Psychotic Home (Camp Camp Fanfiction)

5 // Close Encounter

All the lights in the house were off, which, luckily for Max, most likely meant everyone was asleep.

The young boy did his best to keep himself silent as he stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen to the only phone in the house- an old home phone sitting on the counter. He had slipped on his blue hoodie over his bloodied clothes and was holding his bear in one hand, while clenching the note from David in the other.

The young boys trembling hands reached out to the phone and he dialed the number on the paper, glancing at the clock and praying David would answer.

'1:16... please be awake...' Max never thought he'd depend on someone so much.

The phone rang..and rang. Max was about to give up when somebody finally answered.

"Hello?" Came a sleepy voice.

"David? Is that you?" Max whispered, so relieved he began tearing up.

"Max? Wha- yes! Yes it's me! What's wrong?"

"I-I need you to come pick me up." Max said, beginning to hyperventilate as he heard someone upstairs. "And-And I'm gonna need you t-to hurry."

"Ok ok! what's your address?"

Max gave him the address and David said he'd be there in twenty minutes at most, which for Max wasn't that great. He set the phone down.

The young boy took a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself and get his thoughts together.

'Calm yourself, Max. Get your shit together. Your parents are both upstairs...one is abusive and one's insane -What's new? You're bleeding and someone is on their way to get you. You're ok.' Max tried his best to clear his head by explaining the situation to himself but it didn't do much besides make him panic a bit more.

Suddenly a voice came from behind him.

"What do you think you're doing, boy?" A man said.

Max jumped and spun around, clutching his bear tightly to his chest.

"N-nothing d-dad." Max stammered, sounding rather scared, "I mean-I mean...it's...none of your business." He tried to compose himself and act like he wasn't about to faint from blood-loss and fear but it wasn't working well.

"So you just decided to come stand in the kitchen at one in the morning?" Max's dad began approaching him slowly, which to a ten year old looked very scary in the darkness.

"D-dad just leave me alone. I was looking for a snack."

"Oh really? Then who were you talking on the phone with?"

"Wh-" Max's blood ran cold and tears pricked the corner of his eyes, his chest heaved up and down and the world swayed. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking.

"I-I was- I was- I was...talking to...to...my bear."

"What?"

"My bear. I was talking to my bear. I didn't want to tell you because I was embarrassed, are you happy now?" Max sounded just like his regular self now, you'd never guess he was bleeding out underneath his hoodie.

His dad stood there for a moment, smirking, then he laughed.

"Grow up." He said, snatching the bear and tossing it to the side. Max reached for it for a second, then stopped himself and shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets.

"Get to bed." Max's dad said.

Max, slightly swaying, stumbled back up the stairs with tears in his eyes, then made it to his room.

He sat on his bed, his knees pulled up to his chest as he fought to stay awake. His father was rummaging around in the fridge downstairs.

'As soon as dad goes to his room I'm grabbing Mr. Honeynuts and leaving with David.' Max smirked, 'my parents have no idea that they'll never see me again.'