"Lots of luck," said Enos, shaking his head. Annie sighed, not really following the conversation, just thinking about the ten miles she had yet to go.

"Can I get a bus or something?"

"Not likely," the man who mentioned 'Camp Blood' answered.

"You going out to the crossroads aren't you Enos?" said the woman behind the counter. "What about giving the girl a lift? That'll be about halfway," she added, looking at Annie with a smile.

"No sweat, Trudy," Enos said. He made getting off the stool look like something that required manly effort. "Okay, kid, let's move it."

"Name's 'Annie'," she said, smiling at him, grateful to have five miles less to walk.

"Alright, Annie, let's go." He walked past her and opened the door, holding it for her.

"All the girls up there gonna look as good as you?" he laughed.

"I don't know."

A man who looked like a scarecrow wearing a fedora loomed up before them, lifting his palm up towards them. Annie stopped suddenly, surprised. The bony hand descended onto her shoulder as the man leaned down close to her face. His breath would have stunned an ox.

"You're going to Camp Blood, ain'tcha?" he said, glaring at her. It seemed as if any minute he was going to break into a maniacal cackle like the Wicked Witch of the West.

"Goddammit, Ralph, get out of here!" Enos gave him a hard shove. "Go on, get! Leave people alone!"

"You'll never come back alive!" cried Ralph, his voice rising in pitch.

"Oh shut up, Ralph," Enos said, leading Annie towards his truck.

"It's got a Death Curse!" Ralph persisted, rolling his eyes wildly.

"He's a real prophet of doom, ain't he?" Enos said, opening the passenger door. "Go on, climb up, miss."

He gave her a boost with a hand on her rear as she climbed up. For a moment, Annie wondered if he was copping a quick feel but she decided to forget it. He seemed reasonably harmless like crazy Old Ralph and it probably made his day. In any case, it beat walking ten miles. He went around the front of the truck and climbed in, turned the key and started the engine.

"I tell you," he said as he banged the shift lever into first with noisy grinding, "He's causing problems enough for your boss with all that talk."

The truck shuddered out of the parking lot with a sloppy clutch engagement.

"Goddamn nuisance," Enos muttered. They drove in silence for several minutes as the truck left town and headed into the country, over a small bridge and onto the country road. Enos seemed to be wrapped up in thought and Annie just stared out the window.

"He tell you anything?" Enos asked and he turned. Her eyebrows raised.

"What?"

"He tell you anything?"

"Who?"

"Your boss, Steve Christy."

"Oh," she smiled, "Yeah. I'll be cooking for 50 kids and 7 staff, including me. The campers will mostly be inner city children.