Midnight Shadows: A Haunted Camp's Dark Secret

ering, he turned around to see his kids standing there. They looked hesitant about something. He looked around the garden and said, "I am gla

scream, he pushed the brake pedal in alarm and the vehicle jerked to a stop. Ashar the youngest of the three has just seen the driver's bleeding head poking out of the cabin's window. Ahmed looked and felt drained. The poor person must not have been able to jump out in time but then it was his fault, he should have known better than to drive an 80-tonne truck at breakneck speed through a residential area. The police have brought cranes along with other heavy machinery. The drivers of the two lead semis have radioed for them to come; in fact, they have already lined their semis near the trailer of fallen semis to collect the load off them. Meanwhile, the parents and kids were being ushered into the camp lounge by competent but harassed-looking staff. Mr. Nanak for accommodating the growing number of kids has hired new people and now he was leading a group of people inside the building. *****It was a good fortune that the semis did not penetrate farther into the campgrounds and cause damage to the parents or kids and their cars. Ahmed parked his old school S.U.V. behind a shiny new model of a favourite sedan and an even larger but new S.U.V.... He switched off the engine and turned around to look at his kids. He was pleased that they seemed to be taking all this rather well. The older one, Ayan was busy texting at the video of the speeding semis that he had posted at his social media account. He was debating with his friends and being a close-at-hand witness to the scene, the point gave him an edge over his friends. Ashar looked as though he had seen something nauseating but was overcoming it now while Daniyal was playing a game. Ahmed said, "Do not worry Ashar; you are going to be fine, Remember that is why one is not supposed to rush to a place of destination." Ashar cheered up a bit and asked, "What is this Mr. Nanak like?" Ahmed answered, "Oh, he is an educated and good man and is always willing to help sweet kids like yourself. Remember, you have to be there for ten days only." He took off his seat belt and opened the door to see off his children. *****Ayan picked up his bag still texting while Daniyal too had his face looking at the screen. Ashar followed Daniyal, the three of them lined up beside the car; They were now looking around haughtily and taking in the building's details. Ahmed came around the car toward his children; he hugged them all and requested Daniyal and Ayan to take care of each other and their younger brother. He also asked Ashar to be cooperative and do as his older brothers told him. At that moment, a friendly-looking camp counsellor came to Ahmed he identified himself as Asif. "Welcome to Camp Green, I see your kids ready for the fun that awaits them," Ayan said "Fun? Is leaping around after being caught up with ghouls and then bounding over things in haste trying to escape them an idea of fun to you?" Before Ahmed could do more than frown at his son, Mr. Asif cheerfully said, "Rumours are indeed true however, innocent-looking kids such as you people need not worry, as ghouls try not to harm innocent unless goaded past endurance." Ayan shrugged and then allowed himself and his brothers to be led by Mr. Asif into the camp. *****For the moment, Ahmed waited and when he saw that the kids had entered the lounge, he opened the door of his S.U.V. and drove to the airport. He was able to check in smoothly since he was on time. He thanked Allah for being merciful to him, giving him good-natured kids, and even providing him with the means to raise them. It was late at night when he checked into his destination, therefore, he decided to have dinner and then go to bed. Sleeping early would give the energy required to do good work. However, before turning in for bed, he bade good night through text messages to his sons. *****Mr. Asif led the kids into the large lounge that was airy and bright; sunlight was able to stream from large windows. The counsellor registered the kids into teams that were sorted into groups by their respective ages. Since Ayan, Daniyal, and Ashar all had a gap of one to one and half years, in Ashar's case, they were able to secure a place in an age group of ten and twelve. The total number of kids within this age group was twenty-five. A sub-group of eight or nine kids was made. Each sub-group was coded with colour. Other age groups included children aged eight, nine, thirteen, and fourteen. Kids over that age were not allowed at the camp this year; this measure was taken to reduce the risk of bullying becoming uncontrollable then owing to the sheer number of cases. Overall, the total number of kids registered this year was 90, not a very large number but still more for a camp the size of Camp Green. The lounge where Ayan, Daniyal, and Ashar were standing grouped with other kids was decorated in wood, panels of it were walled around the lounge. There was a small stone fountain playing in the middle of the room and on one side was a reception desk. It was over that the counsellors were teams up with students, giving over instructions and timetables for the daily routine at the camp. Mr. Nanak was visible through double wooden doors that were leading from the lounge into the study room beyond these doors, which were on the right side of the lounge. The lounge also housed a circular staircase leading to the upper floors, while besides these doors yet another door was made. *****The door at the moment was pushed open and Ashar was able to see that the room behind it looked like a cafeteria as there were dining chairs and tables in there. Ashar looked at his brothers, Ayan was still chatting, and Daniyal was talking to a kid from his school. Counsellor Asif ca