Chapter Five
The whole gang climbed out of the van and ran toward Burt, Luke, and Trudy, who were standing in a semi-circle in the middle of Camp Little Moose, which was totally destroyed- by what looked like an axe-wielding maniac. The place was a mess; the cabins a wreck. The entire campsite looked like it had been through a cheese shredder. Trees were sawed through and toppled over, and the sign that read CAMP LITTLE MOOSE was destroyed; sliced down the middle.
"Is everyone okay?" I asked, looking the campers up and down. They looked stunned but mainly unscathed.
"You're back," Trudy said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"That old boy chopped up my camp faster than a beaver with a buzzsaw," Burt grumbled, scowling and glaring at the mess.
"I'm sorry, Fred." Luke hung his head in shame. "If I was a real Little Mooser, I would have stopped him from destroying the camp."
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, Luke," Fred said softly, and the said boy lifted his head. "Little Moose isn't about the cabins and the canoes and campfires. The true spirit of Little Moose is in here." Fred gestured to Luke's chest.
"And you've got it," I added, although I was feeling sullen myself.
Luke perked up. "I do?"
Fred grinned. "High in the mountains…"
"Deep in the spruce," I chimed in, humoring them.
"On the shore of a lake…" Luke finally said.
"It's Camp Little Moose!" Luke, Fred, and I chanted in unison, then laughed.
"Counselor, mentor, hero," Fred said dreamily, and I smirked at him.
"Guys, I just thought of something," Velma spoke up, breaking the lighter mood. "If the Woodsman didn't find Burt, Luke, or Trudy, then he thinks the camp is empty."
"So?" Daphne raised her eyebrows.
"If the camp is empty, then he thinks it's okay to…" Velma's eyes widened in alarm, panic registering on her face.
"Overflow the camp," I whispered, paling.
"Everybody, into the van," Fred instructed before anyone else could panic. "Buddy up and stick with your partner, in case we get separated," I said, my mind automatically flashing to worst case scenario. "Let's go." I led the kids into the van, opening the backdoors and helping them climb inside.
The rest of the adults followed suit, and Fred and I climbed in and squeezed in together between Shaggy and Velma.
The van pulled out of the driveway and back onto the main road.
Panic set in again. "Fred, if you're back here," I said tentatively, my voice quivering, "then who's driving?"
Fred peered over the front seat. "Scooby?!"
"Great," I groaned, covering my eyes. "My death will be caused by a dog driving a minivan. Rip."
"Like, Scoob," Shaggy cried incredulously, leaning over the driver's seat, "I didn't know you could drive."
"I can't!" Scooby looked just as horrified as the rest of the gang.
"Like, we're running out of dock!" Shaggy panicked, and I peered out the window. Sure enough, we were skidding closer and closer to the edge of the dock that led to the murky green lake.
"Scooby, hit the breaks!" I shrieked, and Scooby obeyed, slamming down so hard on the pedals that the van lurched forward, and my head slammed against the front seat. "Ow…" I rubbed my throbbing temples, where a dull sensation was already beginning to form.
Fred looked at me in concern. "Are you okay?"
I glared at him through my fingers. "We've been chased by an axe-wielding maniac, we were nearly driven into water by a dog, and our camp is about to be totally underwater," I snapped. "Do you think I'm okay?"
Fred winced. "Just checking in...but good point."
"Scooby, that was amazing!" Daphne marveled in awe. "Did you plan that?"
"Nope." Scooby chuckled sheepishly, shrugging.
"Look," Velma pointed out, catching our attention, "Big Moose Lake is almost completely gone."
We all looked out the window. She was right. The once vibrant, crystal-clear lake was half-empty, and rooftops and buildings poked through the water's surface.
"Like, presto," Shaggy remarked dubiously. "Instant town- just subtract water."
"That means he's getting closer," I murmured as Fred's facial expression darkened.
"Come on," Fred said, opening the door. "Let's go check it out."
"This is so cool," I said as we trekked through the damp mud, wishing I'd brought my camera. As we walked closer, I could make out that the town was an old western town, complete with saloons and even an old jailhouse- like something out of Gun-smoke or Walker: Texas Ranger. What was an old wild west town doing under water?
A squish sounded behind me, followed by Daphne grumbling to herself, "Well, these shoes are ruined."
Typical. I rolled my eyes. "Why didn't you bring hiking boots, then?" I didn't wait for her to reply and caught up with Fred, who was standing in front of a tall, honey-colored steeple. Golden sunlight reflected against the steeple, making its color glint even brighter.
"Wow," I whispered, blinking and shielding my eyes from the flaming sun. "It's so beautiful."
"Yeah," Fred agreed breathily, putting his arm around me. "Beautiful…" he murmured as he stared at me, and I at the steeple. Footsteps sounding behind us broke the stupor, and Fred stepped away. I tried to disguise my disappointment as I faced the others.
"Gang, look," Fred said as the others caught up. "The steeple."
"'As dawn breaks on the summer solstice'," Velma quoted, gazing up at the steeple, "'the steeple will point the way.'"
More footsteps sloshed, and Fred whispered, "Somebody's coming."
"Gotcha!" Jessica ran toward us, only to slam into Fred, knocking him onto the ground and pinning him down.
An awkward silence fell upon us, and Jessica blushed. "Uh, Fred? We've got to stop meeting like this." They were both blushing now, only Fred's more obvious.
"You can let go of her now." I was startled by the pang of annoyance- no, definitely not jealousy- that struck me.
Fred's blush deepened. "Oh, right," he chuckled, letting go of Jessica and allowing her to stand. She helped him up, and he brushed dust off of his jeans.
"What are you doing here, Jessica?" I was too tired to hide the annoyance in my voice.
Jessica shrugged. "After the dam blew," she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "I saw Deacon heading here, so I followed him."
I studied her intently. "Deacon?" Although Jessica didn't seem like much of an attention-seeker or liar, I couldn't help but wonder if that was only half of the truth. Part of me believed her, but part of me still wondered if she was just trying to get in on our investigations or pull another Camp Big Moose "prank." I couldn't picture Deacon venturing out by himself anywhere, let alone into Camp Little Moose.
Fred raised his eyebrows and frowned, sharing my reaction. "That kid's afraid of his own shadow. Why would he come down to Moose Creek?"
Scooby tugged on my shirt sleeve and whimpered.
"Not now, Scoob," I whispered, my attention still on Fred and Jessica.
"Guys, we're in here," Shaggy spoke up, and I turned around to see Shaggy and Scooby behind the bars of the old jailhouse. "We're locked in."
I frowned. "How did you guys get in there?" Knowing Shaggy and Scooby, they must have been fooling around and gotten themselves trapped. But the fact that Deacon was standing next to the jailhouse answered my question. "Deacon, what are you doing here?"
Deacon smirked. "The name ain't Deacon, toots," he jeered, stepping out of the shadows. "It's BabyFace Boretti." He was still wearing his "Deacon" outfit, but the timid, anxiety-ridden cub scout boy persona was clearly gone. As I studied his face closer, I realized that his chubby "babyface" and body shape were identical to that of the said villain.
"I had to admit," Shaggy remarked after a beat, "I did not see that coming."
"Well, I'd love to stay and chat," Deacon smirked as he turned to go, "but I got a date with treasure."
I started after Deacon, but a throaty growl stopped me in my tracks.
The Woodsman's shadow loomed ominously on the ground, menacing and threatening.