Ashberry

My name is Richard. I used to work at a summer camp for kids named "Ashberry" for some time back in the day. I say "use to" because I left the job when strange occurrences started happening around the camp. You see, kids started disappearing or dying for an unknown reason. It became an urban legend at the camp over theyears, but today that camp is closed. It has been that way for 20 years. I can't remember much about it, because I got traumatized byan event a year ago. My mother died at the age of 65 and I felt hopeless, Doctors said that finally I became so hopeless that I tried to end my life by jumping out of the window. But instead I got a head injury and ended up in a come for two months.

So today I'm driving to the old camp, to try to see if I can remember anything from my life since it the camp played a big role in my life. I worked there for 5 years after all. I couldn't find any information about it except the place where it was located and a few news reports about the incidents.

I'm currently driving to the camp site, I will not tell you where it is located for private reasons of course. It should take me about an hour to get there so I'll keep you updated as soon as I get there. 

So I'm currently in the woods near a lake and I think that I'm close. I have seen a few wooden sings on the way here, but they were too dirty or shattered to see what they said. My map doesn't have any information where the camp is so I'm just following the dirt trail and.. OH, WAIT... There's something more here. I mean the road ends here and I think I can see something behind the bushes that are on the path. Yes, there's definitely something there. I'll go out of the car to check it out... 

I think I'm dreaming... There it is... An old iron rusty gate of the camp now resembling more of a cemetery entrance than a kids camp. But this must be it. I can see something written on the top of the rusty gate. I think it says "Ashberry". Hell yes! Now it must be it!

The gate seems kind of old and I realized that there's a lock on, but it's also rusty. I think I can manage to get in without any trouble whatsoever. Okay, I'll just kick the lock off and that's it. 

DAMMIT! That hurt, well it broke. So I guess it was worth it. My foot is fucking itching and hurting like crap, but there seems to be no problem getting into the camp now. I didn't realize that the old lock was so fucking heavy and hard to break. My foot is kind of brokentoo... Well, it does hurt but I don't care, I took the time to get here so a broken foot isn't going to stop me. I think I'm going to snap some pictures of the gate before I go in.

So yeah guys... I don't know where my camera is. I remember putting it into the back seat of the car. But I might just leave it at home. That can happen, The doctor said that because of the head trauma I experienced a year ago, My mind can sometimes produce fake memories and trick me. So I am not worried, I think I just left the damn camera at home. I'll just walk into the camp without it.

At least I don't need to break the lock once more, That's a plus... 

I just got trough the rusty gate and the only thing I see beyond it is more forest. Well, dammit. My foot still hurts so I don't think I can go and walk, Who knows how much more time I need to get to the camp. I'll just go back to the car and drive through the gate.

Well, that was easy, I drove through the gate and the car doesn't seem to have any problem going trough the dirt path beyond the gate. But I feel kind of uneasy, I've been driving down this path for about half an hour now and the only thing I see is more forest. There wasn't any signs or other paths on the way, So there's no way I went the wrong way. Oh, Wait! I can see something in the distance. 

Yes, there's a... It's a gate... Dammit, it's the same gate from before. It seems like I've been driving in circles the whole time. God dammit!Wait, I think I can remember something... This must be.. The Forest tour.. Yes, I remember! The path that leads around the camp it is a tour of the forest children use to take when getting to the camp!

That means that the camp is here somewhere... I'll just go behind the gate on foot..

Behind these bushes... I REMEMBER! The grass must have grown over the path that's why there isn't another path on the road. I can see it the camp is here! I don't know how I know, I just remembered it.  This are the results I was looking for. I can see the camp, it is close, the only problem is that I have to go there on foot, Because the bushes and the grass seal the path of the car. 

So I've been walking five minutes and I got to the camp. From here to where I'm standing right now, I can only see a few of the cabins and a flagpole in the distance that must represent the center of the camp. All this cabins... They're all broken. There's dirt on them and there is rust on the windows. 

I don't think I can remember much right now, Though it is a familiar sight. I'll try to get to the flagpole as soon as I sit on the ground and rest a little, Cause my foot is killing me.

It's really a play of will to be in a place like this, It's almost nightfall and I still have to find out more things than a night can reveal. So I'll just stand up and go to the flagpole now...All this cabins, While walking by them, I can remember the eyes of the children gazing at me...

Back then It was a pleasant experience, but now, It is haunting and disturbing, Knowing that most of these children are dead or still missing to this day... I can't remember much but my instincts tell me where to go, And I trust them for now. It doesn't seem like the flagpole is far from there. I think it's just around the corner. Oh, I think I can see it. Yes, this is it. There is no flag on the flagpole of course, I couldn't see it from the distance, But now I can see that there is a flag. But itBut it is down on the ground next to the ashes of a fire. The same fire where the children use to tell stories back in the day. There were still a few ashes. Amazing how the wind didn't scatter them all over the place. I can now see the flag and I can confirm that this is in fact the "Ashberry" camp I use to work at all those years ago. 

Seems chilling, How all those years went by and I lost all trace of this place. Life really seems funny now, When I can't remember who I was or what I was doing all those years before my head injury.

It also is kind of frightening knowing that this is the place I enjoyed so much according to my friends. 

Back then happy and wonderful, Now all rusted and filled with stories of bloodshed...

Well, enough with my rambling, I'll try to open the door of one of thecounselors cabins to try and find something about my post here... And also since it is almost night time, I don't think I can get to my car to rest in it. The path in the forest is too dark. I don't want to get lost. And my broken foot has not allowed me to go back there, since by now it's hurting like hell. I know it's not a good idea, but I think I'll have to spend the night in one of these abandoned cabins.

So the doors are locked on all the cabins and I can't kick them in since my foot is broken. Well, there is one cabin that isn't locked, butsomething is blocking the entrance. I managed to see inside and I think there's a small wardrobe blocking it. So if I can push the door far enough with my hands, maybe I can get it open.

Success, I opened the door and it was in fact a wardrobe blocking it. There's a chair so I'll just sit on it for a minute or two and then searches the cabin. There's a bed, I could see it from the outside so it will be no trouble sleeping here. And for protection, I could always just put the wardrobe back at the door so no one can get in from the outside. 

Okay, this seems to be the cabin of one of the counselors. There are some photos here on the desk and news articles over the wall. I can see children in the photos. They look happy, I don't know what year this is from but... Oh my God... The news articles. They show the children from the photos...

But the news articles are from back when I worked there. They are the missing children.Who would have this in their cabin? What the hell is this how didn't the police found this?! Okay, I have to calm down, Maybe there was just an investigation going on and counselors tried to fine the missing children by using this photo. I'm getting paranoid, I have to stop and go to sleep and I'll continue in the morning...

I can't sleep. I'm not scared, I'm just feeling uneasy. It's like a feeling of guilt. Maybe it is the guilt that I didn't save all those children or that I can't remember what happened back then. Anyways, It's about 3 A.M. And I'm going to search the cabin some more for clues. At least my foot is better now and it doesn't hurt that much. I'll open the desk drawers and search them.

There seems to be nothing here but dust and papers... Wait, there is something here, it looks like a photograph. Excuse me, it looks like a bunch of photographs. There are children on them. The children from the camp, I guess, I can't really remember. I can make out some counselors in the background. Some faces do seem familiar though, but nothing really strikes my memory... There is one photo in the bunch, I can see a man on it. A tall, blonde man with a scout counselor shirt on. And next to him... I think that's me..

What was that?! Some kind of noise came out of the cabin door. I almost freaked out. But it must have been the wind. Anyways, good thing I shut the door to the wardrobe. You never know, there could be animals out here. Hell, this camp was closed for 20 years, afterall, you never know what could be here. Hopefully I'm not going to find out even if some animal is outside. I'm just going to sleep now because I'm getting paranoid again and it could all just be in my head after all Good night, and I'll update in the morning...

It's 5 A.M. right now. I woke up cause I think I heard thunder outside. I think I also saw it in fact. Some kind of bright light flashed throughthe cabin window. But the noise didn't sound quite like lightning. Don't get me wrong, I did hear a cracking noise, but it didn't seem like it came from the sky. It seemed too close for lightning. Anyways, this happened about a half an hour ago and I don't think I'll get much more sleep now. The sun is almost up anyways. I can see the dawnthrough the window and I have never been so glad in my life that I see a rising sun coming to vanquish the  shadows from the earth. Hopefully, this sun will also shed some light upon my memories, because I still can't remember anything. I'm going out right now to get some fresh air. This cabin smells like rotten eggs and dust. It's old after all. 

I walked around the cabin, trying to see if the roof cracked orsomething, maybe fell on the cabin since the sky was bright and I wanted to make sure if there was lightning in the night or not. And below the window frame down on the ground, I have found a missing antique. My camera. I don't know what this is doing here. The blitz seems to be broken and it doesn't seem to work anymore. I don't remember having it yesterday, so I read my entry from before just to make sure my mind wasn't playing tricks on my again. And I didn't have it. Or did I just have it and lost it outside the cabin? Hell, I don't know. Like it matters now, It's broken anyway...

I'm going to take a walk through camp and head to the lake, that is ifI can locate it. I don't know where it is, but as much as I remember, my instincts tell me to follow the path into the other side of the forest.Now, while walking through this place in broad daylight, it is almost peaceful. I can hear the birds sing and it's isolated. It's almost like a peace of mind... Of course, if that peace of mind wasn't ruined by the past of this place. Every time I try to relax, I feel the same guilt. For what, I don't know. I just have to carry on my search and go to the lake. Nothing has changed around the camp. At least I think. I can't really know, It's not a nice feeling when you can't trust your own mind. 

I'm out of the camp site. I found another gate that leads to the other side of the forest. Hopefully, this is the right path to the lake. This gate is much smaller and it isn't visible from the other side though. I'll have to leave a clue or something so I can know how to return. I still have my broken camera with me so I could just hang it on a tree branch so it would be visible from the other side. Okay, I've done that so let's leave the campsite and find the lake. 

This harmony with the wind, the sounds of the forest make it a wonderful place to be, even though I feel more uneasy by the minute. I can see trees and the dirt road, lit by the rays of the sun. There's not really anything else. Some grass and rocks, but that's about it. I can't see far in the distance and there are no signs for now. Wait.. I think I could hear something... It was like a rockdropping in the water. A big rock in fact. Maybe it's just straight ahead. I can't really run there since my leg still hurts. I'll just try and hurry so I don't lose the site of the sound.

I found a sign near a hardly visible path here next to few bushes and a tree. I spotted it by luck, because I thought I heard something again coming that way. Maybe my mind is finally on my side.. The only problem is that the path is a dead end. It goes only for a few meters into the forest and there's nothing on it, just a big stone on the path making it impossible to reach the other side. But also, I can't just keep on walking on the straight path, who knows how much or where it will take me. I'll try to climb on the stone and roll down over to the other side of the path. If my leg doesn't kill me, I might just get lucky. 

Hell yeah! I got to the top of the stone using branches as a ladder. I scared my hand and my leg a bit, but the pain is over so I think I can go on. I can't really see the whole path from the top of here. This stone is pretty big, but I'll just roll down. Hopefully, I won't break a bone again.

Okay, I'm down. I can go forward to the... Wait... I turned around, and there is a hole under the stone. It's only visible from this side I guess. It is too big a hole. It doesn't look like an animal made it. I can try to crawl inside it just to see if something is there, I have to admit I am curios. Or just paranoid, whatever you want to call it.

Well, it seems like I can't walk, but I can crawl pretty well despite my broken leg. That's good I guess. I can't see anything in the whole and I'm almost half way in. I'll just go a little deeper and go back..

DAMMIT! HELL! I fucking... I fucking fell. What the hell. It seems that this hole also goes sideways. Well, I wasn't expecting that. At least I fell on my head and not on the damn leg cause I would probably be shouting and cursing every demon and got out there. I can't see anything in here. There's a little light from above but too little to help me see anything. I can use my lighter I guess. Just let me get it out of my pocket...

Okay... I'm... These.. These look like shapes.. Shapes of fucking bones! I need to get the fuck out of here! I'm not playing I'm creeped out I have to get up! I can't reach the hole in here, and I'M FUCKING PANICING AGAIN. AND... I need to calm down. I thought something pinched my finger, but realized it was the flame. Now this is fucking paranoia, not realizing my finger was burning while I was taken by the awful sight. I'll just have to get up or try to find a way out down here...

I've been searching for an exit in the dark for about ten minutes and this place seems to be really fucking larger than it seemed to be. I found a hole in the wall and it seems deep, so I'll try going through there. 

Okay, I crawled out of the damn hole. I can see the light now. I'm out of the hole. Finally. Seems like only two minutes have passed. But to me it seemed like a fucking day in hell... I think I can see the lake from here. I got to the forest. I'll go for it... Wait, I droppedsomething. I heard something fall to the ground. And my pocket also feels lighter... There is something on the ground here... It looks like one of those bones, oh my fucking God...

I took it up and examined it. I can see I'm officially creeped out. It doesn't look fake at all. It looks like a human finger bone. It must have got stuck in my pocket when I fell into the hole, and I dragged it all the way out here. It does look like a finger, but it's smaller... it looks like.. A child's finger... 

I threw the damn thing away! No way this could be happening! My mind is just playing with me again... No, it can't be! I need to go to the lake just to see if anything is there. And then I'll go to my car and call the police. Only now I've realized I don't have a phone with me... I didn't even take it from home... Damn, I'm stupid... The only thing I can do now is end this search and then go home and call the cops... Because I'm not going to this damn place once more after this experience...

I've been walking to the lake, and I think I can see something in the distance... It looks like a human... A man if I'm correct... Who would be out here next to a damn lake no one even knows how to get to? This seems more than suspicious.  I'll go into the bushes and see what the man is doing... Okay, I'm in the bushes and the man... The man.. Is gone?!  Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have trusted my eyes, my mind is playing tricks on my again...  This damn thing will get me killed one day...

I'll just get out of this bush and continue to the lake. 

I'm at the lake, at the dock to be specific. I'm standing here and I can remember something... A familiar sight... What is this?... I can see a boat an empty boat floating in my mind.. But I can remember there were children on the boat... I Don't know where they are.... Dammit. That's all me can remember. 

It's 3 P.M. I should be getting back to the camp site. I don't know where to go, but I think I will manage to find the hidden path, so I'll update when I'm back at the camp, cause I need some rest.

I'm in front of the camp, it's 5:14 P.M. right now. Seems like it took me about 2 hours to get here. It wasn't that hard since I could remember the path from earlier and just followed it. But this shocked me a little. There's no camera where I left it. In the front of the entrance of the forest there's nothing. Did I just imagine the camera before? Was my mind making me hallucinate like it did when I saw the man? I don't know... I'll go back into the campsite and try to enter another cabin since my foot is feeling better now.

Okay, I'm back at the flagpole. There are two more cabins that I didn't open, because they were locked. I can try to kick in the door to the one of the cabins now, but I don't think I'll have the strength for both so let's do it. Success again, I broke the lock, but there seems to be nothing in here. There is something on the wall, though... More pictures, now there are news articles next to the pictures... Were they trying to find the children in the photos? Is they way they have this here? It must be, I'm just paranoid again. There seems to be nothing here so I'll go to the other cabin and hit the bed. I know it's early but I'm tired. 

It's 11 P.M. and I can't sleep, I woke up an hour ago, so I decided to update or just talk... Look, I haven't been really honest to you about all of this... Listen, I didn't really leave home to go here... I.. I was in a mental institution... They have held me since my suicide attempt and said I couldn't leave due to my head injury. But I feel better now... I know my head is still kind of messed up, but I know it's all better. I know if I can find something here I can prove to everyone that Iremember everything and that my head is better. So I wouldn't need to stay at that damn hospital anymore... Yeah, now when you know. I'll just sleep now, I feel much more relaxed, so good night...

So I didn't update in the morning because I had a stomach ache and I was feeling sick. I threw up, but I'm all better now. I'm currently onthe lake again. Now when I know how to get to it, it's easy to find itevery time. There seems to be nothing here. Oh, there's a woodencanoe here. I didn't notice it yesterday... There's something in here.. It's... My camera... Again?! My mind can't be playing with me all this time. I AM NOT A MAD MAN. Dammit. I need to calm down. Well, I've realized in the fact that this is the place where the man from yesterday was standing so this spot must be of some kind of a importance. That might just be it. That's why my mind directs me to it... I must not let my mind and my depression get the better of me this time. I have to stop thinking about everything for a minute and focus on this moment... Or maybe the past... 

Oh, I can't! And I'm sick of this place! It's not like I have somewhere to go... I'll just go back to the campsite and try to open the last fucking cabin. 

I'll be at the campsite, and I've tried everything the door won't fucking open. And I've been trying to break it down for hours so I give up. The windows are shut and there is something solid on the other side so there's no chance. I'm going to sleep and tomorrow I'll try again... Goodnight..

I woke up and I can see a car in front of the camp entrance. I think it's the police. I have to get out of here. They must be searching for me. They've seen my car, the doctors must have told them where I would go... I have to run, despite my broken leg...

I'm in the woods, I don't know exactly where because I ran into the forest without paying much attention. I don't think they saw me though. They won't stop me from finding about my post here. I have to return to the lake or to that hole. I need to know that I wasn't imagining that, and after that I can come back later to the campsiteto open the last cabin if they won't still be there. 

God dammit, I'm still in the woods! I don't know where the hell I am. I got lost, fuck. I wouldn't mind if the police found me right now, at least they would take me to the path. DAMMIT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO...

Wait, I think there is someone here... Yes, Oh God, yes I think It's the cops, it must be them. They're behind the bushes, I'll let them take me to the path and then I'll escape them. I shouted for them, they're coming this way.. Thank God...What? Who is this? That doesn't look like the cops! I need to get out of here! I'll...

*Police Radio Transmision*

Doctor: Did you find Richard?

Policeman: No, still no sign of him.. What would he even be done in the dump like this? 

Doctor: I don't know if you are familiar with the Ashberry camp killings, Mr Policeman, but Richard had a role in it. We believe that he went here trying to figure out his past due of his head trauma. Policeman: Yes, I've worked on that case... Wait, you mean that's the same Richard? From the camp killings case? 

Doctor: Indeed, he is. You see we watched out after him for 2 years now at our hospital. But it seems he had escaped. You see he was badly disturbed, and he was in fact the same Richard Crane, who was the chef at the camp. He seemed to deny the fact that he was in fact the man who poisoned all those children with food and left a number of them still missing. Some people say they've seen some of the missing children's ghosts still sometimes roaming the camp site.. Looking for revenge...But I'm afraid that that is just a tale I guess, And Richard won't ever see poetic justice for his actions..

Policeman: DOCTOR, WE HEARD A SCREAM FROM THE FOREST, WE NEED TO MOVE!

*End Transmision* 

Comments • 0

Loading comments...