Camp camp short stories!

The first day (Part 1)

Daniel's stomach heaved violently, urged on by the sharp pain in his abdomen. He stumbled, tripping over roots and fallen branches as his vision blurred with tears. For a moment, he was moving forward blindly, sure that he would trip and fall at any second. Then he felt his shoulder connect heavily with the sturdy trunk of a tree. He leaned against it gratefully, steadying himself as he dry-heaved. Saliva escaped the corners of his mouth and dribbled down to his chin, collecting there before dripping onto the forest floor.

He wiped his mouth and chin with the back of his hand. It came away bloody.

Gritting his teeth, Daniel pushed himself off of the tree and continued deeper into the woods. As he limped onward, his thin blue hospital gown kept getting tangled in bushes and caught on thorns and vines. He couldn't bring himself to care. He simply tugged until the edges ripped away, never stopping to properly untangle himself. And why should he care about something so trivial? There was only one thing that was truly important, only one thing he needed to focus on. If only he wasn't so weak—

A sharp snap came from underneath him, and Daniel suddenly found himself lying face-down in the dirt. His whole body spasmed, muscles twitching pathetically in a vain attempt to fight against the poison corrupting his system. Rocks and twigs poked harshly into him, and he let out a pained groan. For a time, he was aware of only the sound of blood rushing in his ears, and the low hum of insects. Daniel could feel the patches where sunlight was able to breach the tree line, imagined the heat growing in intensity until it swallowed him up; until his body erupted in a billowing pyre, his thetan released into the clear blue sky.

He must have passed out, for the next thing Daniel remembered was the cool slant of late afternoon light. A breeze blew along the forest floor, and he shivered. Whoever had invented hospital gowns ought to be dug up and killed again, he thought bitterly to himself.

When he finally found strength enough to move, Daniel discovered that his legs had grown even weaker than before. Just rising to his knees took a herculean effort. A quick mental scan of his body revealed that sometime between lying on the ground and sitting up, his nose had started bleeding; a muscle in his left foot would not stop twitching; a constellation of bruises was blooming all over his pale skin.

The reality of his body's mortality hit him all at once. That would not be a problem — should not be a problem — except Daniel had unfinished business. If he died now, his thetan would move on, be reincarnated into some other form. He could become anything, might end up anywhere. There was no guarantee that he'd even return to Earth.

But the man he hated lived here, on Earth. Therefore, Daniel also had to remain on Earth. He had unfinished business; he could not leave yet. He'd be damned if he didn't finish what he'd come to do, refused to be denied delivering just retribution upon the one who had dared to stand in his way.

Before he knew it, he was standing, feet moving him jerkily towards his destination: the campgrounds. Every part of his body urged him to stop, to rest, but he clenched his fists and pushed on. Setting his jaw, Daniel resolutely ignored the angry spasming of his stomach, the achy hollowness of his arms, the tremor in his legs. He had to push past the pain — knew how to push past pain. He just had to remember how. He just needed his body to remember how.

Night was rapidly approaching, the low sun casting long shadows all around him. Daniel knew he shouldn't continue all night. He was already weak and tired, and traveling in the dark would be dangerous. Still, what else was he to do? He had yet to reach the camp proper, and was in no state to construct even a basic shelter for himself.

A soft breeze blew by, carrying on it the sound of crickets and the smell of summer. Warm, pleasant summer. Daniel briefly allowed himself to revisit a different summer. A better summer, warmer and comforting.