Camp Charlie

6| The Camp|

"Alan! You sure we're going the right way?" asked Hannah for the zillionth time.

"Yes, Han we're going the right way. We need to go north and according to this compass we are going north," answered Alan for the zillionth time.

"Come on Hannah! We've only been walking for the past fifteen minutes and you've asked the same question after every one minute," sighed Maya.

Hannah sighed as she walked over a fallen branch of a tree. Well wearing heels to a trek - bad idea. But wearing high heels to a trek - a very bad idea.

"Why couldn't we drive the car to the camp?" complained Hannah.

"Because this path isn't wide enough, idiot," answered Ethan.

"We're here!"

All the heads turned to where Alan was pointing as he said this.

'The Camp' as Hannah called it looked nothing like one. There were six cabins made of fine wood and they were aligned in a circle and in the centre was a fireplace. It looked like a movie set. The trees that surrounded the place looked similar- dried up with a few leaves.

"This place gives me the creeps," said Sarah with a shudder.

"Yes, it does. But I like these cabins and they don't seem haunted to me," observed Ethan as he opened the doors one by one. Sarah walked around observing every detail. The trees looked old and the ground was soft. She closed her eyes as she felt the moist air tingle her skin. While taking in a deep breath, Sarah smelt the petrichor. The wet bark of a tree felt rough against her hands. As she opened her eyes, she saw a weird carving on a nearby tree. She frowned while tracing the same with her fingers. "Charlie," she whispered.

"Sarah! What are you doing there? Come back here." Rohan's voice brought her back to reality, and she went back to her friends. Alan was busy showing them around the place. "So, that small cabin you see there," he said while pointing towards a small wooden cabin. "That's the kitchen. And the others are for sleeping. Han and I will share one cabin while you guys can enjoy solidarity inside your cabins."

The kitchen looked like a cabin straight out of a fairy tale. Like the one in which Miss Honey, Matilda's teacher had lived. It had a slant roof with two windows of the size of a tabloid. Inside this, there was a stove and shelves. In the corner, was a dining table for seven. The other cabins, which were comparatively bigger, a queen size bed was placed in the corner with a nightstand on one side and two chairs in the centre.

"Oh god, Alan! Why didn't you tell me that we didn't have to sleep in tents? I spent the last two nights on the floor to get used to the hard feeling. Ugh." Everybody laughed at Hannah's stupidity and then went into their cabins.

In the evening, they lighted a bonfire and then sat around it, eating marshmallows. They sang songs and told lame jokes. It was all perfect. Almost too perfect.

***************

"Okay! Enough of singing and silly jokes. Let's hear a horror story. Alan, you're up first." Hannah loved horror movies. I mean that's what she said because half of the time while watching a horror movie her face was hidden behind a pillow.

"Not again Hannah," complained Liam. "The last time we heard one of Alan's horror stories, I couldn't sleep at night."

"And he was even afraid of his own shadow," reminded Rohan.

"Yeah, Yeah! I was. So what? I am a human and all of us have things that scare us."

"Yeah, sure Liam. Thanks for saying that. Because as long as I remember, it was you who insulted me on being scared of a lizard three days ago. The next time you do or say anything like that, I'll not forget to remind you that you're scared of your own shadow."

Liam rolled his eyes and then turned away. "Guys please, just one story," said Hannah while managing her best puppy dog face.

"Fine!" All of them answered in unison. Alan cleared his throat and started-

Once, at the same place, we sit right now, used to be a camp. Teens and youngsters from all around the country came to attend this marvellous camp. It was called 'Camp Charlie'. One summer, a girl and her boyfriend came to this camp. They spent a wonderful day. But at night, the girl who was sleeping woke up to weird a noise. She turned around to find her boyfriend, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

Outside her cabin, the sight that met her eyes was enough to stop her heart. All the members of the camp lay dead on the ground, slaughtered like animals. As she opened her mouth to scream, a hand covered her mouth before any sound could escape her. She turned around to find her boyfriend, covered in blood. 

He was bleeding badly from a wound on his shoulder. He told her that they had to go away as there was a killer amongst them and he would kill them as well. But the girl questioned that how could they possibly go without a guide. The boy answered that even the forest seemed safer than the camp. They ran and ran until their limbs felt like lead, but they didn't stop. The sun dressed in robes of orange rose behind them and then finally, they could see the road ahead of them.

"Come on. I can see the road," said the girl.

"Wait! Before we go there, I want to tell you something very important."

"What?" questioned the girl. She was scared and fatigued after a long night and all she wanted was rest. She stared at the blue eyes of her lover.

"It was me!" said the boy. As he said this, he took a knife and stabbed the woman thirteen times. She died of both shock and loss of blood.

"What happened after that?" asked Hannah curiously.

"No, I don't want to know."

"Stop being a spoilsport Liam and let me enjoy the story." So Alan continued-

The boy got away with it. But it is said that the spirit of the girl still haunts this forest. She begs for help and kills those who ignore her pleas.

Silence.

                                                                      ********************

I hope you like the chapter. Tell me about your views in the comments section and don't forget to vote. I am always open to constructive criticism.