Zombie Project (7 page)

“Yes, it will,” said Jake. “But that doesn’t stop the zombie.”

Benny’s eyes grew wide. He started to stand up, but Henry put his hand on Benny’s shoulder. Benny stayed put.

“He’s slowly moving closer,” said Caleb, “step by stumbling step.”

“So the girl looks up at the zombie and screams,” said Abby.

“Yeah, that’s right,” said Jake.

“And then the zombie gets closer and closer,” said Caleb.

“Until it’s standing right over the girl,” said Jake.

“Like this,” said Caleb. He stood over Abby, his arms reaching down to grab her.

“And I move in for a closer shot,” said Jake.

Abby leaned back and waved her arms as she pretended to scream. “So she screams even louder,” said Abby.

“But no one hears her in the woods,” said Jake.

“What next?” said Caleb.

“I’m not sure,” said Jake.

The teens stood up and walked away from the campfire.

“Did you hear that?” said Benny. “Someone is going to get shot!”

“But not with a gun, Benny,” said Violet.

“That’s good,” said Benny. He breathed a sigh of relief. Then he sat up straight. “Wait! How do . . .”

“With this,” said Violet. She held up her camera. “Remember how Jake looked at my camera on the trail? He knows a lot about cameras.”

“I get it,” said Jessie. “A closer shot is a camera shot.”

“Jake and his friends must be making a movie,” said Henry.

“A movie?” said Benny.

“A zombie movie,” said Henry. “Jake is filming Caleb chasing Abby.”

“If Caleb is chasing Abby, then he must be the zombie,” said Violet.

“But what about the light I saw?” asked Benny.

“Abby is probably using a flashlight so she won’t trip in the dark,” said Henry.

“So the zombie isn’t real?” said Benny.

Jessie shook her head.

Benny breathed another sigh of relief. “That’s good,” said Benny. Then he sat up again. “But what about the golf tees?”

“We’ll figure that out in the morning,” said Henry.

“Okay,” said Benny.

“I
’m glad there’s not a real zombie,” said Benny as they walked back to their cabin after the campfire.

Crack!
Something was moving in the woods.

Henry turned the flashlight toward the sound.

A man standing behind a tree raised his arm to cover his face. It was a zombie!

Benny grabbed Jessie’s hand. What was the zombie going to do? The children waited for the zombie to make a move.

The zombie moaned loudly. Then he turned and lurched away. He was pulling a body behind him!

Snap! Snap! Crack!
The woods made noise as the zombie dragged the body behind him.

“Now what?” asked Jessie.

“Now we go back to the cabin,” said Henry.

The children ran to the cabin. When they got inside, Henry locked the door.

“Do you believe in zombies now?” asked Benny.

“Well,” said Henry. He wasn’t so sure anymore. After all, he had seen it with his own eyes.

“There must be an explanation for this,” said Henry.

“I hope so,” said Violet.

“Did you get a picture of it?” asked Jessie.

“No,” said Violet. “I was so surprised I forgot I had my camera.”

“That’s what we do next,” said Henry. “We have to capture the zombie—”

Benny gasped.

“—on camera,” finished Henry. “It didn’t attack us. We’ll be okay if we keep our distance.”

“That’s true,” said Jessie. “It didn’t come after us at all. It was like we surprised it . . . or something.”

“
Or something
is right,” said Violet.

“But we have to have proof before we say anything,” said Henry.

Benny looked at the cabin window. “The owl hoots every night,” said Benny.

“And when it does,” said Henry, “we’ll go out and capture the so-called zombie—on camera.”

Violet held up the camera. “I can zoom the camera in from far away. Then we don’t have to get close to the zombie.” She shivered as she thought about the zombie.

“If we’re going back out,” said Benny, “then I’m not going to put on my pajamas. The zombie could run away while I’m getting dressed.”

“That’s a good idea, Benny,” said Jessie. “We can go to bed with our clothes on.”

Benny took off his shoes and put them right next to his bed. That way he could put them on as soon as he saw the lights in the woods.

After they all washed up, Henry turned out the lights. To anyone outside the cabin, it looked like the Aldens had gone to sleep.

Benny lay on his bed. He tossed and turned as he waited for the lights in the woods. He closed his eyes. Maybe he could sleep just a bit.

Hoot!
Benny heard the owl outside his window. He sat up in bed. The light was flashing in the woods behind the cabin.

Henry jumped out of bed. Jessie and Violet sat up. They all put on their shoes. Henry grabbed the flashlight and Violet picked up the camera.

Henry opened the cabin door. “Here we go!”

The Aldens walked out of the cabin and into the night.

“The light is coming from that side,” said Benny.

“I’ll lead the way,” said Henry. He walked into the woods. Benny, Jessie, and Violet followed him.

Up ahead, the light was flashing.

Crick! Crack!
Someone was running in the woods.

Henry stopped and raised his hand. Everyone waited a minute.

“Do you hear that?” whispered Henry.

Benny nodded his head. “The light is over there,” whispered Benny.

“We don’t want to get too close,” whispered Henry. “We don’t want them to see us.”

“I can’t see it with my camera yet,” said Violet.

“We’ll have to move a little closer,” said Henry.

Crick! Crack!
There it was again. That noise in the woods.

Someone was running.

“Let’s go,” said Henry. They followed the sounds and the light.

When they got closer, Henry stopped again. “Violet, can you see anything?”

Violet lifted up her camera. “I see Jake,” whispered Violet. “He’s filming with a video camera.”

“He’s making a movie,” said Jessie, “just like we thought.”

“What else do you see?” asked Henry.

Violet moved her camera over. “I see Abby. She’s holding a flashlight.”

“That’s the light I saw,” said Benny. Then he thought a moment. “Wait a minute, where is the zombie?”

“Do you see Caleb?” asked Henry.

“He was pretending to be the zombie at the campfire,” said Jessie.

“I don’t see him,” said Violet. She gave the camera to Henry.

Henry lifted up the camera and looked at the teens. He saw Jake and Abby and something else. It was someone dressed up as a zombie.

“Benny, I think we found your zombie,” said Henry. “It
is
Caleb. Take a look.”

Henry gave the camera to Benny.

“Caleb is the zombie?” said Benny. “Why was he trying to scare me?”

Benny looked into the camera. He saw Jake holding his movie camera. Then he saw Abby. She was crying and running away . . .

Benny moved the camera. She was running away from a zombie! The zombie was moving slowly, with his hands out in front of him. The zombie’s long hair swayed back and forth as he walked.

“Wait a minute,” said Benny. “That zombie has long hair!”

“Caleb has long hair,” said Jessie.

“But the other zombie didn’t have long hair,” said Benny. “He had short hair. Remember?”

Jessie looked at the dark woods all around them. They had found a zombie in the woods, but it wasn’t the right one. Who else was out there?

“Could it be true?” asked Jessie. “Is there really a Winding River Zombie?”

“I hope not,” said Henry.

“Me too,” said Violet.

A
fter breakfast, the Aldens walked along the winding trail that went out to the old fishing lodge.

“There must be an explanation for this,” said Henry.

“What is it?” asked Benny.

“We’ll follow the clues and find out,” said Jessie.

“I see Madison,” said Violet. She pointed at the reporter.
Click! Click! Click!
Madison was taking pictures of the flattened dirt and grass next to the trail they had cleared earlier.

“Don’t let her see us,” said Henry.

The Aldens quickly stepped into the woods and hid behind a tree.

“The zombie came back,” said Violet softly.

“The trail is torn up again?” whispered Henry.

“Yes, it is,” said Violet. “Here, look for yourself.” She gave the camera to Henry.

Benny looked over at the old fishing lodge. No one lived there, but something was different. What was it?

Benny closed his eyes and then he opened them again. It was the porch. There was something new on the porch. It was a tall, skinny bag filled with black-and-silver sticks. Each stick had a big silver handle at the top.

“What is that on the porch?” said Benny.

“It’s a golf bag,” said Henry. “See the golf clubs sticking out of it?” Then he put his hand on his forehead. “That’s it!”

“What?” said Benny.

“Do you remember Matthew Donovan, the guy that was making Madison crazy?” said Henry.

Jessie nodded her head. “The missing millionaire,” she said.

“He was missing his own charity golf tournament,” said Violet.

“Is he in the cabin?” asked Benny.

“I think so,” said Henry. “Let’s go tell Madison.”

The Aldens walked down the trail to where Madison was taking pictures. They told her what they had seen.

“You found Matthew Donovan!” said Madison.

“Well, we didn’t see him,” said Henry.

“We saw golf clubs,” said Jessie.

“It must be him,” said Madison. “That man is always playing golf. He even plays in his office.”

“In his office?” repeated Benny.

“Crazy, isn’t it?” replied Madison. “Where did you see him? I mean, where did you see the golf clubs?”

“At the old fishing lodge,” said Henry.

“Let’s go,” said Madison. She took her cell phone out of her pocket. “There’s one way to find out if Matthew Donovan is inside.”

“What is that?” asked Violet.

“We can call him!” said Madison.

Madison and the children walked down the trail to the clearing by the old fishing lodge. Then Madison called the number she had for Matthew Donovan.

Inside the cabin, they could hear a phone ringing.

Madison hung up. “I have to call Sheriff Briggs,” said Madison. She quickly called the sheriff’s department.

“Sheriff Briggs,” said Madison. “I have some good news.”

The Aldens waited with Madison until the sheriff and his three deputies arrived. They walked into the woods, and a few minutes later, Sheriff Briggs was with Matthew Donovan, who wore handcuffs.

Madison took her notebook and her pen out of her pocket. She went up to the millionaire and started asking questions. “Did you spend all of the investors’ money, Donovan? Is that why you were hiding in the woods dressed in a zombie costume, so no one could find you? And why did you tear up the grass here?” She pointed at the clumps of grass next to the trail. “Did you think we wouldn’t notice?”

“Madison said he was making her crazy,” said Jessie.

“Now he’s making news,” said Henry.

“I’ll record it for her,” said Violet. She walked over and filmed Madison talking to Matthew Donovan.

“Now wait a minute!” said Donovan. “Everyone makes divots when they play golf. The club pulls up a bit of dirt and grass when it swings. I was just playing a little night golf.”

“Dressed as a zombie?” said Madison.

“Everyone knows about the zombie legend at this lodge,” said Donovan. “I heard it when I was only a child, like them.” He looked over at the Aldens. “I was just having a little fun.”

Donovan leaned forward and stared at Madison. “Why are you bothering me? I came here to get away from nosy reporters like you.”

“So you
were
hiding from your investors,” said Madison.

“I’m not hiding,” said Donovan. “I didn’t steal the investors’ money. It’s all just a misunderstanding.”

“I don’t think your investors would agree,” replied Madison.