Through the Woods

by Rowan Thalia

  “Yeah, I guess I do like Wendy… but I’m not sure if she’s interested. She’s hard to read,” he frowns.

  “You should just ask her. Can’t hurt… except maybe if she’s a jerk, and you two have to live together for the rest of the summer. Ok, I see why you haven’t. Good luck with that,” I laugh as I look around. “After we stock these buckets, I think we’re done for today.”

  “Thanks. Cool, let's open them up and put them in a line. Then we just grab one supply and fill each one. I’ll start with the fire kits,” he points to the shelves of items.

  “Perfect. I’ll grab the rope and tarps for the shelters, and we can scratch out the items as we go. Tomorrow I’ll make lists for the buckets so they can put them back how they found them,” I say as I pick up a clip board.

  “Genius! Let’s do it!”

  Taking turns grabbing stuff off the shelves to fill the buckets makes the work go by fast, which pleases me in a very Sterling type of way. By the time all the supplies are crossed off, I’m sweaty and thirsty. Brian and I close up the tubs and load them back onto the empty shelves. I check our list and mark our hours for the day, then I give Brian a thumbs up to let him know we’re done.

  “Awesome, I’m going to raid the kitchen. See you tomorrow,” he calls as he pushes out of the cabin.

  I wave and put down the clipboard. Walking around the room, I make one last check before leaving. When I turn my back on the desk, something falls to the floor with a bang. Startled, I jump and turn around, but see nothing. Tightening my hold on the clipboard, I stalk around the desk and see an old hatchet sticking out of the floor by the blade. When I crouch down to inspect it, I almost fall over. It has a rustic look… as if it were made by hand. The blade is a sharpened rock, and the wooden handle is secured with some hide. What the fuck? I know this hatchet didn’t come from my desk.

  Standing up, I scan the walls to see if there is any native tools or art that I overlooked. I mean it could have fallen from the wall right? Nothing. Not even a dreamcatcher pinned to the wall. This cabin is strictly utilitarian. Besides that, the angle of the hatchet rules out it falling off the wall. It would have had to have come from the ceiling.. or been thrown across the room. No way am I touching the damn thing. I back up, setting the clipboard down and head for the door. My goal: Get as far from here as possible, preferably with one of my group, and get anywhere that I won’t be all alone.

  “Fuck you, ghosts,” I growl as I lock the door and slam it closed. The wind rises and howls behind me, rattling the windows. A chill rises up my spine, and I make tracks back to my cabin.

  “Hey Dexter!” Sterling calls as I enter the living space. His face is flushed, and the sound of water is coming from the bathroom. Jun must be showering - again. So Specs got lucky this afternoon.

  “Hey Specs,” I flop onto the small sofa.

  “Dude, you look… kind of pale,” he comments as he sits across from me.

  “Yeah, fucking ghosts. A native looking hatchet just appeared in my work cabin, stuck in the floor… Ugh. How is this our life right now? I thought spooky stuff was hella cool, but now that we’re living it daily? Nah, I’ll pass.” I rub my hands down my face.

  “I understand. But don’t let Jun hear you say that, she’s jumpy about how we’re taking things,” he purses his lips.

  “Gah, I know. She cried this morning in front of Alex and I,” I lament. “I hate this. I wish I knew how to stop it. I feel useless. We are supposed to protect her.”

  “We’ll figure it out. The probabilities are greater for our success with five of us searching for the answer,” Specs says, geeking out on me.

  I give him the side eye, and I’m about to form a retort, when the bathroom door opens and the scent from Jun’s strawberry soap fills the room before she steps out. We both pan our heads toward her. I can feel a goofy grin cross my face when she smiles over at me.

  “Hey Dex!”

  “Love of my life!” I yell dramatically and blow her a kiss. She grabs it from the air and sends one back. It’s corny, and I love it to death.

  “We’re here!” The front door slams open, and the twins shout in unison.

  “There’s a campfire tonight! S'MORES and STORIES!” Asher whoops.

  “And alcohol,” Alex coughs into his hand.

  I smirk, and give him a high five. Standing up, I follow him into his room and we rifle through his bags to get his stash. He’s got some coconut rum, which Jun will appreciate, and a bottle of whiskey. We grab some sodas for chasers and saunter back into the living space.

  “We have booze!” He holds the bottles in the air and puffs out his chest. Jun holds her stomach as she laughs, and I exchange a happy look with Ash.

  “Okay, I’ll get dressed, and then we can get going,” Jun tiptoes back to the bedroom.

  “While she’s getting dressed, I’m going to pack my bag with snacks and a hoodie, cause you know she’s gonna get cold,” Asher ducks out of the room.

  I shrug and wander toward our room in search of my hoodie and a ball cap. Jun’s back is to me, when I peek in the door and see she’s snapping her bra. I sneak up behind her and kiss her shoulder.

  “Hey you.”

  “Hey yourself. Will you grab me my black skinny jeans?” She asks as she turns the bra around and pulls on the straps. It’s fire engine red, and I almost can’t breathe when she turns my way. The look on her face is the perfect mix of innocence and heat. I take a deep breath and bend forward, digging through her suitcase.

  “Jun… you have a million black items of clothing, and you want me to find a specific one? What about these joggers? They’re comfy looking,” I hold them up.

  “Ooh, I forgot I brought those.” She snatches them and puts them on.

  I laugh and move to my bag, grab a hat and a hoodie, then close it up and shove it back under the bed. Jun’s pulling on shoes when I stand back up, and I can’t help but laugh at the fact that instead of sitting like a normal person… she’s hopping around on one foot. She shoots me a look and I shrug. When she’s done, she pulls on a sweater and drags me through the door.

  When we get to the campfire, Jessica and Bobby have the fire blazing and music playing. The other cabin of co-directors already have hotdogs on sticks over the blaze. The pop and crackle of the fire, and the low thrum of the music, have good memories of camp flashing through my mind.

  “Man, I love campfires!” Jun sighs and runs toward the stash of food.

  Asher and Alex drop their bags by a crowd of stumps meant for stools, and I head over and claim one for my own. Jun chats with Jessica as she heats a hotdog and Sterling sits down next to me glaring across the space at Karen. Whatever she’s done, it’s two steps over the line, because I’ve never seen him look so heated.

  “What’s up?” I nudge him.

  “She won’t fucking let up. Even though I’ve told her I’m with Jun, and Jun’s made a show of kissing me in front of her. When I went to say hi to Bobby, she grabbed my ass!” Sterling crosses his arms and growls.

  “Oh shit. You better take it to Bobby or Jessica before it goes any further. She can get fired for sexual harassment, just like a guy,” I rub my hands together over the heat of the fire.

  “You’re right, I will. When Jun comes over here.”

  “Story time!” Jun calls as she plops down beside me.

  Alex claps his hands and claims the stool next to her, while Ash pulls one up behind her. I tick my head toward Sterling and he gets up grumbling. He veers over to Jessica, and I look over to Alex.

  “So, who’s telling one first?” I ask loudly, hoping nobody will notice Sterling.

  “Are we talking ghost stories, or normal camp stories?” Brian sits across from us.

  “Either I guess,” I hold up my palms.

  He nods and claps his hands together. “Okay. I’ll go. When I was seventeen, I was a camp counselor here. I was out on the canoes with a group of kids, and we thought we saw some kind of wild animal drinking from the lake dow
n in one cove. So we paddled over quietly. I didn’t have my glasses on, and I realized too late that we’d crept up on two of the co-directors getting busy on the shore. Damn, I don’t know who was more embarrassed, them or me, because in a flurry of trying to turn the boat, I capsized it. There were limbs flying, and girls screaming from every damn direction,” he laughs.

  “Oh. My. Gawd! That is so funny!” Wendy squeals.

  “That’s great. Jun, Sterling and I were here as kids. I think the first year we came we were in sixth grade?”

  “Nah, seventh,” Jun interrupts. “I still had braces in sixth grade and refused to come.”

  “Oh yeah! That’s why I was here a year without you guys! Damn I forgot!” I slap my knee.

  “Shit, I loved the two summers we were here. I learned so much about nature, and spent more time than ever with my two best friends. It was the first time we were all three together alone, no parents around,” I sigh.

  “So… is that when you guys hooked up?” Jackson asks as he places a marshmallow on his stick.

  “What? No,” Jun laughs. “We were awkward and dumb. I think none of us realized the other felt the same way. We were just best friends until the beginning of last school year, when we all got assigned to the same dorm, along with the twins,” she ruffles Asher’s hair. “And that was all she wrote.”

  “Ah, okay. Cool,” Jackson replies as he gives Maria a lusty stare. I almost forgot she existed, she’s so quiet.

  “I’ve got a story for you,” Bobby says, sitting down and rubbing his hands together. We all nod and turn toward him. “They say, back when Louisiana was first settled, that farmhouse was built. The one we use for the commons and kitchen for y’all. Each board was sawed down by hand and nailed in place by a man called Jacob Mayweather. He and his family settled here after the natives were run out. The Caddo tribe lived here before. There was some skirmish or something a few years later, and the Mayweather’s just disappeared. Poof! Tale is that the natives came back and murdered them all, then sank them in the lake. No one swims in the lake at night to this day, they say the dead rise and try to pull them under,” he finishes with a spooky voice.

  The camp is silent except for the hoot of an owl and the crackle of the fire. Jun’s hand finds mine, and she squeezes hard. I cough and stand up beside her. Ash looks white as a sheet, and Sterling is staring at us from across the fire.

  “Uh, you know, I’m exhausted. And Jun hit her head earlier. Maybe it’s best we all retire for the night?” I look back at the group, and they all nod. Alex and Asher already have their backpacks on. Bobby and Jessica look perplexed, but wave as we walk away.

  “Fucking hell,” I groan when we get out of earshot. “A family in the lake? What are the odds…” I look at Sterling as his mouth opens. “Don’t Sterling, I was not serious.”

  He closes his mouth and nods. “Well, I think I’d like a drink when we get back to the cabin,” he whispers.

  “A-fucking-men,” Alex moans.

  9

  Jun

  I wake up tangled with Dexter and Asher. They’re flanked by Alex and Sterling. After the creepy story last night, I gave in and demanded we make a big bed in one room. I still had a hard time sleeping, even after some ‘group’ time. I sink in a little deeper and pull Dex’s arm around my middle.

  “You awake?” I whisper when he tightens his grip.

  “I am now,” he chuckles.

  “I’m sorry, I barely slept. What do you think about the farmhouse story? Do you think it has merit? The lake thing just feels true, especially since two of us felt the hands pulling us down,” I bite the black polish that’s chipping on my nail.

  Sterling’s arm wraps over Dex and cups my jaw. “I’m going to look into it today, I promise.”

  “Maybe you could get Brian to help you,” Dex adds. “He has a Specs vibe... and he’s pretty easy to work with.”

  Sterling clucks his tongue and smacks Dex in the shoulder. The two laugh as Dex rolls over and grabs him in a headlock. I scoot closer to Ash and am rewarded with a snuggle and a blanket thrown over us. He rolls me over his body and tucks me between him and Alex. Alex groans and cuddles my butt.

  “Do we have to work today?” his voice is muffled by my hair.

  “No, we have today and tomorrow off. Sunday, we start back again,” I answer.

  “Thank fuck,” he runs a hand up my thigh.

  He trails kisses along the nape of my neck and a shiver breaks out along my skin. Just when things are heating up, a large weight piles onto us on top of the covers. I gasp and push against the heavy body laying across us. An arm or elbow jabs me right in the bladder and I groan.

  “Gee, this bed got super lumpy,” Dex laughs.

  “Get off! I need to pee!” I squeak.

  The twins chuckle and push both Dex and the covers away. I spring up and sprint for the bathroom. I make it with seconds to spare, slamming the door shut as I sit. The more comfortable these guys get with each other, the more shenanigans commence. If only we could settle in and get rid of my shadow stalker. I wonder if there’s a way to dampen my beacon to the undead. Juniper’s second sight needs to be dimmed, that’s for damned sure.

  “Hey Jun?” Sterling calls from the other side of the door.

  “Uh, Yeah?”

  “I’m going to head out with Dexter and ride into town. Try to get some internet so I can research the Caddo tribe and the Mayweather’s, see what I can dig up. Do you want anything while we’re out?”

  “Shouldn’t we all go?” I answer as I wash my hands.

  “Nah, we need some of us here in case Bobby and Jessica ask. Plus, it will be weird if you all just sit and stare at me. There’s nothing to do in town, you know that.”

  I rub my face and look at the state of my hair and sigh. What Sterling really means is it will take me too long to get dressed, and he’s not wrong. I need to wash my hair, I don’t even want to talk about why.

  “Okay, I want a pizza and ice cream when you get back! Oh, and chocolate!” I smile thinking of Sterling picking out sweets for me. We have depleted our stash, and Jessica stocked the kitchen with healthy food… is she trying to torture me?

  “You got it. See you soon… Love you,” he raps twice on the wood.

  I open the door and purse my lips. Sterling laughs as he gives me a quick kiss. “Love you too,” I smile before shutting the door again and picking up my toothbrush. While I’m in here, I might as well get ready for the day. While I’m brushing my teeth, I turn on the water to get it hot. I like to boil myself like a lobster when I wash. Hot water is right up there with coffee as far as must-haves for me.

  “Hey guys?” I yell through the door as I crack it open.

  “Need something?” Alex peeks out of the bedroom.

  “No, I’m going to shower. If either of you needs to brush your teeth, I’ll leave the door unlocked. What do y’all want to do while the others are gone?”

  “After we eat… maybe we can go check out the office, and see if we find any old records or something?” He shrugs. It sounds like a good start, so I nod and close the door. Dropping the shirt I stole from Asher last night to the floor, I step into the shower and moan when the water hits my back. I didn’t realize how sore my body was, both from sexy times and sleeping restlessly. All washed and relaxed, I turn off the water, only to realize that Alex is taking a pee when I hear his groan and water splashing into the toilet.

  “Dude, I said you could brush your teeth,” I speak through the curtain.

  “What? I had to piss, and it’s not like you haven’t seen what I’ve got over here.”

  ‘Yeah, but pee is gross,” I wrinkle my nose.

  “Babe… there are far grosser things I could do over here,” he chuckles and flushes.

  Once I’m sure he’s done, I open the curtain and give him a sour look. He sticks his tongue out and scratches his balls. I throw up my hands in mock disgust and wrap my towel tight, before juking around him and skipping down the hall.


  With breakfast eaten and cleaned up, the twins and I take that walk to the office. I snatch Alex’s ball cap and pull my hair through it while we make our way through the thin tree line between our side of the camp and the office. It’s cooler today than it has been since we arrived, which makes me happy. The cloud cover will keep my pasty ass from getting burnt today.

  “Did you hear that?” Ash stops and motions for silence. We stand in a cluster for a minute, then Alex curses.

  “Scary movies are bullshit. They only ever show this shit happening in the dark. When we’re done with this, I’m making my own damn movie and it will be legit,” he growls. “Why can’t we see the camp by now? It should be right there!”

  I look around and realize he’s right. All I can see are trees in both directions, which shouldn’t be possible. Our cabin should be just behind us, and the office in front. A cool, misty breeze floats in and a crow caws overhead. The hair on my head and arms rise, and I step closer to Alex.

  “What the fuck?” he points just to the left of us.

  When I pan my eyes down, there’s a stack of rocks building itself. All around us, the action is repeating until there are several Blair Witch style rock piles. The only thing that’s missing are creepy little stick men. Asher presses into our huddle and rubs his face with his hand. My skin ripples with goosebumps and numbness consumes me. I’ve reached a point where I can’t process all the spook.

  “I will have you, soon,” a voice whispers through the trees. Behind the whisper is a low thrum of a drum beat, and I can almost hear the crackle of a fire.

  “Well too fucking bad! I’m not available to be had!” I growl.

  A low, mocking laugh echoes through the woods as an icy wind whips through the trees, knocking down branches and debris all over us. The guys shelter our heads with their arms and push me toward the direction the office should be. We run for what feels like hours, before the mist suddenly disappears, and the office forms in front of us. I let out a sigh of relief and dart toward the building.