Fantasy There’s Something Strange in our Neck of the Woods

[laceanddoodles]

"Kinda folky, kinda blues-y, a little like, country-ish? Dark Americana? Like, Hozier, or CAAMP. I mean, I got a lot of difference influences, y'know? My parents are ex-hippies, and like, we're pagan with Irish roots, so." She shrugged, and then was immediately distracted by the moth. Winnifyn let out a little breath, leaning in closer to get a good look. He even knew the name of it. That was so cool. This kid was definitely friend material.

"Woah... he's beautiful..." She bit her lip, eyes glittering with excitement.

 

[StrixDesmodus]

Francis smiled even wider.
"Yeah, he is. He was probably real cute as a caterpillar too. I've seen the caterpillars of this species back in Michigan, and I loved them. Mistook them for woolly bears at first, but I learned a bit more following a bug forum."
Francis continued to hold the hand with the moth at chest level, not attempting to put the moth on any of the nearby plants because he figured it might have been trying to hitch a ride.
"And folk music is right up my alley, although I'm more into the old stuff. Phil Ochs and whatnot, sea shanties, Utah Philips, Stompin' Tom Connors."

 

[A.I.S.H.A.]

Jane watched the campers their shirts one by one before picking up the box and trailing behind them. In the front of the pack was Marlowe and Stanley, leading the way through the forest, full of various trails. Many of them trails often taken by cars for people camping deeper in the park, at least at the outer parts. The further in they went, the smaller the trails became. Larger common trails became smaller and evidently less traveled and the forest became denser with only a few 'CAMP PROPER this way' signs to accompany them. It was obvious that someone who wasn't careful at this point could make a wrong turn and get lost. Eventually, they reached an old wooden gate that stood alone, accompanied only by decrepit wooden fencing in bad need of repair. On it, was a recent nailed CAMP PROPER sign. Marlowe walked through the gate and before them was the camp grounds.

There were three long cabins forming the shape, I__I, and between them was a dirt path. Across from the cabins was a small field and then various facilities, such as the bathrooms and showers, the equipment shack, and the garbage dumps. Together, these facilities appeared as, --O:, in the same order they were listed. And all of the buildings looked like they've more than just better days. Marlowe stops at the open field and clears his throat.
"Welcome to CAMP PROPER," he says, "To my right, are where you will be eating and sleeping. Girls and Boys with be staying their designated cabins across from each other and," he glares at the campers, "I trust you know that I will not catch any of you in the wrong cabin. The mess hall and cafeteria will be at the end and I will be your cook. NO complaints." Marlowe continues to explain the other buildings. "If you need to use the bathroom, or if you need to shower, you will go to the locker rooms over there. Note, there is one for boys and girls. Next to them is a large round building. That is the equipment shack. I will have the keys to it and will open it if necessary. If you lose any of the equipment, you will not be allowed back into camp until you replace it, which means no food either." Marlowe scans the crowd as Jane walks towards the mess hall with the box of extra shirts. Stanley seemed to be doing a headcount and scribbling in his binder at the same time. After a moment, Jane comes back with a small basket.

"Now the fun part," Marlowe smirks, "All phones and wallets in the basket. The only thing you are allowed to have on you is an ID. Stanley will look after your belongings and you will only be allowed to use them during meal times. Feel free to make calls to your parents and whatnot during that time but no phones after curfew, and no phones during activities and exercises. Understood? Good, now put em here," Marlowe stood waiting for each kid to walk up one by one and give up their belongings. He took care to look each of them in the eye as they did so. "When you're done, settle into your cabins. Pick a bed to sleep in, there's plenty to choose from and meet me back here in fifteen minutes." Jane snickered.
"Have fun, you guys. Smells like dead rats in there. I wouldn't be surprised if you found one either. No one's touched this place for years," she pulled out her phone and started browsing social media.
"It's not that bad," Stanley said, "It's just... a little bit of a fixer upper."

StrixDesmodus laceanddoodles Farmgirl310 Lua Malozing baggysack

 

[Malozing]

Jay stares at Marlowe. He doesn't adjust the volume of his music or moves to place his phone in the basket Jane brought out. Jay just narrows his eyes at the old man and crosses his arms. The other rules didn't bother him, but his phone was his main way of listening to music. Jay wasn't sure if he could stand being in the cabin without any way to tune out the others when he wished to be left alone.

 

[laceanddoodles]

She was drawn away from the altogether more interesting moth conversation by the Seargent, giving them more of a debriefing and some ground rules. Boring, but the rules did seem pretty open ended, which was nice. She shrugged, flashed Francis a smile, and made her way over to Jane to hand in her phone and— wallet? She wasn’t sure why that would be necessary. It had stuff in it she might need, like her medical insurance card. Winnifyn doubted she’d need it, but her mom had told her it was best to keep it on her. Just in case. Still, better to follow the rules for now and question them later. It was the first day, after all.

She plopped her stuff down in the basket, the first camper to actually comply, and tucked her id somewhere safe. Then, with a small spring in her step, she walked back over to Francis.

 

[StrixDesmodus]

Francis had nothing on him that would require being placed in the basket, as everything of that sort had been left home per his mother's insistence. Well, everything but an emergency twenty dollar bill tucked into one of the dividers of his song-sheet binder, but he wasn't about to give it up- It was for emergencies, and the type of crisis he figured he'd run into would mean that he couldn't ask for anything from the camp's staff.
He had stood relatively still for the moment, aside from habitually shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
He smiled back at Winnifyn, then turned to address Sergeant Marlowe.
"I haven't really got a phone or anything, so...." He shrugged as his sentence trailed off, not really knowing how to finish it.

 

[Farmgirl310]

Ty shrugged and completely ignored the box where his personal belongings should have gone. He noticed the others were quite defiant as well and began to trail off to the boy's cabin, duffel bag in tow. The cabin looked dusty and run down. The stench slapped you as soon as you passed the threshold. Ty cased the room and angled for the bed with the least amount of stains. He began to have a coughing fit as soon as the duffel bag caused an explosion of dust after making contact with a worn mattress.
Ty huffed and made a hasty exit not wanting to be around the other campers. He figures he cant at least check out the showers and bathroom before having to be herded back with the others.

 

[A.I.S.H.A.]

Marlowe watched as the campers disobeyed his orders. All except Winnifyn, that is. He heaved, his facial hair curl up in an amused smile.
"Alright, well, settle in. Don't forget, meet me back here in 15 minutes!" he reminded them. "Put that in my office, Stanley."
"Yes, sir," Stanley walked off reluctantly and Jane followed. Marlowe waited until each of the campers had walked off before turning towards the Equipment shack. He began walking over, keys in hand, whistling a tune from his military days.

"What do you think the sergeant's gonna do to them?" Stanley asked.
"I don't know, probably something horrible," Jane said.
"I feel bad for them."
"I don't," Jane scoffed, "It's gonna be hilarious to see the looks on their faces when it happens though." Stanley sighed.
"By the way, do you have any idea why the last camp abandoned this place?"
"Beats me. I think Marlowe mentioned something when he was buying it out. Something about an unfriendly environment."
"That's right, he got all happy about that. 'Any respectable man or woman must know how to conduct themselves in such scenarios.'"
"'The pride of our nation's youth lies in their ability to dig through the mud for their dreams'" Jane and Stanley laughed after their impressions of the sergeant.
"Man, I'm just glad I convinced my parents let me work for him instead of signing up as a camper."

Malozing Farmgirl310 laceanddoodles StrixDesmodus

 

[StrixDesmodus]

"I'll be right back, ok?" Francis said to Winnifyn.
He placed the moth on a nearby tree trunk and said goodbye to it, contemplating everything he could recall Sergeant Marlowe saying while on the way to the boy's cabin. As he opened the door, he could practically feel the smell curling his nose hairs, and his eyes momentarily lost focus. He wasn't sure how he was going to sleep there, but figured he'd better pick a bed near a window, which he did. He set down his bag, song binder, and sketchbook on the bed and, figuring that nobody would find any of it to be worth stealing at first glance, exited the cabin once more.
He sang The Wreck of the Old 97 under his breath as he walked, his voice a bit lower in pitch than his usual speech, and less bouncy.

 

[laceanddoodles]

She gave him a wave and a grin, and headed off towards the girls' cabins to unpack, putting away her clothes and books, and pinning a few polaroid photographs on the wall by her bed. When the space felt suitably her own, she came back out of the cabin, standing on the step and letting the sun soak into her skin for a good moment. It was weird, kind of, that she was the only one who'd actually handed over her stuff. Oh well. It wasn't like she was going to miss using her phone all that much, anyway. She'd brought a camera, so she could just use that, and she had her guitar. She couldn't text Emily much, with her in France, and she really didn't have many other people who urgently needed contacting. She supposed it'd be different for the others, though.

She let her feet guide her, already basically figuring out the layout of the camp, until she was back in the little clearing where they'd all left the Sergeant. This was going to be a good seven weeks-- hiking in the woods, playing music with new-friend-Francis, and all that. Maybe she could even get some real feedback on her songs! That'd be cool.

 

[Farmgirl310]

Ty silently slunk around with his electronic belongings tucked away in his pockets. The camp was a complete dump but he didn't have to point out the obvious as the others thought he suspected thought the same. The other campers had started making their way back to the field where we were told to meet after, well only the red-headed girl. Not enough people were gathered for Ty to feel comfortable making his way over.
He made his way back to the cabin with the others, the smell and dust eventually settled and he was able to text briefly with what little service he had.

 

[Malozing]

Jay shoves a hand in his pocket and grabs his duffle bag. He heads into the boys' cabin after Ty and Francis. Glancing about at the dusty bunks, Jay dropped his duffle bag underneath a cot that wasn't next to the door or a window. He drops his backpack on the mattress before taking off his headphones. The green-haired teen grabbed some of his clothes from his duffle and wrapped them around the headphones. He tucked the bundle back into the bag. Pulling out his phone, Jay turns it off and repeats the process.

Once he finished hiding all his tech, Jay kicked the bag under the bunk and grabbed his shampoo and a towel. Heading out of the cabin, he wandered over to the showers.

"Hey, Old Man. If you want my hair less green, then can I get in here?"

A.I.S.H.A.

 

[A.I.S.H.A.]

Sergeant Marlowe roles a wheelbarrow back onto the field. It contained a few buckets with water, mops, brushes, towels, and soap. He waits for the campers to return and gives them a smile upon their arrival. He looks at Jay ( Malozing ) and nods. "Just a moment, Jay," he cleared his throat loudly and reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a crumpled piece of paper and opens it up.

"Since you're here, and you're raring to wash out your hair, Jay," Marlowe looks at Ty ( Farmgirl310 ), "And Ty... You two, will be cleaning the bathrooms. Scrub the toilets and the showers until their whiter than rice. Got that? I'll be inspecting them and you won't be allowed in for dinner until I'm happy with your work. I'll be using those bathrooms, too," Marlowe pats Jay on the back and... almost gleefully.. invites Ty to grab some supplies to clean to bathrooms.

"Winnifyn ( laceanddoodles ) and Francis ( StrixDesmodus ), you two will be cleaning up your respective cabins. How you two divide up the work, or clean they are is up to you," Marlowe invites them to grab some supplies for themselves to clean. "Winnifyn, I'll entrust you with the keys to the shack. Put the supplies back inside when you're all done and bring them to me when we gather to dinner, Ok?" the sergeant hands her the keys and nods in approval at her. He looks at the group, then claps his hands together. "GET TO WORK, PEOPLE," Marlowe says before turning around and strolling off, whistling a tune. "Oh," Marlowe stops, "And one more thing. I've shut off the power in this camp. You won't get any until I have everyone's phones in my possession. You'll wash that hair out, Jay, but whether or not you have warm water or cold, is up to you," Marlowe winks and turns back around. "It's 3 pm. Dinner is at 7!"

 

[StrixDesmodus]

Francis approached Sergeant Marlowe when he came into sight and listened to what he had to say. He raised an eyebrow at the mention of having to clean the cabin, unsurprised, but not expecting it either. He grabbed some supplies upon instruction and headed to his cabin when the sergeant stopped speaking, mumbling the same song as before.
Well, one way or another this cabin's going to stop stinking.... I hope.

 

[Malozing]

Jay stared at Marlowe's back with hands fisted. Does he think he can break me? Fuck him.

Leaving his shampoo bottle on the ground, he stomped over to the supplies and snatched a bottle of cleaner and a bucket before heading into the bathroom building. He turned the tap on and started filling the bucket with cold water. Jay unscrewed the sprayer top of the cleaner off and emptied it into the water. As the water slowly mixes with the chemicals, he looks around at the toilet and shower stalls. Cobwebs and dust gathered at every corner in the building, and dead bugs littered the window sills. Reddish rings marked the water level of the toilets before the heat evaporated the liquid away. This is gonna be hell to clean.

Jay turned back to the bucket; it was about three-quarters full. Without turning off the tap, Jay grabbed the bucket and headed to the far back of the building. Starting at one corner, he began to slowly pour the diluted cleaner onto the floor and walking backward toward the door. As he walked past each toilet, Jay splashed a small amount into the bowl. Once he made it back to the front, the bucket went back under the running water, and Jay walked back outside.

"We can say out here for a few minutes while the cleaner soaks in," He said to Ty ( Farmgirl310 ). He hurried back to the cabin to double-check his backpack for a couple of items he hoped he remembered to pack: two bulky portable power banks.

 

[Farmgirl310]

Tys nose burned, he could smell his nose hairs curling. The diluted concoction was still strong enough to give him a pounding headache. Jay, the green-haired kid suggested they go outside until the cleaner soaked in. " Good idea, this stuff is making my head hurt" he spoke up as they made their way outside of the bathrooms. Fresh air slowly began to fill his lungs and ease his pounding headache.
His arms were folded in protest, this was stupid he thought. What was the big deal with having electronics? He rolled his eyes and held his head while looking for more cleaning supplies. He was accustom to the various chores but didn't care for them one bit even if he was forced to do them. Sargent wasn't too unlike most of the juvie guards, always demanding. He understood them well enough to know when he should comply and when it was 'okay' to show some resistance.
Ty quickly peeked into the room and took a quick whiff, the smell was still too overpowering for them to enter.

 

[Malozing]

"Where the fuck are they?!" Jay tossed this and that from his backpack, cursing under his breath. Once his bag was light enough, the green-haired teen upturned it and dumped the contents out onto the mattress. Clouds of dust exploded into the air as each item hit the bed, and despite the dusty air, Jay whooped in triumph. He did pack ONE of his power banks. The teen tapped a button eagerly, and half of a row of tiny LED lights flashed on; Jay had enough to charge his phone for two days. Maybe more if he remembers to turn off his phone or puts it in airplane mode when not using it.

Jay tucked it carefully into his duffle instead, and when he turned around, he jumps a foot in the air. He had forgotten that Francis ( StrixDesmodus ) was assigned to clean the cabin.

"Uh-" Jay crossed his arms and frowned at the younger teen. "Don't go touching my shit if you know what's good for ya."

 

[StrixDesmodus]

"I didn't intend to in the first place," Francis replied to Jay with scant but recognizable irritability. He was accustomed to false accusations, but by no means happy with them. And yes, he considered being admonished against something he wasn't considering doing to be a false accusation.
Placing the supplies on his own bed, he began to check the nooks and crannies for the source of the decaying smell. The smell was not of any type that was harder for him to handle than certain other smells, but was nonetheless a stench he wanted to be rid of for his sake and the others'.
As he walked around the room, bent forward a bit and sniffing for changes of intensity in the smell, he was sure but uncaring that he looked peculiar. It got stronger the closer he got to the back of the cabin, and he looked underneath a bed that was up against the wall.
He found the culprit or victim producing the odor to be a deceased vole of some sort, fist sized, half-dried, and dappled with debris.
"Found it!" He exclaimed, with an odd combination of being nervous and chipper, but his face soon dropped at the prospect of removing the carcass from the cabin. How would he accomplish that?

 

[Malozing]

Snorting, Jay began to walk towards the door, only pausing when Francis ( StrixDesmodus yelled: "Found it!"

"Found what?" he asked, wandering back. His curiosity led Jay to the bed in the far back and crouched to look at what the other boy discovered. Jay's nose wrinkled. "Gross. Maybe you should toss it into the woods."

He pulled away with a sneeze and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I best get back to my cleaning. Good luck with that." Jay exited the cabin fairly quickly and stomped his way back to Ty ( Farmgirl310 ). The scent of the cleaner blasted away the dry decaying smell from his nostrils, and Jay gave a quiet sigh of relief. "I am sure that we can start tossing water about in there."

 

[StrixDesmodus]

"You too," Francis said, wondering if Jay's lapse in hostility meant anything aside from perfidy. Francis was used to perfidy, be it from teachers, his peers, or his own mother.
Francis thought long and hard about how to remove the vole from underneath the bed. Any of the cloth towels provided might be re-used; He shuddered at that thought. Paper towels might not provide enough of a barrier against the germs of vole decay.
Were there gloves at all? If there were, they'd be perfect for the situation at hand.
He returned to the wheelbarrow of supplies to see if he'd missed the presence of gloves.

 

[Alvaris]

Blythe Luella Holley

Andy’s white knuckles seemed to glimmer in the morning air as he clutched the steering wheel. He took deep and steady breaths. The veins on the side of his face pressed against his skin. Blythe rolled her eyes and glanced out the window. She’d heard them bickering about who was driving her, as if their screaming match didn’t shake the walls of their house.

Blythe trailed her fingers up the doors armrest and stopped at the door handle. One yank and a tumble and she’d be free. No more hostile breathing. No more dreading this “camp”. Blythe’s finger’s curled around the slim silver L shape plastic handle. The temptation knotting her stomach. She released the handle, her hand falling into her lap.

“Your mother is sorry she couldn’t drop you off,” Andy said, glancing at her, his green eyes narrow. Sure, she is.

“Right-O captain,” Blythe said meeting his gaze. “I’m sure she’s simply forlorn.”

Andy clenched his jaw, probably regretting not shipping her off with some poor Uber driver. Afterall, he had missed his morning class for her and this wonderful car ride. Her eyes left his charming straight-lined smile to linger on the clock.

The clock sparkled, shining 9:15am. She could be mistaken, but she was confident they were supposed to be there at 9am. Blythe dragged her attention back to him. Desire welling, like water in a bathtub slowly inching toward the ridge. Any moment the water would burst over the side of the white porcelain. Was edging him on worth it?

Yes. Blythe lifted her hand, eying her cracked black nail polish. “Weren’t we supposed to be there at nine? On the dot,” she said, slowing down at the last sentence. His knuckles whitened and she hoped he wouldn’t faint from the strain. “Did you even call to let them know?” She inspected her other hand.

Andy’s attention remained on the road, but she could feel his anger rising. Oh tub, overflow. “We’re here,” Andy said. “Don’t forget your luggage.” She was oh-so-close.

Blythe grabbed her duffel from the back before getting out of the car and slinging it over her shoulder. “Thanks for dropping me off,” she said grinning. She pushed the door closed and saluted before heading toward the camp. “Thanks. A. Lot.”​

 

[A.I.S.H.A.]

Marlowe emerged from the doors of the mess hall with a large metal sign that looked awfully similar to one you might see posted on the curb of a traffic stop. He gripped the metal pole the sign was nailed to in one hand and a megaphone on the other. The sergeant found both Jay and Francis in the field between the cabin and the shack and glared at them. "You two," he barked, "Stay here." Marlowe raised the megaphone to his mouth and hollered. "Everyone stop what you're doing and gather at the field!" His voice echoed through the forest. Stanley was the first to run to his side while Jane followed him, only she did so a much more nonchalant pace. Marlowe waited for the campers to gather before stamping the sign on the ground. NO TRESPASSING BEYOND THIS POINT, it read. "Take a nice, long look. You will find these signs posted in the forest and they mean exactly what you think it means," Marlowe took a hard look at everyone before taking a breath. "Do I make myself clear?" Marlowe waited for their answer before deciding to conclude his announcement. Stanley leaned closer to Jane and said, "Those signs weren't always here, right?"
"They were here for as long as I remember."
"Do you think it has to do with the sightings?" Stanley seemed deep in thought.
"That's the whole reason this place was abandoned, I heard. Who wants to come to camp out in a forest where people get scared shitless?"
"What are you two mumbling about?"
"OH- uh.. Just some rumors we heard about some sightings around this area."
"Well, you know more than anyone how one ought to conduct themselves when hearing such baseless tales."
Stanley nodded and Jane rolled her eyes.
"Now get back to work. Any word on the ones who haven't gotten here yet?"

StrixDesmodus laceanddoodles Farmgirl310 Malozing

Alvaris Ghostiiys (You can enter here )

 

[Alvaris]

​

Blythe was beginning to think Andy dropped her off intentionally far from the actual camp. Frowning, she spotted a “CAMP PROPER this way” sign. Brushing her blonde hair out of her eyes she tightened her grip on the duffel bag. Any doubt about Andy’s ignorance was wiped clean. She was positive he made her walk to camp. Suddenly a voice screeched before she realized someone was barking orders. Gross.​

“Hmm. No trespassing? Challenge accepted,” Blythe said, a smile creeping onto her face. When the man grew silent she chuckled. He was quite the drill sergeant and she was curious about his breaking point. How far could she push before one of the cracked. Blythe stepped into the campground clearing.​

Those were the buildings they were staying in? The worn and discoloured wood didn't look safe. How old were the buildings, 100? In the small field ahead of her she spotted the other victims. The old man with the megaphone looked like he could have walked with the dinosaurs. The wrinkly frown on his face told her he was in charge. She’d challenged cavemen before.​

Blythe yawned before approaching the man.​

A.I.S.H.A. ​

 

[Ghostiiys]

It was an awfully quiet ride. Although Yu was mad that her mother decided to drive across state lines for some
rinky-dinky camp , Yu yan would never do anything to intentionally hurt her mother. If this was what it took for her
mother to sleep peacefully at night than she would oblige , even if she was upset about being torn from her comfort
life.

Looking to her mother she could tell how much this pained her. Her mothers face had a forlorn expression , she was
squeezing the steering wheel. Sighing Yu placed her hand on her mothers shoulder.

"It's okay mama , I'll come back a good girl who cleans the dishes and helps old people walk the street." They both chuckled before Her mom spoke up.

"I don't want you to be different sweetie , I just don't want to see you in jail , dead , or like your father. " She stated.

They both looked at each other , They didn't even have to speak to each other for them to understand what they both
were thinking. Yu yan sighed as she looked out the window. The woods looked creepy , why where they one million
miles away from civilization? This was a start of a horror movie , she just knew it.

It had been a while before they saw a sign of CAMP PROPER. But no one was there.

"Maybe we are late? Oh well time to go home now." Yu yan teased at her mother before she got whacked on the back of the head.

"I don't know if I can drive through there. So you're going to have to walk. " Her mother said as Yu Yan wanted
to say something but knew how stubborn this lady was. Groaning and Getting out of the car With her duffel bag.
As Yu yan neared the sign she turned around and waved at her mom. Her mom Blowing a kiss at her daughter as Yu
Yan caught it with her hand and put it on her chest. Turning around and making the trek to what she assumed was the
camp.

After a period of time , the chirping of birds and darkness that surrounded the forest made Yu nervous. Luckily she stashed
some cigs in her bra. Pulling one out and grabbing a lighter from her pocket. She didn't like this change at all. The only thing
stopping her from having a full on panic attack was the nicotine she was inhaling.

Making it to the camp she was another girl. Maybe one who came as late as she did. And in front of her your stereotypical boot camp sergeant.
Standing behind the girl she waited for him to introduce himself to her. After all she was his guest.
A.I.S.H.A. Alvaris

 

[Malozing]

Rolling his eyes, Jay huffed at the announcement and turned back to the bathrooms. "Crystal, boss."

Where to start trespassing? Maybe I can set up some fun pranks around the old man's cabin.

Jay begins to walk back towards the bathhouse when he noticed two girls on the edge of the campgrounds. The blonde girl seemed okay, but Jay's eyes lingered on the girl with the red highlights in her black hair. If she did the dye job herself, Jay had to admire her skills. The second thing he noticed about the dark-haired girl was the cig between her fingers. The cigarette smell made his mouth water; it had been too long since his last smoke.

He looked over his shoulder at Marlowe before approaching the newcomers.

"Hey. 'm Jay," he gives them a nod before continuing. "I'd hide your cig quick. The old man already cut off the power and the water heater cause of phones not being turned in."