SUMMER 1992

The VW camper van pulled up outside the clapboard house. Lisa-may was already waving from the top window.

Steve still honked the horn.

"I'm coming!"

Lisa-may picked up her purse and camera and lept down the stairs. Mom was at the door, "you WILL be careful won't you? You know I hate it when you go near the water"

Lisa-May gave her Mother a kiss on the cheek, and a cheery smile, "Mom...I'm 18 not 7, I've had a fear of water all my life...when Steve said about all of us going for a day up at the lake, then, well...I'll be fine"

"Just as long as you are..."

The horn was honking out.

"I have to go! We're picking up Jo and Randy on the way", hurried Lisa-May.

He mother stood aside and let the screen door flip back as she watched her daughter hop across the lawn, to the curb where The VW camper was parked up.

XXC

Steve laughed as he sat in the driverseat with his arm over the window, "hey, your Mom fussing over you again!"

Teddy was in the back and was laughing. Lisa-May could smell weed again.

"Teddy! Stop that! I'm gonna be stinking of that crap when we get back...", she shoved Steve's arm, "...Ste make him stop"

Ste looked into the rearview and narrowed his eyes at his best bud, "Hey man, lose the chomp yeah"

The leather seats were burning hot. It really was a scorcher and an ideal day to mess about round the lake.

"So come on! Lets go!" she said laughing.

Ste turned and pulled her in for a lingering kiss, then slapped his foot down onto the gas and they were off.

XXC

Jo was standing with Randy on the curb at the corner of Eastern street. Lisa-May clocked her as they pulled up at the traffic light. Jo was such a slut. Again, she was wearing those hot pants that were more like panties.

The face was full of makeup, and her hair was ironed straight to perfection. Jo put the camera to her face and snapped a picture of them in the camper.

Fucking bitch

Lisa-May turned to Steve, "Excuse me...?"

Steve turned to her, "What?"

"You! What you called her!"

Steve waved a hand at her as the lights turned to green, "I've NOT said a word, Ted you stoned again back there..."

Teddy was smiling like a gooden.

Lisa-May gave him a right look as Steve pulled the Camper up against the curb to let Jo and Randy in. Randy Pulled the door open and his forever grinning face and wavey blonde locks were the first thing anybody saw when he was hitting on them.

"Hows it going guys! Everybody up for a great day at the lake!"

Lisa-May smiled curtly as his hand seemed glued to Jo's ever so purt backside.

FUCKING WHOARE!

Lisa-May jumped in the seat. Whos voice was that? She swallowed. Randy and Jo were messing about in the back. Steve was giving a backward wave and was pulling the camper towards the freeway and Teddy was practically smashed on weed.

She faced front and watched the cars fly by as they hit the freeway. Randy called out, "Hey! Any chance of any tunes, man?"

Steve reached for a cassette on the dash and fed the player. Lisa-May knew that someheavy metal crap was coming on and it did making her ears want to bleed.

Jo was laughing her head of. What was it about her that annoyed her so much? Jo was kind of ok in school, but since this year the prim and proper had turned into this cock hungery hoarebag.

And boy Randy was feeding her and most of the year by what she had heard from Steve.

Randy the soccar team stud! Yeah right!

"Hey! you've gotta be kidding!"

Lisa-May jumped out of her thoughts and turned to Ste, "Huh?"

"we're out of gas...I filled it up this morning!"

Randy was looking out the back window, "You must have a serious leak issue man!"

Jo's hands were in the air, "OH GREAT..THERE GOES OUR DAY!"

XXC

At the services, Lisa-May went into the store and got a reem of colas. She stepped outside in the heat and crossed over to Jo who was sitting on the curb, "Hey...any news?"

Jo looked up as Lisa-May handed her a coke, "Randy just came over and said that there's nothing wrong with the damned camper..."

"But Steve DID fill it up this morning"

"So her says"

Lisa-May shook her head and looked the other way towards the traffic, she didn't want to get into an arguement with her.

"What the...?"

Lisa-May turned and saw Jo leaping up to her feet, "My legs! Look OMG What the fuck?"

Lisa-May could see the long scratched on the girls long legs.

"You been scratching yourself?"

Jo shook her head, "No! Look...LOOK AT IT! It's like some scabby cat has gone and torn at my flesh!"

Lisa-May winsed at the red raw scratches, "Oooooo my, that looks nasty...maybe you scratched yourself getting outta the camper...Steve's always saying about filing the sharp edges out of that door.

Jo fumed at her, "Will YOU just cut the crap...I didn't do this on some crummie door!"

The VW was pulling up towards them.

Steve jumped out.

"Hey come on! Lets go"

Lisa-May was first in and told Steve about the scratches on Jo's legs.

Steve laughed, "Maybe it's Randy just being too friendly"

Lisa-May handed him an ice cold coke, "Yeah right"

XXC

The lake wasn't too busy. There was groups here and there. Families day out. Groups of college kids messing about. The old loner.

Steve had parked up and Jo was already in her bikini.

Randy pulled her in for a smooch in the back. Lisa-May stepped out the camper and walked towards the edge of the lake. She liked the way the sun reflected into it.

The water lapped at her feet. Water. The thought of swimming in that made her guts churn over.

"AHHHGGGG!", a scream.

Lisa-May turned and saw that Jo was being slapped about against the side of the camper. Randy's hands were to his face. That forever constant grin gone.

Steve's head was looking that way and then he hurried up to Lisa-May, wearing nothing but his bright orange shorts, "Lisa! She's...I don't know!"

Lisa-May swallowed and hurried over, "Jo?"

Jo was on the ground. She was sobbing her heart out.

"Her face...look at her face!"

Lisa-May crounched down and saw the red raw streaks all over it. Randy was at her side holding her hand, "Hey it's ok! I'm here"

Lisa-May met his glance, "did YOU do this to her?"

Randy looked annoyed, "What the fuck?"

Jo was trying to sit up. Lisa-May held her, "Jo...i'm gonna try to get you back into the camper..."

Jo was nodded her head. The miscara was running down her red raw cheeks.

Teddy, who had been sleeping it off in the back was then wide awake, "What's going on?"

Jo was on the couch. Randy turned, "I don't understand it...we were just having some fun and then she was being pulled away from me..."

Teddy screwed his face up, "You stoned?"

Randy went for him, "What are you saying? You saying that I DID THIS? ARE YOU?"

Teddy's hands were in the air and he shook his head, "no man"

Steve pulled Lisa-May towards him and he kissed her forehead, "I'm sorry...this isn't going like it was planned"

Lisa-May shrugged and nodded towards Jo, "What...what happened to her...", her voice was lower, "Do you think HE did it...Randy?"

Steve didn't like to think of his buddy beating up girls, but what other explanation was there?

Jo had calmed down, but she wanted to go home. Teddy, now complete sober was agreeing with everything she was saying, "We need to go man...somethings not right"

Randy quibbed at him, "yeah...it's YOU man...always hiked up on that crap!"

All none too pleased, they all got into the vehicle and Steve fired up the engine and again and again.

They weren't going anywhere.

"We're not outta gas again? Jesus! YOU must have a leak!" cried Randy. Other people were looking on as Randy got out and mouthed of a cursing fit.

Lisa-May grabbed Steve's arm before he could leave the camper, "What's got into him! He's never like this...he's always been a jerk, but I've never seen him act like this..."

Teddy pointed out the window, "He's drawing us attention..."

A mother grabbed her child and moved away from them. Steve ran towards Randy and pulled him back to the camper. Lisa-May got out and went to open up the side door. It wouldn't budge.

"Hey this thing is stuck!"

Steve moved her out of the way and tried the door, "Fucking son of a bitch!"

Then Jo was screaming again. Like she was being beating up. Teddy, a big bear of a guy, shoved Steve aside and tried the door. It was stuck like some unseen force was tightening a grip on it.

Lisa-May was panicking, "We've gotta get her out"

The screaming was drawing more attention.

"Hey you, what's going on in there?", asked a big hairy guy in jeans.

Lisa-May looked at Steve who turned to the guy, "door won't budge man"

The guy got some of his friends and just as they all grabbed hold of the door, Jo's screaming had stopped.

And the door swung aside like it was freshly greased.

"There's nothing wrong with this door...?", the guy said looking at all of them in turn.

And then from nowhere a couple of cops in sun shades were approaching them.

XXC

Lisa-May was glued to the seat at the hospital. Steve was sitting next to her. The busy reception was thinning out as time went by. Jo was in a bad way. Both her arms were broken and when they had found her in the camper her panties had been around her ankles.

Steve took her hand.

She looked at him, "Ste...what happened to her? It couldn've been Rand...he was outside with us...and so was Ted"

Steve didn't know what to say. What could he say...none of today made any sense to him. All he had wanted today was a great day at the lake.

Randy was then coming up the clinical corridor. He looked completely drained. He sat down in the plastic seat opposite them.

"How is she?" asked Lisa-May after a few moments.

"Her Mom and Dad are with her...they are totally mad at me...they THINK I did this"

Steve looked up, "We were ALL there buddy...you couldn't of done that to her"

"Cops took our statements...even those others at the lake...they ALL said there was no one in there...when the door opened...", reassured Lisa-May.

"So she did it herself?"

Steve and Lisa-May glanced at one another.

Randy shook his head, "Yeah...because what other explanation is there...?"

XXC

THREE WEEKS LATER.

Lisa-May had got back from the chemist in the mall. She had took Jo's camera that day and it was full. She sat in the lounge and heard her mother out in the kitchen cooking dinner. She flicked through the photos. Most of them were of Randy in school in his soccar get up.

And a couple she'd rather not see. Her mother came in, "Dinners ready...hey, these the photos? Hey, this is a good one...all four of you"

Lisa-May laughed, then frowned as her mother went back out into the kitchen. Four of them?

She grabbed up the photograph from the coffee table.

It was the one of the camper van. The day they went to the lake. The one Jo took before she had got into the vehicle.

Steve and herself were in the front seat. Teddy's grinning form was behind her.

But who was the other figure...?

The one that was behind Steve? The dark blurred figure with what looked like glowing eyes...

She shuddered and dropped the photo onto the floor.

Steve came round an hour later after dinner

He stared at the photo, "Maybe it's just a blip on the film...", he said to her.

"Yeah? Doesn't like one to me...", she grabbed his arm, "Steve...we blamed her...said she did it to herself...but what if she didn't? What if..."

"Oh Come on!"

"...WHAT IF...there was something else with us that day..."

And both of them looked down at the photo.

THE END.