The Camping Trip Read online



  The Camping Trip

  The first entry in the “Killer Trip” Series

  By

  Derick Actkins-Farris

  To my Beautiful wife Tezhina, thank you for always supporting my dream.

  Chapter 1

  Carla and four friends headed out to a camping site for the weekend. She had just wanted to get away for the weekend after breaking up with her boyfriend. She chose the old camping ground her father used to take her as a child. She thought the R&R would help her close the past and turn the page to the new chapter of her life.

  They drove to the camping site in her friend Brian's Tahoe. He agreed to drive up because he had the biggest vehicle. They left at 6am on Friday and expected to stay until Monday for Memorial Day Weekend. It was a three hour drive to get to the camping site. Everybody got kind of anxious to get out the vehicle around two and half hours of driving.

  "Can you two get a room," Rachel said to Penelope and Jordan, who were kissing in the backseat.

  "Turn around Rachel if you don't want to see us kissing," Penelope snapped back.

  "Kids calm down now or I am going to turn the truck back around and go home," Brian said, chuckling.

  Carla smiled at Brian but went back to looking at the road in front of her. She was emotionally numb from the break-up with Jeff. They had been together for three years; since their Junior Year at College. They had their problems but she thought she was going to marry him; when she showed up at his place and found him with another woman she decided it was time to leave.    

  "How much longer? Man I have to take a piss." Jordan said, taking a breather from Penelope's face.

  "We have another ten minutes. I think you can hold it like a big boy," Brian said.

  "Hurry up man. I have been holding it for the past 30 minutes." Jordan said before he began to resume his kissing marathon.

  Brian looked back over at Carla, who looked lost. He has always had a crush on her. He hated seeing her sad. He wanted to confess his feelings but knew it was not the time. He decided to just make her smile.

  "You know you are drooling right?" Brian said.

  "What? I am?" Carla asked as she tried to wipe her mouth.

  "No, not really. I just wanted to snap you out of your funk."

  "Well saying I'm drooling is not helping me. I will be fine once we setup camp. I want to thank you for driving again. You are always there when I need you; you are a great friend".

  "Yeah, what are friends for?" he said, rolling his eyes.

  "Is that it?" Rachel asked, pointing to the sign ahead.

  "Yes it is!" Carla said.

  Brian pulled into the camping site and drove the pathway to park his truck. It was a good mile and a half deep in the woods. Once they parked they were going to have to walk another quarter mile before they could pitch their tents. Jordan took his piss on a tree right behind the truck. After that they grabbed their gear and began to walk the quarter mile.

  "You guys did not tell me that we had to walk. I didn't bring any sneakers" Penelope said.

  "Why wouldn't you bring a tennis shoe on a camping trip? I mean when does common sense come into play?" Rachel asked.

   "This is my first time camping Rachel for your information. I didn't think of packing tennis shoes.”

  "Common Sense is not Common I guess" Rachel said, looking back at her tablet.

  "Ladies, we need to get along if we are going to enjoy the next couple of days." Brian said.

  "Look I know everyone is cranky from the long trip up here. I am excited to share some of my childhood with my close friends. Follow me and we will be setting up camp in no time." Carla said marching ahead.

  Carla led the way to the camping grounds. She was actually experiencing some joy while flashing back to childhood memories of camping with her father. He passed away two years prior and she really missed him. She felt that this will help her feel closer to her dad during this trip as well. Brian caught up to her.

  "It is great to see a smile on your face. If all I had to do was drive you up here you should have said something. I would have driven you up here a month ago." Brian said.

  "That’s sweet Brian. I just broke up with Jeff a month ago; I don't even think this place could of helped then. Look I think that's it right around these trees"

  Rachel walked up and saw Carla and Brian just standing, looking at a round dirt pile of land. Penelope and Jordan finally caught up and joined the rest of the group.

  "If this was your childhood I feel sorry for you." Penelope said.

  "No, this use to be great. There was a place for a fire and there use to be grass and they even had a volleyball net setup. I don't know what happened" Carla explained.

  "No biggie. We can make a fire with wood, pitch our tents, and we still brought food. This is not a setback. Plus we have a football and some water guns as well. This is going to be a good weekend" Brian said, heading to a spot to pitch his tent.

  Everyone picked a spot to pitch their tents. Jordan pitched his tent while Penelope looked helpless. Rachel pitched her tent by herself, anticipating getting back to her e-book on her tablet. Within a half an hour everyone's tent was up and they were unpacking the rest of their things. Brian and Jordan went into the woods to get firewood.

  "Man I can't believe this place looks so run down" Jordan said.

  "Hey it does look bad. But I want to make sure that Carla has a great time." Brian responded picking up some branches.

  "So when are you going to tell her how you really feel bro?"

  "What are you talking about?

  "Brian we go back. You have been in love with Carla since you first laid eyes on her."

  "Fair enough. I just think that timing is everything. One month after ending a three year relationship is not it."

  "Just don't wait until she is going out on dates with some new guy that is not you."

  "So what about you? You have broken a record with Penelope. You guys have been dating what, nine months?"

  "Ten months and it's time to stop dating."

  "You are going to break up with her after the trip?!"

  "No stupid. I am going to pop the question tomorrow night. I have the ring in my bag."

  "Congrats I guess."

  "What do you mean you guess?"

  "The first girl that you date longer than three months gets a ring?"

  "I love her man. She is the air I breathe.”

  "I saw that breathing in my rearview mirror on the way up here. Congrats though, sincerely"

  "What is that?" Jordan asked pointing to what looked like a pile of rocks covered with vines.

  They both approached it and looked closer. As Brian moved the vines they noticed that it was actually a pile of bones on top of the rocks.. Jordan dropped all of the wood that he was carrying.

  "What the hell is going on? That is a femur, parts of a rib cage, and a bottom jaw bone."

  "Sometimes I forget that you are in Med School." Brian said, looking at the bones.

  "Let’s grab a couple more pieces of wood and get out of here." Jordan insisted.

  The two men headed back to the camp; they both agreed not to tell the women about the bones they saw. Jordan knew Penelope would freak. They came back and saw the women throwing around the football.

  "What took you guys so long" Carla asked.

  "Nothing, just wanted to make sure we had enough" Brian responded.

  Carla got the fire started and they boiled some hotdogs as the sun began to set. They all gathered around the fire and decided to tell ghost stories. Carla decided to go first and tell the tale of the very campgrounds they were on.

  "So my dad use to tell me this st
ory the very first night we camped here every summer. Native Americans used to inhabit these lands centuries ago. The very ground we are on use to be their judgment table."

  "Wait. What’s a judgment table?" Penelope asked.

  "It's where Native Americans used to administer the death penalty. If a person was found guilty by the tribal council then they would cut off their heads on the death table" Rachel explained.

  "So they used a table?" Penelope asked, more confused.

  "No it’s called a Table because the site was a big circle; like a circular table top." Carla stated.

  Just then Jordan looked around and noticed again that the campsite was a big dirt circle. He didn't want to freak Penelope out so he didn't state anything. He just continued to listen to the story. He started to think of the bones Brian and him found and started to freak out a bit. Carla continued.

  "So one day some white industrialist wanted to move into the tribe's territory. They tried to strike a deal but the language barrier was too great. The white men decided to take it by force but their guns were still no match for the Native American's in their own land. The Chief of the tribe's daughter was fleeing from the battle when one of the white man shot her down. The chief became enraged and all of the white men perished. The chief tried to resurrect his daughter with some magic and succeeded but not in the way that he would like. He resurrected her Spirit from the earth. She would wander this camp site lonely looking for someone to talk to still to this day."

  "Boo!" Brian yelled.

  "Ahhhhhh!!!!!" Penelope screamed.

  "Brian cut it