"Chunk, would ya leave some for the rest of us?" came Brand's already irritated voice. Chunk had in one hand a big 'ol bag of cheese flavoured chips, and in the other a can of Pepsi.
"Sorry, Brand." Chunk replied in an effort to appease Mikey's quick-tempered older brother, Brandon 'Brand' Walsh. He set aside the now half-empty packet of chips, and went about licking his fingers clean. He washed it down by finishing off his Pepsi. He then scrunched his fist around the can and tossed it into the bag the group had designated for rubbish. With that routine out of the way, Chunk spun around to face the rest of his friends.
The Goonies had been planning this trip for about a month, which brings us to the current month of August. School was planned to start back soon, so the group used their last free weekend to go camping in what was known as the Forest of Fears. It was dubbed so due to alleged claims of it being haunted by your worst nightmares- werewolves, witches, ghosts, you name it. Of course, most didn't really believe the stories, but being the Goonies, they couldn't resist what could possibly be their most spooky adventure yet. It had been a year since the One-Eyed Willy escapade, and since then, they all knew that they wanted to see as much of Astoria as they possibly could. It was understandable why.
The group of friends were sat around an air-quenching fire, laughing and enjoying the banter between one another. Brand grabbed the chip bag from Chunk and passed it around to everyone to share. Data was using some contraption of his which involved a metal, mechanically rotating stick with a marshmallow jabbed on the end. Everyone else was using plain wooden sticks to roast theirs. Brand was sat next to Andy, who was sat next to Stef. Beside Stef was Chunk, then Mouth, and Mikey, which sat Data between Mikey and Brand. Behind them was an eight-man tent that Mouth had borrowed from his home. It was from when his cousins would come over from Idaho and they would all go camping together during the Summer months. Mouth was an only child with both parents and two cousins. The eight-man was for three other Goonies, who almost always tagged along.
The night rolled on, and once or twice Data checked the watch on his right wrist to confirm the time. At around 11:30 p.m. Brand stood up to go take a leak, and when he got back he noticed the drowsiness settling in on the group. He called it for the night and suggested they all go to bed. Nobody had any complaints. The tent had one side smaller than the other, so the girls took that side as there was only two of them. The guys took the other end, and began spreading out their sleeping bags. Brand was situated nearest the opening, with Mikey snuggled up beside him. Data lay next to Mikey, followed by Mouth, and then Chunk.
"Hey, Chunk?" began Mouth.
"Yeah?" replied Chunk.
"You better not let one rip while your lying next to me, or you'll be outside warding off the bears with a truffle shuffle."
"Ha-ha, Mouth, hilarious!" Chunk spat out sarcastically.
"Guys?" cut in Brand.
"Yeah?" both Chunk and Mouth replied in unison.
"Shut up."
That did the job. Nobody opened their mouths to speak. One- they were too tired to care about anything, and two- Brand had sounded like he was getting a bit annoyed.
About half an hour had passed, and everybody was beginning to drift off. The only sounds to be heard were the lonesome gait of the wind, and the crickets cheerful cricking. Data was one of the last to start drifting off, and then he heard it- a light thudding outside of the tent. It was only a single muffle, so he let it go. And then there it was again. It was louder this time. Not a muffle and more like a hushed plod.
"Hey, guys?" he whispered into the darkness. At first, nobody replied. So he tried once more, a tad bit louder this time.
"Guys? Did anybody here that?" This time there was a light shuffle, indicating someone sturring from their position.
"S probably jus' a bird, Datuh. Go bck to sleep." He couldn't be certain, but that sounded like Mikey. Not to mention it came from nearby, and Mikey was right next to him.
He tried closing his eyes and drowing out the outside noises. But there it was again- something was walking around out there. Data was hoping that because it hadn't come up to the tent yet, it didn't know they were there.
"I'm not kidding, you guys. Something's out there!" He kept his voice as low as he possibly could that would allow the others to hear him. It worked- somewhat. It was Brand who now spoke up.
"If you're so certain then why don't you go out and check?" Brand's voice was swaddled on account of his face being smushed into his pillow.
Data didn't want to go out there. In fact, Data was certain he really, really didn't want to go out there. But Data also didn't want to face the humiliation in the morning of being called a cissy. He was the one with all the gadgets and inventions. With those at his disposal, what would he ever have to be afraid of? Besides, they were probably right and it was just a bird. At least if he checked now, he could prove he could be brave. And the only one to suffer for it would be the poor bird he startled in the middle of the night. It had seemed he had made up his mind. With haste- and a little rush from fear- Data grabbed his flashlight which he had kept on him for emergencies just as this, and made to get up. He slyed his feet over both Mikey and Brand with ease, and began to unzip the tent opening. Brand turned his head a little, noticed it was just Data, and slid his face back into his pillow, letting out a wry sigh as he did so.
Data's black hair merged with the night sky as he stepped out onto the cold dirt. He bundled up his trench coat tighter around his body, which had already begun to shiver from the wintry moist air. He switched on his flashlight, fumbling with it a little- he put that down to both nerves and the cold weather. He eventually caught the switch, and the light blared suddenly in an extroverted manner. He thought to himself quickly how glad he was he had only changed the batteries recently. Bringing himself back to the present, he remembered why he was out here. There was no noise now, which only made the boy more suspicous. In his self-driven worry, he began swinging the light around wildly, but no being caught itself in its gaze. Data let out a soft breath of relief, which made itself known in the form of an foggy cloud. He turned, and poked his head back inside the tent, throwing in the flashlight first so he could use both arms to balance himself as the brought the rest of his body with him. And that's when it became blurred.
Data was caught in utter surprise and terror when he was dragged back out of the tent. He felt something sharp dig its way into his left foot, and his body toppled forward to the ground. He let out a scream, desperate for someone to rescue him. Through all of his racing thoughts, he briefly recalled his bully blinders- he doubted severly that they would work now. Simply because the batteries were all out. He resorted to thrashing about, hoping wildly that the action would loosen his victimised appendage and set him free. Soon realising this was not working, he began screaming again. And again. And again. And his efforts finally paid off.
Brand was the first to scramble out of the tent. Andy and Stef were behind him, and then the whole Goonine gang had their eyes locked on the scene before them.
"Data!" Mikey cried out in distress as he caught a look as his friend's foot jammed in the maws of a beast.
Data with his face in the dirt couldn't get a good luck at his attacker, but the others had a better view. It was a beast of some kind, but they weren't focusing on what kind in that moment. The beast locked its eyes on the group, and decided it was no match for that many humans. Its grip lackened and Data's foot flopped harshly to the ground, crimson blood gushing from the wound. Between the blood loss and the shock, it was unsurprising when his vision began to fail. Everything went black, and his face hit the ground with a jarring thud. Lights out.
Mikey, Mouth and Chunk shoved their way past the others, who then quickly followed suit. Mikey arrived first, skidding to his knees as he landed by the side of his unmoving friend. Out of breath, he began murmuring Data's name as he passed his hands frantically around, unsure of what to do.
"Data!" Andy, Brand and Stef were yelling his name, purely out of overwrought concern. By now every one of them had crowded around their fallen friend, and yelling over one another about if he was still alive and what they should do. Brand decided then to take charge of the situation.
"Shut up! Look, he's still breathing. I think he's just unconscious." This allowed some relief to flood in, but they couldn't bare to look at him lying like that- so still and so empty of life. Or he would be if they didn't do something soon.
"Hey Chunk, your dad's a doctor, right?" Asked Stef. Brand caught on to the idea.
"Come one! Lets get him back to the car." Brand was glad in that moment that he had passed his driving test. The group gathered up their gear as quickly as possible, and packed it all in the boot of Brand's car, while Mikey and Brand were setting Data down in the back seat, careful not to jar his injured foot into a worse condition than it already was. With Mikey seated next to Data, the rest of the Goonie gang piled in, and soon they were racing to Chunk's house, the full moon watching every minute of it.
