His crisp clothes sank into the creases of his arms as he walked forward, his smile growing wide as the freckles on David's face became clear. His pointed nose turned down as he looked over at Max, but his head whipped back to David.
David's shaky voice tried to be as stern as it could, "Why are you here?"
Daniel chuckled, "I missed you. I missed you so much."
Max's lips curled into a scowl, "Get the fuck away from here. So help me if you get close to the camp-"
"Aw, Max. How cute! You're so protective of your little friends."
David shook his head, moving Max away from Daniel. He was almost hard to recognize, for his plain white clothes were all replaced with a red flannel and ripped jeans. His combat boots were untied, and his beanie sagged to the side of his head. But his crazy blue eyes still stuck. And his slightly tilted head, seemingly getting closer.
Daniel grabbed David's wrist, running his finger across his forearm. David could feel his heart racing, nervous of what he might do. He scanned Daniel's body, looking for the knife. But Daniel just kept outlining him with is index finger. When he looked back at Daniel's face there was a red tint to it, almost as if he were flustered. David snatched his arm away, his breaths quick and painful.
Daniel frowned, "David. Didn't you miss me too? I thought of you the whole time while I was in the cell. At first I wanted to get revenge, but then I realized it wasn't your fault. You didn't know any better. The more I thought about you, the more I longed for you. So I'm here now."
David glared at him, "Longed for me? You aren't getting anywhere near me. You aren't going to trick me. Leave my camp alone."
Daniel's blush grew as he smiled, "Cute. You think I want the camp. I don't care about the camp anymore. I don't care about anything. But I do care about you. You are all I need."
Max straightened his back, "Stop being gay! Seriously what the fuck is wrong with you? Don't you have children to kill? Fuck off!"
Daniel's head snapped, "I forgot about your temper. You should try not to get mad so easily. Also, you shouldn't judge a person based on their sexuality Max. I thought you thought him better than this? I guess he's a work in progress..."
Daniel slowly walked forward, kneeling down. David's arm blocked him from getting closer, but he just moved it out of the way. His hand caressed Max's cheek, and he chuckled. He looked at Max's hoodie. The sleeves were uneven, so he fixed it. He straightened the hood, pulling up the shirt underneath. Max just stared at him, confused. Daniel stepped back, admiring his work.
"Much better. No one likes a mess, do they?"
"Exactly no one likes a mess. So go away. Mess."
"I'll never understand how you do it David. To each their own I guess."
David clutched his pills tightly, staring at Daniel, "I don't understand why you are here. Please leave us alone... I don't want to be rude, but you seriously messed up Daniel."
Daniel sighed, the shine in his eyes dulling, "I know. But I've changed. I don't do that anymore. Not since I got out of jail. I don't need to help people ascend! They aren't worth it. The only thing really worthwhile is you David," he held out his hand, "Won't you trust me?"
He didn't take Daniel's hand. He hovered over the words for a moment, their eyes level. His gut told him to call the police, but his heart said to just let it go. No part of him told him to take his hand. No part trusted him. He sighed, "No."
"No?"
Daniel's smile fell to a frown once more. He looked defeated, crushed. He stared at his shaky hand, eyebrows lowering. Tears fell from his eyes, then laughter from his mouth. He covered his mouth, spastically laughing. His legs were jello, falling to the floor as he heaved into his hand.
David gasped, recognizing the movement. Daniel was having a panic attack. He rushed over to Daniel, his hands lifted just above his shoulders. He slowly let his fingers fall onto Daniel's shoulders. He did his best to let his weight sink into him softly, giving him reassuring contact. Daniel's breaths were very erratic, and he was unpredictable.
David pressed his lips together, making a gentle noise to shush Daniel. He looked over at Max, handing the small boy his cell phone. He mouths the words, "Call the cops."
Max typed the numbers, one after the other. He stood still, waiting for the operator to pick up. Suddenly a voice echoed through the trees, "Nine One One, what's your emergency?"
Daniel suddenly grabbed David's arm, shoving him to the floor and climbing on top of him. He took a stone, raising it high above his head before nailing it into David's skull over and over. David let out a cry before falling silent. Max screamed, dropping the phone on the road. Daniel cracked his neck to the side, smiling at Max. He got up, slowly making his way over to Max.
The phone buzzed as the voice boomed, "Hello? Is anyone there?"
Max grabbed it, yelling as loud as he could know the receiver, "Help! Help! He's insane, he's going to kill me!"
The operator sighed, "You're breaking up. I can't hear you. This line is for emergencies only."
Max's eyes swelled as Daniel stood above him like a tower, "No! Please don't... please no."
Daniel grabbed his hoodie, pulling a needle from his pocket and sticking it into Max's neck. He pushed down on the pump, causing the liquid inside to rush into Max's blood stream. He spoke in a whisper, "Sleep tight sweet child."