Chapter 1
Along, a long Idaho road, stretching all the way to california. There was a car, a car with four passengers. A mom, a dad, a 10 year old boy and a 16 year old girl. These were the Pattersons, and they shouldn’t have taken this trip. They shouldn’t have tried to avoid the airplane, they shouldn’t have bothered stopping at that last gas station and they most definitely shouldn’t have taken this turn.
At least that's what Lisa Patterson thought, and she didn’t hesitate to make her opinion known to her husband, Jake Patterson, who was currently doing his best to ignore the cries of his wife and offspring and enjoy a not so peaceful drive. He hummed Yellow Submarine as he taped his finger on the wheel. Doing his best to not be involved with the madness. His wife taped his shoulder.
“Jake! Are you even listening?” Lisa, grunted her face turning red.
The correct answer to this question was of course, “no”. Better yet, to avoid conflict, a simple “yes dear” was more than acceptable, But Jake, was tired and not very smart. He decided he had only one option left… Misdirection!
“What do you think Bear?” Jake Muttered to the youngest of the travelers
Bear looked towards the front seat confused as he continued to shove his hand in his sister’s face.
“I think mom’s right, that guy was an AxeMole!” he hollered, Lisa stared at her son, her mouth agape. Jake chuckled as he turned his attention to Pasley, the oldest child.
“She did NOT say AxeMole!” Pasley yelled back as she pushed Bear's hand out of her face. Bear glared at Pasley. His tiny hands pointing at his mother.
“She did, I heard her!” the children turned to their mom who nodded doing her best to cover up her mistake.
Jake grins proud of himself for avoiding disaster yet again. Of course it was normal for him. Jake was a postman. Whether rain or shine he’d be there delivering other people's mail, a task that was far more dangerous than people think.
Some how he’d managed to get this week off for his family's vacation to Geek island. Unfortunately because of covid, the group had no choice but to drive there. Jake was opposed to the idea but his wife was determined to go on this trip, and so Jake had no choice but to drive 800 miles in a hot mini van. In a direction he’d never driven down before.
“Are we there yet?” Bear asked
“No.” Jake responded
“Lets stop, I’m hungry!” Pasley demanded, Jake put his headphones in his ears doing his best to ignore the noise. Just the road, that's all he wanted to focus on. He let the music fill his ears as moving to the beat of the moving wheels.
Buh bump Buh bump Buh bump this was his helm of peace. A peace that suddenly lost its rhythm as a loud BOOM blared through Jake’s ears followed by a sound like nails on a chalkboard. Lisa shook Jake’s shoulder in desperation.
“I think we should pull over.” she said looking out the back window.
Pasley leaned towards the window. Her eyes went wide as she looked between her dad and the road.
“I think the tire’s on fire or something.” she managed to say through anxious glances.
Jake pulled over to the side of the road putting the car in gear. He sighed as he opened the car door. Only one thought ran through his mind.
Dear god, anything but a flat. Luckly, the tire wasn’t flat. Unlucky, the tire was gone. The rubber of the tire had torn leaving the mettle of the car’s wheel exposed. Jake motioned to Lisa in disbelief whose eyes went wide as she looked at the source of that awful noise.
“It's okay” Jake sputtered out quickly in an attempt to keep calm.
“That's what spares are for.” Jake made his way to the car trunk and looked through the pile of items. Bags, blankets, tooth brushes, a cooler, and a jack just for such emergencies. There was just one problem. One that knocked the composure off Jake’s face. Jake turned to his wife.
“Where's the spare?” he asked, Lisa’s panic grew.
“I thought you packed it.” she muttered in hopes the children wouldn’t hear. Jake slammed the trunk. He looked around trying to get his bearings. They were stuck, stuck on that long road with a broken mini van. Pasley peered into the distance a small little blip catching her eyes. She poked her dad’s shoulder and pointed it out.
The group wouldn’t have gone that way if they had any idea what horrors laid in that innocent distant blip. If they had a choice, they knew what would happen. They would have stayed as far away from that sliver of hope as possible. They didn’t have a choice, and they didn’t know so the group would agree to walk towards the blip in hopes of a repairman, or the needed network to call a tow truck.
They quickly reached the blip in question. A collection of small buildings surrounding a large creaky looking house. A sign sat outside the house that said Jerome Golf Course KOA (Kampgrounds Of Amarica).
in the distance behind the house was the long green field of the golf course in question. Jake made his way to the house in the middle of the KOA and knocked on the door.
He took a breath in the thankful but uncomfortable silence of the place. He felt the pit of his stomach as it screamed warnings about that silence. Jake shoved that warning into the sock drawer that was his mind as he was never one to listen to useless things like his instincts. Instincts made him hungry, they made him paranoid and ruined other peoples' day. It was a useless trait humans had long grown out of.
Jake heard the patter of feet as they made they’re way to the door. Two brown tired eyes peered through the cracks of the window. A sweetened female voice made its way through the door.
“Who is it?” the voice chirped nervously. Jake grabbed Bear's arm in hopes of keeping him from running off.
“Hi, our car broke down and we were hoping you’d have a repair man or a phone we could use to call someone? We don’t have reception.” a gasp made up of multiple voices was heard on the other side of the door this time an gruff man’s voice piped up.
“Broke down, oh god, you sure?” the voice whispered. The family looked between each other confused by the new voice. It was Pasley who finally responded.
“Uh, yeah, our tire is literally missing!”
“They were sparks and everything. it was SO cool!” Bear screamed excitedly. Another gasp was uttered, this one sounded more panicked than the last.
“You brought kids?” a rough man’s voice groaned in irritation.
“Yes, we were going to Geek island but our car broke down.” Lisa repeated as her brain tried to process the many voices coming through the door. It was quiet for a while after that a slight whisper here or there but not one directed at the family. After a couple of minutes a clicking was heard from the other side of the door. The door swung open revealing a large man. He looked at the family, the essence of tiredness plastered on his face.
“Come in dearies the door’s open.''the sweet voice echoed from the corner of the house.
The group stepped in doing their best to ignore the man’s burning glare. The inside was quant to the left there was a small gift shop area with key chains, golf clubs, mugs and any essentials you’d need for your stay and to the right was the check in desk where a pleasant looking older woman with sat her kind eyes seemingly following the family’s every move.
“Sorry about the mess, we haven’t had other guests here for a while.” she muttered as she wrote something on the check in book. A tall lanky man ran past the family towards the direction of the road shoving Bear out of the way.
“Gecko! mind your manners!” the plump woman yelled, Gecko waved apologetically and continued towards the road. The woman side turning her attention to the Pattersons
“Sorry bout him, he’s not very good with people, gets stuck in his own head. He really is a nice boy. He does almost every job in this place outside of maintenance. Anyhow, if you need anything just let him know he probably knows how to get it.”
Lisa nodded, doing her best to hide her frustration at the current situation. Bears eyes lit up.
“I’ll be right back!” Bear Squealed as he ran after Gecko. the plump woman chuckled as she motioned towards the pail giant of a man.
She barely got a word out though she only managing to say,
“Bert could you-”
Before the large man took off after Bear. His moments were surprisingly quick for someone so large. The woman nodded calmly and proceeded to check the family in, Bear ran after Gecko.
Bear tugged on Gecko’s shirt as the lanky man’s eyes shifted towards the tire. After a long hard look he turned his attention to the small child. Bear took this as a que to ask questions.
“Is it bad? Like bad bad? Are we stuck? Do we need to call the police? Will, will we be like, driving and then and then the car EXPLODES THAT WOULD BE SO COOL. I saw it in american psycho, I watched it with my cousin lenny, don’t tell mom or dad though. They’ll get really mad. But anyways that would be so cool if we hit a gas station and the car just blew up wouldn’t that be cool! Wait, I think I hear something! OH NO! IS IT GONNA BLOW!”
Gecko shook his head grabbing a nearby wrench from his tool kit.
“The cars, not going to explode. Its nothing I can’t fix, we jus need to replace the hubcap and get a new tire…” Gecko murmured as he began to loosen the bolts keeping the hub cap in place. Bear felt an arm grasp his shoulder and turned, seeing the tall pale man glaring at him.
Meanwhile Lisa signed the KOA’s sheet Jake looked around trying to make small talk.
“Pretty quiet isn’t it?”
the older woman nodded solemnly she peered out the window to the golf course.
“Yes… it is.” she took the sign up sheet putting it under the table as she ignored Lisa’s attempts to hand her. Her debit card.
“Now we do have some ground rules.
Be in bed before 10
Let someone know where you are, we’ve had… problems, with, shoplifters lately. I don’t think you two would steal anything but for safety's sake.
Don’t go to the golf course.”
Jake looked out the golf course relieved, he hated golf. Unlike his wife who had forced him weekly to attend her weekly golfing competitions.
“You don’t have to worry abou-”
“She means it.” a graveled voice grumbled from behind the door. Jake looked to the door.
“Oh, thats, just Harold he’s a resident… he doesn't really like people.”
“Don’t go to the golf course…” Harold repeated through the door his voice sounded slightly strained like a wounded deer. Lisa tried again to hand her card to the woman. The woman shook her head.
“Oh, no, you don’t have to pay. Your car broke down. I’d feel terrible charging you.” Jake smiled at the lady. If there was anything he could get excited about it was free loging. The two of them left the cabin. Bert looked at Jake.
“So what's the problem?” Jake asked
“... cars broke… probably be days till you get back on the road." Bert grunted Bear looked up at Bert for the first time in his very short life, he had nothing to say to an adult. He just stared up at the behemoth of a man who seemed to glare down at him.
“You shouldn’t run around so much, there are way scarier things out here… much scarier than exploding cars.” Bear’s curiosity got the better of him.
“Really?” Bent nodded
“Really, and some o them could catch ya if you keep runnin around like this.” Lisa looked at Bert, irritated.
“Sir, please don’t scare my child.” Bert looked at the couple.
“He should be scared… and so should you…” the older woman rushed out to Bert.
“Bert, I need to talk to you…” Bert rolled his eyes, annoyed he went into the cabin, the woman following him. Lisa grabbed her husband's arm pulling him out of earshot of Gecko and the kids.
“Okay… I think our next move should be, to walk to the nearest town, and never come back here again.” Jake looked at his wife astounded.
“What, hon, look at this place, it’s beautiful. You really want to walk 800 miles to avoid, what? Some guy named Bert?”
“He just threatened our child, Jake.” Lisa muttered in disbelief.
“He did not, he just scared some sense into him, and honestly good on him. He’s always running off, he could use a little fear.” Jake laughed as he looked back at Bear even more rowdy than ever.
Lisa crossed her arms flabbergasted.
“You don’t think, there’s anything wrong here… the rules, the, people whispering behind the door… that old lady, she didn’t even take my card-“
Jake rolled his eyes
“It’s a KOA, that stuffs normal… probably. Come on honey, it's free! And look at the kids, they love it here."
Bear wandered to the cabin peering through the gap of the door. Bert looked at the old lady annoyed.
"I don't like it Margaret." Bert grumbled looking out at Jake.
The old lady sighed, sliding a bag of goldfish crackers through the back room door.
"Oh shut up Bert. You don't like anything."
Bert grabbed the shotgun from the desk, pumping it a couple times before heading out the back door. The old lady looked at the clock, 9:40. Bear followed silently as Bert made his way out to the golf course. An old man in a plaid shirt came over the hill.his shirt was covered in blood. Bear couldn’t quite hear what the two were talking about. He was too focused on the blood stain on the man's shirt. He stared at it, his mind filled with terror. As he thought about the plastic suit Bates wore in American psycho.
“Murderer…” Bear whispered to himself silently.
“BEAR!” Bear ran back to his mom, pulling at her shirt sleeve.
“MOM! MOM! They killed someone!” Bear yelled.
Lisa was used to Bear’s active imagination. Ever since he saw American psycho he wouldn’t stop accusing people of murder. Bear didn’t know Lisa knew but oh god did she know.
“Bear, get your stuff out of the car we’re spending the night.”
Bear looked at his mom flabbergasted. He turned to his dad hoping he’d have more luck.
“DAD! WE CAN’T STAY HERE! THE CABIN PEOPLE ARE MURDERERS!” Jake barely looked up, more focused on the brochure they got from the cabin.
“You're telling me it looks like they killed their business… no wonder they let us stay free no one else is here.”
Bear sighed, he was afraid of this, if any of the horror books he read had taught him anything it was that parents never believe the kid. He glared at his parents, annoyed.
“If I can get proof that there are dead guys here and stuff, then can we leave?”
“Uh huh…”Jake said absentmindedly as he shooed Bear away. Bear ran off with his backpack as Lisa unloaded the car. She gave Jake a look, he stared back at her unamused.
“Hey, it's not my fault he’s a weird kid. Besides, it's not like we can go anywhere.”
Lisa sighed as she struggled with the cooler as her husband continued to read the brochure. Lisa felt the cooler start to slip from her arms. The old lady caught it helping Lisa lift it.
“Oh, no you don’t have to-”
“No, it's no problem. I’m old but I’m tough.” The old lady glared at Jake her sharp look compeled Jake to actully help unload. The old lady shook her head waiting till she and lisa were out of ear shot to speak.
“He seems like a party.” she said sarcasticly, Lisa nodded.
“He has his moments…”
“I compleatly understand. He reminds me of my husband from back in the days. He was always focused on his danm phone. Now he’s-” the older lady paused
Lisa looked at her confused.
“He’s what?”
the old lady stared at the golf course.
“... dead… he’s dead.”
lisa looked at the woman sadly.
“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry…” the old woman shook her head smiling.
“Its alright, you didn’t kill him.” she joked, Lisa looked at Pasley who took a photo of herself and the tire to send to her freinds. She groaned flopping her arms to the side as she remembered she didn’t have bars.
“Pasley could you go watch your brother, he’s looking for dead bodys” Lisa sighed she never thought those spicific words would leave her mouth before the kids. Oh pregnant Lisa, how nieve you were. Pasley rolled her eyes unable to think of anything else to do.
“FFFFIIIIInnnnneeeee!!!!” Pasley fallowed in the direction Bear ran in slightly relived to escape her parents. She found Bear poking a metal smore stick he got from the cabin into the ground below.
“The fuck are you doing dweeb?” Bear grabbed Pasleys arm.
“Where would hide a dead guy?” Pasley sighed.
“I don’t know your the weirdo, not me. Why can’t you just do a normal kid thing, like, I don’t know play on your phone, or something?” Bear looked at Pasley annoyed.
“Because mike TV dosn’t solve murders, obvessly.”
Pasley nodded biting her lip.
“Mmmm Hmmm, yeah, I’m going to pretead that made sense… you stay out of trouble I’m going to try to get bars. You know how freaked Dekoda can get.”
Bear paused as a loud Squish came from the ground as he stabbed into it again. Paslley stopped as she heard the sound. The two of them looked at each other, then at the ground. They held their breath for a moment as Bear poked deeper into the ground the Squishing noise made Pasley gag. Bear muttered the obvious.
“I don’t think thats what dirt sounds like” Bear pulled the stick out of the ground slowly. The sharp silver metal tainted red. Pasley nodded as the two looked at the stick.
“No, no, no, no, no, no, that’s not- i-its just.”
“Just what?” Bear asked hoping his sister had a logical explanation. Pasley shook her head trying to think clearly. She looked at the bloody metal trying to find any hints it was something else. The two stared at the stick, frozen in fear. Their trauma induced shock was broken as a loud ‘HONK!’ made Pasley jump back. A large canadian goose looked at them, stand behind a large log.
“JESUS, okay… stay calm, why- why don’t we… um…” Pasley’s train of thought was interrupted by the sound of crunching leaves. She turned to the noise. An old wrinkled man stared at the two he looked like hell he was covered in mug and grass clippings blood driped from his forehead, he held a large golf club. He walked slowly towards the kids at first but quickly picked up speed. Pasley grabbed Bear forcing herself out of her stupor as the two of them ran back to the cabin. The man let out a guteral scream as he chased after them. Pasley looked at the moon she didn’t relize how late it was until this moment when time seemed to move unatrally fast. They made it to the nearest cabin Pasley and Bear banged on the door as the man charged even faster. The door swung open as a larg hand yanked them inside slamming the door and locking it. Gecko took a deep breath in looking at the two of them.
“Yos gotta be carful, bad things out there bad things.” Gecko shook his head Pasley and bear were blown away hearing Geckos voice at length. His way of speaking was different from most people the two of them heard His words were slightly jumbled. Like he was making up sounds without understanding them.
“Uh… yeah, thanks…” Pasley managed out still in shock, Bear’s original excitement evaporated as the weight of possibly findinga dead body hit him like a ton of bricks. He’d seen dead people in movies, it hit way differently in real life. Bear threw the poker on the ground.
“I can’t believe it! I really can’t beleave it!”
“This is why we don’t actively go looking for dead bodies!” Paisley yelled taking a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. Gecko looked at the two concerned
“Oh yos shouldn’t be doing that there are.”
“Yes, bad things, we get it!” Paisley growled, She calmed down as she watched Gecko shrink into himself.
“Sorry, thanks you kinda saved us.” Gecko nodded
“Don worry bout it.”
“Do you guys normally get crazy golf murderers?”
Pasley checked her phone still no bars. Gecko looked at the phone amazed. He pointed to the text on Pasley’s apps.
“Can yos read?” Gecko said trying to change the subject. Pasley nodded confused.
“Thas pretty cool, I’s can’t read. I’s wish I’s could… whas it say?” Bear looked at Pasley’s phone.
“Hey,” Bear read Gecko glanced at Bear excited. He ran into the cabin living room handing Bear a book.
“Could yos read this? I’s been trying ta finish it.” Bear looked down at the book happy for the distraction. Pasley looked at Gecko.
“You can’t read? Like, anything?” Gecko flipped the pages looking for his spot.
“Don Read, Don write, I’s just fix stuff” Bear nodded.
“Thats okay, our uncle can’t read either. Hes 2 though, dad says granma’s a cougar!”
“Don see what mountain lions got ta do with it.” Gecko said confused. Bear read the book to Gecko as Pasley tried to contact their parents.
