PART TEN
THE PATH TO THE NORTH DOCK 5:41 AM
The sun finally rose over the eastern horizon, lighting the dismal campgrounds at Lake Wawanakwa. The teenaged trio welcomed the heavenly rays as they continued their trek towards the sanctuary of the docks. Courtney strode briskly ahead of her two peers, her arms tightly crossed together while Heather had permanently attached herself to Duncan. The Métis girl's head stubbornly stared forward, focused solely on the journey's end and an end to this nightmare.
The young punk sighed heavily, looking between his peeved princess and his distressed damsel. Heather looked so helpless clinging to him for security, so unlike her normal confident and bossy self. He couldn't understand why Courtney was acting all jealous, especially since Heather had been through the same hell as them, or worst. There was no way he could turn the needy girl away. Although he was starting to feel a little claustrophobic with Heather latched on to his arm like she was.
Regardless, Courtney continued to storm ahead, only pausing so that they could just barely catch up to her. Her sandaled foot tapped impatiently while waiting for the stragglers. Her brow furrowed, noting that Heather was doing a "bang up" job of delaying them and wasting time. The dock was in arms reach, but with Miss Queen Gopher along it might take another two hour.
It hadn't slipped Courtney's attention either that Heather kept stopping dead in her tracks to look around nervously. It should have seemed like she was just afraid, but Heather looked more annoyed than scared. She'd chew her lip or nail until Duncan nudged her along again, and she'd quickly throw her arms back around his. So entangled in her reflections, Courtney jumped when a warm hand entwined with hers, signaling that the other two had caught up.
"Listen, there's no reason to get all jealous," Duncan assured, but his words insulted her instead. The brunette quickly drew her hand away and insisted, "I am not jealous!"
"Nope, you are," Duncan smugly grinned, "but that's okay."
"I said I'm not jealous!" Courtney maintained, pushing forwards to gain distance from them.
"You are so jealous," Heather joined, leaning forward to better observe copper-skinned girl grow red in the cheeks. Courtney turned fully away from them, her shoulders tightening in anger and embarrassment. It didn't help when a soft chuckle resonated from the group, fueling her burning temper.
"Don't you laugh at me," she warned, whirling around to point out the raven-haired girl. Heather's expression softened at the red-faced girl and she straightened, "I wasn't laughing."
"Wasn't me," Duncan insisted, noticing the blank pale look in Courtney's dark eyes. He slowly turned with Heather to discover an uninvited member to their gathering. Maniacal laughter echoed from the clown-masked psycho as he raised his weapon to strike his next victim.
THE NORTH DOCK 5:52 AM
Trent smiled down at the pale girl in his arms as she breathed slowly in slumber. They'd both gotten quite comfortable on the tiny boat's deck, watching the sunrise over the lake. The rippling reflection of blue, orange and red over the vast body of water was like picturesque poetry. He wondered if they could stay like this forever, when a scream echoed from behind them.
"What was that?" the shrill cry startled Gwen and she scurried to stand. Trent stood with her, looking towards the land for any sign of the voice's owner. It only took a few moments before he spotted four figures in the distance. Though he could not identify any of them, it was clear they were on their way to the dock and were fellow campers. However, they were moving about erratically and from the scream, it wasn't hard to guess that they were in trouble.
"I think it's the others," Trent stepped off onto the dock, quickly followed by his female companion, "They sound like they're in danger."
Gwen paused, her mind and body arguing with her next move. Their friends were in need, but she'd felt so safe on the deck with Trent. Now he wanted to go back into the fray, it was brave of him, and she was scared. He obviously saw her concern, but before he could speak, Gwen nodded confidently at him. Together their footsteps resonated down the length of the dock as the raced to aid their fellows.
THE PATH TO THE NORTH DOCK 5:58 AM
Courtney shrieked in horror as the electric knife fell upon her companions. There was no telling when the killer had caught up to them, or how long he'd been right behind them. Time seemed to slow down as the buzzing blade hovered about Heather's shoulder, threatening to saw right through her delicate skin.
The blade barely missed her as Duncan instinctively shoved Heather out of they way and deftly fell back to avoid harm too. It was of course a short-lived save as the juvenile watched Heather fall badly onto the ground. She was unable to catch herself and her head cracked loudly into the unforgiving earth. A soft moan escaped her lips as she struggled to stay conscious against the throbbing pain.
If it were possible, the masked clown grinned wider at the sight of his frightened and confused victims. With one already down, it was going to be a piece of cake to take out the other two, or so he assumed. Adrenaline still pumping, Duncan reached for a sizable rock and launched it precisely at the chuckling psychopath. The projectile effectively knocked the electric knife from their opponent's grasp and caused him a great deal of pain.
"Take that, Chuckles!" crowed the teen, picking himself up fully.
"Duncan!" Courtney hurried to his side, keeping the killer and Heather in her line of sight. She took a hold of Duncan's arm, persuading him to escape while they could. He didn't budge though, his expression cold and detached.
"What are you still doing here?" he barked, focusing on his foe.
"What do you mean?" Courtney's eyes flowed with tears.
"I mean get to the boat!" he pushed her roughly away, "Don't wait for me!"
"I can't…" Courtney whispered, afraid her resolve might crumbled right then. While they argued, the killer reached within his coat, removing a jagged blade. Duncan never lost sight of the danger they were in, even though Courtney stubbornly stood her ground. With a quick flick of his own wrist, the juvenile brandished his own switchblade. He growled in his throat, ordering one last time before he confronted the killer, "Go!"
Courtney's stance faltered and she slowly stepped back, eyes fixed on her protector engaging the killer. Both men took a swing at each other with their respective knives and she couldn't tell if either were cut. They turned and stared each other down intently, circled like wolves for another opportunity. Courtney's flight impulse finally forced her to run away while her eyes and heart burned realizing she'd left Duncan at the mercy of a vicious murderer.
Duncan didn't watch her escape, instead focusing on the cut he'd inflicted on the green lab coat's sleeve. Unfortunately, the killer had on protective padding underneath and his attack meant nothing. That was last thing Duncan needed, to know that his enemy was fully guarded under his silly getup, while he remained exposed. His vulnerability was even more evident from the shallow cut bleeding down his right cheek.
"Let's be reasonable about this young man," the killer tempted behind a plastic smile, "lay down your knife, and I'll go easy on you."
"Screw you clown," Duncan growled using the bargaining as an opening to strike. He charged, recklessly ramming his full weight into the man. Both individuals tumbled into the ground, dazed from the impact. Duncan was first to recover his footing, landing a kick to the killer's gut and causing him to drop the knife.
ELSEWHERE ON THE PATH 6:06 AM
Courtney staggered down the path, her eyes so blurry with tears that she could scarcely see where she was heading. Her foot tripped over a bump in the road, sending the sobbing teen face first into the dirt. Winded from the fall and exhausted from running, Courtney struggled to catch her breath. Coughing violently between tears and pain, she curled her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on the earth. She resolved not to move from that spot, hugging herself and clawing her arms with her nails.
"Courtney!" a familiar voice snapped her out of her depression.
A pair of footsteps crunched closer to her, followed by a male voice calling out to her. She couldn't find the will to look at them, even when she saw familiar black boots skid to a halt beside her. Gently strong hands helped her to sit up and Gwen knelt in front of her, looking unnaturally sympathetic. The goth's dark eyes held a dozen concerns and questions for the girl, but she was unable to answer them. When she tried to breath to speak, she just ended up coughing hoarsely instead.
"Are you okay?" Gwen inquired, followed by Trent's question, "What happened?"
"Duncan," Courtney wheezed and coughed violently again.
The Gopher pair looked at each other perplexed, attempting quietly to decipher what she meant. There expressions became quite suspicious as they observed the girl's state and they even wondered if Duncan was the cause of this. Courtney must have sensed their confusion and doubts, quickly waving her hands between them for attention. Struggling to be clear she warned again, "Duncan! Help him! Please!"
THE PATH 6:09 AM
Flesh and bone crushed against one another repeatedly, the sickening crunch echoing in the air. Duncan raised his fist high, descending once again on the rubber mask of the murdering psychopath. All of his hate, anger and frustration made physical with each blow. The clown killer lay helpless beneath the teen that squatted on top of his chest to pin him. Almost pleadingly, the man held his glove hands up to defend his face from the violent assault and in surrender. His silent pleas were ignored, and Duncan continued to strike, unable to find satisfaction to his sadistic rage.
Finally, the killer's hands fell motionless at his sides and the teen hesitated to inflict another blow. He carefully watched the man breath slowly behind the grinning mask, wondering if he had really knocked him unconscious. Endless seconds passed before Duncan finally sat up straight, dropping his bruised and bloodied fist to his sides. The sun burned on his face, revealing the bruise to his left eye and the bloody cut to his jaw.
Duncan was unable to find serenity under the sun as the rays irritably shimmered off a piece of metal. The glint drew him to the jagged knife the killer had dropped and without a second thought, Duncan greedily snatched it up. The delinquent drew the knife up, fully intending to pay back the murdering bastard for his crimes. An eye for an eye, a life for a life, no one would hold him accountable. He would have plunged the knife deep into the man's chest if a soft groan had not distracted him.
Just a few meters away, Heather was struggling to awaken from her daze, idly rubbing the back of her head. In the heat and passion of the fight, Duncan had forgotten all about the Asian, but she was just a minor interruption. He raised the blade again, preparing himself physically and mentally for the task at hand, but didn't strike. Another moan escaped Heather's lips as she struggled to push herself up, becoming more aware every second.
"Damnit," Duncan cursed as he stood, chucking the jagged knife into the distant vegetation. He moved quickly to Heather's side, gently saying her name as he aided her in standing.
"What?" was all she was able to utter as she met Duncan's cool blue eyes. Gently but firmly, he ushered her away, explaining, "We've got to go now."
Too dazed to argue she nodded weakly as the passed the unconscious masked killer by. Her eyes gradually fixed on the supine form before all awareness came screaming back to her. Heather gasped in horror when her brain registered what was in front of her, "What did you do?"
"I punched his lights out, thought about killing him," Duncan admitted, focusing on the path ahead. She softly answered, "Oh," as she intently watched the murderer's unconscious form. Her fingers twisted nervously through her hair and her feet stubbornly would not walk straight. Duncan would have said something about her picking up the pace if she hadn't spun herself free of his assistance. He was puzzled shortly until she claimed obstinately, "I can walk by myself."
"Whatever, than lets hurry."
The delinquent snatched her wrist, thinking nothing more about her finicky behavior. The pair quickly ran down the path to the docks, Heather glancing once more over her shoulder. Her dark eyes focused grimly at the back of Duncan's shaven head, her fingers casually stroking the blade in her belt loop.
Ascending the peek of a low hill, Duncan paused, allowing Heather to stand by his side. Just a short distance away they could see Gwen, Trent and Courtney racing to greet them. The brunette's expression brightened at their appearance on the hill and she waved eagerly towards the duo. Her relief was apparent and Duncan was relieved too, knowing she was safe and had found friends.
He barely took a step when he noticed that Heather remained frozen in place, shaking like a leaf. Her fist tightly clenched at her side and her face lay concealed under long layers of black hair. Hesitating because of her awful moodiness, Duncan warily approached her, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she snapped her head up, a huge smile on her lips, "I'm just so relieved… that's all."
Utterly baffled by her mood swings, Duncan accepted her answer and turned back to greet the closely approaching group. Smiling brightly, she followed closely behind him this time as he casually strode down the grassy path. Unseen by all, Heather's lips turn up in a scowl, her beautiful face filled with venom. Her delicate fingers brushed against her weapon and she slowly drew it from her belt.
With only a few steps left, Heather raised the blade above her head and pointed at Duncan's backside. The approaching trio instantly notices the flickering silver blade and they all froze at the sight. Courtney paled, barely able to warn her teammate of Heather's deviousness, "Duncan!"
"I will not lose this challenge!" the raven-haired girl screeched, rushing the teen and swinging wildly. The punk turned to see her, the knife and the crazed look in her eyes. The blade swiftly tore through black cloth and cut across Duncan's belly as he echoed her words, "Challenge?"
"Challenge?" Gwen repeated, only momentarily stunned by Heather's treacherous maneuver, "I knew it!"
Courtney screamed again, at her teammate's side in a heartbeat.
"I worked too hard for this!" Heather raved, clenching the blood tainted knife tightly. Her dark eyes focused intently on her victim, watching him hunch over in pain from the gash she'd inflicted. Breathing erratically, the reality of what she had committed sunk in and she eyed the blade in terror. Eyes filled with hate and disbelief stare coldly at her, suffocating her. Swallowing hard, the Asian lets the knife slip from her grasp, horrified with herself.
If she were sorry, she wouldn't get a chance to say so as she felt herself tackled to the ground. Courtney had come up beside her in her daze and was now swinging, pulling and clawing at the treacherous woman. Heather could barely throw her hands up to defend herself as both girls screamed and struggled.
Trent and Gwen absently helped Duncan sit up, their eyes fixed on the catfight in awe.
Duncan winced in pain, looking down at his blood soaked shirt and the wound. It was not deep at all it just stung like hell. Clutching his stomach, Duncan watched the rumble with interest, grinning as Courtney kneed Heather in the gut, "I'm going to marry that girl one day."
"This is so unfair," Gwen complained, clenching her own fist, "I've wanted to kick her ass since the day one."
The goth stood eagerly, cracking her knuckles with the desire to get in on the fight. The two girls let out shrill screams again as they pulled at each other's hair, pushed and kicked at each other. Gwen's heavy boots barely took one step towards the fray when the crackle of a loudspeaker cut through the air.
"ATTENTION CAMPERS!" Chris's familiar voice echoed, "The challenge is over. All twelve Bass and Gophers report to the Mess Hall. We've got breakfast… and Band-Aids if you need 'em."
"Sweet Marie!" Owen's jovial voice cut in over the speaker, "Breakfast!"
"Over?" Heather shrieked, sitting bolt upright, "It' can't be over yet!"
Gwen too seemed disappointed at the crackling announcement as it repeated the challenge was over. Distracted from the fight, Courtney decided to get one more hit in and planted a square punch across Heather's jaw. Instantly the raven-haired girl fell to the ground, screaming and holding her now broken jaw. The Métis stood proudly, walking straight over to Duncan and falling at his side. She wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders and cried happily that it was over.
TGIF! Well that's the final chapter (sort of)... there will have the be an epilogue where Chris explains to everyone what happened. It was all part of one chapter... but than it got way too long. But rest assured... no one is dead... well maybe Chris after the campers are done with him. Hate it? Love it? Don't care.