Camp Antler Point

Chapter 6

After a week spent cooped up inside with nothing to do but make crafts and devour way too much junk food, the children whispered anxiously to each other in the mess hall. Cornbread and bowls full of spicy chili did little to keep them occupied as they waited for Mr. Sterling to return from his cabin so they could find out what was going on.

"At this rate, I'm going to have to stop them from trying to make a rope swing out of their bedsheets again," Lucas muttered. "How've your cabins been?"

"Quiet," Carson said. With his red-rimmed eyes, it was no wonder Fox Cabin's kids cast not-so-secret glances at him over their shoulders. The littlest of the bunch, a dark-skinned boy who couldn't have been more than seven, had even tiptoed over to the counselor's table to offer him his pudding cup. Carson had turned it down, but not before giving him a shaky smile.

With how his voice cracked as if it was made of dead leaves, Amy was surprised he'd even managed to show that brief flicker of happiness.

"Beaver Cabin put on a fashion show yesterday," she said. "The winner got a Hershey bar."

"Let me guess, everyone won?" Lucas asked with a smirk.

"Duh. The last thing we need is for a war to break out over some chocolate."

"Definitely beats worrying about whatever the heck was outside during the storm," Lucas said.

"You guys heard it, too?" Amy asked. The morning after the storm, the girls had clung to her as they'd tiptoed around deep indents in the mud on the way to breakfast. Whatever had made them had staggered through camp with all the grace of a drunken teenager stumbling out of a party.

Carson groaned. "If I ever even think about telling them that moose story again, shoot me. Some damn branches kept banging against the windows, and it's a miracle nobody peed themself. Somebody sure as hell screamed."

"That thing was big as fuck, okay?" Lucas bit into his cornbread, talking around the mouthful. "Must have been a moose."

"I doubt it," Carson said. "They tend to stay by water and avoid people. It might have been a bear, though. I wouldn't put it past one to try and get into our garbage."

"I bet dad was just checking on one of the other cabins or something," Amy said. With only three counselors, her dad and a couple of the locals had been kept busy checking on the kids and making sure everyone was holding up okay.

Entering the mess hall with his eyes downcast, it was easy to see the past week had been especially rough on him.

Mr. Sterling mounted the raised stage at the front of the mess hall and gripped the microphone with shaking hands. The moment he cleared his throat, sound fled the room. "Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for being so patient for the last few days."

His eyes scanned the crowd before finally landing on Amy. He focused on her as he continued, "I assume some of you have heard the rumors by now. It is with great sadness that I must admit that an accident occurred not long before camp started. Your parents have been informed. Should they choose to do so, they can pick you up whenever they'd like." He cleared his throat and adjusted the handkerchief tied in a crooked knot around his neck. "The police have determined that it is safe to resume our regular activities, so please rest assured we will do our best to make this summer a memorable one for all of you."

"Mission accomplished," Carson muttered drily.

As the kids chatted about finally getting to leave their cabins, Mr. Sterling approached the counselors' table. "Mind if I speak with you folks in private?" Without waiting for an answer, he spun on his heel and left the mess hall.

The counselors' shoes squelched in the mud as they followed Mr. Sterling behind the building. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure they hadn't been followed before addressing them. "A bunch of their parents are already planning to come pick 'em up."

"No shit. Someone died," Carson said. The muscles in his jaw twitched as he stared Mr. Sterling down. "So they know what happened?"

"The police think they do, anyway. It looks like she had a nasty fall." He sighed and pressed his fingers against his eyes to stop tears from coming. "I always knew we should put up signs telling people not to go off the trail. Shit's dangerous. You never know what you'll find or where you'll end up."

He took a deep, steadying breath. "How've the kids been holding up?"

"Getting bored, but not too bad," Lucas said.

"I don't think they can stand being stuck inside much longer," Amy said. "Just this morning, I had to stop Beverly from running off after breakfast so she could try to put a necklace on a squirrel."

"We definitely need to do something to cheer them up, especially since a bunch of them are bound to be taken home soon," Mr. Sterling said. "I was thinking we could take 'em on a hike in a few days. Nothing too long, but enough to get their jitters out while I try to figure out something more exciting for everybody. You guys up for that?"

Carson shrugged. "Beats sitting around all day."

"I think I'll go nuts if I have to spend one more day stopping people from hurling themselves off their bunks," Lucas said.

"Thanks, guys. This summer's gotten off to a rough start, but I'm glad we can at least try to get things back to normal." He gave Amy a concerned look. "You sure you can handle that much walking?"

"Dad, it's a hike, not a marathon. I'll be fine."

"Alright, but I swear if it's too much, I'll carry you back myself."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Amy said through gritted teeth. Even after someone had died, her dad still managed to get caught up in trying to baby her.