Camp Little Rock Chapter 1

Rolling to a stop, the uber driver looked around at the empty dirt car park. Tall pine trees and stale hay and warm summer air thick with pollen let him and his passenger know they were here. “Okay, you’re here, please don’t forget to review, good luck with the job ma’am” He drawled on autopilot, already focused on traveling to his next pick up. Jacey replied with a quick thanks as she grabbed her backpack and hurried to pull her suitcase out of the trunk. 

The punk really didn’t look like she belonged here, short ripped denim shorts with chains hanging off the side, black boots, an old MCR top she made into a tank and a number of ear piercings. Couple that with her thick eyeliner and pale skin. The outdoors was clearly far from her regular venture. But, money was money, and she was good with kids, doing something to break up her gap year. May as well get some new experiences and a step away from the city and social media. 

Making tracks out of the car park, down the main road the first building that came into sight was a small building. It overall looked rustic. A fake rustic that was only done to make rich parents think their kids would learn a thing or two about adversary and hard work. The porch was framed by bushes and creeping vines. A sign hanging from the porch roof read out ‘Office’ delicately carved out into it. Inside was a breath of fresh air. Air conditioning was blasting inside the front room, with a few seats by the door, polished mahogany desk with stands of pamphlets with different camps/retreats held on the premise throughout the year and an old PC that looked ten years out of date making a robotic gargled noise but somehow processing information to the copier behind the desk and printing out some sort of documents.

Seeing no one around she opted to ring a bell next to the pamphlets on the desk “Hello?.....Sorry, I’m here about the counsellor induction?”Jacey set her back pack down and looked at the pictures hung up around the walls. Kids with big smiles holding up smores, adults covered in dirt and sweat smiling at the edge of a cliff summit, what looked like were the founding members of the camp dated back to the 70’s then the 80’s,90’s so on until the last picture dated 2023…..The off year must of been due to the pandemic hitting the world. 

“Sorry dear, didn’t hear you over the radio! I’m coming” An elderly woman in long cargo shorts and a salmon-coloured polo shirt popped out from the staff only door. Graying blonde hair pulled tight up into a high pony tail, lean and muscular build from spending her life hiking and running, tanned skin wrinkled from years being kissed by the sun and dark brown eyes framed by freckles and smile lines. She did a quick double take at the younger woman. Clearly not impressed with the lanky punk in her pristine office, but was quick to compose herself again. “And what was your name dear?” She asked as she went to a stack of packets with names on them leafing through to find the right intro packet. “Jacey, Jacey Voorhees. I think we talked on the phone. I got the job from finding a flyer in a cafe” She replied, trying not to let her tone shift into one of annoyance over being judged. 

“Oh yes! I remember yours is the only V name. Here you go dear. Everyone is meeting at the main hall. This packet includes the paperwork you need to fill out, medical forms, payment details. But we also have our camp safety policies, today’s plan, map and information book. Fill out as much as you can and if you have any questions myself and the Camp Director will be there to start the intro in about half an hour.” She explained handing over the packet “Oh where are my manners. I’m Grace Stewart. Myself and Tracy Conners, who is here tomorrow, handle the admin and store side of things.” She explained and nodded to a corner of the room full of knick-knacks, snacks, postcards, stamps and baseball hats that kids could buy. 

Jacey shook Grace's hand and gave her a polite nod before lugging her stuff out of the office.Grace watched the young woman leave, biting her cheek and waiting until she was out of sight before turning around and shaking her head. “Definitely a fit candidate if I ever saw one….She will be a star for sure….” She murmured while going to the back office and writing a few notes on a sleek black laptop.

The hall was bustling with young adults, either reuniting with old friends like no time has passed or awkwardly mingling with other wall flowers filling out paperwork, clearly new to the job and waiting for the induction to start. Jacey just hung out on one of the tables, switching between looking around and scoping out the scene and fidgeting with her phone. Cell reception wasn’t great out here but it seemed that there was wifi at least. Though the login was needed for it. Her scouting was soon interrupted when a fluffy haired person pulled up grinning like a loon while their friend, a freckled, red headed girl was trying to pull him away. “Hey! I just have to tell you my friend Carrie here just LOVES your hair! Did you do it yourself?” they asked as the aforementioned Carrie just looked like she wanted to punch her friend or at least melt into the ground. “Uh…..I do a salon session for the main dye job once a year….But I freshen it up with box dye about every three months…. I wouldn’t dye your hair though. Natural reds are and will always be timeless…. The cut itself though is how you compliment it” Jacey replied caught off guard but still happy to have someone to talk to. “Oh my god, I’m sorry. I’m Wren they/them and this is Carrie she/her obviously. We came here together and I insisted my friend here try and make friends.” Wren added, finally taking a breath to let Jacey reply

“I’m Jacey. Though I prefer Jay or JV. She/Her. So like, is this your first time coming here or are you old timers like those guys” She nodded over to a group of blondes all giggling and gossiping, spread out like they owned the place as they caught up on each other's lives. “No, we just go to the same uni and figured this would be easy money, I did a lot of babysitting and Wren is the sporty type, going on hikes and stuff.“ Carrie finally spoke up, her voice timid but she was slowly starting to relax. “Oh nice, yeah I figured this would be a good break away from the city. I needed the space” JV replied and patted the seat beside her. The pair settled down with their new companion,  soon shooting the shit on what k-dramas they were watching and placing bets on who would be the first to get a poison ivy rash out of the whole counsellors or which of them was packing weed for a hook up. 

Finally Grace entered the main hall, behind her a short curvy woman, hair delicately plaited as long burnt umber furled over her shoulder. Her uniform, well fitting and ironed to perfection, of dark green khaki pants and an orange shirt with the camp logo on the breast. The top buttons needed to be undone, letting her cleavage just peek out just under the matching green neckerchief tied around her neck. Her hazel eyes seeming to be excited, for the camp activities to come? For new counsellors? Or something else entirely, JV didn’t have much time to ponder on the odd look in the woman’s eye before she started speaking. 

“Hello everyone! I see a lot of new faces and a few from last year’s camp and some even past campers! I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Pearl Wilkes, I run Camp Little Rock and organise the programs, camps and retreats here. Grace here runs the office and admin side of work, if you have any trouble with your paperwork or pay details just ask her. Hopefully ya’ll have filled out what you needed to already and can hand it back after.” Pearl started off a cheery southern drawl oozing from her in a well rehearsed speech “Now, this week we will be going over safety procedures, how to run the activities, some emergency drills. Basically get everyone comfy with their roles before the kiddos come next week.”

The meeting went on for about two hours or so, mostly with an emphasis on child safety, keeping each other safe, how the program itself runs day to day and everyone having a look at the map given to them before they were to walk it. It was a massive info dump, but thankfully grace ensured everyone that was the worst of it. Finally, with the promise of hot food, their camp uniforms and a break, the group of about 30 counsellors were told to go to their dorm south of the main hall. 

“You think they assign us beds or is it first come first serve?” Carrie asked as the trio walked, looking the map over. “Who cares, it's not like you’d wanna spend it inside there, they got a whole stable of horses, that's some rich shit right there.” Wren added in as they eyed the map over Carrie’s shoulder. “You ever been on a horse, Wren?” JV asked, looking mildly impressed. “I mean…. No, but come on, it's not every day we get to have horses we can ride next door to us. I just think it's neat” The brown eyed enby shrugged, blowing a lock of coarse hair out of their face. “Yeah but they’re tricky, you can get bucked or bitten or kicked…..” Carrie worried aloud as the group lugged their bags

Approaching the dorm house it looked a lot more like some modern country bed and breakfast. It stood at three storeys, a balcony on the left side that wrapped around the back. On the opposite side, a small shelter holding firewood and a chopping block. An entrance down to a storm cellar beside it, locked firmly. Grace and Pearl led the group inside, the ground floor was divided into two sections, a massive laundry room with washing machines lining two walls and two massive industrial dryers, the metal table in the middle holding boxes of orange shirts in varying sizes. 

“You are to take four shirts, they should last you the camp, and one neckerchief. You can use the washing machines, we have a clothes lines out back but if it is raining and the dryers are to be used, try and have at least two loads in there. We use those dryers for tablecloths, bedsheets and such. You should have the khakis we asked you to purchase before coming here, as for jumpers and sweaters, we allow your own personal clothes but ask it stays in policy so nothing deemed with inappropriate imagery or words” Grace explained, the last comment seemingly directed at JV who just stood there blankly ignoring the jab. She knew there was a time and place and currently she wasn’t ‘on the clock’ yet to be considered inappropriate. 

The other half of the floor was a store room. From food, to blankets, to hygiene. There was enough to last their group longer than the camp itself. “Now we have whichever group is rostered for cooking that day that they can grab the fresh ingredients here. As for everything else it’s more for ya’ll living here or having your own meals if the food cooked in the main hall isn’t something you can handle. Just don’t eat us out of the house and home okay?” Pearl chuckled before guiding them upstairs. 

The kitchen and living space backed out onto the balcony overlooking the camp. The rest of the floor held two small bathrooms with toilets and showers, there were also four bedrooms. The bedrooms were simple, two single beds with a night stand or shelf beside each, a loft bed on top to really manage the space and a trunk at the end of the ground beds and a third trunk on the opposite wall. They were somehow jigsawed into each room making it a very cramped but cozy feel. 

“You don’t snore do you?” Jay asked her new friends. “Nah, but Carrie sometimes sleeptalks. It’s funny though.” Wren snickered as the redhead elbowed their stomach. The final floor held six more bedrooms and another two small bathrooms. The dorm was a place to rest. If you wanted to do anything besides watch a movie, eat a meal or rest then it would be better going outside to find entertainment. 

It seemed people were already grouping up and picking rooms. The pair of girls were grateful for how charismatic and loud Wren was, making their way though the hall they managed to barge into a room, toss their bag onto a bed, before another group even touched the door handle, and loudly start ‘oohing’ and fussing over how perfect it was. The girls filed in after, dumping their things on the still empty beds and checking everything over. “Least it's clean” Jay hummed as Carrie looked out the large window “And we lucked out with a view of the lake. Very nice.”

Going back down to the main living area, trays of finger food and sandwiches were laid out on the dining table, some went out to the balcony to enjoy their food in the midday sun and heat. Others like JV, Wren and Cassie, stayed inside trying to stay cool and get comfortable with their new living arrangements.

The rest of the afternoon progressed quickly, they went over fire and evac drills, where to meet up and where all the first aid equipment was in each building while also touring the campground. It was idyllic, the kitchen in the main hall was well maintained, the indoor gym had table tennis, foosball, a pool table and an old air hockey table besides the basketball/indoor soccer court. Outside was archery, tree top rope course, a giant swing, rock climbing as well as the hiking and horse riding trails. It was a lot to take in and that wasn’t also count the water activities. Thankfully everyone there can swim and the group was promised that they would get a chance to swim and go out on the canoes during the week. 

Jay couldn’t help but feel a little out of her depth with all of the physical activities, she was just grateful she was a strong swimmer and that they had a craft building where their groups would rotate their groups every two days to do camp art projects. She would be great at that at least. Plus Pearl said that whoever they were bunking with would be part of their counsellor group, with Carrie and Wren she was sure that they would be alright. 

The sun set over the camp, dinner had been tidied away, long shadows creeped through the pine trees, crickets and other insects settling into a low hum of the night, birds giving their last calls before they returned to their nests. The group of counsellors set up at the campfire stations. JV and Carrie helping out by making smore bases for others. Wren squatting down and poking a log as they and another girl got a fire going. The weather was perfect with not a cloud in the sky, stars peppered across the night sky above. A lanky teen named Bruno pointing out the major constellations as well as what were most likely satellites passing above. It was peaceful and much needed after the major information dump the team had that day. 

“Still can’t believe they think it’s safe to keep the camp open” A blonde named Teegan scoffed after snatching a freshly made smore from Carrie. “I mean, you would think they would keep the place closed for another three weeks while the police look into that missing couple” Carrie’s brow furrowed, partly out of annoyance, but then of worry as she made herself another. “Missing couple?” 

“Oh yeah, you out of towners wouldn’t know” Bruno said as he hovered his treat marshmallow above the fire. “Apparently some uni students from out of town came blazing in about a month ago. Annoying the locals and stuff….. Two days after arriving, they found the truck they came in brunt to a crisp and dumped into the lake, a twerp trying to magnet fish found it….But the couple wasn’t found” he explained, blowing on his very burnt fluffy treat. 

“Apparently Pearl has enough money to throw at people to ignore the troopers and keep going with the camp.” Teegan snorted before making eyes at one of the more well built guys at the next fire over and licking the melted chocolate off her finger seductively. “Some of the highschoolers said they got butchered” A quiet monotone voice sliced into their conversation. “Old Ike, some legend about an inbred mountain man.” A scrawny girl wearing a very ‘homemade’ looking sweater and khakis that were clearly hand me downs stated. Thick cokebottle glasses made her blue eyes turn into saucers as she looked at the others. Clearly she was from around here but the other local counsellors steered clear from her like the plague. 

“Old Ike? Whose that?” JV asked curiously, Teegan rolled her eyes “Just some shit parents made up to keep us from going out into the woods… No one believes that shit Maggie” She scoffed, getting up now to head over to the guy she was eying “have fun with your baby stories losers” She hummed as she left. Wren also looked interested in the story “nah, ignore that bitch, she thinks dick from Mr Boating Shoes over there is worth it” They sniggered

“....Old Ike is a guy from a feral people colony.” Maggie started “Feral people colony?” carried repeated looking lost “People got desperate during the great depression. Took off from the confines of capitalism and went back to where we came from. Living in the woods and forests. So they won’t even build cabins or huts. They live in caves and stuff. They say he’s from a long line of them with lots of inbreeding, was from one of the families that settled from the great depression, he’s got the mind of a kid despite being thirty or something and hulked out to the size of a gorilla in strength and size. He hunts out in the woods looking for food to bring home to ol Ma and Pa or…..New toys to play with” Pausing to see everyone around their fire was looking at her now.

“He doesn’t understand what he’s doing or what people say. Language deteriorates after being separated for generations. So he ends up being…Rough, with his new toys. Pulling people apart, thinking they’re dolls. Playing mock army….. Stabbing them and stuff. The high schoolers say that he took the missing couple back to his cave to play house with them….Who knows if they’re even alive at this point” Maggie took a bite from her now cooled smore. “They say you know he’s nearby when you can hear old nursery rhymes coming out from the woods. That’s when you gotta run. So you don’t become a part of his toy collection” She finished before shrugging “It’s just a story, but talk to any of the older folks in town and they swear that they’ve seen him. That they got away cause they appeased him. Offering Ike a sweet or toy” Maggie looked unbothered as she finished her story before getting up abruptly and heading off towards the dorms “But you know…. Dumb legend shit” She added before heading off.

Later on back in their room, stomach full of campfire snacks, the trio got ready for bed. “You think that stuff is true? About old Ike?” Carrie brushed out her hair, looking worriedly over to the shut window and pulling the shade down. “Nah, a lot of times these stories are used to keep kids out of the woods, away from getting hurt exploring, hurt from animals, or in a lot of cases back in the day, away from moonshiners who’d get rid of any witnesses in the bootleg era.” JV explained as she moisturised her face. “How do you know that?” Wren asked, looking from their romance novel. JV shrugged “I like hearing about the legends and scary stories people spread around the world. You wouldn’t believe how many are just cautionary tales to keep us safe” 

“That’s better then I guess….And there is no need for bootleggers anymore” Carrie chuckled as she settled in for the night. “Night guys” She hummed “Yeah night you two” Wren added, setting their book down and turning off the bedside light. “Yeah, night. Don’t let Ike get ya” Jacey chuckled as she snuggled up under the covers. 

Meanwhile up at the Cuckoo Lodge, Pearl and Grace watched over the batch of new arrivals. Hidden cameras and microphones placed all over the dorm house meant that every moment and every conversation had been seen and heard. “Least they did the hard part for us and set themselves apart from the local kids” Grace mused as she flicked through the camera feeds of different dorm bedrooms. 

“I just hate that they keep getting my baby’s name wrong. My liddle puddin’ ain’t no Ike and he certainly ain’t an inbred” Pearl huffed as she pulled up some audio files on her laptop. “Yes well, we needed a cover story to give some explanation for any sightings and it’s not the locals fault for hearing Mike mispronounce his own name” Grace retorted, deleting drives of files and shredding the written forms of all 9 of the out of town counsellors. 

“Ready Grace?” Pearl grinned as she hit a key on her laptop “Let the games begin. Who will be the first to crack, do you think?” She hummed back her critical eyes going back up to the camera feeds, watching as speakers hidden in the walls and furniture started playing peaceful sounds of nature while a soft murmur played underneath. Words floating through the chosen room’s consciousness. Wrapping tendrils of sweet nothings mixed with acrid ichors of a sinister message underneath, penetrated the dreams of those unaware. The horrors of what was to come looming over the horizon.