A freezing problem
Neil stood while shivering in the woods, snow covering everything around him and the cold making his cheeks turn red. Why did David have to choose hide and seek? Why couldn't they play something else? Winter was bullshit.
He should have listened to Max, but goddammit, why did he have to be right most of the time?
Why did he have to be always so smug about it?
Neil internally rolled his eyes. He was tired, cold, and extremely pissed off. Where the hell was everyone? They couldn't stay hidden in the snow for that long...
...Could they?
"Guys?!" he yelled. "C'mon, you can come out now! I don't wanna play anymore!"
No one responded.
"Nikki? Are you there?"
" Max?!" His voice broke, then he sniffled, stubbornly wiping away the tears stinging his eyes. "Anyone?!"
The camper shivered again; it was getting worse. The wind was slowly throwing him sideways, and the falling snow blocked his view. He definitely was in trouble. Staying in one place wasn't safe anymore.
"I'm in deep shit..."
That was the only thing he said before wandering further into the forest, the opposite way to camp. He was lost. Mostly scared, but he also felt something else... Anger. Why, you may ask? It was simple, clearly.
They left him there.
Alone. They forgot about him. Even Nikki, even Max...
What did he expect anyways? He wasn't that important, he never was. He never was important enough for his friends. That was just the way it worked.
"Stop rambling..." he murmured, though mentally slapped himself afterwards. He couldn't do this here. Not now. It wasn't time to get emotional, he had to hide somewhere. Otherwise...
Otherwise Neil would freeze and die.
"What the fuck do you mean, he's not here?!" Gwen seethed at the campers. They watched with wide eyes, cowering in a small circle.
"W-Well," Nerris spoke up, "we all were playing hide and seek, then David called us back, and we just thought he was with us the whole time!"
"You thought? You thought— I am going to lose my mind because of you all. Did anyone see him go further into the forest?"
They all shook their heads. Nikki slowly started tearing up.
"Can't we go look for him?" She pouted, putting on her best puppy dog eyes. "I can get my wolf pack to search for him, and maybe we can even get the platypus to help out!"
Gwen just sighed. She was in no mood for this. Not like she ever was, anyway.
"No, Nikki, all that would do is scare the living shit out of him. Besides... Have you seen David anywhere?"
Max shifted uncomfortably. The counselor narrowed her eyes.
"C'mon, Max, spit it out."
The camper rolled his eyes.
"Fine," he shrugged. "But just before you say I didn't warn you, he looks like a fucked up, freaked out mess, so he's not exactly a joy to be around."
At the news, Gwen couldn't help but groan. Of course David panicked, of fucking course.
"You know what, why don't you deal with his emotional shit, instead? He's at the docks, isn't he?"
The camper just nodded. Don't get him wrong, he didn't give a shit about David. Though inside, his heart stirred a bit with worry, trying to claw its way out.
He shoved it back down.
Ugh . Time to get this over with.
Max quietly walked out of the Mess Hall, hands stuffed in his pockets until he saw a lanky counselor bouncing along the docks. It was David, obviously. Yet the camper wasn't startled at all before he saw his eyes. They were rimmed with red, his bottom lip trembling, glazed over with fear and concern. The kid just watched him pace around nervously, hearing him mumble:
"It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault—"
"It's not your fault, David."
The ginger's head snapped up, quickly wiping his eyes as he smiled at him, trying to hide his current state. Typical David.
"Oh- sorry, Max! I didn't see you there!"
Max took a deep breath. Guess it was time to knock some sense into him.
"Look, Camp Man, I'm not going to say this twice, so listen the fuck up. Whatever stuff is currently going on in your head, just know, Neil getting lost in the woods isn't your fault, okay? We all screwed this up. I should have suspected that this whole hide and seek game wasn't going to end well. Still, none of us are really responsible for what happened. Neil will be fine."
He has to be fine.
"I... Alright. Whatever you say, kiddo," David whispered, slumping in defeat, though still continued to pace down the docks. Max sighed. Shit was going down too fast for his liking. He hoped his best friend was okay.