Something Fishy At Camp Black

“A lot of research has shown that frogs can in fact feel pain.” Stacy pulled the frog from the mud, bringing its severed corpse closer to her square-framed spectacles. “But due to the differences in brain structure and the nervous system compared with other vertebrates, it remains controversial.” She turned, holding the frog out to the boys gathered behind her.

“By the skin color of this little fella, I’d say we’re looking at a John Doe, and the abrasions just below the liver here, indicates the murderer is probably an adolescent Northern Pike.” Stacy lowered her voice. “And most likely,” she pointed behind her to Lake Blackfoot, its crystal blue waters glimmering in the afternoon sun. “the killer is still in there, waiting for its next victim.”

No one moved. Stacy was the youngest in the group, and the only girl. But at fourteen years old, her sarcastically academic sense of humor was usually lost on her peers. The boys were poised at the edge of the lake, ready to spend another sunny day at camp enjoying the mindless joy of summer vacation at Camp Black.

A movement at the back of the group caught Stacy’s eye and she groaned as the parting youth gave birth to Tony.

Tony was her kryptonite. He was the repeating car advertisement that came on the radio at every commercial break, and in the case of Tony Esposito, it was every summer.

Tony sighed, glancing from the frog to the group of boys. He stepped forward and squeezed Stacy’s shoulders.

“Is it possible for you to stop being a total weirdo for five seconds?”

Stacy took a deep breath, the blood rushing to her cheeks. She didn’t just study science and biology, she had spent three months learning the art of Jiu jitsu. Granted it was from a textbook and she hadn’t practiced on anything but her stuffed animals but in theory she was extremely deadly.

She was going over ways to break Tony’s wrists when his eyes narrowed, and she realized it was too late.

He pushed. Stacy screamed and stumbled back, her flailing arms sending John Frog Doe into the lake. The heel of her Converse caught in the mud, and she fell into the water.

Tony burst out laughing, breaking the spell over the small group and they ran in around her, splashing and pointing as they swam away.

Stacy sat up, wiping her eyes. She glared at Tony’s retreating figure.

“Valar Morghulis” she whispered under her breath, saluting the annoying hell spawn with a middle finger.

“Stacy Anne Morgan!”

Stacy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Something cold and slimy bumped against her wrist. The frog’s lifeless eyes stared at her, his corpse bobbing in the wake.

“I’m starting to think you’re going to have a better day than me, friend.” Stacy said.

“Ms. Morgan!” Head-Counselor Tina repeated, sunspots and leathery skin making her scowl very effective.

“We do not make that gesture here at Camp Black. And you know the rules. If you’re going to swim, you need to wear a proper bathing suit and have a buddy.” She shook her head. “Go to your bunk and get changed. And if I catch you breaking any more rules, you can kiss dessert goodbye for the rest of the summer.”

Stacy bit her lip, the cool water and wet clothes draining the anger from her body and snuffing out a sarcastic reply. She nodded at the counselor and headed toward bunkhouse thirteen.

Bunk thirteen, like all the other cabins, was small and rustic. Two bunk beds, 4 cedar chests for personal items and clothes, and one light bulb hanging from a cord at the apex of the wooden A-frame. She locked the door and pulled a dry set of clothes from her chest.

Stacy sighed and tossed the converse near the door, her wet clothes following suit. Changing into a dry pair of jeans and a black shirt, she pulled out a small mirror and examined her face.

Her cheeks were flushed, her green eyes bloodshot, and her long black hair caked with mud. She brushed it out the best she could and gave it a messy braid, that would be good enough for now.

She was anxious to get back to the lake. Camp Black was her constant, something she always looked forward to no matter what was happening in her life. In the last six years she had come to the camp it was the only thing that didn’t seem to change. There was a sense of peace and safety that she longed for during a school year filled with kids that cared more about social media and the latest Tik Tok trend, than the real world around them.

And this year something was fantastically different, it was subtle. A slight change in the vegetation within a two-mile radius of the lake. An increase in small critters, from mammals to amphibians. All it of clearly indicating some change in the ecosystem, possibly even the introduction of another species to the food chain.

It wasn’t unusual to so see the random bobcat or bear. Wolves had once roamed in numbers in the area but had scarcely been seen in the last twenty years, maybe a large pack had shifted their hunting grounds?

It was exciting and intriguing, and so far, all she had come up with these first few days were clues, just fragments of a larger picture.

Stacy, distracted by the mystery, was nearly to the door when she remembered Tony. She debated on whether to brave another altercation with the idiot, then decided against it, choosing to hang out with Harry at Hogwarts instead. There was still the whole summer ahead of her, and it wouldn’t take long for her to get to the bottom of things.

The smell of grilling beef is what finally made her put down The Prisoner of Azkaban and roll out of the bunk. The light outside was fading, and dinner would be in full swing outside the mess hall.

Most of the kids were seated by the time Stacy got her plate. Noise and chaos filled the cramped space of the pavilion. She managed to find a quiet corner and sat down to eat.

“Can I please have your attention!” Counselor Tina was standing on a bench waving her hands. When the commotion died down, she continued.

“I wanted to remind everyone that wants to compete in the kayak race tomorrow to be ready and at the lake at 8am sharp, entries close at 8:15.” She flipped through a clipboard. “And whoever keeps stealing the mayonnaise from the kitchen,” she sighed, “please stop.”

Stacy heard snickers coming from Tony’s table, she shook her head.

“Other than that,” Tina clapped her hands, “we’re doing a story telling at the main fire tonight for whoever wants to join and- “

A scream pierced the night. Everyone looked to the west, toward the lake.

The counselors were already up, running toward the cry.

“Okay everyone, just stay calm and seated and- “

The pavilion cleared, the kids running toward the commotion.

Tina ran after them stopping long enough to call out to Stacy who was the only one still seated.

“Stacy, go let the cooks know to clear the tables, it’s going to be a long night.”

Stacy rolled her eyes. Probably another stupid prank, but that prank had her on cleaning duty now.

By the time the last table was cleared, all the kids had been ushered to their cabins. Stacy was just finishing up when she caught a frantic voice coming up the trail.

“I’m not lying!” a girl shouted, “I know what I saw!”

“Samantha, I told you a dozen times, it’s a lake. The only thing in there is fish. I swear girl, you about gave us a heart attack when you screamed like that.”

“You would have screamed too if you saw that thing, it was huge! Like a freaking sea monster!”

“That’s enough. I won’t hear any more of this. And I better not find out you’ve been spreading rumors trying to scare the rest of these kids. My goodness, camp just started, a wild tale about a lake monster is the last thing we need.”

The voices resolved themselves from the dark, Tina was leading a frightened girl down the trail.

“I don’t know what it was!” said Samantha, her wide-eyed face coming into view, “But it had arms and a crazy fish face and came out of nowhere. It almost pulled me into the water!”

“That’s enough!” Tina said. “If I hear one more word about this, I’m calling your parents and you’re going home. Do you understand?”

Samantha gritted her teeth and nodded, breaking away from Tina and running toward the cabins.

Stacy lay awake that night thinking about what happened. She wanted to write it off as a kid seeing things in the night, but something didn’t feel right. Her mind kept going back to the changes she’d noticed at camp. Could there be something in the lake? All the clues pointed to a new predator, but… No. Stacy chuckled and closed her eyes. A lake monster…

A clash of thunder woke Stacy up. She felt for her glasses then looked out the window. The rain was steady, the water flowing down the window and distorting the lamps outside. She was just about to roll over and go back to sleep when movement outside made her stop.

A kid was sneaking from shadow to shadow, looking nervously over their shoulder. The figure was nearing the edge of the clearing when they tripped over a log and fell out of sight. Stacy sighed, the idea of going out in the rain made her groan, but some kid face down in the mud unconscious was worse.

Stacy threw on some shoes, grabbed a raincoat and a flashlight, and cursed under her breath as she ran outside.

“Hey, where are you?!” she called as she reached the tree line. There was a grunt, the sound muffled by the rain. She carefully made her way down the muddy embankment to find a boy face down, their foot caught in a low hanging branch.

“What the heck are you doing out here in the middle of the night?!” she said, freeing the kid’s limb. “And in the rain?”

The boy looked up. It was Tony.

“Oh my god, I should have let you get eaten by a bear.”

She started back toward her cabin,

“Stacy, wait!” Tony called.

She turned around, ready to let him have it, but the look on his face pulled her up short.

“Please,” he said gritting his teeth, “I need your help.”

“Can this night get any weirder?” she said under her breath. Tony scowled.

“Hey look who’s talking.”

Stacy scoffed, “Have a good night, Tony.” She gave him the finger and took a step back.

“No, wait…” Tony exhaled in pain as he stood. “It’s Brad.”

“Who? Tony, what are you talking about?”

“Brad’s been gone for hours. We snuck over to Samantha’s cabin to find out what she saw. We thought it was hilarious she believed it was a freaking lake monster. Brad said he’d prove there was nothing there and went to check it out. That was two hours ago.”

Stacy’s stomach dropped. There wasn’t anything in the lake. She deleted the thought from her mind. But if the kid had really been gone for a few hours he might have drowned.

“Oh my god, Tony, we have to tell the counselors, what if he- “

“No” Tony said, “we’d get sent home for being out of the cabin after hours, especially Brad. Going to the lake at night by himself? Our dad would…” He stopped, rubbing his ribs. “Look, we can’t. Please just help me down there, I think I twisted my ankle. I’m sure he’s just being an idiot. Once we find him you can go”

Stacy but her lip. “Fine.” Said Stacy, “But if you give me any crap, I’m dumping you in the lake.

Tony shrugged, “That’s fair.”

The rain had lessened by the time they made it to the shore. The light from the moon struggling to break through the clouds.

“Do you see anything?” Tony said.

Stacy scanned the area.

“Nothing.” She walked the opposite way, squinting along the shore. She tripped on something in the mud but caught herself. Kneeling, she pulled a shoe from the dirt.

“Um… Tony. What kind of shoes was Brad wearing?”

“White Nike’s, why?”

Stacy swallowed.

Tony saw the shoe in her hand and snatched it from her grasp.

“Oh my god.” He said staring into the waters. “He’s got to be out there!” He pulled his shirt off and kicked away his shoes. “I’ve got to find him, he- “

“Wait!” Stacy said, grabbing Tony. “What was that?”

“What was what?!” Tony was frantic. “Was it Brad?! Where did it come- “

“Shh!” Stacy covered his mouth. “Listen.”

The sound of rain fell around them, trees thrashing in the storm, and something else. She had barely caught the noise and strained to hear it again. Something splashing in the lake, but which direction.

“I don’t have time for this I’m going in.”

Tony took two steps toward the water when a creature erupted from the surface, landing beside him.

It was nearly seven feet tall, its scaled skin glistening in the light. It hissed at Tony revealing rows of small, serrated teeth. A webbed, clawed hand swiped at him and he fell back, nearly knocking Stacy over.

They screamed and ran. With the muddy ground they’d never make it up the hill in time. The creature followed, it ran on two legs, but stumbled every other step, its wide scaley feet slipping on the ground.

“Over there!” Stacy yelled, pulling Tony behind her “to the maintenance building, go!”

They ran to the wooden doors and pulled them shut behind them. The creature slammed into the door, knocking them to the ground.

“What is that thing!” Tony said

“Well,” Stacy said, her voice trembling, “It’s humanoid in shape, covered in scales, and I’m pretty sure I saw operculum on both sides of the pharynx.”

“What?” Tony said

“Gills. Tony, the freak lake monster has freaking gills.”

“Why didn’t you just say gills?”

“Sorry, I guess I get nervously scientific when I’m being chased by monsters.”

A slimy fist broke through the door.

“So what’s the plan Stacy?!” Tony said, scrambling away.

“Run?”

Wood shattered as the fish monster broke through. They ran down the hallway, shutting themselves in a closet. Stacy fumbled for the light, pulling a string that turned it on.

“Great plan.” Tony said. “Run to a closet.”

“We’re still alive, aren’t we?”

“For now.”

“Just shut up and let me think!”

Stacy scanned the shelves.

Come on, think, think!

Acetone, ammonia, Borax…

“There has to be something in here that will- “

“Sodium Chloride!”

She pulled a bag of mineral salt from the top shelf.

“This should buy us some time.” She ripped the bag open, “Here, take this.”

Tony held out his hands, Stacy filled them with salt.

“Really Stacy, salt?”

“It’s a fish monster thing, this will draw out the moisture from its skin and probably, hopefully, hurt like hell, it will buy us some time at least.”

The door shuddered as the monster slammed against it.

It wouldn’t be enough; it may buy them a moment, but they’d never make it back to the cabins. Stacy ransacked the shelves for something else, anything that would give them an edge. She moved some paint cans aside on the bottom shelf, revealing a large bag of fertilizer.

“Come to mama” she said turning the bag around and brushing off the dust and cobwebs. She read the chemical content label and laughed. “Good lord, I’m pretty sure they banned this stuff years ago.”

“Fertilizer?” Tony said

“Not just any fertilizer, this stuff has enough ammonium nitrate to blow up a tank.”

Tony raised his eyebrows, “You’re starting to scare me”

A scaley hand broke through the door. Stacy reached behind her and threw the bag of salt. The monster screamed, drawing its hand back.

“Oxygen, a source of ignition… Do you have a lighter?” Stacy said

“Front pocket.”

Stacy reached in Tony’s jeans and pulled out a lighter.

“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I’ll open the door, you throw the salt, and we run like the devil.” Before Tony could object, Stacy turned the handle and kicked the door, Tony followed behind throwing the salt at the monster’s face. Stacy grabbed the bag of fertilizer and ran.

“Out the back! “Stacy said, “we have to keep it inside!”

Stacy ripped open the bag of fertilizer letting it trail them and they ran. She scooped out a large clump at the door, before slamming it behind them. She searched around, crying out in joy as she spotted the generator. A gas can was close by. She poured the rest of the fertilizer outside the door and scooped up the gas can, saturating the soil and drawing a trail away from the building.

“You may want to get back, I’m actually not sure what’s going to happen.”

She sparked the flint, igniting the gas. It snaked its way to the door.

“The longer this stuff has been stored the more volatile the reaction can be.” Stacy said. “But I don’t how big this might-“

The building exploded.

The camp was evacuated the next day. Brad was found half dead on the shore and rushed to the hospital. The whole incident was chalked up to a chemical explosion, but no one knew what really happened, except a few kids. But who would believe a lake monster was the reason Camp Black closed early? And despite the events that happened that night, it wouldn’t be the last.