“Is there another door?” I choked out. I bumped a mouse off my knee. It let out a squeal and jumped onto my foot.
I glanced all around. The room had only one door.
Mice were streaming out of the wire cage, across the floor. “Ow!” I felt a sharp bite on my arm. I felt prickly scratches up and down my legs.
They were pouring over Heather and me!
“They … they’re going to EAT us!” I stammered.
And the door swung open.
“Dr. Crawler!” I cried.
We were caught!
No. Dim light from the hall slanted into the room. Two faces appeared. Sid and Kelly.
They both let out startled cries when they saw Heather and me battling the mice.
“I don’t believe this!” Sid exclaimed. His eyes bulged. He stared at the mountain of scrambling mice.
Then he and Kelly dove into the room and began tugging mice off Heather and me. They flung them back toward the mountain, then grabbed us and yanked us out of the room.
The four of us stumbled out the door. I couldn’t stop shivering and shuddering. I still had a mouse crawling up my neck.
Sid grabbed it and tossed it back into the room. Then I slammed the door shut.
Heather and I stood there in the narrow hall, unable to stop shaking. I hugged myself. But I couldn’t stop chill after chill from sweeping down my back. All I could think of was jumping into a shower and staying under it for hours!
I knew I’d see that quivering, squealing mountain of mice in my dreams.
Sid and Kelly led the way out of the building. Heather and I gulped down breath after breath of fresh air.
Finally, I turned to my two bunkmates. “How did you find us?” I asked.
“We saw you sneak out of the cabin,” Kelly replied. “So we followed you up the hill.”
“That was totally freaky in there. What are those mice doing in that room?” Sid asked.
“Good question,” I said.
The hissing sound started up again, so close it made us all jump.
“We’ve got to find out what this is about,” Heather said. She fluffed out her hair with both hands. She smiled when she didn’t find any mice.
“The counselors know,” Sid said. “They’ve got to.”
“Let’s wake them up,” I said. I started to trot down the hill, slipping on the dewy grass.
“Yeah. Let’s make ’em tell us the truth!” Heather cried.
The four of us half ran, half slid down the hill. The moon kept riding in and out behind clouds. Deep shadows swept over us, then faded in the moonlight.
Nathan and four other counselors had their own cabin behind the arts and crafts cabin. We trotted up to the door.
The counselors’ cabin stood in deep shadows. The hissing from up on the hill suddenly stopped.
I pounded on the door.
“Hey — wake up!” Heather shouted.
I pounded again.
Silence. No one stirred.
“Let’s go in,” I said. I pulled open the screen door and stepped inside.
Heather, Sid, and Kelly followed me in. The cabin was hot and stuffy and smelled of sweat.
“Yo! Wake up!” I said.
Silence. No one moved.
“Wow, these dudes are, like, out cold!” Sid whispered.
My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. I could see two bunk beds against the wall and a cot under one window.
I stepped up to the cot. A long lump stretched under the bedsheet. One of the sleeping counselors.
“Nathan? Is that you?” I whispered. “Wake up!”
I poked the sheet gently with two fingers.
The bedsheet moved. I jumped back as something slipped out from under the sheet.
At first, I thought I was looking at a fire hose. But it took me only a second to realize I was staring at a huge snake!
The snake uncoiled. Raised itself high — and snapped back its head, ready to attack.
I stumbled back. My breath caught in my throat.
The snake was a cottonmouth — venomous and deadly.
Its tongue darted out. Its tiny black eyes glowed, and it made an ugly hissing sound.
I tried to back out of the cabin. But I bumped into Kelly. We all pressed against the cabin wall.
Something moved in a top bunk. Then the sheets began to shift in both bunks. Snakes uncoiled. They rose up, pushing aside the bedsheets.
I saw several snakes in every bed. They had been coiled under the sheets. But now they climbed up, raised themselves, preparing to strike.
“Th-they’re all poisonous!” I choked out. I pointed. “That’s a copperhead. That’s a rattlesnake.”
“Where are the counselors?” Heather cried in a tiny voice. “How did the snakes get into their beds?”
The rattler slid out of the bed and landed silently on the cabin floor. A copperhead dropped from the top bunk and slithered down.
The snakes had their eyes on us. They were coming after us!
I spun away and lowered my shoulder to the screen door. I shoved it open and burst out of the cabin.
Heather came running out next, her eyes wide with fright. Sid and Kelly were right behind her.
We didn’t say a word. We just ran, slipping on the wet grass. Our feet thudded hard. The only other sound was our huffing breaths.
I turned and glanced back. “They’re following us!” I gasped.
Yes. The snakes were wriggling rapidly through the tall grass. I could see their heads bobbing, dark eyes catching the glow of the pale moonlight.
Six of them. Some snapped their jaws as they slid through the grass. So fast. They were gliding so fast!
The moonlight made them shine like silver against the swaying grass. Silver monsters.
Sid and Kelly ran past me, onto the dirt trail that led to our cabin. Heather fell behind.
“Hurry!” I shouted to her. Then I turned and chased after my two bunkmates.
A sharp pain cut into my side. I gasped and kept running. I could see our cabin up ahead. Would we be safe there?
One of my flip-flops caught on a tree root and flew off. I stumbled. Staggered forward to regain my balance.
And I heard a scream behind me: “HELP! HELP ME! IT GOT ME!”
Heather’s scream!
I screeched to a stop. Swung around. And ran back toward my sister.
I could see her sprawled facedown on the ground. She was kicking her legs hard, pounding the grass with both fists.
“Boone — help me!” she cried.
And then I saw the silvery snake wrapped around her ankle. And the other snakes wriggling close behind her.
“Stop moving! Freeze!” I shouted to her.
Then I dove to the ground. Landed hard on my knees.
I carefully wrapped my hand around the cottonmouth, grasping it tightly behind its head.
I lifted the head away from my sister’s leg. Then slowly … slowly … I unwrapped the snake from her ankle.
Heather pushed herself up. She climbed quickly to her feet.
“Ohhhh,” she moaned. “I don’t believe this. I can still feel it on my leg!” Her whole body shuddered.
I lowered the cottonmouth to the ground and hurled it toward the other snakes. Then I grabbed Heather’s hand and pulled her away.
She darted into her cabin. Then I ran to my cabin — one flip-flop off, one flip-flop on. Sid and Kelly were already inside. I slammed the door shut behind me.
They had their faces pressed against the cabin window. I pushed up between my two new friends and squinted out the window. I stared out onto the path. Shadows shifted. The moonlight faded.
No snakes.
We still hadn’t said a word.
I shut my eyes and pictured those venomous snakes slowly unwinding in the counselors’ beds. Again, I saw the sheets move and those snakes rise up, angry that we had awakened them.
“Too weird,” I muttered. “It’s all too weird.”
Sid a
nd Kelly nodded their heads. Their faces were tight with fear.
My chest felt fluttery. My body was covered in a cold sweat.
“Tomorrow,” I said. “Tomorrow at breakfast, I’m going to find Nathan. I’m going to force him to talk. I’m going to make him tell us what’s up with this camp.”
* * *
We saw Nathan before breakfast. He came into the cabin and woke us up by playing a kazoo in our ears.
Yawning, I glanced out the window. The sun was just rising over the trees.
“Rise and shine!” Nathan chanted. “Rise and shine, guys!” He began spraying us with Sun-Glo.
I dropped to the floor. My pajama bottoms were all twisted. I shielded my eyes from the spray. “Give me a break!” I shouted.
Nathan laughed. He started tooting his kazoo again.
I grabbed it away from him. “We’ve got to talk to you,” I said.
His grin faded. “What’s your problem, dude?”
“We went to your cabin last night,” Sid said. “Where were you?”
“Yeah, where were the counselors?” I demanded. “Your cabin was filled with snakes.”
“Poisonous snakes,” Kelly said.
The three of us surrounded him. We stood with our fists on our hips, watching him, waiting for answers.
Nathan blinked. “Take a breath,” he said. “What were you guys doing out last night?”
“Just answer our questions,” I said.
“I don’t know anything about snakes,” Nathan said. “We were camping. All the counselors. We slept in tents down by the lake.”
I stared at him. Was he lying?
“It’s a tradition,” Nathan said. “The counselors always have a campout the first week of camp.”
I poked the plastic kazoo into Nathan’s stomach. “But what about the snakes sleeping in your beds?” I demanded.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t understand it. Guess they saw an empty cabin. So they jumped at the chance for a warm bed.”
He’s totally lying, I decided.
“Nathan, we’re not stupid. They were all venomous snakes. Even pit vipers,” I said. “All deadly. They didn’t just sneak into your cabin because it was empty.”
Nathan shrugged again. “I just went to my cabin to change. I didn’t see any snakes.”
He laughed. “You sure you little boys didn’t have a scary nightmare?” he asked in a babyish voice.
“All of us?” Kelly cried. “You think we all had the same nightmare?”
“Beats me,” Nathan said. “Really. I was in a tent all night. I don’t know anything about snakes.”
I balled my hands into tight fists. He was definitely lying. How could I get him to tell us the truth?
Maybe we should follow Roddy’s example, I suddenly thought. Maybe we should get out of this camp as fast as we can.
Nathan grabbed the kazoo out of my hand. “Get dressed, dudes,” he said. “Stop staring at me like frightened rabbits. Wear your swim trunks to breakfast.”
“Swim trunks? Why?” I asked.
“This morning, you guys are going to practice for Cabin Wars. You’re going to swim across the lake,” Nathan said.
Nathan ran out of the cabin before we could say anything more.
“What about all the mice?” Kelly asked me. “Up on the hill. We didn’t ask Nathan about the mice.”
“He’s not going to tell us the truth,” I said. “He was lying about the snakes.” I shook my head. “Also, we don’t want him to know we were sneaking around up there. We can’t trust him.”
“What are we going to do?” Sid asked. “Now he’s going to make us swim across the lake. I heard Roddy’s story. About Serpo. About how they feed the giant snake.”
I pulled my cell phone from my backpack. “I think we have to get out of this camp,” I said. “I’m calling home.”
I started to punch in our number at home. But the silence made me stop. I stared at the phone: NO SERVICE.
Sid had a phone, too. He checked it. Same story. It didn’t work.
We pulled on our swim trunks and went to breakfast. They had biscuits and gravy. I filled my plate, but then I couldn’t eat anything.
Sid, Kelly, and I were at our usual table. The counselors sat at a long table in front of the kitchen. Were they staring at us?
Yes.
They kept watching us while they talked and ate. Why were they keeping such a close eye on the three of us?
I didn’t like it.
There were a lot of things not to like. Serpo … the room crammed with swarming mice … the lake … the venomous snakes in the cabin last night … chasing us … hunting us …
I pictured poor, frightened Roddy. Was he right about this camp?
Camp SLITHER.
Kids call this place Camp Slither.
Because it’s CRAWLING with snakes?
Those mice … They have to be food for Serpo.
But are we food for Serpo, too?
I didn’t even take one bite of my breakfast. I crossed the room to Heather’s table. She had dark rings under her eyes. I could tell she hadn’t been able to sleep.
She was talking to two other girls. I leaned over her shoulder and whispered. “We have to get out of this camp,” I said. “We’re not safe here.”
She nodded. “Should I tell my friends?”
“Yes,” I said. “I think we’re all in danger.”
After breakfast, the counselors were called to the main office for a short meeting. Outside the mess hall, I gathered my two bunkmates and some guys from other cabins. Heather brought her two friends.
“We’ve got to figure out the best way to escape,” I said. “The lake is on that side.” I pointed. “And we’re surrounded by woods. So how do we get to a highway? Or a town?”
“Well, we can’t swim for it!” one of her friends said.
“Oh, wait!” Heather cried. “I might have a map.”
“Right,” I said. “There was a map in the camp brochure. Did you bring it?”
Heather nodded. “I think it’s tucked in the bottom of my camp trunk.”
We followed Heather to Rattler, her cabin. She slid out her trunk and began tearing through it.
“Here it is!” She pulled out the camp brochure.
I grabbed it out of her hand. “Let me see the map.”
I started to unfold it. But something caught my eye.
“Whoa! Wait!” I cried. “I knew something was terribly wrong here.”
I pointed to the back of the brochure. “Check this out.”
Everyone gathered close. I read it to them:
“ ‘If you have any problems at all, come see me. My door is always open. Sincerely, Uncle Jerry Landers, Head Counselor.’ ”
“Huh?” Heather’s mouth dropped open. “Who is Uncle Jerry?”
Sid grabbed the brochure and studied it. “The head counselor is someone named Uncle Jerry? Why haven’t we seen him?”
“Don’t you get it? This means that Dr. Crawler isn’t the real head counselor,” I said, my heart suddenly pounding. “Dr. Crawler is some kind of fake.”
The kids all started talking at once. I could see that everyone was scared and confused.
Heather and I finally got them all quiet.
“I’ll bet Dr. Crawler has done something to Uncle Jerry,” Heather said. “I mean, like, Dr. Crawler is this evil guy who likes to feed kids to snakes, right? I’ll ding-dong bet you he’s kidnapped Uncle Jerry or something.”
“Sounds like a scary movie I saw,” Kelly said.
“Yeah, it sounds totally crazy,” I said. “But what if it’s true?”
“How do we find out?” Sid asked.
“Simple. We try to find Uncle Jerry,” I said.
We split up. Our plan was to search every building until we found a clue.
Heather and I headed to the small building behind the main lodge at the edge of the woods. We knew that Dr. Crawler had his office there.
Was he hiding
Uncle Jerry somewhere in that building?
A sign at the front door read: STAFF ONLY. CAMPERS KEEP OUT.
My chest felt a little fluttery, and my legs were trembling. I don’t like going places where I don’t belong.
But this was an emergency. Something was terribly wrong at Camp Hither.
We pushed open the front door and crept inside. We stood in a narrow wood-paneled hallway. Office doors on both sides.
The office doors were all closed. The building was silent.
“I think Dr. Crawler is still at the counselors’ meeting,” Heather whispered.
“Good,” I said. Carefully, slowly, I pushed open the first office door. I saw a lot of filing cabinets and a desk piled high with folders.
We moved down the hall, opening the doors and peeking inside. The offices were all dark and empty.
“No one in this building,” Heather whispered. “Everyone’s outside.”
I pointed to the stairway at the end of the hall. “We have to check upstairs,” I said. My voice cracked. I wanted to get out of there.
We made our way up the wooden stairs as quietly as we could. The air was hot up there, and the hall was narrow and dimly lit.
I saw one closed door, almost hidden in shadow. Our footsteps echoed off the hardwood floor.
The door had a name stenciled on it in black. It read: UNCLE JERRY.
Heather and I exchanged glances. My hand trembled as I reached for the doorknob. I started to turn it, then stopped.
I knocked on the door instead.
We both gasped when a voice inside called, “Come in!”
I froze. “Is … is that you, Uncle Jerry?” I stammered.
“Yes. Come in!”
I took a deep breath. Turned the knob. Pushed open the door.
Heather and I both let out startled cries.
Dr. Crawler grinned at us from behind the desk.
His eyes flashed and his grin grew wider, until I could see all his teeth. And they were pointed!
“Come in, come in,” he said, waving us in.
Should we run away?
Not if we want to get to the bottom of this.
We stepped into the office.
There were two chairs behind the wide black steel desk. Dr. Crawler sat in one, his long fingers tapping the desk. The other chair faced away from us.