Hamilton Academy: He's Always Watching

Part Three ~ Chapter Four

“Deep, deep, deep, down, beyond the angry devil and all that stuff.”

-Amy

------------

AMY:

            I finished zipping up my backpack with my eyes half open. Julia and I were sharing a backpack, because all we needed were a couple pairs of clothes, water, and food. I yawned as I dropped the backpack by the door and flopped down onto my bed. Being awake at this hour should be considered inhumane. At five in the morning, I wish to be asleep.

            “Amy, get up,” Julia told me, grabbing the bag I threw on the floor. “We have to go check in and get our team backpack.”

            “Blahhhh,” I groaned. “Stupid team backpack. Stupid mountain trip.”

            “Come on,” Julia said again. This time I got up and unhappily followed her out the door and down to the Center Circle, where there were many lively kids so eager to start this ‘adventure.’ I spotted Matt immediately, with his worried look plastered over his face. I knew he was nervous about carrying that gun with him, I was nervous just knowing he had it. But I knew Julia was even more afraid, after being held with a gun to her head by Mrs. Grey, guns had been her biggest fear. The gun had no bullets, but it was a threat at that moment nonetheless.

            “You look so suspicious,” I told Andrew, who was standing next to Matt with both of his hands in pocket and a furtive look on his face.

            “Well I’m sorry if my face is such a problem,” Andrew said with a raise of his eyebrow.

            “Oh, it’s more than just your face,” I muttered back to him. Before he had a chance to fire back a comeback, Ethan, Kyle, and Johnny showed up with anxious faces.

            “Do you have it?” Johnny whispered to Matt. Julia’s face looked horrified as she remembered the gun.

            “Johnny,” I told him. “Don’t be so obvious. You sound like you’re making a drug deal.” He clamped his mouth shut as Matt nodded as to say yes and then pointed to the backpack which him and Andrew were sharing.

            “The Coyotes,” Mr. Higgins called out our group name over the microphone while holding up a backpack. Matt ran over and brought it over back to us. We all went off to the side and sat down, emptying the contents to see what was in it.

            “Matches, blanket, water bottles, bug spray, sunscreen, the usual…” Matt murmured as he was sifting through the stuff. “Granola bars, trail mix, wait-…….. rope?”

            I shrugged. “You never know, you might need it if you need to tie someone to a tree and leave them there for the wild animals. Not pointing any fingers or anything.” That earned me a glare from Andrew.

            “Right,” Matt gave a distant nod, which told me he wasn’t even listening to me. I don’t blame him, he had a gun with him to worry about. What would happen if someone found him with it? How could he explain the circumstances that came around to this? ‘Oh, I got this gun from a dead counselor who was trying to protect us from some crazy psycho path who is out to kill all of my friends and I.’ Yes, that would definitely go down well with Mr. Higgins.

            “Here’s the map and compass,” Kyle pulled it out from the pile and began to instantly devour the information. He became lost in the world of… geeky stuff.

            “Anything interesting?” Ethan asked him.

            “Well, I can tell you this much. We’re going to have to take very few breaks if we want to make it to the cabin by nightfall. And we’re going to be facing some obstacles today.”