I was twelve years old when I first went to Camp Nightmoon. It was an exciting time for me, I was away from my parents and I could be with my friends, my brother, and the girl of my dreams, Riley. That was before we found out what living hell we were stepping into, and my first time shooting a man. I’m getting ahead of myself, my name is Edward Dresden. I’m an operative working for a government organization called, the Merrywood Institute, we’re the ones who protect people like you from the Chosen and the unknown creatures that stalk the night. I’m here to tell you the truth about Camp Nightmoon.
I can still remember the warm breeze that meant the start of summer. I was bidding goodbye to my parents with my younger brother, William. William’s blonde hair blew in the breeze as he hugged our mother, her blonde hair seemed to wrap around him like millions of blonde tendrils. Our father pat us both on the head while our mother kissed us, tears running down her face, “I can’t believe my babies, are off to summer camp,” She cried. Our little sister Rachel, who was too young to go with us, clutched her pink bunny close to her body as she whimpered, “Aww, it’s ok sweetie.” Our mother said.
I chuckled softly seeing my sister, “We’ll be back before you know it.” I said giving her a big hug, causing her to squeak. William smiled and ruffled her hair. Soon the bus arrived and we boarded, I put our luggage above our seats and than we sat down ready for the ride. Across from us sat two of my friends, Lucas Ryman and Gabriel Grimwood. Gabriel was talking about how he and his girlfriend, Lilliana were looking forward to being at Camp Nightmoon. Gabriel’s silver hair glowed brightly on summer sun as he talked to Lucas. Meanwhile in front of us sat Dawn and the love of my life, Riley. Her soft peach colored hair looked like gentle flames in the sun, “You gonna talk to her this time?” William asked. I didn’t respond. The bus soon began moving, we were on our way.
As the bus moved down the lonely road I opened a book entitled, ‘The Creature in the Woods’ by L. P. Heartcraft, it’s a horror story about a monster stalking and killing the campers. Not sure why I decided to read it but I did. My brother was listening to music while I read and occasionally checked to see where we were. After awhile we ended up stopping. I immediately looked out to see what it was that had made us stop. A creature had run out in front of the bus. I didn’t get a good look at it, but I was able to make out, its feline shape. The bus driver began to panic as he picked up his walkie talkie, “Chief, the subject is here.” He said. I soon saw what looked like a double barrel shotgun being taken out by the driver, “Understood.” He continued before putting the walkie down. He than turned to the only other adult on the bus, a man named Larry and told him something in French.
Larry nodded and told us all to close our eyes and cover our ears. We all obeyed. I barely caught a glimpse of Larry pulling out a colt 45 from his waistband holster. Whatever was going on was serious. After awhile Larry told us to get our stuff and get off the bus, we had arrive. Once I was off the bus I was greeted by Dawn who was just as confused as me. I didn’t have time to think as the owner of the camp soon greeted us, “Hello campers, I’m Alan but you can call me ‘Chief’.” He said. Chief was a large man with thick arms and a great, bushy beard. He removed his hat revealing his balding head, “Boys will be here, girls will be across the lake.” He said as boys and girls were devided amongst male and female counselors. Larry was my counselor. Chief looked around with a satisfied nod, “There are four rules that you kids need to know,” the man said as he looked at us through his dark sunglasses, “Rule 1 don’t leave your cabins at night, rule 2 don’t enter the woods alone, rule 3 don’t enter cabin 18 that’s where the doctor stays, and finally do not, I repeat do not cross the lake into the oposite camps.” He had a stern and serious look on his face. Gabriel had a disappointed look on his face after hearing that boy’s and girls would be separated.
After the girls crossed the lake by canoes Larry showed me and the others to our cabin. William, Gabriel, and Lucas were to be bunk mates, this is where things got weird. After we had put our things away, the doctor a beautiful Latin woman named, Dolores Rodriguez came along and gave us all a shot in the arm. Gabriel looked at her once he had received his, “What’s the shot for?” He asked.
She smiled kindly, “It’s to make sure you’re healthy.” She said before shooting me and taking her leave. I turned to him with a raised eyebrow, there was something wrong with what she said. Later that day we were aloud to go swimming in Lake Nightmoon. I stayed on the dock hoping to get more reading done. The only other man who stayed on the deck was Larry, his colt 45 laying by his hip. I happened to turn to look at him, he smiled at me and pet the gun, it certainly scared the s**t out of me. Across the water could be seen the girls swimming and playing volleyball. I scanned the girls’ beach hoping to see Riley but she wasn’t there. Than came the scream.
I looked around frantically and saw one of the boys, who was about the age of ten, laying on the ground having convulsions, I quickly got up and rushed over only to see a black snake slithering by the boy I used a nearby stick to toss the snake away while William and Gabriel helped the boy up into a sitting position. I turned and saw Larry holding his gun and walking toward us, “What happened!?” He asked me. I soon explained that a snake bit the boy. Larry bent down and examined the kid, “He needs to see doctor Rodriguez.” Larry said as he put his gun away and carried the boy into the woods. I turned to one of the other counselors, a tall man with black hair. I’m not sure what it was but something in his face told me that the boy wasn’t gonna be ok.
The night came and went, as a tense atmosphere hung over the camp and just as I figured from the man’s look, the boy never returned. Larry and Chief even denied he existed. More and more campers began disappearing from the girls side of the camp according to Dawn who had told us about similar situations on their side while we were on a joint hiking trip. I wasn’t sure how I could tell but as we wondered the woods on that trip, I could feel someone or something watching us. Later that night my bunk mates and I discussed sneaking out to find out the truth about what was going on. When Larry fell asleep we snuck out kept passed the counselors who were on patrol. We came upon the main building and discovered Chief’s office. Lucas who had been in and out of juvie knew how to pick locks and was able to break in. We crept through silently and found filing cabinet labeled ‘Subjects’. Curiously I opened the cabinet and found tan colored envelopes labeled with ‘Project Nightwalker’ I opened the first file and found a photo of the boy who got bit inside. His name was Hector Rodriguez, the doctor’s son. Next ti his name was his blood type, and a single word ‘Chosen’. It rang through my mind like a bell, “Chosen for what?” I whispered. I continued to look through the file only to find a small glass square labeled ’tissue sample’. I turned to my friends, “Why would they need tissue samples?” My friends looked through the other files finding info on all the campers all labeled as Chosen or Sacrifice and all with various tissue samples. I looked down at my body to find that I had a scar I didn’t recognize. They were stealing tissue samples from us. We also saw a bag full of letters from our parents to us and from us to our parents was in the corner. We packed the files up and left locking the door behind us and deciding to go to cabin 18 to find out more. The cabin was deserted except for a single person locked in a steal cage, “Dawn.” I said aloud.
She looked at us and began to tear up. I shush ed her with my finger in case anyone else was around while I searched for a key. Gabriel and the others in the meanwhile kept an eye out for anyone who was looking for us. I instead found a light switch and flipped it. I wish I hadn’t, once the lights came on I saw that the room was covered in blood and Doctor Rodriguez was in the corner mauled to death by what appeared to be an animal at first. However, as I got a closer look I saw that the ‘animal’ was in fact her own son. He had been mutated into a humanoid feline like creature but he still had the remnants of his clothes on and he had a puller hole in his head. I covered my mouth and nose to avoid the awful smell along with the others. Lucas soon found the key and let Dawn out, “That psycho b***h was going to turn me into one of those things!” She said bitterly as she looked at the lifeless body of Hector. She than pointed to a file labeled ‘Subject #00708’. I looked it over and saw images of humanoid cat like creatures on an autopsy table, “She called them Chat Créatures, or cat creatures to those of you who don’t know French.” Dawn said as she began to gag from the smell. We put everything away and turned off the lights as we left to get away from the smell.
Lucas began coughing as he looked at Dawn, “You mean to tell me they’re trying to turn us into cat monsters?” He asked. She began nodding before running off. William wanted to go after her but I stopped him as I saw feline shape exit from the shadows, it was one of them. We took off running. I’ve never run so fast in my life as not one but a whole pack of cat creatures began chasing us, I couldn’t help but observe that most were females. Once we reached the camp we entered our cabin and immediately went to sleep hoping it was all a bad dream. The next day, I noticed that Lucas was gone. Larry wouldn’t talk to us about him. He shoved us out of the cabin where the rest of the counselors and Chief were gathered together for a hike. We were sent up the path we used last night to escape the beasts once outside cabin 18 Chief turned to us, “Hand them out. A rifle to each boy.” He said. The counselors began to hand out rifles to each of us. I turned to my bunk mates who looked scared. Chief began explaining how two girls named Riley and Lilliana were missing and that we were gonna hunt them down and shoot them. Gabriel furiously dropped his rifle.
“No, they’re just girls.” He said.
Larry soon pistol whipped him, “Silence!” The man said.
I looked at Chief, “I can’t kill someone, none of us would.” I said to him. Which made him chuckle, “You covered up what you did to Hector and possibly Lucas, how do you explain that.”
Chief smiled softly, “There are no campers with those names.” He said as several boys began arguing about how there was something wrong with this place. I aimed my rifle at Chief as he came close to me with an angry look on his face, “You won’t shoot me, you just said you can’t kill-” he never finished that sentence. I shot him in the gut with my rifle which caused him to stumble back grasping his belly. Larry to my surprise began clapping while Chief looked at me, “I guess we were wring, you’re not a Chosen.” He said as he coughed up blood.
Soon out of the shadows came cat creatures one of which I recognized by his torn clothes, it was Lucas. Lucas growled and lunged at a camper and began tearing him apart. The others soon began charging as well. I had no choice but to fire at one. The bullet went through its head killing it. Larry aimed his gun at me, “You could’ve been amazing but now I have to sacrifice you.” He said. A creature lunged at him and sliced off his arm that he used to hold the gun. My friends and I noticed the girls in the corner of our eyes and went with them as we heard Chief and Larry’s dying screams. Once back at Camp we were glad to see that police had shown up along with our parents and a group called the Merrywood Institute. I had learned that Riley and the girls went to the cabin and discovered that the drug we were injected with had turned the missing campers into the cat creatures and the camp wasn’t real, it was all a f****d up expirament. I never went back to summer camp, neither did my friends or my brother. I’m now a member of the Merrywood Institute with my brother and sister, Gabriel, and his wife Lilliana, Dawn, and my wife Riley. I was meant to die that day but this is my chance to get revenge for those campers and to find out why we were meant to be chosen.