Cabin 9

Chapter 11

Even though I was convinced Ben wasn't the killer, I still found myself being more cautious around him. I could tell that Nadya was too, although she didn't bring it up again.

It had been nearly a week since the killer has first struck. A week we were stuck on this island, with no methods of communicating with the outside world. I would've thought that Ben might at least find a way to get us all off this island, and hand over the case to the police. But when I asked him tentatively about this, he told me that he needed to work while all the evidence was present. When we were released from the island, the killer would find it much easier to get away.

Still, I could feel the camp starting to relax. They were acting like the killer was done, and we could put the past in the past. Then the note came.

We all woke up one morning to discover that a young girl was missing. In her sleeping bag, a note was left. It looked like it was written in blood.

I have given you time to secure me what I want. I want Cabin 9. So I'm raising the stakes. If you do not give me Cabin 9, I will kill this girl. You have 24 hours.

Ben, in desperation, asked the entire camp if they had any idea what the killer meant. People suggested crazy things, from allowing the killer to live in the cabin, to prying off the sign that indicated the cabin number and handing it to them. Ben also organized searches of the entire cabin, but to no avail.

Fear was once again running thick, and people were starting to get violent with each other. Littlest disagreements could result in best friends punching each other. Even the counsellors could be seen shouting at their fellow leaders.

Then came a change. After breakfast, Ben decided to let the whole camp spend some time on the beach, in hopes of releasing the tension that had built up. Nobody was swimming, understandably. That's why we all turned when we heard the sound of someone crashing through the woods onto the beach. The entire camp was already on the beach, Ben had made sure of it. We all held our breath as the person made themselves visible. Was it the killer, who for some reason was not part of the camp, but had been hiding on the island? Or was is someone who had finally come to help us?

Finally, a man emerged from the bushes. He looked sweaty and tired, and well, old. He didn't look like a saviour. In fact, he looked relieved to see all of us sitting on the sand.
"Oh thank heavens! I've been hiking for hours, and I strayed off of the trail. I though I was done for, until I found all of you..." his voice trailed off.
Already, counsellors were walking up to him demanding questions.
"Where did you come from?"
"How long have you been here?"
"Do you know where Sophia is?" That was the little girl that had been taken.
The man looked flustered.
"Well now...really....I don't know about anything you've mentioned."
"Alright, alright, everyone please quiet down!" Ben shouted all the noise. Then he turned to the man and the two spoke quietly for a few minutes while the entire camp watched in silence. Then Ben said a few words to a counsellor near him, and walked back towards the dining hall building with the man. The campers started murmuring in confusion, and the counsellors did nothing to alleviate it.

I found Nadya in the crowd, and said to her,
"What was that all about? Weird, right?"
She shook her head slowly, as though trying to figure it out herself.
"Things are about to change, I can feel it" she whispered back.
"What, you mean we might finally get back home safe?" I asked her. But she didn't reply. I looked up to see none other than Ryan, staring directly at us. He was close enough to have heard our conversation, though I hadn't noticed him before. I frowned at him, and he looked around nervously. What was with him always being so on edge? I got up to walk towards him, and he mouthed two words: be careful. Before I could reach him, he had already disappeared into the crowd.

Later that day, after we had returned to the dining hall, I sat playing cards with Cory. In the corner of my eye, I saw Nadya gesturing me over to her.
"It's your turn, Avery" Cory told me.
"Um, sorry I'll be right back," I said, setting my cards down.

"What is it?" I asked Nadya, once I had reached her.
"Avery, the police are coming," she said, her eyes wide with worry.
"How do you know?" I said surprisedly.
"I overheard Ben and that man talking. He some sort of phone that didn't need a signal, so they called the police. They're sending a team out tomorrow morning" she told me.
"Well that's great! Why are you so worried?" I asked.
"Don't you understand, Avery. So far the killer has been trapped on the island with us. But as soon as the police come, it will be easy for them to slip away."
"We would notice that they were gone" I reassure her.
"Not necessarily. A bunch of the counsellors might bolt if they get the chance. And besides, once they're gone, it will be easy for them to stay hidden" she retorted. I placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Nadya, I don't think we need to worry. The police will be able to bring detectives and sort everything out"
I laughed a little bitterly.
"And to think, this summer started out with me sleeping in Cabin 9" I say, more to myself than her. Her eyes flew up.
"You were in Cabin 9?" she demanded.
"Well yeah, before we were all evacuated." I said.
"Did you notice anything unusual about it?" She said, and I could see the wheels turning in her head.
"I don't know. It always looked a little older than the other cabins, but I hardly think the killer would want it because it's vintage" I said sarcastically.
"I can't believe I didn't think of this before!" Nadya exclaimed.
"What? What didn't you think of Nadya?" I demanded. She turned away from me.
"I'll need to go....but it could be....maybe if..." she muttered. And with that, she told me she needed to go, and left me there a thousand times more confused than I had been before.

I returned to my card game with Cory, but my mind was distracted. Twice in a row, she beat me. By the third time, she was disappointed.
"Avery, what's going on. You usually love this game."
"I do, it's just I'm a little distracted," I tell her.
"Yeah, I know how you feel. I just wish we could get off the island and leave all this behind us," she replied.
"Yeah," I agreed. And sure enough moments later, Ben announced to the camp that the police would be arriving in the morning. The camp erupted into cheers, but Nadya and I locked eyes and had a silent understating.

That night as I lay in my sleeping bag, I couldn't help but wonder what would become of the camp the next morning. I couldn't imagine this place I once loved, covered with crime scene tape and evidence bags. I rolled over in my sleeping bag, trying to clear my head of the thoughts. With a yelp, I realized Nadya's face was only inches from mine. She quickly raised a finger to her lips, telling me to be quiet.
"What?" I whispered.
"Come with me" she replied.
I looked around me. Everyone was sleeping. There was a chair where counsellors sat in shifts, watching over the camp. It was empty.
"Why is the chair empty?" I asked, alarmed, as I extracted myself from the sleeping bag.
"You'll see, just come with me. Hurry!" She whispered.
We ran silently out of the dining hall, and she lead me into the girls section of the camp. She had brought a flashlight to guide us along the path.

After a few minutes, she stopped in front of a cabin. Of course, it was Cabin 9. She switched the flashlight off, and took my hand.
"Nadya, what are you--" my voice cut off as she pushed open the door, revealing three people in the dimly lit cabin.

There was Ben. And, holding a gun to the head of the little girl, Sophia- I couldn't believe my eyes.

It was Cole, the boyfriend of Amalia.