"Trying" Normal [Editing In Progress]

Chapter 18: Camp Castle Lake

"Ah, just look at it, Sean, the overgrown grass, the decrepit structures, and that lodge as the centerpiece of this bouquet of decay. It's so beautiful." I said as we made it towards the center of the camp.

"You really like places that are falling apart, don't you?" Sean asked as we made our way through the waist high grass.

"Yup, there's just something about the past slowly being eaten away by nature and the sounds of it all that just do it for me. It's just calming." I said reveling at the approaching decrepit structures.

"So what exactly is your plan? How are we going through this place?" He asked as we reached the remains of a cobblestone path and exited the grass.

"Easy. From what I've seen so far, any map of this place that was outside has long since faded and peeled off these signs." I pointed towards the old, greyed wooden signboard where few specs of paint remained and gave us no idea of what could have been there before. "So we're going to get into the lodge. There's got to be some sort of map, whether it's in the dining commons or the scoutmaster's office."I said moving my hand towards the large structure made of wood and surprisingly intact glass.

"I guess that makes sense." Sean said as he glanced at the lodge. "It probably won't be too hard to get in there." He said, still calm.

Is he alright? He seems suddenly fine with everything going on.

"Sean, you seem calm. Are you not feeling or hearing anything nearby?" I asked trying to solve this out of character mood of his.

"Nothing yet, but if you're right, you already dealt with the guy responsible for the murder. Also, we're in a wide open space that I can easily flee from instead of a claustrophobic factory that's falling apart. Sure, we could encounter some psycho, but I'm going to bet the demon that is my contract buddy will out-psycho him."He said, without any sarcasm.

"You know it!" I said cheerily in agreement. 

Chill Sean is best Sean. I can still hear a tinge of nervousness to his voice, but hey he's trying at least. If he's not feeling anything, this might be a pretty straightforward search.

I walked up the steps of the large porch connected to the lodge and heard the boards creak with each footstep. I turned to Sean about to step from the stairs and onto the deck with me.

"Sean, stay there till I can get us in. I don't know how compromised this deck is, but sixty years of neglect can't help." I said, then proceeded through the deck made with old grayed wood that groaned and creaked with each step.

Ever Since the time I fell through a floor in my second year on the job, I've always been paranoid about old wooden floors in abandoned places.

He stood in place on the stairs, watching as I reached the door. With a few pulls, it finally opened. Once I stepped in, Sean put on his face mask and joined me.

"Just look at this place. Frozen in time for decades." I said as I ventured further in. I entered a mass of tables and wooden benches. A thick layer of dust had built up over the years. Like fresh snow, each footstep I took left behind a shoe print and kicked some of the gray mass into the air.

There's got to be a hallway or something that leads to the scoutmaster's office. As I reaching the large windows on the opposite side of the lodge, I see a large window.

As I looked into it, I saw kitchen equipment. 

"Not here." I said to myself.

"Hey Vincent, is that what you're looking for?" Sean yelled out, as I crossed the room to see a hallway, an arch designed to look like totem poles, A sign was on the left of the hallway.