Free Lost Cipher by Michael Oechsle

Lucas heard the sound of a shower curtain scraping closed. He waited a few more seconds before opening the door enough to peek in. Just as he’d hoped, Zack’s clothes were tossed in a pile on the bench outside the shower. His towel hung on a hook next to the curtain.
    Lucas slipped inside the bathhouse. Masked by the sound of the shower, he had Zack’s clothes hidden in seconds. But that was the easy part. A few seconds later, he was back outside, waiting for the moment of truth.
    Not long after, the water shut off, and the shower curtain scraped again. The next sound was a low growl, like the sound a bear might make before it charges. Zack snarled, “I’m gonna kill that dumb hick!”
    Lucas eased around the corner and pressed against the wall, peeking just enough to see what happened next. He heard the door on the boys’ side open, and Zack appeared, wrapped in his towel and checking for signs of life from the camp. He was about to dash back to his cabin.
    Lucas had to muster every ounce of courage to step out behind the bigger kid.
    â€œDang, Zack,” he said, knowing his voice was trembling, “I hope you’re plannin’ on puttin’ on some clothes before you make my breakfast.”
    Zack turned, fuming at the sight of Lucas. “My clothes. Now!” he seethed. “Or you’re dead.”
    â€œI don’t know, Zack,” Lucas said. “Seems like if we was to start fightin’ right here and now, I’d probably be screamin’ awful loud. Bound to wake up just about everybody. I’d hate to think what that would look like. You know, me gettin’ attacked and all by a naked you.”
    Lucas grimaced to make sure the ugly image was planted firmly in Zack’s head. He was already enjoying Zack’s predicament despite the knot in his chest.
    â€œWhatever,” Zack sneered. He began walking toward his cabin. “I’ll get dressed and then kick your butt.”
    â€œOh, see, there’s a problem there,” Lucas said calmly. “That cabin is all locked up tight by now.”
    Zack’s eyes kept boring into Lucas’s, but his shoulders slumped a little. The bigger kid pushed his way past Lucas to search behind the bathhouse. He rummaged for his clothes inside the stacked-up canoes and kayaks, muttering a nonstop stream of curse words and describing in graphic detail the pounding he was about to give Lucas. But the more he looked, the more frantic he became. When he’d searched all of the boats, he moved back toward Lucas.
    Lucas stopped him again. “Whoa,” he said, putting his hands up in defense. “Look, Zack, I guess maybe I did take this thing a little too far. You can have your clothes back.” He motioned over his shoulder toward the lake. “They’re right up there.”
    A towel was tied in a tight bundle and knotted to the zip line, a long way from shore, where his pack had been. Lucas had done it in the middle of the night. He’d hauled himself out in the harness this time and tied the bundle directly to the cable. Of course, they weren’t Zack’s clothes at all, just a couple more towels bundled inside the first. But by now Zack wasn’t exactly thinking straight.
    â€œSo go get ’em, redneck,” he said.
    Lucas pictured his father’s pack hanging in the same spot. “Nope,” he said, the shakiness finally gone from his voice. “Your turn.”
    â€œYou’re so dead,” Zack growled one last time, but he ran toward the lake holding on to the knot of his towel.
    In no time, Zack was on top of the platform and stepping into the zip line harness. He didn’t bother to tighten the straps, but he had to stop a couple times to keep the towel on. Once he was settled into the harness, Zack’s towel was so bunched up around him that Lucas thought it resembled a giant, white diaper.
    Zack reached up, grabbed the cable, and began hauling