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littleladysongbird · 7 years

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Bastard Valley: A Camp Camp Apocalypse AU

The official first chapter; a sequel to this short story I published a few weeks back.

The valley of Sleepy Peak Peak is overrun with wild children, all of whom are desperate and violent and completely fucked up. And as winter approaches, Max, Nikki, and Neil have become more desperate for the tools they need to survive.

Perhaps a little too desperate.

(As always; I do not own the characters or the show; I only write the words before you here).

Warning: Intense violence/gore from here on out.

***

Bastard Valley: Chapter One

They call it Bastard Valley: overrun with violent children without supervision or guidance. It's a war-zone of survival, and those few who are lucky enough to escape never wish to go back, even for the friends they left behind.

But even children are capable of sophistication in times of desperation, and Bastard Valley, for being known as hell on earth, was still divided and organized to a certain extent. To the north, along the cracked clay deserts beneath the mountains, the Wood Scouts reigned: powerful and merciless to all who opposed them. More south, in the overgrown clearings and hills, the Flower Scouts resided: cold hearted and practically isolated from the rest of Bastard country. Bands of child pirates fought by western shores of the lake, and groups of wild children ran under the canopy of the woods, each more ruthlessly violent than the last.

None of them were completely safe; not even the strongest among them.

“Kick his ass Max!” Nikki screamed from the rooftop, lungs burning dry from the frost that had begun to settle. The crowd below her seemed to swell in argument, completely circling the two opponents in the ring.

From a strictly visual standpoint, Max was at a complete disadvantage. He stood at half the height of his opponent, and was nowhere near a comparable body weight. Had Neil had his way, they’d be back at the cave, bundled under stolen blankets and doing their best to cure their frostbite and injuries from hunting.

Instead, they were competing in the fighting ring for a god-damn saw.

“You’re a sad sack of shit, aren’t you pipsqueak?” Nerf laughed, tossing his shirt aside. Max merely rolled his eyes, tearing off his own and tossing it to Neil with no acknowledgement of the freezing air.

“Better than being a dumb sack of shit.”

Nikki’s laughter roared from above, setting off a ferocious wave of noise that did nothing but aggravate his imposing opponent.

“I’m gonna fucking kill you.” The threat is definite, signaling a hard, bone-shattering punch across Max’s face, breaking his nose with a loud crunch that silences the crowd around them.

The entire crowd falls silent. Even Nerf, breathing low and triumphant, stands stunned by his own actions. Max coughed, nearly paralyzed at the strength of the force and the strong damage of the injury. But he’s stubborn, crawling back up on his feet, blood pouring down his face and dripping from a wicked smile.

“You fucked up.” Nurf hit the ground, his own ribs cracking as Max dealt a swift round of kicks to his own nose. Within minutes they’re both on the ground, blood splattering and gushing from wounds sliced open by the crushed pavement below them. The fight lasted for five minutes, until the red-splattered ground turned into a pool of blood. The bell clattered, calling for the forcible separation of the two boys. Preston declared a tie, but the true winner was clear:

Nerf looked like shit, but was still standing with strength and determination.

Max had been completely shattered.

He couldn’t stand. He could hardly breathe, leaning on Neil for support as he tried to open his mouth. His entire body was stained in heavy patches of red. His skin was swollen a dark purple, coated in thick layers of frost-covered chalk.

Even Nikki was completely shaken by the sight of him.

“Max?” She whispered, unnaturally innocent and whispy, “are you going to be okay?”

“Get the saw, we need to go.” Neil hoisted Max onto his back, tugging hard so that his own jacket could cover the scar tissue on his back. Nikki ran through the crowd, the saw hoisted sharply at her hip, as the three of them left the fighting ring, which was already being cleaned and prepared for the next round.

They were silent until the lights of town were long lost in the undergrove, snow finally flaking down through the pines. Neil coughed, too weak to carry Max much farther.

“Nikki,” he stopped, “get him off me, can you? Back’s fucked up.”

Nikki was silent, gently grabbing Max and laying him on the blanket. He had fallen asleep during the walk, and the sudden sting of snowflakes on his face had finally roused him.

“Fuck.”

“You’re a fucking moron.” Neil sighed, holding up the saw. “At this rate this piece of shit is gonna be cutting your casket.”

“Don’t be such an ass, Neil.” Max coughed. “You know everyone’s out hunting whatever the fuck they can find; we need those fucking fish to...fucking hell-”

“Quit talking.” Nikki hushed her friend. “You look like you’re a zombie, are you sure you didn’t die on the way here?”

“Come on Nikki, quit joking.” Neil sat down to look at Max’s injuries, wincing at the sheer gore. The cuts were deep, some of the stones still stuck inside his skin. His nose was crooked, and his eye completely black. Wiping his hands in the fallen snow, Neil examined one of the gashes on his arm.

A thin, liquid pus had begun to form.

“...We’re fucked.” Neil’s eyes were dark, lost in panic and complete disbelief at the fate of his friend. “He needs direct medical attention or he’s going to fucking die.”

Nikki blinked, unwilling to register what he was saying. “No, you don’t mean that. It’s Max! He’s going to be fine!”

“Nikki, he’s going to get an infection. Even if we used every clean cloth and boiled hot water and all of the liquor we found, he could lose an arm or leg over this.”

“I’m right,” Max wheezed, “fucking here, you dipshits!”

“You don’t get to fucking talk!” Neil snapped. “Obviously you’re really shitty about trying to make decisions that guarantee you’re gonna survive here in this hell hole. So unless you got a bright idea for what to do with you, you can shut the-”

“I know.”

The boys stopped talking, taken aback by the sudden serious tone in Nikki’s voice. Her eyes were fixed out into the woods, glazing over snow dusted logs and rocks until there was nothing but the dark shadow of the woods.

“There’s a man who roams about here; with a big mask and gun. I see him sometimes when I’m out hunting. He doesn’t say anything, but he’s there.” She turned to her boys, defiantly smiling. “He lives by the lake in some cabin; I’m sure he has to have medicine; he’s always collecting plants and shit and putting them in his bag. It’s a long shot, but if it means Max doesn’t die, then I think it’s worth a shot.”

Both boys looked at each other. Max sighed, too tired to argue anymore.

“Fine. Nikki, when do you want to go?”

“Right now!” She chirped, hoisting Max and his blanket upon her shoulders. Neil yelped, stunned as Nikki grabbed his arm and dragged him through the windy, dark woods, the saw cluttering behind them with every quickened step. The moon was still shining, and while it was hard to see, the snowflakes lit the path just enough for them to pass through without tripping over a spare root or natural ledge. Their lungs burned like fire, dry and exhausted and desperate for a miracle, but it got them to the clearing, and the cabin that snugly situated itself just off the shoreline.

The snow appeared to make everything new again; coating all possible activities of human life. The windows were dark and foggy; its beams sturdy enough to withstand the wind. Nikki and Neil exchanged a look, slightly hesitant to move any closer.

“You sure this is the right place Nick?”

“One way to find out.” She slowly approached the door, careful not to let Max drop from her arms. With a sharp flick of her ankle, the house shook, sure to rouse whoever or whatever resided inside, if anything was still there.

But the house was still silent; no doors or floorboards creaked from the inside. Nikki kicked the door again.

“Let us in!” Her voice cracked in the wind. “We need to see the woodsman!”

The door opened sharply, revealing a shaded figure and the polished barrel of a shotgun.

“Who the fuck are you?” The voice was serious, unsuspectingly stoic and distinctly feminine. Neil stepped in front of Nikki, arms raised in defense.

“We need medicine. Please, just let us stay the night. We’ll pay you back in blankets or firewood or shit.”

“What makes you think I have medicine?”

“We don’t. We’re just-”

“Come on, Gwen,” a softer voice called from within the cabin, “let them in.” Slowly, the barrel dropped, replaced with a stern, weather-worn face. Gwen didn’t offer a shred of comforting expression, but she was calm, slowly opening the door and letting the three children into the foyer.

#diana writes #camp camp #camp camp fic #camp camp au #cc max #cc nikki #cc neil #apocolypse au #tw violence

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