Work Text:
The moderate zephyr made the verdant leaves sway in time with the crickets chirping among an otherwise silent campsite. The water was still, calmed by the tranquillity, and the local nature had began to outgrow the shackles cast on it in favour of capitalist greed once again. On a normal day at Camp Campbell, it would've been the perfect atmosphere to drift off to surrounded by the vast wildlife.
But this wasn't a normal day at camp; camp wasn't around anymore.
Any sign of human life was absent, almost as if the species had vanished off the face of Earth itself. It would be natural to be devoid of humanity in an area dominated by fauna, and it'd be normal to be devoid of humanity in a camp outside of its operating hours, but this was different. Ever since Cameron Campbell was arrested for his crimes, funding had gradually decreased. Despite the efforts made by the campers and their counsellors, the camp's fate had been sealed, and when the last day of summer rolled around, so did the vehicles of parents arriving to pick up their children one final time.
Even so, one camper still remained. Perched by the river, a young boy sat, tightly holding his legs close to his face as he gazed off into the distance. His parents didn't care. It dawned on him that when the clock struck midnight on the last day, they were never coming to pick him up, the realisation shattering whatever hope in his heart that'd been restored by his time at Camp Campbell. Gwen left for home shortly after the hour but David stayed with the lone boy, determined to prove that his parents would come and that they really did care. His optimism often got the better of him.
When David rose in the morning, there was no trace of the boy anywhere. Immediately calling Gwen, the pair thoroughly investigated the campground, Gwen cursing his name and her ginger co-counsellor frantically traversing the landscape where he'd previously been so happy just to work there. Hours passed, and when they returned with no lead on Max's whereabouts, they simply assumed that his parents had finally picked him up. and he'd have to go back to living their way. It was the only thing they could do. No sign of him at Camp Campbell, no sign of him around Lake Lilac, no sign of him in the nearby town. It hurt the taller man that he never got to say goodbye, but accepted that now that camp was gone, so was their temporary relationship. The pair weren't sure if they even fully believed themselves or if they were just trying to give each other peace of mind that Max was safe, even so after all their efforts there was no way the child would've still been in the camp.
But when you're short and small and always in fear of what Pita might do to you next, hiding is natural.
Once they said their final goodbyes to the place they cherished (or in Gwen's case, despised) for so long, they went their separate ways, driving into the setting sun and onward to a hazy future. It seemed as if they took the Camp Campbell spirit with them, as once they departed, everything changed. Max realised this after sliding down the birch tree he'd been clinging to for hours. The afterglow of the sun no longer illuminated the smiles of campers, but rather reflected off the worn-down windows of the mess hall, the amber rays fading in the direction where the two counsellors drove down minutes ago. It reminded him that in the end, Max was alone.
In the end, he was unwanted. His parents had abandoned him at a sketchy summer camp and would never return. Sticking around would only cause trouble for David, one deserted camper and a now-deserted Camp Campbell surely wouldn't be good for his heart. After spending most of the summer making the poor guy's life a living hell, he owed it to him to eventually rot with the crumbling timber
And now he was here. Sitting by the lake. Alone. This was how things were meant to be. He hated to admit it, but he really did cherish his time at this place, and as life had always beat into him, happiness is only temporary. Life will always catch up with him and drag him through hell and back anytime he thinks that things will get better, and maybe that's why his memories here are so precious. The lake was serene, glistening as the moon illuminated the azure deep. Neil would often sample water from it as a part of his numerous experiments, although more often than not they ended swiftly by blowing up in his face. Lethargically darting his tired eyes to the woodland that engulfed him, he looked upon an otherwise-flourishing oak tree, despite scratches from Nikki's animistic ventures still being in-tact.
It was the little things that made him miss them already. Every little quirk belonging to a camper that he had picked up on from over the summer had come back to jolt Max into a spiralling pit of despair. The little things that made him laugh now made him want to cry. He missed Nerris' dorky lingo, Preston's overbearing enthusiasm, Ered's effortless style. He missed sitting by the campfire with everyone while David played that song. He missed... Camp Campbell. When he finally came around to something, it was snatched out of his grasp. It was like being trapped in an emotional prism, a corner of memories where he could only reminisce over the people he loved, their evocation replacing their actual presence. It was something Max knew and he hated it. Feeling a salty droplet of his own anguish slip down his face, the young boy aggressively wiped it away. Why was he crying? This was the fate he chose for himself. The damage had been done. They were gone.
During his momentary time at Camp Campbell, Max did whatever he could to break David, to manipulate him so that things would always go his way. If they didn't, he might just finally lose all hope.
And when things did, he still ended up alone.