03. The Clown Statue

It’s now or never, I finally told myself as I unzipped my sleeping bag and poked my head out of my tent. I’d been putting it off for as long as I could, not wanting to leave the warmth of my covers but my bladder was about ready to explode. The smell of the burnt maple wood was crisp as it saturated the autumn air. Nice choice for firewood, I smiled as I thought about Abby. It was pretty pathetic none of the guys thought to do the heavy lifting or bothered to go with her when she said. Had I heard her earlier she would have never had to chop that wood herself.

Still she didn’t do a bad job of it. I fully unzipped my tent and rolled my bag up and out of the door. The brisk night air hit me like a ton of bricks the second I stepped outside. It was still dark out but the sky had changed from a dark navy blue to a clouded turquoise hue. I slipped my feet into the flip-flops I’d brought with me and slowly stumbled my way towards the wash house to take a piss. Knox and his bright ideas; really I should have known better. He’s never been smart enough to think anything through. And now here I was stuck out in the middle of the woods with just one bathroom for four guys and a shower that spouts mostly cold water. 

Though small and infrequent, gusts of wind had successfully made its way up the bottom of my boxers and I shivered with every step I took. At least we were lucky enough to get the site closest to the building although I hadn’t seen anyone else up here when we arrived. Unlike us they were too smart to come up to Beryl Lake in the middle of a rainy season. The thin, cracked slats of wood groaned beneath my feet as I walked up the steps towards the door and I turned to see if the others may have heard.

That’s it Boy, I stroked myself to coax my bladder to empty. As cold as it was outside, I’m not surprised the piss froze inside my dick. “Ah yes!” Finally, sweet relief. I stood over the urinal with my palm flat against the rough wooden surface of the wall a moment, shaking it with my other to make sure every drop hit the porcelain and not my leg. “Jesus!” the vacuum suck on that thing roared like a hungry wolf after its prey. If the cold air hadn’t woke me up, that sure did the trick.

My body involuntarily stretched as I headed back outside again. The others were still somewhat quiet, nice to know my trek hadn’t bothered them any. Getting back to my tent, I stopped a moment in front of Abby’s. I could hear her inside tossing and turning on the hard ground. Poor thing; she was as thin as a rail so the cold must really be creeping into her bones. Not to mention she doesn’t have that extra cushion to guard her from the compact dirt beneath.

Unzipping her tent, my movements were silent and went unnoticed as I crawled inside behind her. Just as I’d thought, she was shivering hard as the merciless cold ravaged her tiny frame. I knelt onto my knees being careful not to lean too far on top of her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into my chest. Slowly I molded my body to the curve of her back letting her soak up the heat of my body. Tiny moans of appreciation muttered from her throat causing a smile to form on my face. She needed this. I leaned forward a little more allowing the warmth of my breath to fan against her cheek. 

The smell of her shampoo hit me every time I inhaled; the light fragrance of grapefruit was subtle and enchanting. On top of that, the lotion she wore made her skin smell like vanilla birthday cake making it a struggle for me not to dart my tongue out to taste her. Abby moaned again, this time louder and slightly stirred in my arms. I lightened my grip of her waist a little as she tucked herself deeper into her bag. She sighed deeply as she once again drifted asleep and I used that as my cue to exit. 

I settled back into my bag and let my mind wander for a moment before my eyes closed and I was sound asleep. It wasn’t until the death screams piercing through the still morning that I awakened again. Hurriedly I rushed out of my tent towards the sounds and stopped as I joined Knox, Evian, Chazz and Jemma at the campfire. “What’s wrong? What happened?” I asked frantically as I approached what everyone was staring at.

There in the center of the camp were torn and shredded bags of clothes. I looked over the items and noticed pretty quickly that a few of the shirts and pants were mine! “What the hell is this? Someone trashed our stuff?”

“Not cool man, not cool,” Chazz constantly repeated like it was his new mantra or something. “Do any of you know how long it takes to grow the perfect plant man? This shit is fucking useless now! Look at it!” He shouted holding up a handful of his best bud with dirt and other weeds littered within. “Who the fuck is gonna pay for this shit huh? Not cool!”

Seriously he was bitching over a ruined bag of drugs when every article of clothing I brought with me was lying in tatters on the cold, autumn ground. I brought my hands up to my chest as a chilled wind washed over my bare skin. I could see my breath as I brought my hands to my mouth to blow into them. The others moved about the pile of clothing trying to sort out what belonged to whom and I looked around the area for footprints, finding none. “What’s everyone shouting about?” I heard Abby’s sleepy voice groan as she finally joined us near the pit. 

Her eyes opened wider as she realized what had caused the commotion and she quickly dropped to her bags, tossing items around in hopes of finding a piece that was salvageable. “Who did this? This is all of my stuff!” She glanced up at me and I shrugged.

“That’s what we’re all asking. It happened while we were sleeping. And it looks like everyone got hit.” I looked up as Roland started back towards us from the wash house, dressed in different clothes than what he’d worn yesterday with a bag of something in his hands. “All except Ro that is.”

“Dude what the fuck?” Chazz charged at him with his hands raised in anger. “What the hell possessed you to fuck with our shit?”

“First of all, back the fuck out my face ‘lil man, you don’t know what the fuck ya talkin’ ‘bout. Don’t step to me like you ready to throw down unless you wanna get messed up. I ain’t touch ya shit.” His shoulder bounced off of Chazz’s chest as he forcefully pushed him back a few steps. Dropping his bag at Evian’s feet, he pulled her into his chest as he took in the carnage around the campsite. “I’m sorry Baby.”

“So how do you explain the fact that we’re all staring at our stuff torn to shit and you’re all dressed and ready to go?” Knox joined in, stepping behind Chazz as if showing unity behind their claims.

“Look, I don’t gotta explain nothin’. Don’t blame me because you can’t keep track of your own shit man. I used my bag as a pillow last night because I couldn’t get comfortable. Obviously whoever took your shit did it while it was unguarded. Mine never left my side!” Roland glanced around at the rest of us and took a step back. “What all yall think I did this? Ok then tell me, why would I do everybody’s stuff, includin’ my girl’s, and leave mine untouched? Don’t you think that would automatically make me look guilty? How stupid do you take me for? Shit ends up stolen or broke and yall immediately turn to one of the only dark faces in the group? For real though, go somewhere with that shit man I ain’t got time for it.”

“Alright everybody calm down and think this thing through rationally. There are no footprints anywhere around the camp other than ours. And had it been some wild animal they would have gone for the food not our clothes yet the cooler and the baskets and stuff have not been touched! Somebody did this but I seriously doubt it was Roland!” I replied, talking through the situation as I saw it. To be honest I didn’t blame Roland; he was smart to keep his bag close. But thinking someone else came in while we were out and went through our things was a scarier thought rather than just hoping one of us did this as a prank. 

The wind picked up and the girls each gave a shout as the air trickled beneath their flimsy clothing caressing their already cold skin with its icy touch. I lifted Abby off the ground knowing the contact with the dirt was only increasing the frostiness she felt; her arms were frozen solid. Immediately she turned and hugged me to warm herself and out of surprise I fell back a step, not returning the hold she took me in. “I-I’m sorry…I didn’t mean…” she pulled away, snatched her bag up from the ground and hurriedly headed back towards her tent.

Shit. I didn’t mean to make her uncomfortable. I just wasn’t expecting that reaction from her. I watched her zip herself back up before turning towards the group again. “Look, we’re obviously not going to stay out here now with nothing to put on. So let’s just clean this mess up, find something if anything to wear and head back to Fremont. This camping trip is over.”

They all nodded their consent and went through the pile. I grabbed what remained of my own bag and started towards my tent. I could hear Abby inside of hers shuffling the items around her suitcase again, she seemed to be looking for something. Her teeth were chattering and the sound of her lip hitting them amused me. I imagined her glasses bouncing around her nose, her tiny face turning blue from the chill as she made her best attempt at warming herself. “Abby?” I called out and waited for her to respond. When she said nothing I dropped my head and moved away from her tent. “I’m sorry.”

I found that what I wore yesterday was saved from the culprit’s hands. It was thrown beneath my sleeping bag away from the other clothes in my duffel so I thankfully had a full outfit to put on. “You gotta be fucking kidding me!” I heard Roland shout outside and quickly tossed my clothes on. “So what I suppose I did this too?” he was asking of Chazz as I approached the guys by the dirt trail leading towards the vehicles.

“Is that what I think it is?” Noticing a flap of rubber in his hands I glanced over his shoulder towards the cars and sure enough, they were all busted to hell, every tire flattened.

“They even got the fucking spares man!”

“Ah no, no, no,” Chazz echoed himself as he slammed the hood down on his jeep. “They took the goddamn batteries too!”

“Alright, hold on, there’s no need to panic.”

“No need to panic? Zach are you serious? Someone is seriously fucking with us out here and now he’s made it to where we can’t leave and you don’t think we should be panicking?”

“What’s it gonna help Chazz huh? We have to listen to you bitch and complain on top of having our shit tampered with? Calm the fuck down and think. Now how far away is the closest gas station?” I took my cell phone out of my back pocket and frowned as the signal bars barely moved above a blip. “Anyone got service?”

“Not out here, too fucking far.”

“Well maybe it’s just the trees. Alright um Roland, you and Knox use your cells and see if you can find a spot around the camp with a signal. If you get one, call someone and let them know what’s happening. I’m gonna head up the way we came and see if there are any houses or something along the road. And Chazz…just…keep the girls away from this area. The last thing we need is for them to go crazy with worry too.”

The guys started off in different directions and I waited until Chazz reached camp before starting into the woods. I could smell the rain in the air as I headed down the trail that led towards the street. If we didn’t get out of here soon, everyone would go completely ballistic that’s for sure. It was bad enough we were suffering through the cold nights, much chillier than any of us had anticipated, but rain would not help the situation at all. I ran my hand over my arms and jumped the guardrail. The sun was out and warming patches of the ground enough that the wind was no longer a concern of mine but there was no telling how the others were handling it.

As the son of a fireman I learned pretty early in life that some things are just not worth crying over. My dad risks his life every day from the time he wakes up until he goes to bed at night, putting strangers before himself and sometimes his own family and never once complains. Being the oldest of three boys and one girl, has taught me the value of keeping a level head. Not only am I expected to set the example for my younger siblings but they look to me for guidance when they feel no one else will understand. And believe me it’s not easy, but I think that’s what makes a lot of it fun. 

“Zach, wait up!” I turned as I heard her scream my name and smiled as Abby rushed down the hill towards me. She took a moment to catch her breath. The rosiness in her cheeks was brighter than normal and with a quick swipe she’d brushed her loose bangs behind her ear with a smile.

“Abby, hey, did something happen?”

“No,” she shook her head quickly and her nose scrunched up behind her glasses as she did; it was adorable. “I just thought it might be best if we didn’t do things alone. Everybody’s scared that someone is really out here with us and there’s safety in numbers.”

Her concern for me was sweet and it was refreshing to see her complete a sentence without stuttering although I was pretty flattered by that. “Smart thinking.” We walked along for the better half of an hour talking mostly about school and what our plans were afterwards.

Intermittently we’d both try our cell phones checking for a signal but the mountain range seemed to be somehow blocking that. Abby had suggested the incoming storm we saw may be what was interfering. And I dread that if that’s the case, it would be a while before we were able to contact help. “Hey so about earlier…I’m sorry if…”

“It’s ok, it was my fault. Your hand was just so warm that I instinctively moved towards it. I didn’t mean to be such a dork.” She blushed as she spoke. That light pink tinge I’ve seen light up her face a time or two had to be the cutest thing ever. She was painfully shy but there was a hidden fire beneath her bookworm appearance. Considering the way she spoke up for herself when she thought I was calling her weak was proof of that. 

She looked at me as if she was waiting on something. I don’t know how long she’d been speaking but every word had fallen on deaf ears.  “What? I’m sorry.”

She giggled and nodded her head as if she’d just uncovered some secret I was not privy to. Those beautiful emeralds of hers caught me again and I laughed back unsure of what the joke was. “So who do you think did it?”

“Hard to say. I don’t think it was one of us though. It wouldn’t make sense that somebody from the group would trash our stuff and then leave us with no way of getting home. Maybe some transient who calls the park home, we intruded in his space and he was just having a laugh at our expense.”

“So you don’t think they’re still around?” I shrugged and led her up another hill. Tripping over her own foot, she fell against my arm and I caught her against my chest before she could land and do any serious damage.

“Are you ok?”

“Oh, yeah, it was bound to happen at some point,” she laughed at herself. “I mean I’m constantly coming up with new ways to embarrass myself in front of hot-ha…um…uh…people.”

There she goes with that blush again. For someone who apparently wears no makeup, her skin does a good enough job filling in the missing color. “I like your lotion,” I admitted to try and ease her discomfort a little.

“Lotion? I’m not wearing any.”

My god is that her natural smell?  “O…k…” Now it was my turn to be mortified. Having come up to the 3^rd mile marker we’ve seen since leaving camp, it was becoming painfully obvious there were no homes along this road. And after nearing the edge of the cliff as far as I could without falling to check for a signal, I finally suggested we just head back. “Maybe one of the others had more success,” I remarked, trying my best not to sound troubled.

She shrugged with a heavy sigh and we turned back for camp. “Any luck?” Abby asked, dropping onto one of the log benches at the pit.

“None. No matter how high Knox got up into one of those trees out there, he couldn’t find a signal. How’d yall do?” Roland asked as he handed her a bottle of water.

She shook her head bleakly before I stepped in to offer an explanation. “There are no houses on the road at least three miles up and no service for the area either.” I paused considering whether or not I should mention the incoming storm. 

Eyeing Abby, I decided against it and took a seat beside her. “Where are Knox and Jemma?” Abby’s eyebrows went up as she realized the two were missing and I could see her mind pondering the possibilities. “Nevermind.”

“It’ll be dark soon and we need to make a plan for what we’re gonna do,” Evian stated and took a seat at the pit as well. “I’m not staying out here if there is someone stalking these woods waiting for us to fall asleep.”

“Evian’s right,” Abby joined in. “It’s not safe out here and it’s obvious we’re not going anywhere tonight.”

“We’ll just have to take turns watching over the place until morning. It’ll be fine,” Roland did his best to keep his girlfriend calm. I looked at Abby who had long since stopped shivering, her body growing used to the frigid temperatures and nodded my head. 

“He’s right, we’ll be fine.” Another two hours passed before Knox and Jemma made their way back to camp, carrying a load of firewood in their arms as if that was going to fool anyone sitting here. The smile on Knox’s face alone was enough to reveal their true motives and Jemma straightened her top before joining the rest of us in the pit. “Glad you made it back. I was just beginning to wonder if we should send out a search party or something.”

“Nah, Bro, it’s all good,” Knox winked and dropped the stack beside the rest at the pit. “Alright well looks like we’re in for another night under the stars. And I say in order to pass the time, we tell more stories,” he suggested, trying on his best sinister laugh.

“Right. Ghost stories at night while someone is out there trying to scare us? For real? Are you really this stupid or do you just try harder than most?” 

“Come on, Evian, it’s not that bad. We’ll be together and it’s something to do. Unless you want to just sit around until you get tired enough to sleep. And then what? At least this way you have a reason to stay awake right?” Knox reasoned with a smile as he stood in front of the group. “Tonight, I think we should hear from…” I closed my eyes fooling myself that it would make me scarce, wishing with all my might he didn’t call my name. But I knew full well he was going to. “Zach!” Big surprise.

“Are you sure this is the best use of our time?” I asked. Truthfully I just didn’t want to participate in his lame camping antics. But then Abby leaned against me with an encouraging smile.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure it won’t be nearly as lame as mine was,” she whispered against my ear. That was all I needed to give it a shot.

“Alright fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Emergency numbers are on the fridge and there’s plenty of food inside as well. Remember to warm the bottle no longer than three minutes in boiled water before giving it to Dylan. And Casey no matter what she tells you is NOT allowed to have drinks after 7:30. If you need anything else call we’ll be at the Briscoe.”

“I got it all under control Mr. Spencer,” Stacy smiled as she walked the Spencers to the door. Every babysitting gig was the same: rules, rules and more rules. All she really needed was a stocked fridge, cable TV and her payment upfront in cash. However the parents thought it was their job to pound into her every allergy and stipulation for their home. 

Mr. Spencer handed her the envelope and Stacy started closing the door behind him when he turned around again with one more rule. “Don’t forget the only television set up for your use is in the red room. My wife and I like to keep the cleaning to a minimum. With such a big place it’s usually hard so we do what we can where we can.”

“I understand Mr. Spencer. I’ll be sure and clean up after myself,” she put on her best fake smile and waited this time until she saw him head down the driveway and hop into his car. 

“Finally!” Stacy exclaimed as she shut the door and turned to find Casey, the Spencer’s 7-year old daughter staring at her. She was holding her stuffed bear in her arms and sucking on her thumb. And while most people would find that adorable, Stacy was more annoyed at the fact she was not in bed. Babysitting was just something she was into for the quick cash; she could easily dispense with the kids. “It’s past someone’s bedtime,” Stacy chanted as she took Casey by the shoulders and marched her up the stairs.

“Mommy always reads to me. Will you read me a story?” Ugh, really?  Stacy thought as they moved. Fine if it’ll help the little brat pass out quicker, she could spare a few minutes. Casey handed Stacy a book from the shelf and climbed into bed. She didn’t get but a few pages in before the child was out cold and snoring. Turning out the light, she left the door opened just a crack and headed back down the stairs. The house was unbelievably quiet and the thought creeped her out just a little.

The Spencers lived in the hills a good distance away from surrounding neighborhoods. The closest house was at least five miles down the road giving the family complete solitude in their hilltop mansion. It had its benefits Stacy believed as she had plans on calling her boyfriend a little later. Having real privacy with him was another reason she took this gig.

Now that they kiddies were down it was me-time! Grabbing a bowl, Stacy stuck some corn in the microwave for popping. Three minutes later she was tucking herself into the large armchair in the red room ready to check out the tube. “Wow, really? Over 200 channels and nothing’s on?” Finally settling on Isle of the Dead, she pulled the small blanket over her lap and watched as the lead female searched her dark house for a flashlight.

Idiot, she thought once a monster popped out at her in her bedroom. Instead of running through the door of her cabin she took the slowest route possible through a window and ran off into the woods without a weapon or a light where more zombies were lurking. “These people never get it,” Stacy laughed and stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth. A slight rustling sound startled her from near the bookcase and she turned around to find a life-sized clown doll sitting in one of the armchairs against the wall. “Creepy.”

It had a bright red nose and a wicked smile painted on its face. The makeup along its eyes made them appear as black as night and hollowed out and they seemed to follow Stacy as she leaned about the couch. Why would anyone want a spooky looking doll like that? She questioned. Then she thought about the kids getting scared of it and a smile came to her face. Maybe the Spencers weren’t as uptight as she thought.

A scream on the television made Stacy turn with a jump, spilling popcorn all over the place. She tugged the blanket tighter against her face as she watched a zombie chew off the arm of one of the survivors, splattering blood all over the screen. “Ew! No don’t run that way! Grab a gun and start shooting!” Another scream and three people were rushing through the woods again, dodging a horde of undead as they tried to get to the beach. 

Her heart was pounding as they reached the shore and, using their flashlights, flagged down a boat sitting in the middle of the water. “Man if those zombies can swim…” Stacy heard a wicked laugh and turned her head, checking the room for speakers. Unsure if her mind was playing tricks on her or not but the surround sound in this place was amazing! Another creaking sound and she froze in place. From the corner of her eye, she could see the clown’s head was now facing her, slumped over a little its mouth was drawn even more into a smile and its eyes were focused right on her! 

The creaking sound must have been the wooden figurine falling over, she assured herself trying to calm the beating of her heart. Between the creepy looking circus freak and the zombies on the television screen her adrenaline was working overtime. She blew out a breath slowly and gulped down a mouthful of the soda she’d nabbed from the fridge. The moment her mouth went to the can again the clown fell forward, almost touching the back of the sofa where she sat and Stacy jumped from her seat.

It stopped beside her, just before falling completely out of the chair. She remained as still as possible, too afraid to turn around but she knew it was there, staring. The sound of the leather cracked beneath its body and her mind started to wonder if this was some sick babysitter’s revenge. She wanted to move, change seats or even go to a different room yet she was inexplicably frozen in place.

Turning slightly to peer behind her, Stacy found the doll’s eyes were indeed pinning her in place; that haunting gaze seemingly staring into her soul. Her heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest. Her breath caught in her throat. The palms of her hands were shaking and sweaty, her mouth very dry. Stacy couldn’t think and she closed her eyes as suddenly the phone rang. “Fuck me!” She yelled and turned the sound down on the television as another scream nearly made her jump out of her skin. Breathing hard, she placed her hand over her heart as she opened the door and headed to the office to answer. 

Stacy blamed herself for watching horror movies alone at night in a strange new place and calmed her nerves as best she could to keep from worrying the Spencers about their children. “Hello?” she smiled to herself as she tricked her voice to sound very composed.

“Stacy it’s Mr. Spencer, just calling to check on how the kids are doing.”

“Oh everything is going well Sir. Casey went to bed without a problem and I haven’t heard a peep out of Dylan all night; he’s sound asleep still in his crib.”

“That’s great! Listen if it’s all the same to you, my wife and I were hoping to maybe spend another hour out. We’re meeting up with a few friends for some drinks. There’s an extra $20 in it for the hour of course.”

“That would be fine Mr. Spencer. And hey I was also sorta wondering if it would be ok if I switched rooms? I’d clean up after myself of course. It’s just that life-sized clown statue of yours is really creeping me out.”

There was a brief silence over the line before Mr. Spencer responded in a serious tone. “Stacy get the kids and get out of the house now! I’m calling the police and my wife and I will be there shortly! But get out now!”

“Why? What’s going on?” she asked, suddenly very scared as she heard the sounds of the Spencers running to their vehicle.

“We don’t own a clown statue Stacy.”

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