Fandom I K N O W A P L A C E \\ Camp Camp Roleplay // 1x1

[Pilot-66]

A chorus of crickets filled the silence that hung between them as Abby mulled over her answer. Max watched her consider her words, both a little unnerved and annoyed at how long it was taking her to think of something to say. Maybe she was finally going to crack? Or maybe she was just trying to cultivate some lie to cover for the odd timing of her arrival so soon after Daniel’s failure here?

But her answer was nothing of the sort…

Max drew his head back skeptically and listened to her spiel about actually enjoying it here (even in spite of the way the past few days had gone). He didn’t flinch as she carried on and called him a jerk—he’d been called far worse by far more important people & he honestly couldn’t have cared less anyway—but the last part of her statement hit far harder than he’d ever expected.

“…he’d probably and honestly die for you. And not just you, but every camper here.”

“And I don’t want him to have to just because he’s fucking gullible enough to keep trusting people like you!” Max snapped back in an instant, the worlds pouring out of him before he even had time to make sense of his own knee-jerk reaction. Memories of being surrounded blank stares and wide grins flashed in his mind, as did Niki and Niel’s call to him for help, and the sharp tangy smell of poison. The flashes lasted only a heartbeat, but embarrassment flashed through him nonetheless when he felt himself shaking a little and feeling uncomfortably small in front of Abby. God! What was wrong with him?!

Max crossed his arms over his chest, forcing himself to still as he glared off to the side, letting Abby carry on with her scolding. His frustration only grew the longer she spoke though. “What he’s been up to?” Max finally balked and looked back up to her, dumbfounded by how casual she made it sound, like the Daniel had just taken up golf or some shit, “What he’s been ‘up to’ is building gas chambers for kids, screwing with their heads, and forcing them to drink rat poison while David stands around like an idiot and Gwen is nowhere to be found! And that’s not even unusual for this nightmare of a camp or the shit I gotta deal with!”

Deep down, some more logical part of him knew that Abby had a point. She wasn’t exactly responsible for any of this, but if experience had taught him anything it was to always expect the worst. Especially when it came to adults. He…couldn’t let that go. No matter how exhausting carrying that weight was. It kept him safe.

A single dry cough worked its way out of him after his rant. He sighed, more irritable and tired than ever as he shoved his hands back into his pockets and hunched his shoulders. “…so don’t feel so special. I hate ALL of you…” Frustration edged his voice, finally making him sound more his age. If only for a moment.

 

[TarantulaHawk]

Abby remained silent as Max spoke, his outburst expected. She could tell that most of this just came from him being exhausted. And she had been there before so she couldn’t judge him for anything that came out of his mouth, even though it hurt a little bit when he mentioned that David trusted people ‘like her’. But there was more that hurt her. Learning what Daniel had been up to since they had been apart was scary to say the least - he had literally become a cultist. He was killing children. She knew that he wasn’t a good man to begin with, but killing children was a little bit more than she would have ever thought.

And it made her wonder if Daniel has been doing that sort of thing when they were together. The nights where he would come home late and tell her it was just because of work, was he out there killing people and children? Was he really committing such awful crimes and pretending to be a good man? Well, she knew he was pretending to be a good person, but would he really murder like that? The thought made her feel absolutely sick. She had laid in bed with a murderer, let him comb his fingers through her hair, let him tell her that he loved her....

“…so don’t feel so special. I hate ALL of you…”

Abby looked up when she heard Max say that, and smiled a tiny bit. He was just a kid and sometimes because of his cunning attitude she would forget that. But she had been him at one point and she knew that it was sort of useless to get mad at him. She couldn’t, even though she knew he must of got into her things to confirm the fact that she was really with that Daniel. It didn’t bother her half as much as it probably should have.

“Trust me, special is the last thing I feel.” Her joke was dry as she rolled her eyes and then sighed, “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, are you sure you don’t want to eat some dinner? You don’t look so great.”

That was Abby, putting aside everything that he had just said and accused her of to make sure that he was okay. She knew that she would probably think about what he said a lot more when she was alone, and it would probably cause her to be very anxious and sick and she would probably have a breakdown or two, but that didn’t matter to her in the present moment. What mattered was making sure that Max had food in his system and getting him back to David so that the counselor knew where he was at, at least.

But honestly, she wasn’t even hungry herself. She just wanted to go to somewhere quiet and alone, even though she knew it would make her ponder about her past. She wasn’t ready to delve back into the awful things that had gotten her into the point of homelessness, but she knew that she would have to at some point anyway.

 

[Pilot-66]

Still glowering at some unimportant spot on the ground, Max only looked up again when he heard Abby muse over his comment with a joke. He sneered at her, annoyed that she seemed to be taking his disdain of her so lightly, but he was far too tired to press the issue any further. And to be fair, his last comment hadn’t exactly been the strongest argument he’d ever made…He’d just have to try and make the stand again later. Once he had his shit more together.

The boy blinked when she spoke again. He was surprised to hear her trying to coax him back to the mess hall. Suspicion crept through the back of his mind, still wary of the unnatural kindness just being a ruse—but, there was something familiar about her patience too. Psychopath or not…she really was just as frustratingly stubborn and unshakable as David had been. Less sunshine and rainbows about everything (thank god), but still incredibly annoying.

Max shook his head. Not wanting to make or think about the comparison. Not right now.

“No…” He finally answered her invitation to join the rest of the camp in the mess hall. Despite hunger having clawed at him for most of the day, his appetite had vanished now, replaced by nausea that twisted in his gut at the mere thought of trying to eat. Even if he could find something sealed that Abby could have in no way tampered with.

Not waiting for her to try and debate the choice with him, Max pulled his glare away from her and stared straight ahead as he stepped forward and stalked past her to head back onto the camp trails. He moved deliberately, not looking back at her or even offering another word as he followed the dirt trail back up towards the camper’s tents. He made a beeline straight for the one he shared with Niki and Neil and disappeared behind the tent flap.

He flopped down onto his sleeping cot with a long sigh and stared up at the fabric ceiling, watching as it shifted gently with a passing breeze. His brow furrowed as his mind worked a mile a minute, replaying too many things at once for him to keep up with and making his head hurt worse. Groaning in frustration, Max grabbed a fistful of the blanket on his cot pulled it up over his head, trying to block everything out as he rolled onto his side and prayed that Abby didn’t follow him in here. Maybe he could just catch a few minutes of sleep without anyone around.

A part of his mind fought against him closing his eyes, still feeling the need to be on guard. But…well…maybe if Abby was going to kill someone she’d just start with Space kid or someone equally as annoying. For now, he just wanted to rest.

 

[TarantulaHawk]

Her voice was soft as he headed for the camper’s tents. “Okay, Max.”

Of course she wanted to follow him and try to convince him that food was a better idea than sleep, because she could just tell that Max wasn’t feeling well. But she didn’t. She knew that it was best that she left him alone because he had a lot on his mind, apparently.

So did she. She waited to head back to the mess hall, standing at the waters edge and just looking out onto Lake Lilac silently. She really hoped that Max was wrong for some reason, that Daniel really wasn’t that messed up of a person now. She knew that he had been.... awful when they were together, but she could’ve never imagine him going out and killing children and people. She didn’t like that idea. In fact, she started to get nauseous again at the thought of it. She almost wanted to say that maybe it was a good thing that he was doing it now instead of when they were together, but she had no idea whether he was that crazy when they were together or not - he could have been doing it under her nose the whole time.

Maybe he was the one who did it.

That was when her body washed over with a cold chill and she could feel her fingers numbing. He had blamed her for so long and she knew that he was a liar, she tried her hardest to know that because she didn’t do anything wrong, in fact, she was the only one who was around her. The doctors had said it was no one’s fault and it just happened, but now that she knew Daniel was such an evil person, who knew what really happened?

As her eyes began to fill with tears, she forcefully rubbed them out and walked back to the mess hall. She had a job to do and thinking about such things could wait until she was done with her job. Honestly, it could also wait until she was dead, but she knew that wasn’t realistic. Not with her past-obsessive mindset. As she pushed open the doors, she put a small smile onto her face and walked over to David. For a split second, she debated telling him about what happened. But her mouth opened before she could officially make a decision.

“I found Max and he’s fine,” she said, her smile awkward and sort of sad, “he doesn’t feel good, so he went into his tent to get some sleep.”

 

[Pilot-66]

“Ah, Nurf, I still see some broccoli on your plate. You know the rules.” David’s cheerful voice rang through the mess hall as soon as Abby re-entered the mess hall. He was making his way around the each of the tables, collecting empty trays as he went while the quartermaster followed close behind him, passing out pudding cups and plastic spoons for dessert to those who had finished their meals.

The redhead glanced up when he heard the doors swing on their rusted hinges. He beamed his usual smile over at Abby, happy to see her back and grinning in the doorway, though concern rippled through him when he saw that she was alone. She’d been gone a while and he’d been quietly hoping that was because the two of them were so busy making amends and bonding, but…it didn’t look like that’d happened (and knowing Max, he knew he’d probably been hoping for a little too much but he’d just been unable to help himself). His concern only grew when Abby got close enough for him to see the strain behind her smile as she reported on Max.

“Oh,” David’s shoulders sagged at the news, the trays in his arms clattering lightly with the motion. He lifted chin to glance over her head back at the window, stealing a glance at the camper’s tents before sighing, “…Well, I guess we’ll just have to check in on him again soon.” He muttered, but soon brightened again, “A good night’s rest can do wonders! I’m sure he’ll be back to feeling like his old self in no time~”

Making a quick mental note to prepare and set aside a sandwich or something just in case Max woke up hungry later, David looked back down to Abby and flashed her an appreciative grin. “Thanks for checking on him.”

The lanky counselor went back to lifting empty trays off the table and adding them to the stack he carried. Worry still prickled through him, for Max and Abby both, but he didn’t let it slow him down or take the spring out of his step as he made his rounds around the tables and stopped to praise clean plates or encourage picky eaters. Once he had everyone's trays, he turned his attention back to his co-counselor. “I think the quartermaster has everything settled in here for now–he got to be the good guy tonight and hand out the desserts–” He gave a short chuckle, shuffling the trays in his arms before continuing, “Want to give me a hand with these in the kitchen?” He offered, hoping a task away from the kids might help ease the tension in her smile.

 

[TarantulaHawk]

“I’m sure sleep will help him a lot.” Abby agreed, looking at David. “And of course. Checking on him was the least I could do.”

She wished she could be as optimistic and happy as David was all the time. He really kept her and the others smiling most of the time and his happiness was often pretty contagious. She just wondered how he always stayed so happy and how he looked at everything with a positive attitude. She tried her hardest to be that way herself, but she found that it didn’t work that well all the time.

She looked back to David as he asked about having help with the trays and she nodded, carefully taking half of the stack from him to ease his load. “Of course.”

She walked over to the double doors leading into the kitchen and pushed it open with her back, letting David walk in and then letting the door shut. It was kind of nice to be away from children for a minute, but her mind began to race and her palms were getting sweaty. She quickly set the trays down next to the sink and turned on the warm water, testing it carefully with her fingers. She hoped that it was hot enough. Her fingers were still sort of numb from anxiety.

She really didn’t know what to do. Should she tell David about what happened? She wanted to, but then that would let him know that she was with somebody that endangered the camp and he probably fire her or something. But if she didn’t, Max probably would and that wouldn’t turn out well. She let out a breath she wasn’t aware she had even been holding.

“H-Hey, David?” She said carefully, moving the trays into the hot, soapy water in the sink. “Y-You trust me, right? You... You don’t think I’m a danger to anyone?”

 

[Pilot-66]

David bent down a little bit to make it easier for Abby take half the trays, then straightened up again and followed her into the kitchen. He set his collection of trays down next to hers then turned to start digging through the cupboards for a few clean dish rags. Eventually he hoped to be able to afford a dishwasher for the camp—just to speed up this process and make thing easier for everyone, but he sort of enjoyed this part of the job as much the rest. Dishes were an easy to tackle task in comparison to juggling a dozen kids; though he wouldn’t have traded that part for the world.

Carrying the rags back over to the side, David took up a spot next to Abby in front of the sink and busied his hands with setting up the drying racks on the counter top. Despite his concerns, he worked with a smile on his face, oblivious to everything that’d happened on the lake shore.

“Hm?” He hummed attentively when she said his name, green eyes flicking away from the counters to glance down at her. He’d been hoping they’d get the chance to talk, so he was glad to let her start the conversation, but he was in no way prepared for the question that she asked him.

He arched a brow quizzically but the curl on his lips never left, his answer coming as easily and warmly as if she’d asked him nothing more pressing than today’s date, “Of course I trust you!” The redhead reached over and gently took the first of the cleaned trays from her and started to dry it off with the rag. “Why would I ever think you’re a danger to—ohh geeze. Max didn’t say that to you did he?”

He already knew the answer to that question, of course.

David let out a short sigh and looked back down to the tray in his hand as he worked the rag over it, wiping it dry before placing it in the drying rack and reaching for another tray, “I’m sorry…I don’t know if he’s just hitting puberty, or if things at home are more complicated, or what, but he really is a great kid.” He smile broadened a little at that statement, though his voice was still colored with a bit of concern, "He’s just been…more distant lately…”

David gave his head a tiny shake, deciding to worry about Max a little later when he could check on him. For now he focused back on Abby and tilted his head to the side, “But I can’t possibly imagine why he would think you’re dangerous of all things…”

 

[TarantulaHawk]

Normally, she would’ve probably laughed at the fact that he just knew it was something that Max said, but she was too emotionally distraught to really think about laughing at anything. She continued to scrub at the trays and then passed another one to David, trying to avoid his gaze.

“M-Max, I think he went through my things.” She said, her voice shaking, “I-I guess he saw the pictures o-of my ex and associated him w-with the guy who tried to.... Anyway, he said they’re the same person, the same Daniel.”

She dropped her voice a bit and her eyes filled with tears as she looked at David, worried and obviously panicking, “I swear I’d never hurt anyone, I-I have a hard time thinking he... he would too. Like, murder hurt, I mean. I-I-I...”

She honestly didn’t really know what else to say. She was scared of losing her job and scared of being homeless again and also kind of scared of losing a friend that she had started to have. She couldn’t remember the last time she had an actual friend and she would feel awful if something like this came between her and David, but at the same time, she wouldn’t be angry if he didn’t fire her or was uncomfortable with her being around because of what Daniel apparently did. She was just confused and scared and very unsure.

“I understand if that makes you... uncomfortable with me being here,” she sighed, handing him another wet tray, “I-I am just... still trying to figure this out. I want Max to be wrong, but if.... if they are the same Daniel...”

 

[Pilot-66]

David took the next tray that she handed him and started to dry it off, but he stopped halfway through the motion and jerked his head up when Abby mentioned Max going through her things. For half a breath he was ready to be a little angry on her behalf, and promise to talk to Max about personal space, but he felt his voice trail away from him before he could even start—the way Abby’s voice trembled as she spoke just made reprimanding Max feel so unimportant at the moment.

He listened patiently as the woman stumbled for words, but when she finally mention Daniel’s name he felt the bottom of his stomach fall away. He tightened his grip on the tray he was holding, freezing halfway through the motion of cleaning it.

It wasn’t until Abby finally turned to look up at him that he realized he was staring at her with his mouth slightly agape as he struggled to find the right way to respond. He cinched his jaw shut after their gazes met, trying—and probably failing—to look a little less shocked than he felt. He watched the tears brim in her eyes and slowly lowered the plate in his hands to rest against the sink edge, its meager weight feeling to heavy all the sudden as his shock slowly evolved into sympathy while he watched her scramble for words. He swallowed dryly. “Abby…” He started slowly, his voice too soft to be heard over the rising panic in her’s as she tried to balance the act of distancing herself from the truth while also trying to grasp it. Eventually, it seemed like she couldn’t find anymore words at all.

He let her have a moment to catch her breath and again, listened when she started speaking again and busily returned to the dishes–as if the task was the only thing holding her together. When she handed the next plate to him, he slowly reached out to grab it, but didn’t take it from her just yet as he spoke, “I–It’s…It’s okay, Abby.” He soothed, then grimaced to himself at out dismissive that sounded, “I mean, it’s not…especially for you–”

He shook his head to clear his mind before he looked back down at her, still holding the plate between them as some sort of pseudo-contact, “But it’s…it’s not your fault.” David said, searching her expression for a moment before he continued, “Even if it is the same man. I could never hold you or anyone else that knew Daniel responsible for what he did. I…don’t even know if he was all there, himself…” He admitted. The redhead paused, scrambling for something more to say, but…only one thing came to him and it sat like a stone in his stomach.

“We–” He started then sighed and looked down. He finally took the plate from her, and started to dry it off before speaking again, “We all make our own choices.” He tried hard not to think about how many times he’d heard and said those same words over the years. Not now, “What Daniel did…that was his.”

He finished drying the plate in his hand and set it down in the drying rack gently before looking back over to to his co-counselor, “I’ve seen you with the kids, I…know you wouldn’t hurt anyone, Abby.”

 

[TarantulaHawk]

Abby looked at him as the tray lingered between them both almost awkwardly, but it was the only thing keeping her in that spot instead of panicking and running. She was searching his face for any sort of lies that he could’ve put out, but there was nothing but genuine... something. She could imagine that this was a difficult situation for him to sort out mentally. It was pretty difficult for herself, that was for sure.

“But... am I a bad person?” She asked softly, swallowing a knot in her throat as she turned and tried to avoid looking at him, diving her hands into the hot, soapy water as if it would distract her from her own mind, “I-I was with him when we were... way too young, h-he wasn’t a good guy.. but I didn’t think he’d.. but what if he did when I was with him? And I didn’t know? W-Why was I with him?”

After a moment, she brought her hands - slightly reddened from the hot water - out of the sink and she grasped at the counter’s edge until her knuckles turned white. She closed her eyes tightly to fight the tears in them, but when she opened them again, tears stayed firm in her eyes.

“I-I’m sorry,” she said softly, straightening herself up and letting go of the counter, “I-I... I’m just... I don’t know. I h-haven’t really thought about him in a long time and... and..”

“Are you scared of me, Abby? Heh. Good. You should be.”

She went silent. She was terrified, as if thinking about Daniel would bring him back somehow. And now that she knew he was a cultist who killed adults and children, the fear only grew. She looked at David and then down to her fingers, which she fidgeted anxiously with - ripping off little pieces of skin from them, a habit anxiety had given her years ago.

“I feel like I lied to you.” She mumbled, looking at David, “I-I had no idea Daniel had... but if I did, I would have stayed away from here. God, I-I... I’m sorry. I.. oh...”

 

[Pilot-66]

The silence that had claimed the kitchen felt like it lingered there for hours, but David was sure it had been only seconds. He held Abby’s gaze when she finally turned to look up at him. His forehead creased with worry when she said nothing—just searched his face as if she were looking for something hidden there.

He frowned when she finally looked away again and questioned her guilt. He opened his mouth to speak, desperate to try and to do something to soothe the misery in her voice, but Abby continued before he could even think of something to say. He held his tongue, giving her time to get out whatever she needed. His heart sank the more he listened and eventually, his eyes fell away from her face to glance down at the sink as she gripped its edges as if holding on for dear life.

David’s attention slowly fell away from her pale knuckles to the tile floor. After what he’d seen Daniel do with kids, it was…uncomfortably easy to imagine that the other man probably had no qualms about spreading his hostility to women either. The thought made his heart sink even further down into his stomach. What all could he have done to her…? He blinked and looked up again when he heard Abby straighten in front of the sink, but his frown only deepened when he heard her apologize of all things.

“Oh, Abby. You didn’t lie,” The redhead turned towards her, shaking his head slowly, “No more than I did by not telling you what happened last year, anyway. We…just didn’t know.”

He looked down at her hands as she fidgeted with them. They were still red from soaking in the warm dishwater, and now under attack from her nails, they looked worn and raw beneath the wet suds that still clung to her. His shoulders sagged a bit before he turned and picked up one of the clean dish rags from the countertop.

“I truly don’t think you’re a bad person…” David finally spoke again, his voice soft and earnest as he reached out and gently rested the clean rag over her busy hands. He hoped that maybe having something to dry her hands with and to hold would coax her to stop picking at her own flesh. He pulled his hands back again, leaving the rag with her as he met her tear-glazed eyes and mustered a sympathetic half-smile and a slow shrug of one of his shoulders, “But even if I did…I…think bad people are still, well, people. People you can get attached to and care about…e-even if it turns out they aren’t who you thought they were…” He glanced to the corner of the room as reached across his chest to hug his left arm against his side as he trailed off.

After a heartbeat, he looked back to Abby. “I’m not saying what Daniel did is okay…or even forgivable…but…there’s still no reason to blame you for having made a connection with someone. Especially when you were younger.” He let his tone lighten a bit, trying to alleviate some of the tension in the room, “Heh, gosh, t-that’s…that’s when we all get in over our heads, right?”

David let the careful half-smile slide back off his face for a moment and bowed his head a bit, letting his voice drop to a more serious but still gentle tone, “I’m…so sorry…you had to learn about what Daniel did this way, and it’s perfectly okay to be upset—I-I can only imagine how much this is for you, all at once–but…I just don’t believe your connection to him makes you responsible for what he hid from you. Or what he did to anyone…including you.” She hardly seemed to condone his behavior after all and she definitely didn’t seem to be a part of it.

The gentle popping of soap bubbles in the sink filled the void for a second as David watched the floor. Finally, he took a deep breath and spoke again, “If you need a few days or if…staying here is too much now, I— I’ll understand.” Panic flashed through him at the thought of Abby leaving in such a state. He’d do nothing but worry if she did, but…he didn’t want her to feel trapped here purely out of obligation either.

Letting his hands fall back to his side, he finally looked back up to her. He watched her for a few seconds before turning away to shuffle through one of the kitchen drawers again. A moment later, he came back to her, offering her a travel-pack size sleeve of tissues as he smiled gently at her again, “But, I…hope you know that–Daniel or no Daniel–you’ll always be welcome here, Abby.”

 

[TarantulaHawk]

As he set the rag on top of her raw hands, she very carefully grasped at it, slowly drying off and ignoring the stinging from her lack of skin near her nails and how rough the rag felt against her palms. Regardless of the discomfort, it felt better than anything else at the moment.

Him not thinking she was a bad person sounded absolutely ludicrous to her. She didn’t know how to feel. On one hand, it was a relief to know that he didn’t think of her as somebody different just because of who she had been involved with when she was young. But on the other hand, it made her wonder just how naïve David was. She didn’t think that she was a threat either, but it just didn’t seem right that he was okay with her even being there. It seemed... off.

She looked at him as he spoke about her leaving for a few days and she shook her head, but didn’t say anything right away. She had enough money currently to probably afford a motel room for a night, but she really didn’t want to leave the camp. Even though Max had just assaulted her earlier and she was having a nervous breakdown for probably the fourth time that week, there was something comforting about being out in the woods like that.

“I-I can’t,” she said softly, sniffling a bit and blinking, a few of her tears going away finally as she looked from David to the sink and the suds that caught the light in their own unique way, “I... I honestly can’t imagine going somewhere else. Not right now.”

She was quiet as she watched him move over to one of the drawers. She had to smile as he ended up handing her a pack of tissues, something she sort of needed at the moment. Carefully did she take a couple of tissues out of the pack, her hand still shaking and she brought it up to her eyes and dabbed away what was left of her tears. She had to smile at David, and it wasn’t a sad smile either.

“Thank you.” Her voice was soft and certainly unsteady, but it did sound better than before. “I-I guess I know who the logical one is out of the two of us. A-And the better person.”

She really did look up to David more than she would probably admit. He was a good person and he always did things for the good of others, and he always had such an optimistic outlook and a smile on his face. She tried her hardest to be like him when she worked with the kids, but she had a lot of things behind her that seemed to affect her all the time. She wondered what David had been through, if anything unusual and traumatizing at all.

 

[Pilot-66]

Relief flooded through him when Abby made the decision to stay with the camp. He tried not to let his feelings be too apparent, but he could feel tension slipping out of his shoulders the more she spoke. At least if she stayed, he could check in on her and make sure she didn’t have to face all this alone and–well–he wouldn’t have to run the camp alone either…but it felt a little selfish to even think about that under the circumstances. Shaking the thought off, David just let the smile on his face grow a little when she looked back up to him with a faint smile of her own. Her expression was frail and he knew this was all far from over, but…a smile was a good start!

“Of course,” David answered when she thanked him, even though he didn’t really feel like he’d done anything that warranted her gratitude. “And, if you ever need to talk about…this…or anything, you know where to find me.”

The redhead turned his attention back to the sink, about to take a step back towards it and finish up the chore they’d started, but he stopped short when Abby spoke again.

“I-I guess I know who the logical one is out of the two of us. A-And the better person.”

David blinked at her words then reached up scratch the back of his neck, the yellow bandanna around his neck shifting with the motion, “Uhheheh,” his eyes fell away from her as he chuckled, “Well, that’s…definitely the first time anyone’s accused me of being the logical one.”

He…wasn’t as sure about the rest of her statement. A familiar swell of anxious dread made the hair on the back of his neck stand, but he did his best to try and ignore it. Every word he’d just preached to her repeated in his mind. He wasn’t a bad person either. He wasn’t.

Never letting his smile falter, David looked up deciding to just take the moment in stride and even allow himself a little pride in her praise, “Maybe I really am starting to get the hang of this whole business owner thing, after all~” He felt his shoulders rise at the thought and he couldn’t help but puff his chest out a bit as swept a glance back at the campers through the double door’s window, content to see everything in order outside.

Grinning more easily than ever, David looked back Abby and waved her back over to join him at the sink. “C’mon, let’s make sure this place is squeaky-clean then I’ll get the kiddos off to their tents for the night. I think we could all do with a good night’s rest.” The lanky counselor turned back to the sink and, with all his usual fervor, picked up their chore where they’d left off.

 

[TarantulaHawk]

She laughed slightly at the comment about him being a good business owner. “I mean, you’re doing better than I would by a long-shot.”

It felt nice to be distracted suddenly, thinking about his comment about running a business instead of thinking about the years that she suffered. She glanced up at David for a minute. While on the topic of that, he was doing really good at keeping the camp going. If he wasn’t with the kids, he was working on fixing something up so that it looked better or worked better. He was always smiling and kept going to matter what, and that was something that she admired him greatly for. Honestly, she would have hated to have anyone else as a counselor alongside her.

“Good idea,” she nodded, returning to the sink and trying to keep what had happened and her breakdown off her mind, “sleep sounds.... awesome.”

She giggled a little bit, tiredly, about her childish language. Honestly, she was exhausted and felt like she could sleep for the next three years, so as she did the dishes, she did her best to just focus on getting them done so that she could go to bed. She deserved a good night’s rest after what happened that day and David deserved one because of how hard he worked all the time.

 

[Pilot-66]

David reached out and took another plate from Abby as he listened to her muse enthusiastically over the idea of sleep. He chuckled along with her about the childish language, but nodded in agreement and even played along with a touch of humor in his voice, “Totally awesome.”

He set another dried tray aside on the rack then stole a glance over at his co-counselor as he waited for her to finish rising off the next plate. He allowed himself just a tiny sigh of relief as he watched her work with a small smile on her face. After what she’d learned and been through today, it was good to see her looking a little more at ease. He kept a smile planted firmly on his face, but inwardly, he was still reeling a bit at the thought of Abby enduring Daniel’s malice (or illness, he still wasn’t entirely sure)–likely for years given the way she spoke about him.

As he took and dried another tray, David remembered all too well how captivatingly charming Daniel had been during his interview. Every word Daniel had spoken had been laced with charisma and whatever he’d wanted to hear, and the man’s enthusiasm and confidence had made him seem like such a perfect fit. He remembered being thrilled to work the guy. It hadn’t been until hours after Daniel’s arrest that it’d truly hit him just how close he’d come to losing…everything.

And all that was just in a day.

David forced himself not to shudder at the thought of what living like that for years must have been like for Abby. A lot more of her quirks were beginning to make sense. The anxiety, the apologies, the—oh. Her comment about being used to Max’s slander suddenly smacked him hard across the face. A hollow spot opened up in his chest, but he did his best to force it away and not let it infect the room again. Not when she was doing better.

Besides there was painfully little he could do about all that now. He’d…just have to work extra hard to make sure that everything here at Camp Campbell was welcoming and safe! Not just for Abby, but Max too. The boy had kept such a cavalier attitude about the whole Daniel incident that David had honestly thought he wasn’t too bothered by it (or maybe that’s just what he’d always wanted to think out of guilt?). But clearly, it’d stuck with Max a lot more than he’d let on if he was attacking Abby over it. Maybe he could get the two of them together to talk through it soon—that way he could mediate and hopefully help set both of them at ease around each other. How and when would be the best time to do that though, he…had no idea, but he just knew he’d work something out.

Pulling himself out of his head, David turned his focus back to helping out with the dishes. With a smile still set across his freckled face, he did his best to make small talk with Abby as they worked so that the silence didn’t over take them again.

When they’d finally finished the dishes and got the kitchen wiped down and ready for tomorrow morning, David took a step back and put his hands on his hips to admire their work for a second. “It looks great!” The redhead subconsciously pressed himself up on his toes to bounce in place as he spoke.

He angled his head to glance down at the woman beside him and gave a warm grin,“You go ahead and head back to the cabin–grab some downtime before bed.” He offered, lifting his hands to jab both of his thumbs over his shoulders to gesture back towards the mess hall full of campers, “I’ll make sure the kids are all tucked in for the night~”

 

[TarantulaHawk]

The small talk was completely welcome as they worked on finishing the rest of the dishes - it kept Abby out of a painful place in her mind that she tried her damndest to stay away from and out of normally anyway. And it was kind of nice to just have a conversation that didn’t really have anything to do with their current predicament or the kids or anything like that. It was just a nice little break that meant more to her than it probably should have.

It didn’t take them that long to finish the dishes and to wipe down the counters. Abby was sort of thankful that they were able to get the job done fast because she was getting more and more tired as it worked. It wasn’t even a hard or strenuous task, it was just the fact that she had gone through a lot that day.

She glanced up at David as he mentioned her heading to the cabin earlier. She wanted to say she’d like to help, but she also didn’t want to lie straight to his face.

“Thank you, David.” She smiled and nodded up at him.

She reached up as if she was about to clasp him on the shoulder in a friendly guesture, but then quickly dropped her hand and simply walked around him and carefully out of the mess hall. She sort of wished that she was a normal human being and could interact with others without having so many problems, but she knew that she would just have to work on it. As she continued to walk over to the counselor’s cabin, she looked over to the camper’s tents with a frown. She hoped Max was feeling better, even though she probably should have been angry at him for going through her things.

As she entered the cabin, she noticed that the bottom of her blankets had been shifted about and she sighed. He obviously went through her things. But she preoccupied herself by going to take a shower and changing in the something she could sleep in.

When she came out of the bathroom, she sat down on her bed and grabbed her ukulele. For a moment, she scanned the back of it, eyes washing over the black signatures silently. Then she turned it over and plucked at the strings, laying back against the headboard of the bed. She played about with different strumming and plucking patterns until a song came to mind.

“Maybe far away, or maybe real nearby,” the song was from a musical she loved when she was younger, a song that she would sing all the time because the situation was always too relevant to her own life, “he may be pouring her coffee and she may be straightning his tie~ Maybe in a house all hidden by a hill, she’s sitting playing piano, he’s sitting paying a bill~”

And then she stopped for a moment, slowing down her strumming and just sitting there in silence. She wasn’t sure that she knew what to do with herself. On one hand, she wanted to be closer to the campers and to David and she wanted to be able to make friends and not have to worry about herself, but on the other hand, she still sort of wanted to close herself off from the world. But she was still very young and she still had time to get over everything, but she just didn’t know how to do that. How was she supposed to do that when she was constantly reminded by her own thoughts and memories that she wasn’t worth anything?

 

[Pilot-66]

“You betcha!” David puffed his chest out and practically chirped when Abby took him up on the offer to handle lights out on him on. He was glad. It seemed like the least he could do given how the rest of the night had played out (especially considering they had a few little night owls in their group who always fought tooth and nail against curfew and made it one of the more difficult tasks of the day).

The redhead blinked when he noticed her hand lingering in the space between them for half a second before dropping anxiously back down to her side. He made no mention of his observation. Instead, he just turned to watch her walk away and vanish through the kitchen doors. He hardly had time to think about the moment before the quartermaster suddenly shoved his way through the door, “Kid’s are fed.”

“Thanks,” David shot the old man and appreciative grin, “I’ll take it from here, Quartermaster.”

Keeping that grin on his face, the lanky counselor made his way back out into the mess hall to coax the campers to their tents. To his relief, most of them gave in fairly easily. He walked with the kids back to the tents. Under the dim light of the moon and surrounded by tiny yawns, he quickly became all too aware of just how tired he was himself. His muscles ached from yet another early morning and his mind—still swimming with everything he’d learned—wasn’t fairing much better. As eager as he was for a new day and new adventures tomorrow, he was…actually pretty excited about getting to his bed for a while first.

But…he still had one thing he needed to first. After making sure all the other campers had gotten to their tents and settled in their cots for the night, David made his way over to Max, Niki, and Neil’s tent and poked his head inside. He grinned to himself when he saw Niki already fast asleep in a wad of blankets underneath her cot. The behavior had worried him at first, but by now it was normal. Even Neil had already passed out for the night.

David moved further inside and crouched down next to Max’s cot, keeping his voice low so as not to wake the other two. “Max? Are you sure you don’t want to get something to eat? I can make a pretty mean PB&J~”

“Go away, David.” Max bit out at him, hidden beneath his blanket.

Not at all deterred by the hostility, David grinned further, about to try and entice him to eat with the promise that he could have dessert first, but he stopped short when he noticed the boy was shivering under his covers. Worry creased his brow. “Max…?”

“God, what part of go away don’t you get?” Max peaked out at him with a furious glare, though even in the dim light David could tell his eyes were dull.

The redhead reached out and pressed the back of his hand against Max’s forehead. Max yanked away from him, but David only needed the split second to become concerned, “You’re burning up…” Guilt pierced through him. He’d known Max had been a bit sluggish and grumpy today, and Abby had told him the boy wasn’t feeling well, but…he hadn’t expected Max to actually be sick. “Come on,” David reached out to try and help him to his feet, “We should check your temperature.”

Max let out a snarling groan. He thought about fighting this, but…he knew there was no point. It’d be quicker just to hurry up and get it over with.“Fine!” He kicked the blankets off himself and flipped around in his cot to swing his legs over the side, “But you’re—” all the sudden motion rushed to his head, sending black spots scattering across his vision and making the world wobbly beneath him. Max reached up to hold the side of his head angrily, “…ah, shit.”

David frowned and reached out to pick Max up off his cot. The boy was instantly furious, but by the time he’d carried Max all the way back to the councler’s cabin, most of the fight had gone out of the boy and he was almost allowing it. Which…just worried David even more.

David pushed the door to the cabin open, relief washing over him when he saw that Abby was still awake. He’d dealt with sick campers before, of course, but Gwen had kinda always been around to be the level head when this happened. This part of camp always made him nervous. Some part of him felt bad for bringing more stress into her day, but well, this was the job…

“A-Abby—? I, uh, think we’ve got a problem.” He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He walked over to his bed and sat Max down on the end of it. Almost to his relief, Max fought to be free of his grip.

Sick or not, Max shot a glare over at Abby from where he sat on the edge of the bed. He opened his mouth, ready to throw barbs her way, but a dry cough cut him off, forcing him to turn away as he hacked behind his fist.

David’s frown only deepened, he glanced his shoulder at Abby. “Can you grab the first-aid kit in the bathroom?” He asked, “There should be a thermometer in it…er…hopefully not one of those old mercury ones…”

“Fucking great.” Max managed some ragged exasperation.

 

[TarantulaHawk]

When David came in, Abby had actually been playing around with her ukulele a bit more. His entrance into the counselor’s cabin made her jump a little bit and she went to greet him, but at the sound of the tremble in his voice and the sight of Max in his arms, she instantly stood up instead.

“Yeah, of course.” Abby nodded, not even hesitating to go and look for it.

It took her a moment or two to actually find it, and when she did, she was a little concerned about how outdated it seemed to be. She came out with the kit underneath her arm and the thermometer in her hand - she was already trying to set it up. Once she managed to get it working properly, she offered it to Max.

“Alright, put it under your tongue.” She left no room for argument, her voice laced with concern. Then, she glanced at David, “We should try to reduce the fever. Breaking it might make him worse.”

She had been sick plenty of times as a kid, so she knew what to do. She also had to take care of a lot of kids in the group home who wanted to deny that they were sick until the very last minute. So she knew that there were two ways to get rid of a fever - breaking it or reducing it. Max was simply too little to be trying to break a fever, the heating up of his body could make him worse.

“You’re gonna want to take off your hoodie,” Abby said, “it’s gonna be cold, but it’ll help you get better.”

It was almost interesting to see how Abby took everything over so quickly, even though earlier that day, Max had decided it was a good idea to make her break down. But it seemed that she was also good at putting that sort of thing aside. Maybe it wasn’t a good thing, but she was good at it.

She looked at David, “Could you get a rag damp and cold, by chance?” And then she frowned a little, “Sorry. Please get a rag.”

 

[Pilot-66]

Max’s shoulders shook as another cough wracked his body. When it’d finally passed he looked up again with a low growl, irritated with himself for being unable to suppress the symptoms in front of David and Abby in particular. He narrowed his eyes when she approached the bedside and held the thermometer out to him with a strict order. He kept his hands to himself, refusing to take the it out of spite. His attention flickered between the two adults, his brow furrowing as he listened to Abby talk David through this. “Yeah. We should probably do the opposite of anything she says.” Max put in, turning his eyes up to David.

David blinked and looked down to Max, frowning briefly at the hostility burning through the boy’s fever clouded gaze. He shook his head. “No, Max,” he somehow managed to muster up some tone of stern authority despite the concern prickling through him, “Abby’s right and she just wants to help. Do what she says.”

Max flashed a glare up at the redhead. Really?! Of course! He should have known Abby would have the idiot rolling over by now… He turned his eyes away, glaring off at the corner of the room so he wouldn’t have to look at either of them. He curled his lip when Abby gave him yet another order, but when David prodded him by saying his name in that you’re-not-getting-out-of-this tone, he huffed a sigh.

“This is such bullshit…” He hissed, shoving the thermometer under his tongue and clamping his teeth down hard around it. He reached down and grabbed the bottom of his hoodie and wrestled it up and over his head. Max shivered as soon as the air conditioned air ghosted over his exposed arms and right through the yellow V-neck he wore. He crossed his arms and hugged them close to his chest, trying his damnedest to stop shivering and looking so pathetic. He let his shoulders hunch as he puffed out a subtle breath around the thermometer, reluctant to admit how winded even the simple act of taking his hoodie off had left him.

David took the hoodie from Max and folded it neatly before putting it down on the nightstand. Without the usual bulk his jacket, Max looked smaller than ever huddled on the edge of the bed. He’d always been a bit on the scrawny size, even compared to the other kids his age, but it just seemed all the more pronounced now that he was sick. Worry flickered through him all over again, but Abby’s voice drew him out of his head and back on task.

He blinked and looked back over to her, infinitely grateful for her steady hand and input. When she made her request he nodded, then paused when she slipped into an apology and rephrased the request. He gave her a small grin, having hardly noticed the tone under the circumstances. “Sure thing.” He answered warmly, then hurried off to the bathroom to fetch the rag.

The redhead came back just a moment later with some fresh sheets and a pillow draped over his arm and the rag in his hand. “I’ll get the bedding changed out while you finish getting his temperature.” He offered, as he handed the rag off to Abby, “I…don’t think he should go back to the tents tonight. It’s too hot out and he needs something better than a cot to rest in. I’ll just take one of the armchairs tonight.”

Max grumbled around the thermometer when David picked him up and set him down into one of the chairs next to Abby, but he was too tired to do anything other than watch the lanky redhead go about changing the bedding on his bed to fresh clean sheets. Eventually, Max shot a glare up at the woman standing over him then turned his head away to pull the thermometer out of his mouth and check it for himself first. 103°. Well, shit…

 

[TarantulaHawk]

It was almost surprising how her concern overrode the want to feel hurt at the comments that he still made - she wished that Max would understand that she didn’t want to hurt him or do anything bad, she was just trying to help him. Especially now that he was really sick.

Abby gently took the rag when David gave it to her and she looked at him. “Okay, I agree. If you need a pillow while you’re in the chair, take one of mine.”

As the thermometer beeped, she let Max look at it first and then carefully took it from him, making sure not to touch the end that was in his mouth. Her eyes widened a little bit at the temperature and she frowned, handing Max the rag.

“Yeah, you’re not going anywhere with a temp that high, sorry Max.” Abby sighed, “Go ahead and put that rag on your forehead. It’ll be really cold, but it’ll help bring your fever down.”

She looked over at David for a minute, hoping that he didn’t pass out too early just because she didn’t know if she could handle Max’s attitude that night. But even if he did, she had a feeling that Max wouldn’t be too difficult to deal with because he was sick and tired. That usually took a lot out of kids. She looked over at the dark-haired kid and watched him for a minute. She could just tell that he hadn’t eaten in a while and he was really small. It worried her. But she wasn’t going to bring it up because she knew Max would get defensive and angry about it. It was something that was better left alone for the time being.

Abby turned back to her bed for a moment, shifting her blankets and pillows a bit before sitting down. She was in her pajamas, a pair of black spandex shorts and that blue baggy shirt with clouds on it. Her hair was down and frizzy because she brushed it so hard earlier, but she didn’t really care. She looked over at David, waiting to see if he needed her to do anything else. She had a feeling that she wasn’t really going to sleep that night.

 

[Pilot-66]

Knowing that arguing would only drag this out longer, Max reached up and reluctantly took the rag from Abby. He was still shivering against the air conditioning and the chill of the rag in his hands just made his shoulders shake more as the cold swept through his arms and down his spine. “Great, thanks…” He groused, idly wondering if death by hypothermia was Abby’s usual murder method, but even confined to his head the thought wasn't nearly as edged as he wanted it to be. His headache was pounding too loudly in his temples for him to concentrate for long and it was only getting worse the longer he sat up in the chair.

“There we go,” David finally stepped away from the bed once he’d gotten all the sheets changed, “Good as new!”

Max pushed himself out of the chair before David could get the idea to pick him up again. Of all the orders they were barking at him, laying down was at least something he wanted to do…even if he was going to be confined to the same room as Abby. David was here too, at least. That counted for something. He guessed…

David watched him scramble up into the bed, having to fight the urge to help him up and probably make him angrier than he already was. He frowned though when Max finally settled onto the mattress and flopped down onto the pillows. The boy’s face was flush with effort and fatigue. Unable to keep to himself, David wandered back to the bedside and adjusted the rag that Max had haphazardly tossed onto his own forehead. “Alrighty~ You rest up and I just know you’ll be feeling better in no time.” He sparked with his usual optimism as he grinned down at Max, “We’ll be right here if you need anything, okay?”

“Whatever, David.”

The lanky counselor turned away from the bedside and headed over for one of the armchairs in the middle of the room. He settled down into it with a short sigh. It wouldn’t be a comfortable night, by any means, but at least he’d be off his feet. He fell quiet for the next few minutes, listening to the sound of Abby adjusting her bedding and the slight rasping of Max’s breath as gradually drifted off into a somewhat restless slumber. Max was still trembling with shivers, but at least he was resting.

David felt his shoulders sink back against the armchair, releasing tension he’d only been vaguely aware of holding. The guilt that’d struck him out in the tents still hadn’t left him though. How could have Max gotten that sick without him noticing? He was supposed to be better than this by now…

Shaking his head and pushing the thoughts away, the redhead glanced over at Abby. It was the first time that he’d really noticed she was in her pajamas. A little more guilt sparked in him at the realization, but he found himself smiling anyway as he studied her, frizzy hair and all. “…Thank you.” He whispered eventually, grateful for the calm she had exuded while reigning the situation (and his nerves) under control despite Max’s hostility. He reached up, rubbing the side of his neck a little sheepishly as he glanced from her back over to Max. “I–gosh–this is just the one part of the job I struggle with…” Gwen has always teased him he had way too much of a bleeding heart, but…he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to help it. It killed him to see Max or any of the campers in such a state.

But thankfully, it didn’t seem like it’d be too much of an issue with Abby around. Green eyes flickered back over to her, the grateful smile still sitting on his lips. He couldn’t help but wonder where she picked up on all this. She’d been great with the campers before during their activities and a godsend tonight, but…she said she’d never worked with kids before. He certainly wasn’t complaining, but he couldn’t help the curiosity that prickled in the back of his mind. However, Max trying to sleep, he knew he couldn’t ask right now.

David sat up a bit in the armchair and gave Abby a warm grin, “Go ahead and try to get some rest,” He urged her, then allowed some concern to slip into his voice as he added, “You’ve…had a long night too…”

He glanced back, checking on Max again before nodding to her, “I’ll keep an eye on him tonight. We’ll probably have to take turns with him tomorrow…and call his parents.”

 

[TarantulaHawk]

Abby watched Max as he climbed up onto David’s bed, looking at him almost intently. She couldn’t get over how small he was. That had to be unhealthy for his age. But she wasn’t going to comment on it, it wasn’t really any of her business anyway.

David’s whisper caught her attention quickly and she smiled, “Of course. And it’s hard to see a kid sick, so I understand.”

And then she shook her head, “David, go to sleep,” she tossed him one of her pillows, smiling slightly, “I’ll be fine. You need more rest than I do anyway. You take care of literally everything in this camp and I think it’s time that you actually got some sleep.”

Abby was always willing to try and take one for the team, especially when David had been really dealing with a lot and she could see that it was sort of waiting on him a little bit, and she was sure that her anxiety attacks weren’t helping any. And she didn’t mind staying awake at night - the less nightmares she had, the better.

“I’ll just find something to amuse myself while you sleep.” She shrugged, grabbing her ukulele and very softly plucking at the strings in a gentle chord.

 

[Pilot-66]

“Oof!” David gave a little huff and jumped in armchair when the pillow collided with his face. He’d seen it coming, but (almost to prove Abby’s point) he’d been just a little too slow to react and catch it.

The redhead lowered the pillow down to his lap and peered over at Abby. “But—” He started to protest, but fell quiet again when Abby further argued against him trying to stay awake. He wanted to resist her, ready to bounce to his feet to prove he had energy to spare, but he knew if their roles were reversed he would have been just as insistent. Plus, as he watched Abby pick her ukulele up off the side of her bed as if the decision had already been made, he got the feeling that he probably wouldn’t win this argument against her if he tried…

“Well…” David’s eyes trailed warily from Max back over to Abby. “Okay,” He finally relented, every muscle feeling instantly heavier with fatigue when he’d finally given in. He lifted the pillow and tucked it behind his head as he tried to fit more comfortably into the chair.

“But wake me up if you need anything, okay?” He prompted, arching a brow over at her before letting an easy smile finally break through his uncertainty. “Or…if anything changes…” He added, glancing briefly back across the room at Max before finally letting his head rest against the pillow she’d tossed him.

He stared off into the dark for a little while, trying to will his heavy eyelids to close. It took a while, but eventually the soft plucking of Abby’s ukulele lulled him into a light doze, his chest rising and falling evenly in spite of the sort of awkward angle he was curled into.

 

[TarantulaHawk]

She only played her ukulele until David fell asleep, and then she said it aside and sat on her bed for a while. She was just thinking. She was thinking about everything that had happened in her past.

She was still worried about the fact that Daniel had apparently become such an awful human being. And in her damaged mind, she didn’t think he was that bad of a person, just very misled and full of anger. But it was much more than being misled and beyond anger that must’ve made him become the way that he was apparently. The idea of even knowing some sort of serial killer like that was terrifying. She knew that Daniel didn’t know where she was out, and that was a certain fact because when he up and left, he left nothing to track him by and within a month or so she had nothing to track her by - she couldn’t even afford a flip phone.

The prospect of meeting him again was still terrifying. She had no idea how she’d handle seeing him. She shook the thought from her mind, as it was causing her heart to start racing, and she went over to Max’s sleeping figure. She carefully took the wash cloth from his head and went and got it cold again. As she put it onto his forehead, she frowned. His face was extremely flushed and he was still burning up with fever.

She knew he’d be okay, but he was definitely sick enough to keep him resting for a while. With a sigh, she laid down on her bed. When she finally fell asleep, the sun was just coming up over the horizon. She was going to have another long day ahead of her.

 

[Pilot-66]

As the sun began to peek through the trees and filter into the cabin through the windows, David slept lightly, the past few weeks of early mornings and late nights finally catching up to him. He'd woken a few times during the night, once having gotten up to check on Max and Abby both, but for now he still dozed, all knees and elbows as he curled in the chair.

Meanwhile, Max tossed restlessly in his sleep. He ground his teeth, occasionally whimpering as dreams overtook him.

He opened his eyes to find himself alone on the activities field. Wind blew across the field, rustling the leaves and casting flickering shadows on the ground--but no sound accompanied the movement. No sound at all echoed across the usually busy field. "The hell?" Max arched a brow and started walking forward in search of something or someone.

He blinked when he caught sight of something red laying at the edge of the treeline. He strode up to the object and furrowed his brow when he recognized it. A solo cup? He looked deeper into the woods, realizing there was a dozen more plastic cups littering the ground, all leading to...

He stiffined, eyes widening with horror when he saw Niki and Neil laying under the cover of undergrowth, both of them unaturally still. Behind them he recognized other familiar figures. All of them were still. Too still. Even the larger one with yellow fabric around its neck. Max backed away. Something shuffled in the woods. A bright white shape flashed in the corner of his vision.

He turned and fled towards the mess hall, slamming the door shut behind him. Once he was sure the door was sealed behind him, he turned, surprised to find himself standing in his house instead of the mess hall. Without thinking, he raced up the stairs and swung a left until he came to a stop in front of his parent's bedroom door. He looked up at the looming wooden door, then over his shoulder. Nothing was following him. Maybe he'd just imagined it? Still a little unnerved, he reached out and knocked on the door, more than willing to be yelled at for disturbing his parents if it meant something normal would happen. "Guys?" He tested.

No answer. He tried again, then a third time. Nothing. A hissing noise from down the hall caught his attention. He turned his head and watched as a fine mist began to seep out from under all the doors in the hallway, curling up into the air and choking him. Just as Daniel's sauna had. He turned back to his parent's door again and tried the doorknob, his gut sinking when he found it locked. He banged a fist on the door and tried to call out again, to insult his folks just to get them to listen, but a cough cut him off as the mist filled his lungs--

Max coughed himself awake. He groaned groggily and curled onto his side, the rag falling off of his forehead and onto the bedside. He shivered, his shoulders heavy and worn after spending the night shaking with the burden of his fever. He was still freezing but felt heat burning his skin too. He tried to wake himself, but his vision swam and blurred when he picked up his head and glanced around. He'd expected to wake up back in his tent, but...the long shadows stretching around him in the early morning light were unfamiliar. "What--?" He picked his head up, trying to make sense of where he was through the fog in his mind, anxiety starting to claw in his chest.