I was going to be sick.
"It's not too bad once we get past these potholes!" yelled my dad over the rattling of the truck. "Probably should get someone to come fix them."
I didn't dare reply because more than words would come out of my mouth. My hand was pressed to the ceiling, while the other gripped the door handle.
"I guess we should've remembered your medicine," my father chuckled. "I forgot the road was in this bad of condition."
The truck dropped into a large divot, and I was thrown into the dashboard. My hand went straight to my mouth. My dad slammed on the brakes, giving me barely enough time to kick open the door and dive out of the vehicle. I was gasping for air as I squatted above a pile of vomit.
"You lasted longer than I expected." My dad appeared at my side with a bottle of water.
I snatched it from him and twisted off the lid. I washed out my mouth and slowly stood. My stomach was still turning.
"Well, at least, you feel better now." He slapped me on the back.
I wiped my mouth with my jacket sleeve. "And you wonder why I hate camping." I took a drink of water. "I get sick every time because of these stupid roads."
"I'll call your mom and tell her to meet me at the junction with your meds."
"You couldn't have thought of that before? I thought we were going to a campground. Not the backwoods on some beaten up old road."
My dad smiled. "It's not that bad. I know quite a few worse actually. We just need someone to come and dump some dirt on it. The runoff roughed it up a bit." He walked around to the other side of the truck. "Come on, let's go."
"I'm not getting back in there. That thing is a death trap." I took another drink of water.
"We're building character. One day you're going to look back at this and laugh."
"That's not today," I stated. "I'll walk. There's less chance of me puking again."
My dad stood on the foot railing and looked over the truck. "You sure? It's still a ways off."
"I'm not getting back in there."
"Alright, stay on the road. Watch out for cars and ATVs." He pointed up the road. "You're going to walk around the bend and see the lake. There are a couple of paths that cut down by the shoreline to the campground. Got it?"
I nodded. "I'll hurry."
"Don't wander off and get yourself lost, Aden."
"I'm not five, Dad. I think I can handle it."
"Still," he breathed. "Be careful."
"I'm fine. Just go."
"Alright." He climbed into the truck and started down the road.
I watched his head bounced around and felt my stomach turn. There was no doubt in my mind that I would've thrown up again.
After finishing off the water bottle, I started down the path. It had rained recently and all the potholes were filled with mud, but there wasn't any dust. It was kind of nice outside. It wasn't too hot, but the bugs were starting to swarm. I flipped my hood up and zipped my jacket to my chin.
I heard engines behind me and hurried out of the middle of the road. Two teenagers zipped by on four-wheelers. Shoving my hands in my pocket, I continued on.
Something flashed in the corner of my eye. I froze and scanned the surrounding trees. Another reason why I hated the woods, there were too many places for man-eating creatures to hide. I should've stayed with my dad.
A large dark form zipped through the trees and stopped in the shadows. My breath hitched when I recognized the outline. Canine, that was all I needed to know. I broke into a run. I glanced over at the tree line to see it was chasing me. This was it. I was going to be eaten by some monster on my very first day.
My heart was pounding. Approaching a bend in the road, I prayed the lake was on the other side. I turned the corner and was thrown face-first to the ground by an upturned root. Groaning, I felt water seep into my jacket sleeve. The entire left side of my body had landed in a puddle.
Voices sounded ahead from the two kids on the four-wheelers. They were calling for someone. I heard footsteps behind me and covered my head. The dog jumped over me and ran to its owners. I sat up and glared at them.
A dog. A stupid dog and now, I was wet, the mosquitoes were attacking me, and the lake was nowhere in sight. That settled it. My life sucked and the universe hated me.
Climbing to my feet, I took off my jacket. "This is unbelievable." I wrung out the water. A small portion of my pant leg was wet too. My shirt was dry, though.
My mood was getting worse with every step. I had better be getting paid more than minimum wage. I trudged along and finally, the lake appeared ahead. As much fun as I was having, I wanted to finish so I could go home.
I found the trail my dad had mentioned and slid down the hillside to the dirt trail below. While dusting off my pants, I noticed a rip forming on my knee. My mom was going to kill me. She had told me not to wear my nice clothes and I had ripped a hole in my good pair of jeans. By this point, I didn't really care. If there was something that could go wrong, it would. It was just one of those days.
As I walked along the edge of the lake, the grass became higher. It parted at a sandbank. I was covered in mud, so I walked over to a larger rock and took off my shoes. I stepped into the water and found out it was freezing. Bending down, I washed off my arms and splashed some water on my face.
The grass rustled behind me and I shot up straight. The noise stopped.
"Dad?" There wasn't a reply, so I went back to washing off.
A branch snapped.
"Dad? This isn't funny."
No reply. I climbed on top of a boulder to take a look around but didn't see anyone. With a deep breath, I sat down and patted my feet dry. It was probably a small animal running through the grass. As soon as my feet were dry, I wedged them into my shoes. Tossing my wet jacket over my shoulder, I went back to the trail.
The grass rustled behind me. I stopped and glanced over my shoulder. Something bigger than a squirrel was hiding out there.
"Aden."
I jumped when a hand landed on my shoulder. My dad grabbed my arm before I fell.
"Dad," I breathed. "God, a little warning."
He laughed. "I thought you heard me. I've been calling your name for a while. I figured you stopped by the lake to have a look." He scanned my appearance. "What happened to you?"
My shoulders dropped, and I couldn't look at him. "A dog," I whispered. "I kind of panicked and well"—I looked down at my clothes—"yeah."
"Your mother isn't going to be happy." He put his arm around my shoulders and led me down the trail.
"I know." I looked back but saw nothing. Maybe, it was just my imagination.
My dad squeezed me against his side. "Let's hurry and get to the campground, so I can show you what you have to do."
He led me up an embankment to a cement building with vents along the roof. My dad pushed open the bathroom door and the smell of rotting sewage hit me.
I covered my mouth. "You've got to be kidding me."
Flies were buzzing around inside, and a strand of toilet paper dangled over the seat.
"Everything you need is in the shed across the road. There's a hand pump over there. Mop it, and be sure to wipe everything down. Fill up the toilet paper container, and you're good." He flashed me an over-exaggerated smile.
"This is disgusting."
"It's not that bad. There are five of these and I want them all cleaned." He let the door swing shut and walked back to his truck.
"Yes, sir," I breathed, following along behind him.
"After you're done with the bathrooms, get a garbage bag and walk around the lake and pick up any trash you see. Also, if a campground is empty, clean out the fire pit. People are always leaving cans in them." He opened the truck door and slid inside. "They haven't figured out they don't burn." The engine started up and my dad rolled down the window. "I can trust you not to mess around and actually work?"
"Yes, Dad," I breathed. "Your toilets will be cleaned by the time you get back."
"That's what I like to hear. I'll pick you up at four." He dropped a keyring in my hand. After putting on his sunglasses, he shifted the truck into reverse. "Be good and don't wander off."
"I'm not five. I can handle it."
"Good to hear." He looked over his shoulder and pulled out of the parking spot.
I watched him leave before trudging over to the shed and grabbing a mop and bucket. Dragging everything over to the pump, I filled the pail with water and hauled it to the first restroom. The stench was horrible. Holding my shirt up to my nose, I entered the wasteland.
I really hated my life.