The Father The Son The Campe Diem: ALT

Prologue

"Like always, I never know where I am or why I'm here. I know I'm outside in a forest but I don't how I got there. It's dark and really cold out here and it always seems like I'll never find my way out, but I always do. It's in this clearing where I always feel a small sense of relief since I feel as though I'm on the right path, but that's when I see him. As always he never sees me until he's done with his mess, but when he does all I can see are the most lifeless pair of eyes before it all fades to black. Then I wake up, same shit different day. So what's my diagnosis, doc, am I crazy or what?"

Gwen scratched the back of her head nervously as she looked at her blank clipboard. She was supposed to be writing things down that could help her young "patient"  with his issues, but all she'd managed to do was stare at him blankly as he went on about the various dreams and thoughts he has on the daily basis. The ten year old snickered at her expression as he sat up and stretched before hopping out of his seat to leave her with her thoughts so he could go make some mischief, stopping only when she said his name in a low voice. He didn't look to her, nor she to him, but that didn't stop her from speaking since she knew he was listening more intently than ever.

"Are you okay?"

"You worthless little shit!!"

"Why can't you do anything right?!"

"Such a waste..."

"Eat shit, Satan!"

"...Yeah, I'm fine. Same time next week?"

"Sure kid, see ya later."

Max smirked to himself as he left the cabin and pulled his hoodie up and over his enormous mound of curls before pulling out David's phone and a pair of earbuds. It was a short walk back to his tent but he decided to take it slow so he could enjoy one of the various playlists he'd created on his counselor's device. David rarely used his phone and naturally had a lot of space available, space that Max would definitely take advantage of. As he passed the tents of the other campers he remarked to himself about how amazing it was that camp was nearly over. Months had passed in an instant and soon they would all be returning to their cushy lives with their shitty parents, shitty friends, and shitty schools. Yup, life really was horrible, especially if you were Max.

"NO, STOP!! GET AWAY!!" David howled for mercy as Nikki and Nurf bit and chewed on him in various areas while the other campers cackled with depraved laughter at the man's pain. It brought Max a sense of joy too since he'd loathed David since the start of camp, but to say that he did now would be a lie. Of course he didn't actually like David like most of the kids did, but rather he was able to find the man a bit more tolerable than he had beforehand. David, the lanky, red haired fuck that always wore a goofy grin and childish persona. The only person besides Gwen to ever show him a lick of kindness despite his initial horrid disposition. But that was the job right? Pretend so that at the end of the summer they both got their checks for dealing with some shitty kids they probably didn't have to worry about the next year? Was that all he was, a small portion of the wages they would receive after the summer was over? Of course he was, why would he think that he mattered to them? He was nothing more than a pest, an asshole, Satan, a little shit, worthless. Nothing.

The ten year old grit his teeth and pulled his hoodie down even further so no one could see his eyes as he continued on his way to his tent, never once noticing that David had seen him and was watching with concerned eyes as he continued to be mauled by the others. He wanted to help Max more than anything, but he couldn't do that since he knew the kid would rather die than let him in. How do you help someone who won't let you help them?

Max burst into his tent in an angry huff and threw the accursed phone somewhere and growled as his overwhelming emotions overtook him once more and caused him to burst into tears as he collapsed onto the cool ground and wept. Why did it hurt so bad? Why was everyone a liar? Why had his life been hell from a young age? Why the fuck was he doing this here of all places when he knew that someone could just come in and catch him in such a vulnerable state?! I'll tell you why, he was stupid. In his mind he was nothing more than a stupid waste of space that wasn't worth any time or effort. To be near him was to hate him for merely existing the best way he knew how. He was a survivor and for others that was an issue, and rather than try to help and understand him they chose to condemn and berate. But, for the briefest moments he allowed himself to believe that things here were different. He believed that he had friends, but they were merely camp friends that would forget he even existed the moment they got in their parent's vehicle. "Stupid." He believed Gwen was a cool adult, but she was nothing more than a developing basket case that popped more pills than a middle aged housewife in the suburbs. She'd only taken a "liking" to him because he was less annoying than the other kids and that was only because he chose to be. She'd made her true feelings about him known when she outed him about his teddy bear and for that he'd never forgive her even if they were on decent terms now. "Stupid." And then there was David, good old fake ass David. The bane of his existence. The biggest idiot he'd ever known. The only person that could make his heart ache the way that it was right now as he rocked himself back and forth in an attempt to calm down. Why? Why had he let him get so close when he normally didn't trust anyone? Why did he feel happy when that asshole was proud of him? Why did he actually like all the hair ruffles he shoved away after they started? Because, he was stupid, and it was time for that knowledge to sink in.

With his outburst quelled, Max reached under his bed and pulled out a first aid kit that contained a few bandages, gauze, antiseptic, and an opened pack of razor blades. Holding that cold piece of metal in his tiny fingers made the situation real for him, for he knew that there was thing he could truly count on in this life: pain. In almost rehearsed fashion, he rolled up his sleeves and began to unravel the bandages that were already in place and stained with old, dried blood. Scars, both new and old, littered the boy's skin as he held the blade up to one of the older ones and with one quick swipe, reopened it. The process was repeated over and over again until both arms were bleeding and the blade was stained with red. Max hadn't let out a single cry during the process and merely settled for grunts of discomfort with the metal bit particularly deep in certain areas. He watched as his precious plasma flowed openly from his wounds and scoffed as he began to feel the pain throb throughout his body. If the choice were up to him he'd let himself bleed out and die right here, but he couldn't do that to everyone else by scarring them with the sight of his bloody corpse laying there on the ground being feasted upon by maggots and flies. Yes, even while harming himself he was still thinking of the others and berating himself internally for it by promising to cut extra next time for it. Antiseptic was poured over the wounds unceremoniously, resulting in the boy hissing in pain before he re-wrapped his arms with new bandages before hiding the older ones under his bed so he could burn them later.

He was tired, maybe from the blood loss or maybe because he was just over everything in general. Either way he was exhausted and wearily picked up the phone and earbuds before collapsing on his bed with his back to the tent's entrance. His vision was fading fast as he scrolled through the numerous songs, eventually coming across one he hadn't downloaded but was named "June 16th". He winced as the song started and he realized what it was: David's stupid Camp Campbell song. He rolled his eyes so hard he thought that they'd get stuck in the back of his head as he prepared to skip the song but stopped just as his finger was about to press the skip button. It wasn't THAT long...and he'd be asleep the moment he closed his eyes so what could it hurt? With that excuse in place, Max curled up and pulled his bear out from its hiding place and held it to his chest as he allowed David's voice to lull him to sleep.

I know it sounds hard to believe 
But guys and gals it's true 
Camp Campbell is the place for me and you!

"Tt, sure it is, David. Sure it is."