Camp Camp GC Fic

The Ritual

Harrison sat Max down that night and explained the ritual.

They needed an object of hers.

They needed her body.

They needed a bonfire.

They needed one of Harrison's stupid spells.

And finally, they needed a lava rock from the top of a volcano.

Max then knew why they had only approached him about this now.

The object was first, and Max knew exactly what to use. In the bottom of his suitcase, he kept a necklace he had gifted her for her 16th birthday. She never wore it, because she was not that type of girl. He knew this, but David had insisted that he be a "gentleman" and buy her jewelry.  She laughed when she saw it. Laughed. But said she loved it, and wore it every day for a week and then never again. 

Three months after she passed, a package appeared at Max's front door. In it, was a small note. 

Max,

Here's a few of Nicolette's things. We aren't going to keep them.

In the box, was the necklace and a volleyball. Max couldn't help but feel pissed at this gesture.

But when he found out about the ritual, he was suddenly grateful.

Next was the body, which was taken care of by the QM. He was pretty disgusted at the fact that he had her body, and did not want to know the details of how he got it. QM also took care of the bonfire.

Harrison had the spells, which left the lava rock to Max.

So, on a hot summers morning in upstate New York, Max took to the mountains and prepared himself to retrieve the lava rock. He leaned down to tie his shoes tight, and determined, he began climbing. 

He thought about calling Neil. He decided against it. This was something he had to do. Fuck everyone else. He was the one struggling. He was the one who cried every night. And he was the one who had to do this. Alone. 

Max knew this was selfish, but he didn't care. Nikki was all he cared about. Someone who didn't deserve to die. Someone who was lovely, who had a beautiful future. A future with him! It was unfair. He had gotten so lucky with her, and it was all torn away. But a chance to have it back?

He'd so fucking anything.

And he did. He climbed all day. His hands were bruised, his face was dripping sweat,  and his hair was soaked. He didn't give a single shit. This task was to save his life, save Nikki's life. 

The sun was setting. He was in the final stretch. His throat was burning, his brain aching. He persisted. At some point, he had scraped his hand on a rock and it was still bleeding. He did not care. The sooner the better. His chest felt heavy and it hurt to breathe.

He kept climbing.

And in the pitch black, he reached the top of the volcano.

The lava bubbled exquisitely. The heat encapsulated him, and he squinted and searched for the lava rock. Harrison had given a description. Orange, slightly crystalized, smaller than a phone. Max searched around the edge of the volcano for what seemed like hours until his eyes set on it.

The final thing to bring her back.

He slowly reached forward and grabbed it. It was scorching hot, and burned his hand. He sniffed the air and smelled his flesh burning awfully. He shook his head and put the rock in his pocket, zipping it up. 

The journey there was long. The journey back would feel longer, he knew.

But he was ready. He knew it was worth it.