Camp Driftwood

Chapter 17 - Unity

Chapter 17 - Unity

Evan led their cabin's group out of the hall after the meal had ended. John walked behind the group, keeping an especially close eye on the pair. Evan gave her a subtle glance, which she returned. A few other members of the group were talking among themselves, mostly keeping the conversation hushed. When they got close to the veranda, Evan turned to her.

"Have Rise Against put out any new stuff?" he asked.

"Umm, what?"

"Rise Against. The band. What have they done lately? The last album they had out when I got in here was 'The Sufferer and the Witness', are they still around?"

"Oh, I have a friend that's completely addicted to them," she smiled, remembering when Andrew had shown her the band only a few months ago. "They have two new albums, I think. 'Appeal to Reason', and 'Endgame'. Both are pretty solid."

"Nice. I haven't heard any music in years, and the stuff I know is totally outdated."

The door opened, and the group filed inside of their cabin.

"Any bands in particular?"

"Killswitch Engage, Breaking Benjamin, Wolfmother, a bit of Metallica as well. My brother got me onto a few older bands though. The Cranberries, INXS, Hendrix, Bob Dylan. He raised me right."

"INXS? Really?" she asked, dropping onto her bunk.

"Shut your mouth, Michael Hutchence was hot as hell."

"Maybe, in the eighties."

"That man was my childhood crush," he argued, standing beside their bunk. "You're treading on sacred ground here, Adams. Be careful."

"I don't know, man. I'm a little more interested in men from this century. What about Gerard Way?"

"A glorified pretty-boy," Evan dismissed. "He can sing, but you're crazy if you think he's got anything on Hutchence's attitude."

"Wow, rude."

"I'm just calling it how I see it."

"Still rude. What about Joel Madden?"

"The guy from Good Charlotte? Even worse."

A boy on the bunk opposite them, gave them both a hard glare. "Can you two knock it off?" he snapped, "You've done enough, we don't need to hear your bickering."

She ignored him momentarily, giving a quick glance to Evan, who took a step towards the front windows of the cabin, scanning for John. After a few seconds, he turned back to her, nodding.

"Actually, we were just talking to make sure John wasn't listening," she said, sitting on the edge of her bed. Evan remained by the window, watching. "We need to talk to you."

The boy's eyes widened momentarily, before narrowing with suspicion. "To me?"

"To all of you," Kaylee raised her voice moderately, keeping it calm and even. "Evan, do you want to explain?"

He nodded, swapping places with Kaylee at the window, so that she could keep watch while he talked.

"We know that you feel different today," he began, looking at each of the attendants in turn. "You feel like you're waking up after a long sleep. You're noticing things about the camp and the way Hale does things. Am I wrong?"

None of the attendants said a word.

"I know this because until today, Hale and his people have been dosing the food with a drug to make the attendants complacent. It was meant to make us easier to manage, and to brainwash. Last night, Kaylee was able to sneak into the kitchens and dispose of it. She saved everyone."