“Yeah,” said Jack.
“Oh wow — I just figured it out!” said Ben. He sat up straight and his face was serious. “You guys have become retarded.”
“Whatever,” sneered Jack.
“Seriously,” Ben continued, “I think it’s contagious or something, but somehow you’ve both caught ‘tardiness’ at the same time,” he laughed.
“Get real,” said Jack.
Stephen started laughing despite being the butt of the joke — “You know, he might have something. What time is it?”
Ben looked at his watch “It’s a little after noon.”
“I gotta go to the bathroom,” Stephen announced. He started giggling — “Anyone seen a men’s room around here?”
“Why don’t you take a shit in that hole we jumped over?” laughed Ben.
“That would be sick,” Jack coughed. “Can you imagine if someone was down there? That turd would be moving pretty fast.”
“I wonder if anyone’s ever died of that?” said Stephen. “Getting hit with pooh. Oh man, I seriously need to go soon.”
“We better start heading out then — I’m not standing around while you drop a deuce,” laughed Jack.
“Ditto that,” agreed Ben.
“Come on then,” said Stephen. He got up and headed for the stairs. Jack and Ben followed. “Oh, I don’t know if I’m going to make it.”
The boys made their way quickly through the halls and traps they had discovered. They decided to make a list of all the things to avoid — it was getting hard to remember all the tricks along the way. When they got to the stepladder they weren’t sure how to proceed.
“Are we coming back today?” asked Jack.
“No way — I’m not,” said Ben. “I told you, I’m all done.”
“Let’s leave the ladder here,” said Stephen. “I’ll come and hide it if we don’t come back. I just want to go.”
They closed the hatch and laid the ladder on the ground next to the building. Stephen led the way, taking long, careful strides.
“Why didn’t you think of that before we left the house?” asked Ben.
Stephen turned around with his face full of panic. He shot a hand up and pressed his index finger to his mouth — “Shhh!” he mimed. Stephen crouched down — they were still several yards from the main path. Jack and Ben dropped down and listened. Soon they all heard it — they recognized the voice of Smoker and he was just ahead.
Smoker’s voice carried well in the woods and didn’t seem to be moving — “I told you she was a slut,” he said. The boys didn’t hear the response, but then heard Smoker resume: “All the time. It never even happened that much back at the house, but I did it anyway.”
Stephen motioned for them to back up — they headed towards the hotel. When they were out of earshot of Smoker’s conversation, Stephen spoke first — “What are we going to do?”
“We have to go around — I think they’re hanging out on the path,” said Jack.
“I’m going to go in the woods,” said Stephen.
“If it’s really that bad, then go ahead,” said Ben. “It’ll probably take us forty-five minutes to get back to the house if we have to avoid the path.”
“Shit,” said Stephen.
Jack laughed at the unintentional pun. “Just do it. The pilgrims probably did it a thousand times right over by that tree.”
“There were pilgrims here?” asked Ben.
“Well then the Native Americans. Whatever,” said Jack.
“Okay — hold my bag,” said Stephen. He handed his bag to Ben and hiked off towards a thicker area.
Jack sat down on a large root and leaned back against a maple tree. “You’re really not going back in?” he asked Ben.
Ben looked around and found a different tree to lean against. “I don’t think so. It’s really not that fun and I think it’s going to end badly.”
“Yeah, I hear you,” said Jack. “I didn’t want to say this the other day, but I think I was hoping that we would find Gabe Vigue in there.”
“In the hotel?” Ben was surprised. “Why would he be there?”
“I don’t know,” said Jack. “I just thought that it’s probably not someplace the cops would look and if we found it then maybe he did too.”
“But wasn’t that kid like five years old?” Ben asked.
“He would be six now,” Jack answered.
“How would he get out here — or get in there?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe the guy kidnapped him or something,” said Jack.
“So you do think someone’s around?” Ben questioned. “I thought I was the only one who thought someone was pulling the strings.”
“I’m just saying,” said Jack, “that I could imagine that the kid is still in there, and I thought we might find him. I don’t necessarily think that the guy who set this up is still around.”
“Well, wouldn’t that mean that your neighbor set all this up?” asked Ben.
“I guess so, sure,” said Jack. “And he’s in jail now.”
“That’s true. And it would support my ‘One nut-bag per town idea,’” said Ben.
“Anyway,” said Jack, “I just had this feeling that somehow Gabe might still be okay, and this is the only place I could think of where he’d still be around.”
“Yeah,” said Ben. “But it’s been a long time. He would have to have a bunch of food and water down there to still be alive.”
“They guy who set this up didn’t seem to have any problem planning things,” answered Jack.
Stephen shuffled back out of the woods. “Either of you got any toilet paper?”
“You seem less panicked,” said Ben.
“Yeah, and about five pounds lighter,” said Stephen.
“Gross!” Jack exclaimed. “Let’s go back to the house for a bit.”
Back at the house, the boys split up. Stephen went upstairs to clean up, and Jack and Ben settled in the kitchen where Jack’s mom had her paperwork spread out on the kitchen table.
“How’s it going, guys?” she asked.
“Pretty good,” said Jack.
“Did you eat your sandwiches?” she looked up and took off her glasses.
“Not yet,” said Jack. “We were playing at the creek and Stephen had to go to the bathroom.”
“That’s nice — thanks for sharing that Jack,” she replied and smiled. Jack’s mom turned her attention back to accounting.
“You want to go upstairs?” Jack asked Ben.
“Sure,” said Ben.
“Oh, Ben,” Jack’s mom called out. “I had a note from your mom — you should probably give her a call. She said that you and your brother might need to go away for a week or so.”
“Really?” asked Ben.
“Yes, but give her a call. The note was vague.”
“Okay — thanks,” said Ben.
Jack looked at Ben and then nodded towards the door way. On the way upstairs, Jack became curious. “What do you think that’s about?” he asked.
“I guess my dad’s got a break and wants to do something,” said Ben. “He said it might be a possibility.”
“That sucks,” said Jack. “I mean, cool to see your dad, but sucks that you might have to go.”
They reached Jack’s room and went inside. Jack turned on his ceiling-fan; the breeze cut the heat and made the room comfortable. Jack sat back on his bed and Ben slouched in Jack’s computer chair.
“Somehow I don’t think you’d be that disappointed,” said Ben. “Then you could play at the hotel all day and not worry about me.”
“Hey,” said Jack, “keep it down.” Turning around on the bed, Jack reached over and pushed the door most of the way closed. “That’s just dumb. We’ve been best friends forever.”
“Well usually we both decide what we’re going to do,” said Ben.