“Name’s Carl,” he volunteers in a heavy Southern drawl.
I nod and turn back, pretending to look for something in my duffle bag. Oh right, it’s called hope and I find none among the oversized clothes and toilet paper rolls. “I’m Taylor.”
“You don’t look like you’ve done much construction work before.” I can feel his eyes drag over my body, assessing me.
“I haven’t,” I reply honestly.
He nods. “Well I’m around if you need anythin’. I’ve been workin’ construction since I was old enough to hold a hammer.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that,” I say, surprised by his kindness, just before someone casts a heavy shadow over me.
“Can I see your card?”
I glance up, and up some more, until I reach the face of a young bald guy frowning at me.
“My card?”
He holds up a card with a name—his name, I presume—and a number written on it.
“Yeah, does your card say bunkhouse 2? Because I already asked around and—”
“I don’t have a card,” I say, suddenly panicked. “I assumed the bunks were first come, first served.”
Carl and the new guy groan.
Apparently, even though we aren’t twelve-year-olds on a middle school field trip, Lockwood Construction deemed it necessary to post bunkhouse assignments for the crew. That way they’ll know where everyone is located in the event of an emergency. I know this because I asked the employee passing out the cards for the room assignments.
“Insurance wanted it that way too,” he says as he finds the one with my name on it. I recognize him from the hiring event, the stout guy with a beard so thick it makes him look like an extra for Game of Thrones.
“What’d you get?” Jeremy asks, leaning toward me to read my card. “Rose Cabin? No shit? I guess you lucked out. I’m in bunkhouse 3.”
“Why’d I luck out?” I ask, confused.
“The cabins have been reserved for the higher-ups, but there were a few vacancies,” the employee answers for him. “You’ll be filling one.”
I nod, not quite sure what to make of this turn of events. On one hand, I’m glad I won’t have to share a bunkhouse with twenty Carls. On the other hand, there is a sort of security in numbers. I don’t want to be stuck in a tiny cabin with someone I hate. At least before, I knew Jeremy was in the same building. Now, he could be half a camp away.
Jeremy senses my hesitation and holds out his card. “Want to switch?”
The employee clears his throat loudly. “Unfortunately, that’s not allowed.”
This guy. I turn and smirk. “What did you say your name was?”
He sits up, squares his shoulders, and holds out his hand. “Hudson Rivers, assistant project manager.”
So, he’s Dwight. I want to ask if he’s the assistant to the project manager.
I shake his hand instead. “Where exactly is Rose Cabin, Hudson?”After I’m armed with directions for how to get to my cabin, Jeremy and I split off since he still needs to go claim his bunk.
“You good?” he asks, walking backward in the direction we just came from.
“Yup.” I wave my card in the air. “Have fun in the bunkhouse. I’ll be thinking of you as I’m living it up in Rose Cabin, enjoying my life with the ‘higher-ups’. I bet they serve breakfast in bed!” I say, voice rising with mock hope. “I bet we have a butler!”
He shakes his head as if he isn’t sure what to do with me and then turns to head off.
For the first time since we arrived, I’m alone in the forest.
Well, kind of.
Where I stand, the forest surrounds me on all sides, but at a distance. A large swath of land was cleared for the original campgrounds, and it looks like Lockwood Construction spent some time clearing out any regrowth in the weeks leading up to our arrival.
The old camp is set up based on the four cardinal directions. The old parking lot where Jeremy left his truck is on the northmost side, which gives way to a main walking path. Due south of the faded sign we passed under, there’s the center of camp composed of an old infirmary, a large mess hall, and a main office, all of which look like they’ve been cleaned up recently to accommodate our crew. It’s where I currently stand. South of these buildings, deeper in the forest, there’s apparently a large lake and the site where the future hotel will be built. I squint and try to spot the body of water, but it must be pretty far away. East of the central camp buildings is where the row of bunkhouses are located, where Jeremy is headed now, and to the west is where I’m supposed to go to find my cabin. It sounds easy enough, but the camp is sprawling and encompasses untold acres of forest. The farther away from the central buildings I walk, the more dense the forest becomes and the less people I encounter.