Camp Arktos

Ava Esteves

EXT. CAMPGROUND - LATE AFTERNOON

Waves splashing, birds chirping, and the distant laugher of prepubescent boys in the background. A large
wooden sign hangs over a cabin door frame, and squeaks as it sways in the wind. CAMP ARKTOS.
The boys’ innocent laughter grows louder and becomes more sinister. They’re chanting-

BOYS
Jump! Jump! Jump!

EXT. LAKE - DIVING BOARD

We see DAVY, a tiny twelve-year old boy with glasses, who is standing at the edge of a very tall diving
board. He gulps and takes a step forward, toes curling over the edge of the sketchy-looking board. Far
below is a brown murky lake. A boy climbs up behind him, laughing.
The boy is much taller than Davy, but still young-looking. His blonde hair is soaking wet, and he seems
to have no fear of the water.

BULLY (MUTTERED)
What a chicken…

The boy pushes a caught-off-guard Davy off of the ledge. Who falls to a painful back-flop. Before the
splash has even settled, the bully jumps almost on top of him, much more controlled. Davy rises to the
top, gasping for air, but gets a mouthful of water when the bully shoves his head back under the water.

ANOTHER BOY (SHOUT)

Get’m Justin!

Laughter ensues and a nearby camp counselor in a STAFF T-shirt blows a whistle.

COUNSELOR (SHOUT)
Justin! No rough-housing in the lake! That’s a strike!

Justin climbs out of the lake with a smile plastered on his face. He shakes off his wet hair and the other
boys pat him on the back. Davy crawls out, much less gracefully. The counselor helps him up.

COUNSELOR
You alright, Davy?

DAVY
Yeah… yeah I’m fine I think.
Davy wipes off his glasses on his swim shirt, smeared with mud. The counselor checks his watch and
blows his whistle again.

COUNSELOR (SHOUT)
That’s time, go get dried off.

EXT. WOODSY SHELTER - NEXT TO LAKE

Towels are stacked in named cubbies, and boys push each other to grab theirs. Every towel is accounted
for… except Davy’s. His cubby is empty.
Davy (MUTTERED)
Shit…

Justin and two other boys turn to face Davy. One of the boys is the same height as Justin, but is brunette.
The other boy is a little shorter, but wider with bright red hair. The brunette opens his mouth-

JUSTIN’S FRIEND
Are you even old enough to say that?

DAVY
Where’s my towel, Colin.

COLIN
Woah, woah, woah, are you accusing me of something?

The boys snicker and jab each other. They are obviously making fun of him.
 COLIN
That’s not kind, Davy. Little kids who accuse people of things deserve to air dry.

Colin points to the side of the shelter, where Davy’s towel has been smeared in the mud.

DAVY (SHOUT)- TO COUNSELOR

Mr. Jacobs! Look what Colin did!

COLIN
What the fuck? I didn’t do that-

COUNSELOR
Language.

Davy scoffs in exasperation. The counselors get paid too little to deal with this. He walks over to the mud
puddle, snatches his towel, and tries to shake it relatively dry to no avail.

DAVY (MUTTERS)
I’m so done with this…

The chubby boy from Justin’s trio runs up to Davy, handing him a fluffy white towel.

DAVY
Go away Preston, can I have like, one minute of peace.

PRESTON (WHISPER)
Sorry dude, I told Colin he shouldn’t do that, it wasn’t cool. Here, have mine.

Davy smiles. Finally, some kindness. He opens the towel to reveal piss stains all over it. Preston giggles
and trots back to the crew.

PRESTON
He fell for it guys, he fell for it!

Frustrated, Davy throws both towels into the laundry box, and unsuccessfully tries to shake himself dry.

INT. CABIN - NIGHT

An exhausted Davy lays in his bunk, while Justin and the gang rough-house below. Muttered whispers,
then a punch underneath Davy’s bed, then giggling. Davy is fed up.

DAVY
 You guys ever heard of the Midnight Monster?

JUSTIN (LAUGHING)
The fuck you say?

COLIN
That sounds like some made-up shit if I’ve ever heard it

JUSTIN
The real monster’s just Preston

Colin cracks up. Preston looks unamused at the joke, but pretends to laugh to cover it up. He’s the butt of
the joke whenever Davy isn’t around.

DAVY
I don’t believe in that shit either, but there’s this stupid thing that you can do to make him appear.

JUSTIN (NODS AT PRESTON)

He’s already here though

Less laughs this time. Davy sits back in his bed.

DAVY
I dunno, if y’all are scared we don’t have to do it but I thought it could be fun.

PRESTON
That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard…

COLIN
You more of a chicken than Davy?

PRESTON (LAUGHS NERVOUSLY)

Nah…

Justin mockingly looks skeptical

PRESTON (QUIETER)
Seriously… guys

COLIN
I dunno about you guys but I’m not tired.
I’m also no wimp.
Colin gets up and starts to put his shoes on. The other two boys look at him like he’s crazy. He’s really
gonna go along with Davy’s plan? Even Davy is surprised. Colin looks at Davy.

COLIN
Ya comin?

Davy, trying to act as cool as possible, climbs out of the bunk and pulls his shoes on. The other two boys
still haven’t made a move.

DAVY (TO JUSTIN)

You scared?

This propels Justin up, almost too quickly. Preston follows. The boys all file out the door. Before Davy
can leave, Justin subtly block him and says-

JUSTIN (QUIETLY TO DAVY)

I ain’t fucking scared. And don’t talk to me like you’re part of us ‘cause you’re not. Okay?

Davy is silent

JUSTIN (LOUDER)
Okay?!

DAVY (QUIETLY)
Fine… yeah I mean yeah-

Justin unblocks the door and they catch up to Colin and Preston.

EXT. WOODS - LATE AT NIGHT

The boys walk on a trail, and it’s so dark you can barely make them out as anything other than
silhouettes.

COLIN
Where the hell’re you taking us?

Davy pauses a moment, glancing at the boys. They look too confident. Only Justin looks uncomfortable.

DAVY
This way… you’re meant to not see any light for this to work.

Davy leads the boys off the trail. First Colin, then Preston, and finally Justin, who now looks terrified to
death but trying to hide it.
EXT. WOODS - PITCH BLACK

We see nothing but blackness, and can only hear the cracking of sticks and rustling of bushes to imply the
boys are walking through very uncharted territory.

DAVY
I think maybe a little further

COLIN
Dude, here is fine.

PRESTON
Are we gonna have to do like a chant or something?

COLIN
No way, that’s stupid as fuck.

DAVY
I’ll tell you guys in a second. Justin, you still here?

A slightly too long of a pause.

JUSTIN (RASPY WHISPER)

…Yeah
(CLEARS THROAT, THEN NORMAL VOICE)
Yeah I’m here

DAVY
K, cool. Uh okay now-

Davy is interrupted by a growl of a bear.

JUSTIN
What the fuck was that-

Another noise, a roar this time.

JUSTIN
Guys what the fuck was that?!

The boys all burst into panic. We hear snapping of sticks, running footsteps, more bear noises. It escalates
into screaming. They are being attacked.
Cut to-
INT. HOSPITAL - HOSPITAL BED

Focus on an IV, and we hear machines beeping. A heart monitor. Finally, we see a very beaten-up Davy
laying on the bed, his mother crying over him. Davy opens his eyes.

DAVY’S MOM
Oh my god, honey!

She wraps her arms around him, emitting a harsh wince from Davy.

DAVY’S MOM
I’m so sorry. I’m so happy you’re okay. My baby’s alive-

She cups Davy’s cheek in her hand. He looks confused.

DAVY
What happened?

DAVY’S MOM
Your friends… the three boys…

DAVY
Justin, Colin, ‘n Preston?

DAVY’S MOM (AFTER HESITATION)

They’re… uh they didn’t make it honey…

DAVY (SURPRISED)
Dead? They’re dead?

Realization kicks in. What has he done?

DAVY’S MOM
A freak bear attack. It’s the first issue that camp has ever had. I thought I was fine sending you there I
really-

DAVY (QUIETLY)
Dead…

DAVY’S MOM
It’s been all over the news. What happened? Why were you out in the woods?

Davy pauses for a second. He’s distraught and not thinking.

 DAVY
These kids… would try and drown me in the lake, they would mess with me when I slept… They made me
go out in the woods.

Davy’s mom clutches him a little tighter, which eggs him on to continue.

DAVY
I didn’t wanna go, Mom

He’s now crying

 DAVY
I tried to tell them it wasn’t safe. They just made fun of me even more ‘n dragged me out.

He looks at the ceiling, now sobbing

DAVY
Oh my god…

A shot from above shows Davy laying and staring straight up, with his Mom curled around him, also
sobbing.