Max's Mistake

Chapter Three

Gwen hung up the phone after calling for the sheriff. She looked outside her cabin to see the kids scavenging for weapons to beat the sh*t out of Daniel. "Something doesn't feel right.." she mumbled, doing a quick head count of the kids. Nikki, Neil, Nerris, Nurf, Space Kid, Dolph, Preston, Herrison, Ered and-

"Oh no."

'I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'M GOING TO F**CKING DIE BY THIS D@MN LUNATIC CULTIST!!' Max couldn't calm down his thought and he hadn't notice the sting in his eyes. "I don't want to die!" He shouted.

"And you won't!" Max looked ahead and saw Gwen, running at them. She kicked the blonde down where the sun don't shine area, forcing Daniel to let go of Max and let him fall into her arms. "How do you get yourself in so much trouble?" Gwen rhetorically asked, running away from Daniel.

"I am a troublemaker, Gwen." Max said, relieved to be in someone else's arms instead of Daniel's.

"We need to find David and get your little sh*t @ss to safety." Gwen said, running towards the camp.

"Well, if we're going to save David, shouldn't we be heading to the shelter?" Max inquired, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You're definitely not coming with us. Daniel's probably waiting for you there." Gwen slowed when they reached the campers tents. "We're going to make Daniel think you went with us while we go and rescue David. Since you know this place inside and out, I suggest you go and find a place to hide from Daniel. Keep an eye out for the sheriff by the way." she explained briefly, putting him down.

"Fine, but only because I don't want to die." Max grumbled, walking to his tent nonchalantly. Gwen inhaled deeply and turned to the kids holding sharp objects or large ones at that.

"Alright kids," she started. "stay together and, um, don't die." the counselor told the children. Their reply were loud cheering and "yeahs!" from them. "Let's make this quick." she added before sprinting to the bunker with kids following her.

Max heard the footsteps move further and further away from the circle of tents. Of course he wasn't going to stay in hit tent, he just wanted to grab Mr. Honey Nuts before he had to leave. Mr. Honey Nuts was sitting on his cot, neatly placed on his pillow like how he was left that morning. Max grinned and snatched his teddy bear, hugging it tight and burying his face into it. "My only comfort in this god forsaken camp." Max whispered, turning to leave the tent. He searched the area to determine if it was safe to leave his tent. "Coast is clear." he mumbled to himself, jogging out. He mapped the entire camp in his head, trying to figure out where would be the best place to hide until the group returned. He was jumpier now, flinching at the sounds and noises every little thing made. A small dragonfly flew over his head and Max ducked down, covering his hair with his arms. He finally relaxed himself a little to continue moving his short, thin legs down the path to the counselor cabin. Some people might've thought he would be hiding at Spooky Island or at the mess hall, but he's just going to hide in Gwen's cabinets.

He arrived at the cabin and opened the door, checking inside and outside of the wooden lodge. He quietly closed the door, deciding whether or not to lock the door or not. It would cause suspicion if Daniel were to check in the cabin, but then it would ensure his safety a little more. He decided not to, crawling under the bed and snuggling with his teddy bear. He laid in the fetus position; his legs bent and thighs against his chest while protectively holding onto Mr. Honey Nuts. Today was at the top of his list of chaotic events at the camp. He recalled the events leading up to where he was now: him, Neil, and Nikki sneaking out to the shelter to watch a horror movie. Then, they get caught by David's doppleganger and that's when Max started to lose sleep over the fact "David" looked strangely at him. After that, he jumped to the conclusion that David was taken by a torso stealing alien that was going to eat everyone at the camp. Next, he was assumed wrong by his theory and willingly went to counseling and that's when Daniel revealed himself. He was glad about the fact that David wasn't some torso eating alien or something else.

Max must've dozed off at some point because he felt sluggish and groggy when he opened his eyes. Max poked his head out slightly and looked around. No sign of anyone but him entering the cabin. 'The others should be back by now,' he thought, crawling out from under the bed slowly and cautiously. He still has a sense of dread in his stomach, sending signals to his brain to retreat back under the dusty bed. Max dragged himself lazily to the window and poked his little head out. He couldn't see anything or anyone suspicious outside, but he couldn't assume that it was safe to leave now. "For all I know, that f**king cultist might be outside still." Max uttered to himself.

Max spotted a dark figure approaching the cabin, an almost recognizable silhouette that sent chills down his spine and causing him to shiver. He couldn't take chances and retreated back under the bed. He held Mr. Honey Nuts close to his chest, heart pounding against his chest as he heard someone swing the door open slowly. He saw David's familiar boots walking across the floor.

Gwen finished bandaging David's knee in the shelter, grateful for the bomb shelter to have medical supplies. Nerris, Neil, Preston, and Dolph kept the older man occupied while the other half-Nikki, Nurf, Herrison, and Ered- kept watch.

"Where's Max?" David asked for the umpteenth time since they got their.

"Like I said," Gwen replied in an annoying tone. "he is fine. He may be a child, but he knows this place better than you and I combined." she helped him up and acted as a support.

'I hope.' Gwen said in her head. She was not ready to lose that little sh*t head by the hands of Daniel. Not today, not ever.

"And you are absolutely sure he's fine?" David inquired.

"Ask one more time and I'll sock you in the face with Space Kid."