Zach put down his soup ladle, took off his hairnet, gloves and apron and rushed to the back of the kitchen. “Miranda? Miranda?”
Miranda was nowhere to be found.
Zach found another kitchen employee who was helping clean pots and pans. She was tall and thin. Much younger than Miranda. “Excuse me. I don’t feel well. I think I might throw up. I need to go to the bathroom.” He was only half lying.
“Okay, just go! Hurry!” the woman said. “I’ll take over your post. Don’t worry.”
Zach rushed out of the kitchen, the rest of the KP staff watching him intently, including Logan.
Once outside, the pine and spruce trees seemed to cave in on Zach. The circular shape of the camp turned him in circles. Since everyone was in the cafeteria, he was alone, standing in the middle of the camp, like the bull’s eye on a dartboard. Whatever was after him would have no problem getting to him here. He was vulnerable. Defenseless.
He grabbed Chris’s stone from his pocket and raced to the dormitory front door, his feet barely grazing the gravel below.
Where had Miranda gone?
He sat on the floor of his room, his back planted against the wall. He held the rock in his hands, twirling it, studying its grainy texture and flawed shape. The perfect stone. Chris’s perfect stone.
With every rustle of trees in the cool breeze and with every click-clack of a squirrel’s footsteps, Zach jumped nervously. What was after him? What did it want from him? Zach was lost. He didn’t know what to do.
A few minutes passed. A slow creaking came from the lobby of the dorm. Zach stood up, the stone still firmly in his hand. The creaking became louder with each passing second. Louder. Louder. Zach’s eyes were wide. A chill ran up his spine. Then the door slowly opened. He shrunk against the stiffness of the wall behind him. “Leave me alone!” he yelled.
“Zach, it’s Mr. Foster. Are you okay?”
Zach’s muscles relaxed. A deep breath released from his mouth. “Yeah, Mr. Foster. I’m okay.”
“The lady from the cafeteria said you had to leave because you felt sick. Is that true?”
“Uh, yeah. I was feeling a little nauseous, so I had to get out and get some fresh air.”
“Okay, but you know you aren’t supposed to be in here by yourself right now.”
Zach shrugged.
“Are you sure there isn’t something else going on?”
The chatter of fifteen eighth graders coming back to the dorm interrupted the conversation. “No, I’m fine.”
“All right. So, you’re ready to go out on the night hike then?”
“Yeah, I’ll be ready for it,” Zach said.
The night hike was almost as famous as the Ropes Course at Pine Ridge. Mrs. Lomeier had told Zach’s class all about it. After dinner the entire group of campers would gather together at the campfire pit. Then Mrs. Lomeier would lead the kids down the path into the deep forest.
Mrs. Lomeier stressed two things about the night hike. “Always follow the person in front of you and don’t ever stray from the path.” She was paranoid about losing students in the woods.
Mr. Foster left Zach’s room, but as soon as he was gone, Logan, Michael and Tristan entered. “Hey. You all right?” Logan asked.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” He looked at Michael and Tristan, hastily putting on extra layers for the chilly excursion. “I’ll talk to you later about it.”
“Okay,” said Logan.
Michael and Tristan finished putting on their hats, gloves, and heavy coats for the adventure. “You guys coming?” asked Tristan excitedly.
“Yeah. We’ll meet you guys out there,” Logan said as the two friends dashed out the door. “So, what’s going on with you? How come you darted out of KP duty? Were you actually sick?”
Zach shoved the stone back into his pocket. He turned around to look out at the dimming daylight. The sun was casting shadows among the dense trees. Soon it would be dark. Soon it would be night.
Still staring out the window, Zach asked, “Would you believe me if I told you?”
Logan was silent for a moment. Then he said honestly, “Yeah. I’ll believe you.”
Zach sat on Logan’s bed with a somber look on his face, told him about the terrible odor, the soup spilling and then reappearing, him going back in time, and Miranda’s story. He tossed it all out there for Logan, expecting him to laugh. Expecting him to blow it off.
“So, you think this place really is haunted and ghosts are after you?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“You’re full of it. You’ve never believed in this kind of stuff before.”
Zach just stared at Logan, saying nothing.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“I wish it wasn’t real. Trust me. But after the KP incident, it has to be true.”
Logan nodded, affirming Zach’s story. “Okay. What can I do?”
Zach stood up, went to his overnight bag, and pulled out his winter layers. He took off his Twins hat and replaced it with a warm, knit stocking cap. Then he put on his gloves. He turned, looking directly into Logan’s eyes. “There’s only one thing you can do.”
“What’s that?”
“On this night hike?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t leave me.”