45 - Ghost Camp by R.L. Stine - (ebook by Undead) Page A

at some stuffing that poked up
from a hole in the bus seat.
    “The music camp is so great.” He sighed. “They put on two musicals
each summer. That would have been so awesome!”
    “Alex, forget about it,” I told him. “Let’s enjoy Camp Spirit Moon. We only
have a few weeks.”
    The bus suddenly screeched to a stop.
    Startled, I bounced forward, then back. I turned to the window, expecting to see a camp out there. But all I could see
were pine trees. And more pine trees.
    “Camp Spirit Moon! Everybody out!” the driver called.
    Everybody? It was just Alex and me!
    The driver poked his blond head out from behind the curtain. He grinned at
us. “How was the ride, dudes?” he asked.
    “Great,” I replied, stepping into the aisle. Alex didn’t say anything.
    The driver climbed out. We followed him around to the side of the bus. Bright
sunlight made the tall grass sparkle all around us.
    He leaned into a compartment and pulled out our bags and sleeping bags. He
set everything down on the grass.
    “Uh… where’s the camp?” Alex asked.
    I shielded my eyes with my hand and searched around. The narrow road curved
through a forest of pine trees as far as I could see.
    “Right through there, dudes,” the driver said. He pointed to a dirt path that
cut through the trees. “It’s a real short walk. You can’t miss it.”
    The driver shut the baggage compartment. He climbed back onto the bus. “Have
a great time!” he called.
    The door shut. The bus roared away.
    Alex and I squinted through the bright sunlight at the dirt path. I swung my
duffel bag over my shoulder. Then I tucked my sleeping bag under one arm.
    “Shouldn’t the camp send someone out here to greet us?” Alex asked.
    I shrugged. “You heard the driver. He said it’s a very short walk.”
    “But still,” Alex argued. “Shouldn’t they send a counselor to meet us out
here on the road?”
    “It’s not the first day of camp,” I reminded him. “It’s the middle of the
summer. Stop complaining about everything, Alex. Pick up your stuff, and let’s
get going. It’s hot out here!”
    Sometimes I just have to be the big brother and order him around. Otherwise,
we won’t get anywhere!
    He picked up his stuff, and I led the way to the path. Our sneakers crunched
over the dry red dirt as we made our way through the trees.
    The driver hadn’t lied. We’d walked only two or three minutes when we came to
a small, grassy clearing. A wooden sign with red painted letters proclaimed camp
spirit moon. An arrow pointed to the right.
    “See? We’re here!” I declared cheerfully.
    We followed a short path up a low, sloping hill. Two brown rabbits scurried
past, nearly in front of our feet. Red and yellow wildflowers swayed along the
side of the hill.
    When we reached the top, we could see the camp.
    “It looks like a real camp!” I exclaimed.
    I could see rows of little white cabins stretching in front of a round blue
lake. Several canoes were tied to a wooden dock that stuck out into the lake.
    A large stone building stood off to the side. Probably the mess hall or the
meeting lodge. A round dirt area near the woods had benches around it. For
campfires, I guessed.
    “Hey, Harry—they have a baseball diamond and a soccer field,” Alex
said, pointing.
    “Excellent!” I cried.
    I saw a row of round red-and-white targets at the edge of the trees. “Wow!
They have archery, too,” I told Alex. I love archery. I’m pretty good at it.
    I shifted the heavy duffel bag on my shoulder. We started down the hill to
the camp.
    We both stopped halfway down the hill. And stared at each other.
    “Do you notice anything weird?” Alex asked.
    I nodded. “Yeah. I do.”
    I noticed something very weird. Something that made my throat tighten
and my stomach suddenly feel heavy with dread.
    The camp was empty.
    No one there.

 
 
2
     
     
    “Where is everyone?” I asked, moving my eyes from cabin to cabin. No
one in sight.
    I squinted at