The Lodge
By Shaun Kitching
Copyright 2012 Shaun Kitching
This book is dedicated to Nan and Pa, for always having faith.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Daisy
Chapter 2: Koby
Chapter 3: Seth
Chapter 4: Koby
Chapter 5: Chad
Chapter 6: Koby
Chapter 7: Amber
Chapter 8: Daisy
Chapter 9: Seth
Chapter 10: Koby
Chapter 11: Seth
Chapter 12: Daisy
Chapter 13: Amber
Chapter 14: Amber
Chapter 15: Koby
Chapter 16: Reed
Chapter 17: Reed
Chapter 18: Daisy
Chapter 19: Koby
Chapter 20: Chad
Chapter 21: Koby
Chapter 22: Amber
Chapter 23: Koby
About Shaun Kitching
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Chapter 1: Daisy
Dear Diary,
It’s been a while since my last passage, hasn’t it? I remember how I used to share every thought that raced its way through my mind. I’m not sure why I stopped writing, why I stopped recording my feelings and outlook on your blank white pages. Why did I stop? Why have we become so distant? It doesn’t matter. Daisy is back. That’s right, me, your old pal Daisy.
The biggest question is why am I back? Well, Daisy has got something big coming up.
Very big.
And I’m very, very excited. I can already feel the adrenalin pumping through my veins. I can sense my brain cells dancing in anticipation. You see, tomorrow is our first day as seniors at Hollow Point High School. Tomorrow is when my duty begins. What duty you may ask? Let’s just say that I’m going to throw a deadly shadow over Hollow Point.
Certain students will pay. Certain students will die.
Yep, I’ve got a good feeling about this year.
Something tells me it’s going to be a killer!
Chapter 2: Koby
I stepped outside onto the front veranda, the wooden floorboards creaking heavily underneath my ageing white sneakers. My mum has been persuading me for months to purchase new shoes but I have worn these ones in so much they fit perfectly around my feet. I always reply to mum that every step is a slice of heaven, to which she simply gives her trademark groan. She doesn’t get my sense of humour but most people think I’m a pretty funny bloke. Creeeeeak! Again, the deck groans beneath my weight. Dad has been meaning to fix these floorboards for months but I guess he still hadn’t got around to it.
“Mum, I’m off to school,” I yelled, as I slung my backpack over my right shoulder.
“Have fun sweetheart. Do you have all your books? Oh, and Koby, did you grab your lunch?” Mum’s bubbly voice echoed out onto the veranda. She always manages to squeeze so much into one sentence.
“Ok. Yes. Yes,” I responded, very much familiar with mum’s army of questions. I jumped down our concrete stairs and made my way through the front gate and onto the sidewalk. The sun beamed down proudly; a vibrant peach in the cloudless, blue sky. Despite this, there was a slight breeze and I found myself surprisingly cold. I decided to make a brisk walk as I made my way down the street. Good old Hollow Point, I thought. You never know what weather you’ll be waking up to here. Yesterday was warm and muggy but today I had goose bumps forming on my arms. Very weird indeed. In fact, Hollow Point itself is a pretty weird place. The town was built back in the early 1900’s on top of an old, defective coal mine. When the mine first opened, keen miners flocked to the site, like moths to light; keen to earn a decent living for them and their families. I’ve heard many history lessons on how much time and effort went into constructing the coal mine and how it was structurally unfaultable.
“One of the safest mines ever built,” I muttered, mimicking my history teacher. However, only weeks after the coal mine began operations, the unexpected happened. Apparently it was a clear November morning when the mine suddenly collapsed. I pictured it in my mind; the dusty smoke mushrooming the heavens with an eerie dominance, cutting through the air like velvet. The clear skies transforming into a hazy powder, as the earth rumbled into its new terrain. Wave upon wave of black rubble, like surfers slicing through a tube. Tragically, the horrific incident claimed the lives of over a hundred miners that fatal November morning. I had seen old newspaper clippings which claimed many miners died instantly, the sudden impact crushing their bodies like plastic cups. The more unfortunate miners were buried alive, a muddy tomb they would forever call home. In the weeks following the heartbreaking tragedy the coal mine was never excavated and a decision was made to not retrieve the bodies. Family and friends of the ill-fated miners didn’t want the burden of a potentially long investigation burying their lives, just as it had their loved ones. They didn’t want to see or hear of the miners’ rotten corpses being raised from the grimy depths below, their mangled bodies encrusted with dirt. So the area was closed off and the so-called flawless coal mine was left to be.
Just another piece of history blowing in the breeze, I thought to myself, remembering my teacher’s words. Approximately a decade later, the foundation was approved suitable for construction and a new town was formed and built over the coal mine. That town was Hollow Point. I think it was the people’s way of moving on from the incident and getting on with their lives. Even though Hollow Point now blankets the land, the mine will always remain a part of this town and its abrupt collapse will forever remain a mystery. Some people say there were stronger forces at play that day. Some say Hollow Point is cursed; the twisting roots beneath the earth seeded with an evil presence. Others believe the miners haunt the town of Hollow Point. I’ve even heard stories of people diverting their travels, just so they don’t have to drive in the vicinity. Did I mention Hollow Point is a weird town?
“Yooo, Koby!” a voice suddenly shouted from behind, breaking me from my time travels.
“Seth, long time no see”, I replied, without even making the effort to turn around. I would recognize that voice anywhere. Seth’s deep voice sounded like it belonged to a grown man as opposed to a sixteen year old high school student.
“Man, I missed you brother. Let’s never go that long without seeing each other ever again,” Seth said, running up alongside me and slapping an arm around my shoulder.
“Haha, you’re a funny man,” I answered. Seth and I had hung out all day yesterday. In fact, Seth, Chad – our other best mate, and I practically spent every day of the holidays together. We have all been best mates since we were kids. I think it was our comparable sense of humour that led to us being friends. We never miss the opportunity to have a good laugh. Just looking at Seth was enough to make me smile. With his curly brown hair and buck teeth, I had always thought that he would make a good cartoon character. I often joked that we should pay an artist to draw a caricature of him and then we could make millions after selling it to some big animation company.
“Today is the day!” Seth suddenly boomed, his voice echoing down the street.
“The day we start our senior year?” I ask with confusion.
“Well, yeah. But I was referring to something else. Today is the day you finally tell Amber how you feel about her,” Seth says, as a big goofy grin forms on his face.
“Amber? What are you talking about?” I murmur. I try everything to fight it, but I can feel my face slowly turning pink.
“Duuuude, I know you like Amber. The whole school knows you like Amber!”
“She’s alright,” I respond, not knowing what else to say.
“Alright? Man, you are hot for her bod and don’t you deny it,” Seth says, grinning once more.
I was about to challenge Seth’s statement once again but instead I let out a long, ambiguous sigh. Seth knew me better than anyone.
“Does the whole school really know?” I ask, succumbing to the truth.
“Koby, Mrs. Ingleton even knows and she’s the most anti-social person on this planet!” Seth exclaimed, referring to our dearly beloved English teacher.
I was just about to reply when something in the distance caught my eye. As I strained my eyes against the morning sun, I noticed a hazy silhouette emerging from the shadows. It was coming towards us. Shielding my eyes with my hands, I squinted intensely, trying to better make out the object heading in my direction.
What was that?
There were still remnants of a faint fog covering the distance. It was like the fog and the sunlight were dancing; a constant pirouette of luminosity and mist entwined in harmony. Although it was quite difficult to make out this figure amongst the show of radiant smog, my focus sharpened as I took a few more steps forward. It was a person, I realised. I quickly glanced towards Seth. He was still going on about Amber and was laughing at something he had said. He still hadn’t seen the person heading in our direction. I gasped as the figure broke through the web of fog. It was a man.
“Kobes, what is it dude?”
I was in too much shock to reply. The man heading our way was contorted in such a manner it would even make an Olympic gymnast jealous. His elbows were distorted at right angles and his kneecaps were protruding from the side of his legs. I gagged at the sight. His shoulders were slumped as his feet shuffled across the asphalt.
Sssshkkk.
Sssshkkk.
The sound of each step became louder and louder.
Sssssssshhhkkkkkk.
Sssssssshhhkkkkkk.
A strong stench abruptly engulfed my nostrils. I gagged for the second time as the odour forced its way into my nose. He was caked in mud from head to toe. It had dried to his clothes and had begun to crack, revealing fragments of torn clothing underneath. He was also wearing a hardhat which had a headlamp attached; the glass fractured on one side revealing off cuts of a bulb. He lifted his arm and pointed one bony finger in my direction. He’s pointing at me, I suddenly realised. I was drowned in a wave of fear and anxiety as I comprehended who he was.
He was a miner.
A dead miner.
The miner was suddenly in front of me. He was so close I could smell his rotting breath on my face. I screamed as his gaunt, lifeless fingers slowly tightened around my neck.
Chapter 3: Seth
“Koby, what’s wrong with you man!” I roared, as Koby’s high pitched scream filled the neighbourhood. I half expected a group of dogs to come barking down the street, such was the shrilled tone of his yell.
“Koby, what is it?” I asked again. His face had turned a soft pale and for a moment I thought he might faint.
“Koby, it’s me,” Chad spoke for the first time.
“Ch-Chad?” Koby whispered.
“In the flesh,” Chad said, flashing a big cheesy grin.
I studied Koby’s expression as he rubbed in eyes in disbelief. His gaze travelled up and down Chad’s body, as if to double check it really was his friend. “Wow, Chad!” Koby yelled, finally yielding to reality.
“You can stop checking me out now,” Chad joked, his grin getting wider.
Koby blushed as finally a bit of colour returned to his cheeks. “You wish”, he shot back, returning to his normal self. “I actually thought you were-,” Koby hesitated before finishing his sentence. “A ghost.”
“Wwwwhahahaha!” I suddenly realised the deep laugh was coming from my own mouth. “A ghost?” I ask, still chuckling.
“I swear it was a miner back from the dead”, Koby confessed, reaching up and feeling his throat. “Why on earth did you try and choke me,” he continued, giving Chad a playful shove.
“Choke?” Chad asked. “All I did was reach to give you a high five and you started screaming like my little sister!”
“Geez, I must still be half asleep,” Koby replied, desperately searching for a way to reclaim his manhood.
“Kooooby, Kooooby,” I murmur in my best dead-miner impersonation. “Come baaaack with me Kooooby, come baaaack to my grave.”
“Yes Kooooby, join ussss. Let ussss replace your heart with coal mmmwwwhhahaha,” Chad joined in, reaching out his arms which made him look more like an Egyptian mummy than a lifeless miner.
“Is it too late to go back and pretend I was checking you out instead?” Koby joked, swatting away Chad’s arms.
“No way man,” I reply, laughing as Chad continued to mock Koby.
“Yeah, no way,” copied Chad. “Plus we wouldn’t want poor Amber getting jealous, would we?”
“You know too!?” Koby exclaimed. Even though his embarrassment was obvious, I think he was glad the subject had changed.
“Haha, I told you man, everyone knows,” I said with a smile as we disappeared into the foggy sunlight and continued our way to our first day back at high school.
*****
“Let’s go boys,” Koby said, gesturing for us to follow him into the hallowed turf of Hollow Point High.
Koby, Chad and I had been best friends for quite a while now. Koby and I had lived in Hollow Point our entire lives while Chad moved here nearly four years ago, half way through the eighth grade. Chad was placed in the same English class as Koby and I and the three of us had been somewhat of a trio ever since. I studied Koby’s face as I followed him into the school yard. He really hadn’t changed much since we were little kids climbing trees in his backyard. His white blonde hair was always shaved in a crew cut and his eyebrows were the same colour so they were barely visible. He is the shortest out of the three of us but carries the biggest backpack. He looked like a backpacker about to embark on an overseas holiday. Chad, on the other hand, had one small notebook tucked into the large pockets of his corduroy pants and a pen tucked behind his right ear. Chad only used one notebook for all of his subjects and was somewhat lazy when it came to his studies. A small red backpack hung leisurely over one shoulder and his shirt was half untucked. His beady blue eyes always seemed to be laughing and he has a small dimple in his chin that he claims drives the women crazy.
“Well well well, if it ain’t the three musketeers,” a familiar voice drifted into my head. “Or should I say the three stooges!” I didn’t need to look to realise the voice belonged to Hank, a fellow senior at Hollow Point High. “Welcome to senior year ladies,” Hank said, rushing over and draping an arm around Koby and Chad. “Come on Seth, come over and join in Uncle Hank’s cuddle,” Hank continued, beckoning me with his index finger which hung over Koby’s right shoulder.
“No thanks big fella, I got enough cuddles from your mum last night,” I shot back.
Hank let out a slight growl but didn’t bother firing back a comeback. Hank wasn’t the smartest pupil at Hollow Point High and his brain was probably working overtime to try and find a clever retaliation. Hank had been a good friend of ours for a few years now, but he never quite squeezed his way into that fourth stooge. Even though he’s a great friend, I sometimes think Hank might be a bit envious that he isn’t as close as the three of us. I stared at him as he pulled Koby deeper into his bear hug. Koby looked like a mouse compared to Hank. Saying that, most people looked quite small when standing next to Hank. With his broad shoulders and burly chest, Hank looked more like a wrestler than a high school student. His big square head sat on top of his muscular frame, with his small ears poking out at the sides. His ears really didn’t match the rest of him and I had more than once bit my tongue when about to make a joke about his miniature lobes. Hank had a decent enough sense of humour but teasing the toughest guy in school about his ears probably wouldn’t be the smartest decision.
“Have you been working out Koby?” Hank mocked, lifting him off the ground with one sturdy arm.
“Sure have mate. You reckon I have any chance of make the senior rugb
y squad this year?” Koby joked, pulling away from Hank and giving a quick flex of his undersized biceps.
“Put those guns away!” Chad said, shielding his eyes with his forearm.
“You know what, I think there definitely is a place for you on the team this year Koby,” Hank replied. “In fact, I think all three of you could make the team. We could really do with some extra water boys this year!”
Hank doubled over in a fit of laughter as his neck veins throbbed in unison. It was no surprise that he was captain of the school rugby team. He had been playing in the senior side since he was a junior and even then he was one of the biggest brutes in the side.
“We have no problems with being a water boy,” Chad replied politely. “Would you like your H20 chilled Hank? Oh wait! You failed Chemistry - you don’t even know what H20 means!”
A few eavesdropping bystanders chuckled in the background as Hank scowled at Chad, who had reached over to give Koby a high-five. I laughed. It was good to be back, I realised. Hollow Point didn’t offer very much in the way of entertainment to keep us teenagers amused during summer break. We spent most of our time playing video games at Koby’s house or seeing who could down the most hotdogs at Billy Beef, the local teenage hangout.
“Hi boys,” a chorus of voices interrupted our childish antics. I turned to see Amber and her two friends, Veronica and Zoe, all smiling amicably our way.
“Ver-on-ic-a,” Chad said, belting out her name in syllables. “Looking good! Did you hit the solarium over the summer?”
“Puh-lease,” Veronica replied. “This tan is all natural”. She batted her long eyelashes as if Chad’s compliment didn’t mean much, although deep down you could tell she liked the attention. Veronica was probably the one most guys referred to as the stunner of the group. With her long, perfectly straight dark hair, manicured nails and never-ending legs, she always looked as if she had just walked off of the catwalk. I think half of the boys at Hollow Point High were vying for her attention. Amber, on the other hand, had more of your pretty, girl next door look. She didn’t have the refined beauty that Veronica possessed; however, she was just as appealing to the eye. She had a perfect smile and natural wavy, blonde hair which she usually had tied back in a simple ponytail. Amber may not spend as much time in front of the mirror as Veronica but I could understand why Koby liked her. My gaze turned to Zoe, who was a lot different to the other two girls. Her short blonde hair was nearly the same colour as her pale skin and she always seemed to have a worried look pasted across her petite face.
The Lodge Page 1