Camp Nightmare

488 words

“Over here,” the voice said, soft like a dream as it rang in David’s ears. Thick fog hung low like a blanket making it hard for him to move quickly through the woods. Even though he couldn’t see movement from the heavy foliage in front of him he knew he wasn’t far from the voice.

David pushed forward as he increased his pace. His knee erupted in pain as he ran into a hard object knocking him to the ground. David searched the ground till he found what had sneaked attacked him. Straight in front of him laid a large head stone. He somehow wondered into an old cemetery the headstones waited silently under the fog like a large mine field.

Several rows down the fog cleared only to return a few rows beyond; in the center of the clearing stood a small girl in her summer camp shirt watching him. Long dark hair hung over her pale skin. “Are you alright,” he asked.

Her lips moved to answer but he couldn’t hear what she had said. David limped toward her not wanting to hit his knee again. He looked down on the girl; her eyes were sunken deep into her head with large white orbs that looked back at him. She opened her mouth to speak again when large clumps of dirt fell from her mouth. David fell backwards his foot snagged on something as he tried to get away.

Even though the ground was soft he landed hard losing his breath, as the little girl struggled to speak. She inched closer to him as the dirt continued to pour from her mouth. David’s hands and feet stirred wildly as he pushed to get away from her. What he thought were broken tree limbs that he snagged his shoes on were small childeren’s hands that grabbed up from the soil and now had a tight hold on him.

With the death grip of the hands and the smell of decay from the little girl as she leaned in closer to him; David’s heart pounded against his chest as the last of the rotted earth fell from her lips.

“Stay away,” her voice sounded dry and emotionless. “Don’t let us come here,” she told him.

She placed her small hands on his shoulders and leaned in as she opened her mouth and her voice became the sound of an alarm.

David shot straight up and hit his head on his over head lamp his alarm clock rang in his ear. He reached over and turned it off, his heart still pounding wildly.

“Hey David it’s about time you woke up,” Alex said. “You ready for that big hike today?”

“Uhmm I guess so,” David said.

“Get dressed and meet everyone out side.”

Outside the counselors had already had the kids rounded up. There in the middle of the kids stood the little girl from his dream watching him.