Chapter Nine

The Next Morning

Jackson was in the tent, on his stomach , moaning in constant pain. Mel and Lex were nearby , to help him and keep and eye on the remains of the camp. Daley and Taylor were making a dash to the well, for their water was completely gone now. In the wild events of the last thirty six hours, no one had dared to make the trip. Now, it was die by murder or by thirst. And so , they had been forced by circumstance to make the trip.

" Taylor, try to move faster and quieter, if you can, " Daley asked harshly as the blonde tripped for the tenth or so time as they finally neared the small clearing at the bottom of the hill by the well. Taylor sent a scathing look at Daley; it had the usual effect, that was to say, none what so ever. " Come on, if you don't want to be caught out here by our friendly murderer." the pale skinned young lady nervously looked at the surrounding trees as if she expected an ambush at any moment.

Taylor was, if possible, even more nervous. She began to pull the tarp back from the well when she noticed something. A wallet, with a wrinkled piece of paper sticking out of it. Her curiosity aroused, she plucked the paper out and scanned it swiftly. Then, she frantically waved it at Daley, " It's a note from Eric! And you'd never guess what it says!"

" I'm a lying , deceitful murderer who deserves to burn in Hell's own dungeon?" the taller youth said as she snatched the slip of paper from the outstretched hand. She read it aloud in a tone that was skeptical, to say the least.

" Taylor, I hope you find this, because you and maybe Lex are the only two who might believe me. I'm not crazy. I've been possessed by Walter Matthews. That's right, the same dude who's dog tags we found. I swear, I've tried to stop him, but he keeps managing to overpower me. Every time my head gets hit, if I'm in charge, he get weak for a while. If he's knocked out, I get control for a few minutes.

Guys, he's a killer and he really thinks you're all spies and traitors. And I'm just as responsible. I put the damn things on in the first place and no, I can't get them off. And he's killed Abby and Nathan and maybe Jackson too.

Guys, do whatever it takes. I don't want to die, but you fight this bastards as hard as you can. Do whatever it takes to stop him, or he'll kill all of you. He really doesn't believe it's 2009 and the war is over. Stop him. Don't let him make me an accomplice to murder again. Please.

Eric

P.S. : I love you people and I'm sorry for what I caused."

Daley ripped the note to shreds as Taylor gasped. " He's still trying to manipulate us. He's just trying to get us to lower our guard so he can get in close and finish us off." She held out the wickedly harp knife of Jackson in her right hand as she grabbed on of the jugs of water Taylor had filled while she read. " Come on, we've wasted enough time here, reading his fairy tale."

" But what if it's true, " Taylor said as she rose to her feet, her bizarre checked pink shirt looking oddly out of place on her in these primitive surroundings. " Can't we just try to pull the dog tags off of him and see what happens?" she asked hopefully.

" Taylor, you can't be this naïve. There's not any such things as ghosts or being possessed. " She looked at Taylor and her anger briefly succumbed to pity; Eric had been Taylor's sole friend for the first week or so, until she and Jackson had started talking. Now, she was alone again. " Taylor, at the very least, he's dangerously deranged. Maybe he had a lucid spell, but we can't depend on that. We have to get to the others. Strength in numbers is all we have going for us right now. We're too exposed out here and Mel and Lex can't fight him off, not and keep Jackson alive at the same time. Let's get moving." She resumed walking the path to the camp, a distressed Taylor in the rear.

Back at the camp, Lex and Mel ere no sitting in front of the blue tent. Jackson as quiet, for now. He had finally passed out again from another muscle spasm in his wounded back. The tears of pain that the normally stoic Jackson had shed had upset Mel even more than they had Lex and they needed a breather.

" I wish they would hurry up and get back. I don't like us being split up like this Melissa." Lex said as he sat on a crate. Even he was armed, in his case, with an ancient box butter, one he usually used to splice wires on the plane's electronics. His elfin like face was pinched and he had rings around his deep set brown eyes. Haggard wasn't a word one usually associated with a ten year old child, but it certainly fit in this instance.

We can't keep this up forever, sooner or later, one of us will not be awake enough, alert enough, to see him coming and then it's all over. So long 29 Downers, Mel thought with fatalism. " Lex, why don't you go in there with Jackson and try to get a few minutes rest. That way , you can keep watch after while with me while Taylor and Daley purify the water, ok."

The tired boy's cheek twitched in what might have been a smile s he replied, " Ordinarily, I'd have to protest and say I'm not a baby, don't treat me like one. But, " there was no doubt now, he was smiling, " I'm too tired to fight it." He stood up, his orange shirt reminding Mel of Halloween for some reason as he walked over and hugged her. " Be careful. And it they're not back in another fifteen minutes, wake me up, please?" After she nodded, he stumbled his way back to the tent, where Jackson lay.

And screamed the instant the flap as pulled back as a blood soaked Eric/Walter stood there, his camp knife dripping with fresh gore as he stood there laughing . He grabbed Lex in a lighting quick movement and slit his throat without another word. Lex's corpse slid to the ground.

" And that's one less little Nip for supper! Now to take care of Mommy!" He jumped at Mel, who took off screaming in terror. " Running won't help; I've already killed seven of you, you three won't be any more trouble than they were!" The skinny psycho ran after Mel, who was almost to the treeline. He reached out and in a last burst of energy, he managed to grab her by her flopping hat. And suddenly felt a flare of agony in his hand as Daley , using one of the sharpened spears they had been carrying, hit him in his back. He rolled to the ground, taking Mel with him. He released her and shot to his feet, rage on Eric's face as he stared at them.

" Get away from him Melissa! Run!" Taylor screeched branchlike as she stood behind Dale, her own spear in her shaking hands. Daley slowly circled around alter. It was obvious that she had no intention of NOT trying to fight him. For she had seen and heard him as he left the tent and murdered her stepbrother.

She drew back the spear and launched it at him . He dodged it almost contemptuously, advancing at her. She broke into a run, going to meet him. They were only a few feet apart when Mel, furious over the death and attack, snapped, ignoring the order to run, flung herself upon Walter. He staggered under the hundred and twenty pounds of fighting female fury, twisting violently to dislodge her even as Daley managed to hit his ribs with Jackson's knife. Unfortunately, the angle was wrong. She slashed his skin and muscles, but the knife's blade snapped as it hit his ribcage. It hurt him, but was not enough to stop him. He kicked Daley in the face as he dropped onto his back in the next instant.

Mel felt the hundred and thirty five pound mass slam her into the dirt, knocking the air from he lungs. She released him in agony as he spun to his feet, his side red with blood. Daley was still struggling to her feet hen he grabbed both sides of her head and snapped her neck with a violent, wrenching move. Their leader died instantly of a ruptured vertebrae. Then. he sent a side kick into Mel's head as she came to her knees. He grabbed the fallen spear that had so recently went into his right hand and stabbed it straight into Melissa Wu's stomach, impaling her upon it. He walked to her , about to kick her in the head when Taylor spoke to him, or rather to Eric.

" I believe you Eric! If you're in there, fight him! Don't let him make you kill again ,please. " The slim blonde had tears on her tanned face as she pleaded with the possessed man. She steadily fell back towards the dubious safety of the camp." Listen to me, it's 2009. World War II was sixty four years ago and we on. It's all over. And people like Mel and Abby are our friends now, alter. You're safe, the fighting is over." She begged, hoping some faint part of this as getting through. And then a miracle happened; he stopped and spoke, in the odd Midwestern voice he had been using.

" It's 2009 and we won by 1945. And We're friends with the Japanese now?" he asked, seemingly calmly.

" Yeah. That's right. No more wars with the Japanese since. We won." Taylor said, halting and hoping.

" Lady, it's June , 1944! And I may not remember anything after a dang coconut fell on my head and I woke up on the breach and all of you were there, but I am not crazy! And you are a TRAITOR! AND YOU"RE GONNA DIE NOW!!" And then, Jackson, who had been creeping up behind him while Taylor spoke, sent the camp shovel into his exposed neck with every fiber of his strength. Eric McGorrill fell dead to the ground.

" Man, I don't feel too hot. Or actually, that's exactly who I feel." Jackson said as he collapsed on the ground himself, his back a solid sheet of crimson as the enormous swing had ripped his stitched out. He never noticed Taylor walking over to Eric's corpse.

He never saw her taking the dog tags off, nor her putting them on her neck.

" Eric must've been crazy, I feel fine!" she said as she straightened up and looked at Jackson. And then, her aquamarine eyes went cold black.

" Help me. I can't get up Taylor." Jackson asked as he fought to stay conscious. And then, the world left him forever as the same shovel he had used on Eric was used on him by Walter, now in Taylor's body.

For long minutes , Matthews stood there silent. Then he began laughing uproariously.

" Eric was telling me the truth and so was Taylor. It must be 2009. And now, I'm stuck in a girls' body and I have to pee and I don't know how to pee in a girl's body! HA HAH HA!"

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Jackson laughed heartily as he clapped the ten year old on the back: " You win Lex! That was a freaking awesome ghost story!" Lex beamed with pride at the six others gathered around the campfire. Nathan and Daley applauded as Mel hugged him. Taylor was busy laughing at a sour looking Eric.

" Why did I have to be the one Who got possessed! I didn't get to do anything other than fight myself." he complained to the world at large, hand held to the heavens.

" " Fighting yourself is better than what you usually do to yourself." Mel said with a chuckle. " Good story Lex, a lot better than Daley's killer tomato one." She snickered at the red head sitting directly across from her.

"It was scary, " Daley protested, then grinned, " Ok, it was scary in first grade."

Lex spoke up: " Tomorrow night, can we do it again?" he asked hopefully.

" You bet, " Nathan said as he stood up and stretched. The had had a long day, moving the wreck they hoped to turn into a shelter and he as ready for a snooze . " But tomorrow, I get to go last. I have a really good story for then."

A half hour later, it was all quiet. Eric , the last up as usual, walked over by the wooden shelter that the plane had rendered redundant. The dog tags hung there. He picked them up and put them on his narrow neck.

" Possessed by a dead soldier, yeah, right!' he spat in contempt, his face twisted into a sneer.

It might have been a trick of the full moonlight, but the dog tags seemed to shimmer. And Eric eyes seemed darker than usual.

Ten minutes later, the screams began.

THE END.

Author here: Who doesn't enjoy telling ghost stories around campfires?

Thanks for the reviews: Joucelin Hades, WOODLAWNIAN, Beware of Dogs, AngelOfVengeance8, jelissalover and the anonymous reviews as well.