Two Sides of the Same Coin ( camp camp )

Little Black Sheep

Turns out, keeping Daniel a secret wasn't as easy as David would have liked to believe. Almost religiously he'd have to check his pockets to make sure his phone was there, and always keept in in his front pockets, so it'd be harder to steal.

Whenever he got a text he had to make sure no one was around to see him read it. Not to mention that if Daniel wanted to pick him up for another date, David would have to stand far enough outside of camp that none of the kids would see.

He had a feeling they wouldn't be all too happy to see Daniel, for reasons David wasn't sure of. The kids had kept going on and on about him being a cultist, but that simply couldn't be true! He was such a nice guy, there was no way he'd put kids in danger!

Right?

David didn't dwell on his doubts too long, there was no time for that! One last time he double checked his phone. The contact name read "friend :)", and there were no new messages. With a sigh he put the device away and headed back into camp activities, that surely would help him blow off some steam!

Despite the campers being frustrating as ever, David found himself feeling refreshed. He honestly loved working with the kids, and atheletic acitivity made him too tired to worry.

All in all, going to bed that night was pleasant, with no thoughts plauging his mind all night.

Max couldn't sleep. A groan filled the small tent and he got up, walking out into the cold night air.

What was up with David lately? The guy was constantly twitching, and checked his phone every chance he got. Plus he kept disappearing on "dates" only to come back jittering and over excited.

It was weird. Leaves crunched under his feet as he headed into the woods, still thinking about David. And those bruises... in past days they'd been getting worse. He got another glimpse after Nikki stole his scarf on a dare.

They were not normal bruises, they looked like someone had violently attacked him. The scratches ran erratically down to his collar bones, and large purple marks populated his usually clear skin.

Max had tried to question him, of course, but David always clammed up or changed the subject fast.

Why?

Being so deep in thought, his feet had taken him deep into the woods. When Max looked up, he found himself back at the rocks from the hike. Then he noticed something that made his blood run cold.

There was someone leaning against the rocks, holding their head and giggling quietly.
The giggles slowly died away and an eerie, sing-song voice replaced them.

"My my, is that a black sheep I see?"

Max froze.

The figure turned to him and gave a cruel grin, teeth shining in the moonlight.

Crack.
Crack.
Crrrrack.

With each step, the figure's body cracked and snapped. It was so... twitchy. Excitable.
Max started to step back, stifling a scream as the figure held up a knife, huge and dangerously sharp.

It took a second for Max to process this, and then he was running. Where to he didn't know, but away sounded good. Footsteps fell heavy on the forest floor, and the figure was gaining.

Max could feel the figure's breath on his neck and couldn't help but let out a short "FUCK!". Then, just as suddenly, the figure was gone. And Max stumbled into the camp alone.

Breathing heavy and terrified, a sweaty Max stumbled into his tent and grabbed his teddy bear, holding it close to his chest as tears pricked in his eyes.

The next morning, Max was quiet, subdued. Any attempts from Neil or Nikki wouldn't get his attention. He went through the motions of the day, but his eyes were glassy and hollow.

Now Max prided himself in not being easily shaken, but this had been different. He had been in real, mortal danger. Alone. Suddenly he noticed that he was shaking violently, hugging himself so tight his arms and ribs hurt.

Neil gave him a worried look, and Nikki bordered the line of panicked. "Are you alright?" He finally asked. Max gave him a withering glare. "No."

"Hey Max, I need you to come with me, alone." All three looked up at David, who wore an expression of worry. His eyes were steely, and Max for once simply complied, sending a weak thumbs up to his friends.

David lead him around back of the mess hall building. "Max, you've been awful quiet today. And you're shaking like a leaf! I know that look, it's the look of a kid who's seen something horrible. What happened Max?"

And he hated it, hated how genuine David was. Hated the kindness in his voice, hated how his eyes filled with tears and how he fell into David's arms with a loud sob.

Slowly David slid down the wall, allowing Max to curl up against his chest and just cry. It took a minute, but Max composed himself enough to talk to David.
"Last night, I-I couldn't sleep so I left my tent. I was distracted so I headed into the woods. However long I walked, I ended up back at the rocks we found on the hike. But when I looked, someone was there." Max paused to let a shiver run through his body. "They said something about a black sheep and then started to c-come towards me. I panicked and fucking ran for my l-life! They almost had me but they just-" Max made a vauge movement with his hands. "Disappeared. Like they'd never been there."

Looking up, Max saw the rage in David's gaze. Wow, ok, that was new. Max put his hand against David's chest, and felt how his heart was beating like a hummingbird's wings. "You weren't hurt at all though right?" Asked David, with a tone of voice that was clearly concealed fury.

"Y-yea, somehow I'm fine." Max yelped as David yanked him into a tight embrace, a little tear slipping out of the redhead's eye and down his cheek. "I'm just glad you're ok. And that you told me. I'll make sure that whoever is lurking in the woods is found and taken care of. I won't let him hurt any of you."

One look at David's face was all it took for Max to believe him. "T-thanks David..." he mumbled, feeling a bit more like his old self. "This doesn't mean I like you or anything! You were just warm is all." The ten year old grumpily insisted. David laughed. "Of course Max. And why don't you take the day off? After everything you went through, you deserve at least that."

Brushing himself off, David stood up and pulled Max to his feet. The ravenette nodded, a weak smile playing on his face. With a wave, he was off, and David watched him go. His fists clenched so tightly that he felt blood in his palms.

Whoever did this was going to pay, David would make sure of that.

But how?

Ah, of course.

You never know when you'll need steel cord, right?

( oooo steel cord's finally gonna actually matter to the plot!! Plus Daniel, who doesn't love the horrible cult man? Don't worry, you'll get more of him soon ;) this is a david-centric story, so the romance will be a little more slow burn to actually fully develop, but it'll all be worth it I swear! -Ssankirtana)