Dark's Descent (11 page)

Camp Silver Shadow

      The plane landed in Montana in the afternoon. The camp bus picked them up and drove to Camp Silver Shadow for sign in. Their motto was 'Anything is possible!'

      Cassie and Sky were brought to their cabin. It was under Ice. Each group of cabins was given a name. They were Ice, Water, Fire, Light, Air, Earth, and Darkness. Furthermore, each group had four cabins that held four campers. So Cassie estimated that there had to be 112 campers. That was weird, because there was room for very few, but they had even fewer counselors. Two for 112. They had two counselors for over one-hundred kids! How did they make sure they behaved? She soon found out.

      At ten o'clock, they had a large campfire. Head Counselor Henderson stood up and announced that it was time for a story.

      “This is the legend of the Silver Shadow.” he began, “Not too long ago, there was a boy named Sid Macentire who loved playing in these very woods. He weaved in and out of the trees, his laughing echoing throughout the woods.” Cassie gasped as she heard a little boy laughing, but saw no one who owned that laughter. The scary man continued. “One day, he stopped, and turned around, for he felt something following him. He saw nothing, but noticed his shadow changing color to silver. He had a silver shadow. To the boy's horror, the shadow leapt to life. He fell to the ground as he was consumed by his own silver shadow. Nothing was left but his shadow, free to roam wherever, and to consume whoever it felt like.” Cassie found herself with her hand squeezing Will's.

      “The Silver Shadow,” Henderson added, “can morph into anything, including people!”

      Cassie screamed. Time to go home! Now she knew how they did it, by scaring them to death! Cassie told Will what she was thinking.

      Will smiled and said, “Relax, there is no such thing as-” Will was interrupted by a blood-curdling scream. Cassie whipped around, and the girl next to her was gone. “I wanna go home!” Will shouted. Cassie held him close as she felt something brush against her leg.

      Henderson screamed, “RUN! I'VE SAID TOO MUCH!” Cassie couldn't move, but was frozen in fear as a silver figure took the man down in a choke hold. “How am I going to get to Everlanon now!” the creature hissed. Will gasped as the Silver Shadow looked at him. It finished off the counselor and leapt at Will, tackling him down. Cassie screamed and watched in horror as her boyfriend was gobbled up by the thing. “You're next, Cassandra!” it roared.

      Cassie screamed and sat up, hitting her head on the ceiling. Why did she choose the top bunk? She remembered why. It was because that place freaked her out. Why did they have to feed them so much sugar? It gave her nightmares. Cassie wished she never came. She was going to go home early until Will stopped her. It was already the second night; the time just flew by. Cassie had no idea where the nightmares come from. All she knew is she hated them.

      Although she knew she shouldn't, she got down from the bed and woke Sky up. “Let's go for a walk.” Cassie whispered. Sky just nodded, half awake.

      The two got their shoes on and left the cabin. Cassie immediately went to the boys' cabin and Sky blindly followed. A twig snapped, and the two ran the rest of the way. Cassie felt she was being followed. Something about the camp scared them, a lot.

      Cassie did the secret knock, and Will let them in. “What's the matter, Cas?” he asked. Cassie explained her nightmares and Will gave her a hug. Someone pounded on the door. Cassie was right! Someone was following them. Sky and Cassie hid under the beds as Charlie answered the door. No one was there.

      Charlie started closing the door until he saw a figure about fifty feet away. “Will?” Charlie asked as he turned around. Will walked over and looked out. A figure stood thirty feet away. Charlie jumped backwards; he only looked away for a second! He slammed and locked the door and jumped in bed. “I'm ready to go home!” he cried.

      Everyone screamed as more pounding occurred. First the door, then the wall, and then the window. “If I live through this,” Cassie whimpered, “I am going home tomorrow!”

      The window smashed open and shattered glass covered the room. Sky began to cry. Even if it wasn't the Silver Shadow, someone wanted inside.

      A figure jumped in the window. “Hello, kiddies!” it hissed.

      Cassie was scared. She held out her hands to protect herself. Just then the thing was hurled backwards to the wall. It was going so fast that the wall didn't stop it. It flew straight through the wall with loud snaps and cracks. They heard a crash, and out of curiosity, they all ran out to see it.

      The Mess Hall paraded a gaping hole in the roof. Cassie ran inside and the others followed. Nobody was in there, but the table under the hole in the roof was smashed to pieces. “What just happened?” Charlie demanded to know. “I think it was the work of the Silver Shadow.” a voice echoed from the doorway, “If so, you all are in a heap of trouble.”

      “I want to go back to New York!” Will announced. The voice laughed. “You aren’t going anywhere!”

      Cassie had it with the secrecy. She marched up to the creep, grabbed his collar, and threw him to the ground. She stepped on his chest. “Who are you?” she pressed, “And you better tell the truth or I will crush your heart with my foot!”

      Normally, someone would have calmed her down by now, but everyone was too scared. Everyone except for her victim. All the man did was simply let out a sigh, and disappeared into thin air.

      “Who wants to go home?” Charlie asked. Everyone raised their hands. Cassie whipped out her phone and called her parents.

      “Why are you-” Cassie cut her mom off, “Please come get us, something happened and we are scared!” Cassie then hung up. That should do it.

Race To Camp Silver Shadow

      Susan frantically dialed the other parents and told them what Cassie said. Before she knew it, her doorbell rang and in walked a group of nervous adults.

      “What could have happened?” Mr. Braddock asked, scared for his life. If the king comes to a dead son, bodies would pile up quickly.

      Susan had no idea, she had already sent James to get the one thing that could get their children quick enough. The NYPD Chopper. Being the Chief, James was able to use it in the most desperate situations, and to him, this was it.

      Susan got everyone into Betty's minivan so they could drive to the launch pad. As said before, Susan was not good in emergencies, so when she made it to the launch pad with four police cars chasing her, James wasn't surprised. He just ushered everyone into the helicopter and showed his badge. Up they went, to Paradise, Montana.

      After flying for a while, Susan spotted Camp Silver Shadow surrounded by police cars. They landed and everyone tumbled out. Cassie was sitting on a bench. Her hands were covered in blood.

The Silver Shadow

      After Cassie hung up, they decided to wait in the Mess Hall until someone showed up. Will went over and put his arm around her. “I'm sorry I told you to stay one more night.” he apologized, “None of this would've happened if we left.”

      Cassie nodded, but said nothing. She

had a feeling, a very bad feeling. “It's not over,” she murmured. That was all she said.

      They tried to comfort her, but nothing worked. Cassie looked at the door. It was closed. “Nobody move.” Cassie whispered, “Who closed the door?” Stephen, Glenn, Charlie, Will, and Sky all shook their heads. “If none of us closed the door, who did?” Charlie asked, moving closer to Sky.

      A man laughed. They all watched as he walked towards them slowly. Cassie was furious. Whoever that was, she wanted him dead, and she wanted him dead now! Cassie leapt away from the group and in front of the man.

      He had a really bushy beard. He vanished. “Behind you!” he teased. Cassie didn't turn around, instead she did a donkey kick, and hit the creep in his gut. Cassie turned back and saw the man on the floor. He had dropped something. It was a dagger. Silver blade, and black handle. Cassie kicked it towards the group, making them jump. Will picked it up.

      “What's your name?” Cassie demanded. “Sid Saxton.” the man uttered, “and I am not alone.” Cassie kicked him and hurried back to the group. Just then, Counselor Matthew walked in and screamed. “What is this?” she panted.

      She was wearing a black robe, and had her hair up in a bun.

      “That guy!” Cassie yelled, “Is gone?” Sure enough, the bearded man was missing. “Is that a knife!” Matthew huffed, “What were you doing with that, in here, with that puddle of blood, and the roof!”

      Cassie watched her. She threw her arms around wildly while she yelled, but she didn't seem to worry.

      “We were making you cherry pie, but as you see, we're not good cooks,” Cassie lied, “That isn't blood, that's the cherries, try some.” Cassie knew the counselor by now, eating anything she could without hesitation. Cassie grinned.

      “Oh,” she whined, “Um, are you sure?” Cassie tackled her and pinned her down. She had hesitation, she knew something.

      “Get off me!” she howled, “What are you doing? Why aren't you worried about-” She stopped talking.

      “Your first name?” Cassie demanded. “Alizeb, now get off me, and we might let you live!” Cassie smiled, and punched her in the face until she was out cold.

      Charlie watched in amazement. Cassie was enjoying this way too much! She just knocked out some lady, and was getting up and smiling!

      “We are not going to die tonight!” Cassie announced. Will ran over to her and gave her a kiss. “Please calm down, that was uncalled for.” Will explained. Cassie looked at Charlie. His big blue eyes let her snap back to her good self. “We need to call the cops!” Sky suggested. Charlie took out his phone and dialed 911 and explained their situation to the dispatcher. “We'll send someone right away.”

      The group made their way to the kitchen, there were lots of things that they could defend themselves with if need be. Cassie then started barricading the door. “Aren't you guys gonna help?” Cassie asked sarcastically. Charlie and Will joined in.

      They all huddled in the corner, armed with pots and pans. Then a knock came on the door. Nobody dared to answer. “Who's in there!?” said Mr. Henderson, “Mrs. Matthew is knocked out on the floor, what happened?” Henderson banged on the door and repeated his demand for entry. Cassie moved the barrier, holding the stranger's dagger. She opened the door and there stood Mr. Henderson. Seeing the blade, Mr. Henderson stepped back. “What are you doing with that?” he stuttered. “Protection.” Cassie warned. “Calm down, Cas.” Will called out.

      “Why don't you kids come with me, and we'll sort this out.” he offered, “Give me the knife please.” “No,” Cassie refused, “How can I trust you, if I couldn't trust Mrs. Matthew?” Henderson nodded. “I totally understand.” he said, “Keep the knife, and follow me.”

      They followed Mr. Henderson to the office. “So the police have been notified?” he asked. Cassie confirmed his question, “Yes, they will be here any second.”

      “Then I suppose we'll have to clean things up,” Henderson proposed, “Mr. Saxton!” Cassie armed herself with the knife. Sky threw a pan and it hit Henderson in the head, knocking him out cold.

      “Hello kids,” Mr. Saxton teased as he appeared in front of Cassie, “I'll take the Silver Shadow now.” He reached out for the knife but was too slow. Cassie plunged the knife into his gut. Saxton's eyes rolled as he stumbled into the counselor's desk. Blood coated Cassie's hands, as she pulled the murder weapon out.

      “So this is the Silver Shadow,” Cassie mumbled with an evil grin. “Cassie?” Will whispered, trying to get her to come back. Cassie turned towards Will and Charlie. She realized what she did and threw the dagger to the ground. She ran to her boyfriend and hugged him crying. “Did I just kill someone?” she wailed. Will rubbed her back. “I was scared that he was going to hurt you guys!” Cassie exclaimed. Charlie hushed her, holding Sky close. Skyler had never seen anything like that before. She was petrified. They all stood there, not moving or talking, until the sirens sounded.

      The cops took blood samples, fingerprints, and identifications of everyone there. The Silver Shadow got put in a bag and labeled 'EVIDENCE'.

      Cassie and Will walked outside to sit on the bench by the parade field. “I still love you,” Will admitted, “I think I love you more now.” Cassie looked at his eyes. He was telling the truth. Cassie leaned forward and their lips collided once again. Pulling away, Cassie looked straight into his eyes and said, “I love you too!”

      “William Braddock, please come over here!” an officer ordered. Will obeyed and waved to Cassie.

      Looking up at the morning sky, Cassie saw a helicopter. That's strange, why did they call for a helicopter? The chopper landed on the parade field and familiar faces piled out. Her parents, Charlie's grandma, Sky's parents, and Will's dad all fell out. Cassie coughed. Her dad shoved six people in a five-person chopper, a very dangerous thing to do, just because she called for them to get them. That's either love or stupidity, maybe both. Cassie smiled and stood as her horrified parents saw their precious daughter drenched in blood.

      “What happened?” Susan interrogated, “Is everyone alright?” Not the dude she stabbed in the stomach. “Yes,” Cassie began, “but they should really do better background checks on these people.”

      “Let go of me!” a cuffed Henderson shouted as he was shoved in the back of a cruiser. James ran up to the man in charge and showed him his badge. “Officer James Smith, Chief of the NYPD.” he introduced, even though he had no jurisdiction here, “I'm also the father of Cassandra Smith. What's going on?” “We don't know yet,” the cop explained, “We need to interrogate everyone, but I advise your daughter to get a lawyer, because she's in a heap of trouble.”

      James told Susan what the man said. “What happened, Cassandra?” she demanded to know. “I had a nightmare, so I went to see Will and Charlie. I was being followed. We ran inside the cabin and some creep broke in. I don't remember much after that, but he came back when we were in the Mess Hall, Mrs. Matthew was involved, and we hid in the kitchen.” Cassie took a breath before continuing, “I had taken the man's knife to protect myself. Then Henderson came and took us to the office, the creep came back and Sky knocked out Henderson.”

      Skyler's parents gasped and Cassie added, “I was afraid he was going to hurt us, so when he grabbed for the Silver Shadow, I stabbed him. Charlie already called the police, so we just waited” Susan hugged her daughter. “You are braver than I ever could be.” Susan wept.

      “Wait, so this camp is named after a knife?” Betty posed. Cassie thought about it and it was true, Camp Silver Shadow. The Silver Shadow wasn't a monster; it was a knife. Why was it so special, though? Cassie quickly dismissed the thought, for now, anyway.

      Susan called her high school friend, Laura Lingard, who became a popular lawyer in the law firm of Lingard-Belton-Bannister, stationed in northern California. “I'm sure it was in pure self-defense,” Lingard explained, “so I accept the case. I'll be up right away.”

      Susan was the popular nice girl in high school, so she had plenty of connections. If it wasn't for her past, Susan probably would've never had a future!

      By the time Laura arrived, Cassie had already been cleared to go. They didn't need a lawyer after all. After a thorough investigation, and interrogation, it had been determined that Cassie was trying to protect herself and her friends from the threats of the adults, not to mention they were scared out of their wits.

      Cassie got cleaned up and changed into new clothes for the trip home. There was no way she was ever going back to Montana again!

      Then it hit them, they had ten people in Montana, and their only way to get back was a five-seater police chopper. The police volunteered to give them a ride to the nearest airport so they could get home. James, Susan, Cassie, Betty and Charlie took the chopper, while the others went to the airport.

      Cassie never got to ride in a helicopter before, so she took a selfie with Charlie as they flew home.

      Will sat next to his knight on the plane. It was time to tell him about his relationship with Cassie. “Dad?” Will began, “I have something to tell you.” Mr. Braddock looked at Will with his curiosity face. “Thanks for coming.” Will sighed.

      Arthur was dumbfounded. The prince never thanked him for anything! That was a first! Maybe the near-death experience was good for him.

      Cassie looked at Charlie. “I still can't believe that the Silver Shadow is a knife!” Cassie exclaimed. Charlie just smiled. Cassie was always so curious.

      When the airplane landed, James picked them up in Betty's van to take them to their cars.

      Cassie ran up to Will. “Did you tell him yet?” she inquired. Will kissed her on the cheek and said, “He'll know soon enough.”