Campfire Tales: A Horror Anthology

Deep Water

The sun was setting, and Percy had her hands full.

Camp Good Company was on the edge of Lake Gevaudan in the Timbaland national park and nature reserve. The lake and forest were beautiful during the day, and with the sunset striking the water red and orange, it was even more breathtaking.

She was honestly glad her parents had signed her up for this camp. It was much better than the one she'd been to twice before, though it was... slightly more dangerous, it was for older kids anyway.

Technically, Lake Gevaudan was a reservoir, but it had been made in the twenties, and wasn't being used as a water source anymore. Most of cabin eleven, including the counselors, were at the bonfire and it was optional to sit out and stay in the cabin as long as your camp buddy did too. They were really serious about the buddy system here, there were only a few places you could go on your own.

Luckily, Percy and Bridgette were essentially the same person with just enough differences to like each other, and they were friends with a set of buddies from cabin eight who had been to this camp before and knew the non-rule sanctioned activities like nighttime kayaking and swimming. The only thing you really got in serious trouble for anyway was going somewhere without your buddy.

Once the counselors and other campers were at the bonfire, Percy and Brigette grabbed towels, bugspray, lanterns, and oars and followed the small dirt trail that would lead them to the water where some colorful plastic kayaks that wouldn't be missed for a few hours were tethered to the boating dock.

"Teagan! Sien! It's us!" Bridgette whisper-yelled. The two other teenagers appeared out of the bushes arms full of their own supplies.

"C'mon." Sienna said, leading the way down to the water's edge. "I saw this little lagoon area on my hike today." The four kids quickly dumped their things in their kayaks and pushed off into the water, following Sienna's lead.

Sienna turned and spoke over her shoulder, what was left of the setting sun turned her auburn hair an almost molten shade. "The junior counselor from cabin four is gonna join us too, she's cool and she'll bail us out if some senior counselors show up."

Once they reached a grove of cedar trees, they slowed their group of kayaks to a stop, and Sienna turned on her lamp before holding it up above her head. There was a slight sloshing noise, and a small canoe slid towards them through the waves.

"Good afternoon campers." The older girl grinned, "You got a spot in mind?"

"I found a cool lagoon by one of the trails," Sienna said. "Unless you have anywhere else...?" she prompted. Fahey was the counselor here, after all. She probably knew the camp and the surrounding wilderness pretty well.

She smiled widely and tilted her head, "Eh, the lagoon isn't all that fun, plus you'd probably get caught by somebody from cabin sixteen. They're weirdly nocturnal. Nobody goes out to LeClaire island so the junior counselors hang out there a lot. Shouldn't be anybody out there tonight though."

This piqued everyone's interest.

Percy smiled, "Sounds good to me."

LeClaire island was a crescent-shaped blip of land in a farther-flung corner of the lake, large enough for a few good-sized pine trees, but small enough that it was taller than it was wide.

They guided their kayaks into the cove, and Fahey immediately shored her canoe, dragging it up onto the bank so it wouldn't drift and sitting on the wall of it.

The other girls drug their kayaks up onto the pebble bank then turned on their lanterns and waterproof flashlights. Bridgette began to wade into the water.