Chapter 2

It had already been an extremely stressful day and Janet would have wished for nothing more than an uneventful drive to the camp but, unfortunately for her, God would not even grant her this. Something had shut down the interstate and forced her to detour down state road 58 which was a long and winding single lane strip of asphalt that was surrounded by trees and miles of wilderness. In fact, the only sign of humanity at all on this portion of the drive was the sole brown sign that let her know she was passing through the Martinville National Wilderness, which Janet knew was the largest stretch of undeveloped land in that portion of the country. Having been forced to take an unfamiliar route, Janet somehow missed her turnoff and then had to turn around and find her way back. On the way out Janet had passed a ramshackle and run down shack that she was surprised to see was an actual functioning business. It seemed to be covered in schmutz as every inch of it was dilapidated and its only sign hung off the porch’s roof by one corner. God what a dump. Janet now thought, Still I can’t afford to be late so I’d better stop in and ask for directions.

As the old Suburban pulled into the parking lot Janet was finally grateful for the old beast for the potholes in the parking lot were so large that they looked like they would have swallowed up anything other than the massive 4-wheel drive SUV. When she was finally able to pull up in front of the business, Janet then got out and walked inside. As she opened the door, the employee behind the counter looked at her and, once again, she simply had to endure it as the sole employee’s eyes roved up and down her body while she asked for directions. For a moment, he didn’t answer but just stood there in his overalls looking like someone straight out of central casting for the role of country bumpkin in a movie.

“To get to that camp for crazy kids just take the next turn off; about 5 miles down the road” he now said in a lazy southern drawl.

“What do you mean ‘that camp for crazy kids’?” asked Janet, a little bit shocked.

“Camps for kids with them ... what do you call it ... E-motional problems. All crazy and fucked up and god only knows what’s wrong with ‘em. Prolly got the devil inside ‘em ... a lot of ‘em. Got the devil inside ‘em and would do anything to get those demons out.”

The store clerks eyes then ran up and down Janet again and that was enough for her. If she could help it she wouldn’t let one more male see her in this outfit until she got home to change. Then she would probably burn it as she never wanted to wear it again. The way men looked at her when she wore it, it just made her feel so dirty. So, rather than press the man further for more information about the camp, Janet simply thanked him and left all while hoping against hope that she wouldn’t miss another turn and have to stop for directions again. Now, with a shudder and a look of distaste at this latest disrespectful lech, Janet got back in her car and headed back the way she had come. Luckily, whatever problems she had with the man behind the counter, his directions had been accurate to a T. From the little store, the Suburban’s odometer had rolled over another 5 miles when the turn off to the camp appeared and then, it was just a short drive before Janet was there. As the pretty Mormon mom now pulled into the parking lot what she saw made her heart sink. In addition to her own three children, there were two more standing with them as well as two adult women although the younger of the two looked like she might not even be 20 years old. Janet already knew what was going to be asked of her. It was one of the curses of owning such a large and spacious vehicle and, by now, she was just too tired to fight.