Whistlers Bend Camp Ground Friday, June 7th

Ben was easy to spook and that was one of the things his big sister, Bridget, loved most about him. Sure, he could be a pain. He was always going through her stuff and blabbing to their mom when she snuck out to see Kevin, but he was a sweet kid. She wouldnt miss the island, but she was going to miss Ben.

We have to be careful, Bridget said, casting a cautious glance over her shoulder. The Reaper might be out here. R-Reaper? Ben stammered. Whats a Reaper? You dont know? Ben shook his head and Bridget forced herself not to smile. The kid was really too easy. A long time ago, back when I was just a baby, there was a man on the island named Andrew Yeager. He was the town preacher. Yeager and his wife, Claire, were beloved by the people of Echo Island. They sat in his church every Sunday morning, asked Claire to organize all of the community events, even asked them to be godparents to their children. No one knew the truth about them, or the ugly secret they were keeping holed up in the parsonage basement. What secret? Her name was Quinn Fields. She was seventeen. Everyone on the island knew she was a damaged girl, so when she went missing, no one paid it any mind. Her daddy had drank himself to death years ago, her mother wasnt good for anything and if itd been them, they probably wouldve run away, too. But, Quinn hadnt run away shed been chosen by Claire Yeager. See, Claire was incapable of having a child of her own, and wanted so desperately for Andrew to have an heir. So, they chained Quinn to an old cot in the parsonage basement, subjected her to unimaginable torture in the name of conceiving the Yeager heir, told everyone that a miracle had been bestowed upon Claire, and waited for their baby to arrive. Ben blinked. What happened? The local sheriff at the time figured out that Yeager had something to do with Quinns disappearance when he found Quinns backpack in the bed of Yeagers truck. Yeager claimed hed given the girl a ride home from school and she mustve left it, but the sheriff didnt buy that. So, when the town gathered to give a baby shower for Claire, he broke into the parsonage. He found Claire in the throes of labor. She was bleeding so bad and the contractions were barely a minute apart. He radioed in to his deputy to get Doc, but thered been a nasty accident not far from here. Doc couldnt get to the parsonage and, the shape she was in, the sheriff couldnt get Quinn to the clinic. Did he save her? Ben asked.

Bridget shook her head. She gave birth to a beautiful little girl. She looked just like Quinn, same red hair and fair skin and hazel eyes. To see her, youd never guess she had an ounce of Andrew Yeagers blood in her. According to legend, Quinn held her only once before succumbing to the blood loss and dying right there. There was nothing the sheriff could do for her, but he was determined to save her baby. Too bad for him, that accident had put a damper on Claire Yeagers shower and theyd come home early to-- Bridget stopped. Suddenly, the world was spinning and she felt like someone had grabbed ahold of the grass and yanked it out from under her. She tried to steady herself so Ben wouldnt notice how off-kilter she was. Spooking him was fun, but she didnt want to scare him to death. Are you okay? Ben asked. She nodded and kept going. Theyd come home early to check on Quinn. But, they found the sheriff in the kitchen, wrapping the baby up in a towel. Im not sure exactly what went down that night, nobody really knows but the old sheriff. What I do know is that Claire was killed in a struggle over the baby and Yeager cracked his head open when he fell down the basement stairs. They shipped him to a hospital on the mainland where he was determined to be in a permanent coma, no chance of recovery. The island breathed a sigh of relief and the baby, well, everyone knew where she came from and wanted to wash their hands of everything connected to Andrew Yeager and his wife. The only person who didnt particularly care was Doc. Hed lost his wife before they could even think about children. But, he was determined to give this child all the love she could ever want. He called her Isobel. Ben gasped. Isobel? Wait. Is that why you dont like Docs daughter? I like her just fine, Bridget said. Just not in front of people. So, why do they call him The Reaper? Oh, little brother. Yeager was a man of God. That he recovered from his coma should have surprised no one. The man was evil incarnate. Itd take more than a bump on the head to put him out of commission. He disappeared from the hospital a few days before Isobel's tenth birthday and showed up here on the island. He terrorized everyone, killed dozens of people. The island was plunged into a state of chaos and that allowed the Reaper to do what hed come back to do take Isobel. He stole away with her to the old parsonage. Doc refused to evacuate the island like everyone else. He wasnt leaving without his daughter. So, he went with the sheriff to the parsonage. He emptied the clip in the sheriffs gun into Yeagers body and watched him fall from the bluff beyond the parsonage into the icy waters of the ocean. They say his body got swept up in the current and thats why they never found it, but everybody knows hes probably still out there, biding his time as he waits for the perfect moment to return for his daughter.

All of the color drained from Bens face and Bridget felt bad. The Reaper was dead. No one could survive being riddled with bullets, plunging off a cliff and being washed away in freezing water. The kid wasnt going to sleep for months. Hes still alive, Ben said. Its just a story. I mean, the Isobel part is true and the him coming back and killing a bunch of people part is true. But, the man is dead. If he were going to come back for Isobel, he wouldve done it by now. Yes, he is alive! Ben cried. Hes here! The Reaper is here! In the distance, he saw a man with a knife in his hand. He wore a black mask that concealed his face, everything but his eyes. The man drew closer and closer, and Ben begged Bridget to turn around, but she only laughed. Stop being such a silly kid. Theres no such thing as the Reaper. Bridget! Hes right behind you! Please! We have to go! Bridget rolled her eyes. Lets just roast some marshmallows and pretend I never told you the truth about this islands history.

The man in the black mask raised his knife and Ben screamed. He ran as hard and fast as he could, not stopping even when Bridget yelled for him not to go into the woods. Not stopping even when he heard Bridget scream.

Bridgets heart jumped into her throat as she felt a hand touch her back. You should have run away, a gruff voice said. And, Bridget grinned. She knew that gruff voice. Seriously, Kevin? You know how he is. I couldnt help it! I came up the walkway and heard you telling him about Yeager dont be mad. I could never be mad. Bridget tried to kiss her boyfriend, but the mask was in their way. So, Kevin took it off, shook his mane of shiny, brown hair free, and dropped the mask and knife on the ground nearby. Much better, Bridget said. Now, kiss me while you can. You going somewhere? Well, one of us has to go into those woods and find Ben. Why are you here, anyway? I cant stay away from you. Bridget sighed. Thats sweet. But, I really wanted one last night to hang out with Ben. He doesnt know were leaving tomorrow. I just Im going to miss him so much. Bridgets voice crackled with emotion. I didnt think it was going to be this hard. Do you want to stay? We cant. You know how my mom is. Shes never going to let us be together, Kevin. Especially not now. So, were going to do this. Tomorrow, well meet at the docks at dawn and hitch a ride on your brothers fishing boat to the mainland, and we will be together forever. But, I need this one last night with Ben. I understand.

He did. And, that was why Bridget loved him so much. Kevin meant everything to her. She kissed him one last time and headed off to find Ben.

The woods emptied out at the edge of the water. Ben! Bridget called. Ben, it was just Kevin playing a prank! Where are you? There was no answer. Her stomach knotted as panic settled in. If something happened to him, she would never forgive herself. She felt queasy and her knees turned to jelly. But, she did not collapse. She had to find Ben. Nothing else mattered not her, not Kevin, not their plans. Just making sure Ben wasnt hurt. Or, worse.

Bridget called for him once more and turned to head back the way she came. Thats when she saw Kevin, not far from her. Not this again. Kevin, cut it out. If Ben sees you like that, hes just going to freak out even worse than he already-- Her voice trailed off as she registered the knife. There was blood on the blade fresh blood. Kevins knife had been clean. What happened? Had he hurt himself? No, she realized. This wasnt Kevin. His eyes were different and the way he was looking at her chilled her down to her bones. Kevin could never look at her like that. Who are you? Bridget asked. The Reaper did not respond. He only moved towards her. With each step he took, her heart slammed against her ribs. This was a nightmare. It wasnt happening. Any minute now, she was going to wake up in the tent with Ben drooling on her and kicking her through his sleeping bag and in the morning she was running away with Kevin and everything was going to be fine. The Reaper raised his knife.

Bridget shoved him away and ran. She ran as hard as she could, screaming for Ben and for Kevin. She could hear him behind her, his sharp breaths, his shoes slapping on the wet grass. Near the road she almost slipped, but corrected herself. She was so close to the car, mere feet.

Bridget? A voice cried. Bridget, where are you? The voice was Bens and was coming from back at camp. She couldnt leave him. She wouldnt leave him. Bridget hung a sharp right and raced back into the woods. Bridget felt as if her lungs were going to collapse when she made it back to camp. Somewhere in the woods, shed lost the Reaper. That bought them a few minutes, maybe enough time to get back to the car and tell Sheriff Chamberlain about the psycho in the woods. She could find Kevin while Bridget and Ben stayed safe at the sheriffs station. Because Kevin was alive. Bridget refused to believe otherwise. The fire was still going. Ben was hiding behind the tent. There was no sign of Kevin.

Thank God, Bridget whispered. We have to go. Ben took a step towards her, but stopped. Bridget! Look out! It was too late. The Reaper slammed his knife into Bridgets back. She felt her heart explode in her chest and, withher last breath, whimpered one final word to her brother:

Run!!!