’s been nice with you guys staying here. The house feels full again with life,” Stella’s mom says.
We eat our breakfast and then clean up the table and dishes and at that time we hear a knock on the door. Stella says, “It’s Uncle Bill.”
Everyone says, ‘Hey, Uncle Bill.’ He then brings in a bag and inside it there is a container and then you open it and it has what looks like some powder.
“This is what you want to mix in the pipe and then these here are some pills I want you guys to take and they will help you not go into la-la land like they are going to do. This is enough for two days. Please be very careful. I have it sorted out for you and the way the powder is sorted that’s how much you want to go into the pipe. Please make sure whoever is going to be putting the powder into the pipe that they wash their hands after. If they don’t and for some reason they get it on their hands and then put their hands in their mouths, they could have the same reaction to the drug. Other than that, these drugs are harmless and no one will die from them. They will even come off of them easy. No side effects,” Dr. Berg says.
“Wait, how do you know this? You just made this drug?” Trevor asks.
“Funny you should ask that, I tested it on your aunts and they ended up fine,” Dr. Berg says. Then we all laugh at that.
“Okay, I will see you guys later. If you need anything then you please come and get me. There are a lot of us here ready for a fight. We are letting you guys try it your way first before we step in,” Dr. Berg says.
“We will let you know, Uncle Bill. We might take you up on that so just have everyone on guard the next couple of days,” Stella says.
“You got it,” Dr. Berg says. Then Dr. Berg leaves the room and goes out the front door.
“You guys ready to go to the caves? We need to do some final testing,” Stella says.
I make sure I put my knives in my pockets and I know Trevor has his, and I see Anita Kay and Stella also load up on knives. We go out of the house and around the corner of the house and towards the back. I can see a cave entrance in the distance. I think they are further away. I do not realize that they are right there just a few hundred yards from the house and the entrance is still part of the village.
“There must be another entrance to these caves. I know Max and I didn’t run in this way to get into the caves,” I say.
“You are right, there is the other entrance away from the village out in the woods. That’s the way you came in. The wereboons have gotten to where they monitor and think they control all of the woods around the villages, they just do not control the main entrance for the villages: the actual road to where we both get supplies from when needed. We made a deal with the Wasioux to not let the wereboons control the road because they will scare our suppliers off and none of us would have supplies. At first the Wasioux didn’t care and said we grow our own food, but then they decided they like some modern amenities and they didn’t want to jeopardize their deliveries. So the way you came into the caves was not at all a safe way to get into them. Part of me feels safe knowing that not just anyone can get into our villages because of the wereboons, but the other part of me says this is Danny’s way of slowly more and more controlling both villages. Okay, here we are, now let’s make sure no one is around because we don’t want to be seen doing this. Also let’s talk lower because we also don’t want them hearing us. Let’s spread out and look around to make sure no one is in here. Max, why don’t you go and look around and see if you can smell anyone around,” Stella says.
The more she takes charge, the more I like her. What is wrong with me? I need to stop thinking about Stella, or else I am going to blow our coverage. Danny is already asking me about her and me. He saw something that I can’t let him see again. Alright, let’s concentrate on looking around. Man, these caves give me the creeps. Last time I was in them I was about to get mauled by wereboons. I just keep picturing them everywhere in this cave. I keep hearing them growling in my head. I am starting to panic and I need to calm down.
“Hollis, are you okay? Oh, I forgot about the last time you were here. Just listen to my voice and calm down, breathe in through your nose while counting to four in your head and make it a deep breath, and then hold it by counting in your mind fast to seven, and then let it out through your mouth and count to eight in your head. Keep doing this and it will help you calm down. Here, hold my hand.” Stella says.
Wow, I am thinking her hand is so
soft. I don’t want to let go of it. “Keep doing it a few more times. Okay, you look better, you’re not white as a ghost anymore.”
“I am better, I think. I stressed myself out for a moment thinking of the last time I was here and all those wereboons who were here with Max and me, and how close I came to getting mauled in here. I just started seeing them in my mind again. Like the time I saw them for the first time when we had gone to the village and I saw them close up. I am better; so let’s continue to look around. Sorry about that,” I say.
“Hey, that is perfectly natural, I would have done the same thing if I had almost got killed by wereboons. It takes a while to get over trauma. It was a lot for you to take,” Stella says.
“Listen, I would be the same way. Again I just put fear of them to hate for them. That’s what you need to do. Stop fearing them and start to wanting to kill them every time you visualize them and every time you actually see them. Do we need to have Max to continue to turn into one of them so you can get used to seeing them all the time?” Trevor asks.
“No thank you: seeing them at the Wasioux village is enough for me. Those things are my nightmares,” I reply.
“Okay, I don’t see anyone in here or around here. So, Hollis, let me know when you are ready to practice on transporting us into another room. Well, not all of us at once, but one of us at a time. I think you should finish with Trevor again since he and Cody weigh about the same, but since you are going to have to get us all out of the cave, then you are going to have to transport us all. Maybe since you can transport two of us, maybe me and Max, or Anita Kay and Max together. We cannot be left with Danny, or he will kill whoever is left. He will know that we helped each other and got Cody free,” Stella says.
“Okay, so then let me start with Anita Kay. Have you guys checked out the area behind this wall here?” I ask.
“Yes, I did and it is perfect. The wall is kind of thick, but you should be okay. Just remember to concentrate on where you are going,” Trevor says.
“Got it. Okay, Anita Kay, hold my hand. I will concentrate on the area behind this wall,” I say.
I start visualizing the other side of the wall. Things go black for a moment and then we are there in the room next door.
“That is just amazing that you can do that. Are you okay?” Anita Kay asks.
“Yes, I am fine, it just throws me off balance a little. Wait here and I will bring over Stella,” I say.
I then go back through the wall and get Stella, and I pick up Max and transport all three of us to the room that has Anita Kay in it. Again I am a little light-headed.
“You okay, Hollis?” Stella asks.
“Yes, I seem to get a little light-headed when I transport. No big deal, though. I am going to get Trevor now,” I reply. I go back over to where Trevor is and get him and transport him through the wall also. By this time I am bent over feeling like I am going to faint.
“You sure you’re okay? It is somewhat dark in here, but I can see you look white,” Stella says.
“I am. I’m not going to lie: right now when I do this, it does seem to weaken me for a moment. Again it makes me lightheaded. I am okay a few seconds, or maybe a minute later. I am good now, though.”
“Okay, so we know that can be done and it affects you a little, but we seem to be good. Now I am ready to head over to the Wasioux and get this day started. The game plan is we are going to go over and play some games and then get Danny and his guys to smoke the pipe. We will drug the pipe and then go into their part of the caves and then look for Cody. We cannot leave there today without knowing where Cody is at. Then we will leave before dark and then give our blood to the vampires. Lock ourselves in for the night and then tomorrow we will do the same thing, except this time we will get Cody free and then Hollis will transport us out of their caves into our caves. Do we all have this? We all play a very big part in this plan. It will take all of us to pull this off. Hollis, I forgot to ask: did you take your pill this morning?” Stella asks.
“Yes, I took it at breakfast time. I am ready. I look forward to the mind games that Danny likes to try and play on you,” I reply.
“Yes, that is what he likes to do, play mind games with everyone,” Trevor says.
“Okay then, let’s walk over to their village,” Stella says.
We then start walking out of the cave and over to the Wasioux village. It’s not a long walk and it’s actually on a little dirt road. As we approach the village I see of course a couple wereboons sitting at the entrance to the village. I see some of the Wasioux out in their gardens. I guess Danny’s group close to him do not actually get out and farm the land: he makes everyone else do it. A few of the Wasioux seem to be around our age, and then the older ones seem to be mostly females working the gardens. You can tell that Danny is in charge. We walk through the gates and I am the last one through. I look over at one of the wereboons and he raises up his lip and shows me his teeth: it’s like he is growling at me, but silently. Man, I do not like these creatures. I would like to have a bow gun right now and shoot both of them. Then come into the village and shoot the rest of them. That would take some of Danny’s power away.
* * *
CHAPTER 19: FUN AND GAMES
* * *
W e walk up to the community center and of course Kris opens the door along with Sandy. I am surprised Kris wasn’t waiting at our village for us to walk us over here this morning.
“Hey, if I had known what time you guys were coming over, I would have met you over there and walked with you here,” Kris says. Man, does he know what I am thinking? I was just thinking that I was surprised he didn’t show up.
“Kris, we know how to walk over here, I have only done it at least a thousand times now,” Trevor says.
“I know you do, but you know I like to get out of the village sometimes. Danny doesn’t like us to really leave the village. He always says we are safer in here than we are on the outside.”
“Sometimes that is true,” Stella replies.
“Danny will be here in a few minutes. He seems to take longer than the rest of us,” Kris says.
“That is for sure. I tell him he is my big sister instead of my big brother. He likes to sleep in and then takes over an hour to get ready. Have you guys had breakfast this morning? Wait, don’t answer that. I know Stella’s mom prepared a great breakfast for you guys,” Sandy says.
“You know my mom well. We did have a big breakfast. Thanks for asking,” Stella says.
“Okay then, we will have lunch later,” I say.
The door opens on the edge where you go to Danny’s room. In come Danny and a couple wereboons with a couple Wasioux. We can see Danny does have some of his favorites.
“Hey, you guys, been here long this morning?” Danny asks. “Nope, we just got here maybe a couple of minutes ago. We know you like to sleep in,” Trevor replies.
“I do like to sleep in, but I have been awake. I already have had breakfast and I am ready to play some more cards and some video games. One of my favorite video games is a battling vampire. Those vampires are so mean.
“Hollis, I can’t wait to see how you are at battling vampires. Ha, ha, ha, ha!” Danny laughs out loud.
“Well, I have only seen vampires on TV and I know they are not real, so I will not have any issues stabbing them with a stake in their chest, or however you kill them in the video game,” I reply.
He looks at me with a somewhat surprised look. “This is going to be fun and an interesting day,” Danny says.
“We are ready to play some games when you are,” Trevor says.
“Well, then, let’s go to my game room. Anita Kay, you coming?” Danny asks.
“Of course, since you have your group I am bringing mine. I am bringing Sandy and Stella. We will probably just watch, though, and be your supporters,” Anita Kay replies.
“Cool, so let’s go. As you know, I need to bring my pets with me along with Kris, Tanner and Victor, and with Hollis and Trevor we will have a roo
mful,” Danny says.
“Hey, we can’t forget about Max: she goes everywhere with me,” I say.
“Of course Max can come: she doesn’t take up any space. Just to let you know I don’t just let anyone in my game room. It’s just for a select few,” Danny says.
“We know: that’s what I told them already. I told them it was a place that you only let a select few go into. Heck, most of the time you don’t even let me in here,” Sandy says.
“The last time I was here you did not have this game room,” Trevor says.
“You are right: I just added it recently. We built it into part of the cave. Makes it cooler, and it took a while to angle the solar panels to get electricity into the game room area. It was a lot of work. It was well worth the wait. Isn’t it funny to see Indians playing modern video games? Like Hollis said, we live off the grid, but not always. It keeps things interesting. I take turns letting people come in and play the games. It’s my reward to them for working hard. They enjoy it,” Danny says.
“Why don’t you just set this up in the community room for your people to use?” I ask.
Danny looks at me with a strange look. Then he says, “Why would I do that? Then I wouldn’t be able to control it, plus then it would not be a reward to them anymore.”
“Makes sense,” I say. We laugh.
“Okay, I am ready to play some cards. I need to beat Hollis and Trevor a few games. I always knew Trevor was good, but I didn’t realize Hollis was also,” Danny says.
We sit down at the table and the girls sit behind us again. Danny always deals the hands: even if we win, he still deals the hands. I guess since it is his place we go by his rules. We play several hands and Trevor and I let him win some and we won some. We stop for lunch and then we play some more. I again win a few, and so does Trevor, and then we let Danny win.
It is now afternoon. I can see Stella getting impatient, or more, so she wants us to move this along.
HOLLIS MCCALISTER SUMMER CAMP Page 24
