Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

~O~

The Survivor had no idea where the others had been hiding.

She was alone in the woods, searching for them. She could hear nothing but the sounds of the Entity above and the wind. The smell of damp earth and old blood lingered in the air; it lingered on her tongue, bitter and terrible to the taste.

The gate was ready to be opened as far as she could see. There were no signs of life around her and she began to wonder if the others were near. Maybe even opening the gate now was a good idea.

She made a run for it.

The cold metal of the lever was soaked in rain and it was hard to get a good grip on it with the weather and her nerves, but she managed to pull it anyway. Her eyes scanned the area around her for signs of the Killer. It was hard to breathe with her heart thudding wildly in her chest.

"Lisa! Open it!"

Lisa looked up, stunned to see Meg running toward her. A hatchet was flying through the air over her head and it embedded itself in a tree near Lisa's head. She looked at it, eyes widening in horror.

"Come on!" she hissed, through clenched teeth. "Open up, you fucking - "

The gate roared open and Lisa quickly gathered Meg close in one arm as they sprinted through the doors. It was only mere moments as they heard the soft lullaby behind them, building in volume with the approaching Killer. Meg was the first through the doors, but stopped when she saw Lisa lingering not far from her.

The Huntress was there, making her way through the trees. Her humming was louder, her running slowed to a slow stalk. She was watching Lisa at the gate, ignoring Meg's cries for the Survivor to follow her.

Lisa should have been running. Her mind was screaming at her to move, but she wasn't.

The Huntress was standing there, clutching her broad axe in hand. Lisa was riveted in place, watching the taller, intimidating woman. What usually came was demise, but the Huntress was just standing there in front of her.

The Huntress began to pace back and forth now, watching her with squared shoulders, breathing heavily behind that hare mask. It was like watching a wolf stalking its prey. But why was she just doing that? She'd always attacked anyone every time she could during trials. This shouldn't have been any different.

Lisa didn't waste time. She turned and ran through the gate. The Huntress didn't give chase to her and didn't toss her a hatchet. No pain came with an axe to the back. She only watched and Lisa could make out the sound of her lullaby fading away as she returned to the fire where the other Survivors waited for her.

They had stories to tell from their trials, but Lisa only spent time toying with a branch in her hand. She was stuck with the melody of the Huntress' lullaby in her head. It was like a hum in her thoughts, reverberating through her very being. Something like this never happened. She didn't just think about it for long.

"...and when he was swinging, it was like..." Nea was demonstrating the swing with a sweep of her hand.

Lisa had been taken by the Entity after the others. She was new blood to them and had no idea what to do when it came to the trials. She was lucky enough to have a few of her friends to help her understand how things worked.

"The next one, we'll all get out." Meg promised.

Lisa smiled, straightening where she sat. She didn't mind the vote of confidence a little. It did make things easier.

The lullaby lingered in her head and beyond that to the next trial in the hospital.

Léry's Memorial Institute was what it had been called. Outside, it had begun to snow, but it was all fake; just a reflection of what the Entity had created for the trial itself. Some of its replications were flawed. A lot of times, they noticed strange ripples in the air in the form of glowing marks. Others were television screens playing back static and sounds in a language they didn't understand.

The Entity was a flawless and flawed being all at the same time. It craved their bodies and souls and didn't comprehend what kept them together. But it did try to pull them apart and confuse them.

Lisa, Nea, Meg and Dwight had been sent here and they were all separated. Lisa didn't know what it was that separated them, but she'd heard from the others that some Killers were responsible for doing that to keep them apart. They were given many tools to add to the challenge of the trials. It was just a way to make it more agonizing and slow.

She held her jacket closer to her body, feeling a light shiver race down her back. It was a black leather jacket with soft padding on the inside and it still smelled like cigarettes. Her father had given it to her before she left in the middle of the night to leave for work.

The slacks and shirt she wore were a reminder of when she'd been taken; just moments before waiting for the bus to go to work. A few times, the other Survivors had made jokes about her 'getting off easy', but it was just a way to ease the stress and terror of their situation.

She could hear inhuman screeching in the distance and it made her jump quickly into another room. It was a shower room, from the looks of things. There were a few broken mirrors lining the wall and Lisa stopped in front of one to look at herself.

Her short, brown hair was messy from the lack of sleep, her eyes sunken in her pale face. She took a moment to study herself with a sigh through her nose. The time she'd spent here had started to show.

The little scar on the right side of her lip reminded her of the time a dog had attacked her. It wasn't the best memory, but it was a way to remember what life had been like outside of this place. She thought she had to keep track of that. It was the only way to keep herself sane.

Just remember her humanity.

Lisa looked up sharply, eyes widening at the sound of a familiar lullaby. Wait, she was here? The Entity brought her here to this place? She had to find her friends and stick together with them, but they were lost somewhere as she was.

She couldn't find the others right now, so she kept herself low while moving.

"Dammit..." Lisa hissed, struggling to calm herself. "Where the fuck is everybody?"

The hospital was huge and every turn down a hallway looked the same. It felt like with every trial, they were just running in a huge circle.

The lullaby grew louder and so did Lisa's heartbeat. She struggled to find a hiding spot and noticed a gurney with several dirty sheets. She quickly took cover beneath it and pulled the sheets over her to keep herself hidden. It took only seconds before the sound of footsteps entered the room.

Lisa slapped a hand over her mouth with a whimper, watching the bare feet and tattered trousers of the Huntress step through the doorway. She could hear the larger woman's heavy breathing and the lullaby had stopped. It sounded rough, as if she'd spent a long time running.

Lisa watched as the Huntress searched the room, passing the gurney she was hiding under. She could hear the sounds of sniffing coming from her and tables were flipped, lockers were thrown open.

A frustrated, throaty growl from the Killer and she disappeared from the room. Lisa breathed a small sigh of relief and emerged from her hiding spot. She carefully made her way out of the room to find her fellow Survivors. Nea had to be close by. She usually found her way to her eventually.

She found another room that looked like a main office and made her way inside. Dwight was there, working at a generator when he saw her. He jolted only for a second, but noticed it was Lisa and breathed a sigh of relief.

Lisa laughed weakly in response. "Sorry."

"It's okay, I thought it was someone else." he said. He pointed at the generator. "Quick! Help me with this one."

Lisa nodded. "You got it!"

"Did you see the others?"

"No, not yet. You?"

Dwight shook his head, sucking his teeth with dismay. "No. I've been walking all over the place and I - "

Then, Dwight looked beyond her and let out a scream. Lisa whirled, mere seconds as the Huntress swung her broad-axe into the generator, narrowly missing her head. It connected with the wires, sending a torrent of electricity through the Killer's body.

The Huntress convulsed in uncontrollable twitches and the two took their chance to flee the room.

"Go that way!" Dwight shouted, gesturing. "I'll go this way!"

Lisa shook her head frantically. "Are you nuts? We need to stick together!"

"We will! I'll lead her away! Go!"

Lisa was still confused by this choice, but thought it was better than just standing there waiting to die. So, she ran in the opposite direction as he suggested.

The sounds of heavy footsteps and coarse breathing behind her filled her heart with ice. The Huntress was coming for her and she had to hide.

Lisa found a locker and hid inside, quietly shutting the door. She held her breath, watching the rabbit mask pass the locker. Lisa slapped a hand over her mouth, whimpering once and the Huntress looked sharply over her shoulder before eventually growling, disappearing from the room.

It took a moment before Lisa felt that it was safe to leave. She carefully stepped out of the locker and shut it, failing to see the Huntress standing right behind her. It wasn't until Lisa heard the breathing that she turned, looking up at the mask woman who grinned triumphantly at finally finding her prey.

Lisa backed up, letting out a scream just as a thick, calloused hand closed tightly around her throat. Her eyes bugged out and she grasped feebly at the hand around her neck, kicking her legs out as the Huntress dragged her down the hallway. She uselessly punched at the thick arm holding her, groaning as she was dragged down a flight of stairs that shot fiery bolts of pain through her back. And it was that moment that Lisa knew just where she was going.

The basement.

It was where the Entity was closest to the realm; where those dangerous hooks waited for their next victim.

"No, no, don't!" Lisa begged, through clenched teeth. She knew that it was futile and stupid to even beg at this point. "Please!"

She was scared of that thing. She didn't want to see it.

Don't see it.

Much to her shock, the Huntress released her.

Lisa laid there, lost in a fit of coughing. She was staring down at the floor, at the bare feet in front of her. She listened to the heavy breathing above her before the Huntress began to pace, watching.

Lisa rubbed her tender throat, looked up at the woman who seemed to watch her like a curious animal, trying to understand what she was. Was she just playing with her food before she ate it? She didn't know. She didn't want to know.

The Huntress growled softly in her throat, stopped pacing and knelt down in front of her, grabbing her chin and forcing Lisa to look into those pools of black eyes behind the mask. The Huntress used makeup of some kind around her eyes.

The woman whimpered, jerked away, but the larger hand wouldn't let her. It only tightened at the effort.

A few blinks behind the mask, ragged breathing softening. Lisa had never been this close to a Killer before without being slaughtered. She couldn't help but look at the Huntress in every detail; tattered blue sarafan wrapped around her waist, shiny pins from what looked like soldiers, belt and harness along with a hatchet at her side. Ripped blue trousers and cloth bandages wrapped around her leg.

And the rabbit mask that hid her face.

When she tilted her head, staring at Lisa from the side, the woman could see rough scarring on her lip, giving her a permanent grimace. She didn't know just what it was, exactly; but it felt like she was being stared down deep into her soul. Those black eyes were intense, watching her with something she didn't quite understand.

Lisa was shaking when the Huntress reached out for her and flinched sharply into herself. The perplexed grunt from the Killer made her stare fearfully up at her. She mumbled something in Russian under her breath that became hard to hear.

The shock and fear Lisa felt as she watched that hand slip against her throat, touching the red marks where those fingers had seized her. The rough, chapped hands were not violent as they were before; they were almost gentle, probing the skin around her throat in a way that she'd never felt before.

Lisa had to be imagining it.

Something was wrong; the Killer before her seemed to be looking at those marks, breath stopping. It was almost as if she didn't like what she'd done. Lisa didn't dare believe that, but there was hesitation in the contact, something she never saw in the Killers she'd encountered before.

"Lisa?"

Dwight's voice was shouting above, drawing the Huntress' focus toward the stairs. The Killer snarled, grabbed her axe and made her way up the steps. Lisa jumped to her feet, struggling to walk, though pain shot up her spine, dropping her back to the floor with a sharp cry. She fought through it and made her way back up the steps.

Dwight was screaming before she made it to the top. She found him impaled on one of the hooks, already being taken by the Entity's dangerous claws. There was a choke, followed by a wet sound of flesh being pierced before he vanished in black ash.

"Lisa! Lisa, come on!"

Lisa whirled, feeling a wave of nausea take hold of her when she heard Meg's voice. The Huntress was nowhere to be seen, but she was already running in the direction that Meg was calling her.

She could see the doors. They'd powered the exit gates. She was close to escaping.

But her mind was lost in grief as she thought of Dwight dying. Yes, he would go back to the campfire. But it had been her fault to begin with; he'd let himself be food for the Entity while she was busy being eyed up like food.

They raced through the gate and Lisa could still hear the Huntress humming behind her.

O

It was colder in the forest.

Lisa hadn't expected it to be this cold when they returned to the fire. Dwight would take an entire day to come back once the Entity had its way with him. No one remembered what happened, but they always knew that the Entity consumed a part of them. Every trial, their humanity dwindled until they were a lifeless husk. Eventually, Lisa knew that would happen to her.

She could hear whispers behind her and expected the Huntress to be there again. The forest was a desolate place, so she didn't know if the Killers could end up there or not. There was no sights to be seen other than endless trees and sky.

Lisa closed her eyes. She needed to rest. She was so tired.

It was a long trial.

Lisa shut her mind off only for a few moments. It felt like it lasted mere minutes before she woke. She was laying on her back in the forest, the snow frigid cold on her skin.

"What the hell?" Lisa gasped, sitting up.

She was not at the fire with the others, but in a clearing in Red Forest. She was alone, too; it only meant that the Huntress could very easily spot her.

Lisa could even smell blood already. Where was it coming from?

She shivered, looked over her shoulder before turning to walk backwards. Lisa remembered a trick her brother had taught her in the snow when they used to play hide-and-seek. She would position her feet backwards to make it look like she ran in another direction. Maybe it could fool the Huntress.

She made her way back toward the forest and started to climb one of the trees for a view. Like most of the Entity's realms, it felt as if it would go on forever.

The sounds of footsteps turned her focus to her tracks and she saw her. The Huntress.

The larger woman was kneeling in the snow, studying her footsteps. She was gathering the snow, bringing it to her face and sniffing deeply. Lisa watched her with held breath. She knew that a single movement would be the end for her.

The Huntress seemed to be studying the tracks, then looked toward the forest behind her. Lisa hissed sharply, hid behind the tree. She didn't want to look and find the Huntress watching her.

The Killer was rising, tilting her head toward her direction. She squared her shoulders, gave a thick growl and began to advance. Lisa whimpered, clenching her teeth before she heard the sound of the hatchet whistling through the air.

It embedded itself near her head and she was already jumping from the tree, running through the forest.

A triumphant shout, a breathless snarl and the Huntress was in chase. She almost sounded like a hungry wolf; nothing human about her noises, nor her speed. She was faster than any Survivor could be. That was how it was always meant to be.

Lisa was dead. That's all there was to it. She was going to be food for the Entity after being chopped up to bits. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't see. She could only run.

She tried to jump onto a cliff, but a large hand closed around her ankle, drawing a scream from her lips. She fought like a beast unleashed against the Huntress; those hands tried to pull her back toward her, grasp ahold of her.

Fuck it. If she was dying, she was going to give her as much hell as she was able to.

The Huntress was breathless, continuing her pattern of animal snarling sounds as she grasped at Lisa's arms and legs. It was clear she didn't expect her to fight back as much as she was because there was an effort, perhaps, not to do much harm to her.

She wanted to save her for later, that's all it was. She most likely didn't want to break her too much.

The Huntress was spitting out streams of Russian curses, grabbing Lisa's wrists tightly and tying them with a rope. Lisa kicked her sides and legs and the Huntress finally had enough of it.

"SAFE!" she bellowed, in accented English.

It froze Lisa and she stopped struggling, staring up at her with wide, shocked eyes. The Huntress raised one hand, let it linger for a moment. She was still taking a moment to breathe, calm herself. It was hard to see her expression behind that rabbit mask and Lisa was too stunned to speak.

"Safe..." the Huntress repeated, her tone dropping to a near adoring pitch that confused Lisa. "Safe."

"N-No..." Lisa stammered, struggling to find her words. "Bullshit."

The Huntress ignored the vulgar word, picking her up with ease and tossing her over her shoulder. Lisa hissed, grunted with effort.

"What the fu... Where are you taking me?" Lisa demanded, struggling to keep her voice calm as the Huntress carried her through the forest.

No answer. Lisa only had a view of the ground, the Huntress' feet in the snow and her dangerous axe.

Lisa could see a smokehouse and she looked around as much as she could. A cabin was nearby. The Huntress lived here in the Entity's realm in a cabin between trials, it looked like. Lisa had no idea what they did, but it couldn't have been good for her.

The Huntress opened the cabin door, stepped inside. Lisa could make out a lot of different smells. Wet fur, blood and wood; all smells of the forest, all strong and pungeant. There was a huge portrait hanging over a hearth and a fur rug beneath it. The fire crackling brought warmth to the cabin and it looked like something was cooking over the flames in a pot. It smelled almost appetizing.

The Huntress gave a quiet grunt as she knelt down near a mattress made up of furs and stuffing from wool. She set Lisa down and the woman looked up at her, confused. She was even more so when she saw her produce a thick coil of rope from the wall.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Lisa hissed, jerking her head back when the Killer attempted to put the noose around her neck. "Don't fucking put that on my neck, I - "

She yelped when the Huntress seized her tightly by her shoulder with one hand, then began to fit the rope around her throat with the other. Lisa tried to struggle, but the Huntress' thick words in Russian - a threat no where near empty, surely - stilled her.

She left just enough space for her to breathe, sat back and admired her work. A smile lit her mismatched lips.

"Safe." she repeated, as if that made it better.

Lisa tugged at the rope, winced as it pinched her throat. The Huntress scowled and shook her head at her.

"No! Nyet!" she snapped, "No."

Lisa recoiled from her as far as she could. The wall was close and the Huntress was backing away somewhat. She didn't know what the Killer had planned and she found that made it worse than when she knew she was going to be killed. At least she could predict that. There was no way to know why she was taken here.

The fact that she spoke at all was weird for her too; the Killers didn't really talk to the Survivors and only set out to do what the Entity wanted. The Huntress spoke Russian, most of the time. But she seemed to know some English - if just a few words, anyway.

The Huntress rose, murmuring a few words in Russian before making her way into another room. Lisa frowned, standing and walking as far as the rope would allow. She was trying to see what she was doing.

Then, she returned just as quickly with a quilt. Lisa looked up at her, wincing as it was placed around her shoulders. She anticipated a brutal reaction, but the Huntress simply made sure that she was warm before she disappeared from the cabin.

That was weird. Lisa just sat there trying to process what was going on.

And what she planned to do. It made her feel sick to her stomach.

Chapter Text

~O~

Lisa struggled to reach the fire poker, cursing under her breath.

She felt the rope tug harshly at her throat, taking the breath from her lungs. There was only so much room for her to move and her foot stretched out as far as it could. But it was just barely out of reach and she ended up falling to her back with a frustrated groan. Her voice was lost in a fit of coughing.

"Son of a bitch are you fucking - " Lisa hissed, eyes prickling with tears.

She laid there, struggling to breathe through the rope. It was easier when she sat up, returning to the place where the Huntress had set up for her to sleep. Not much luck in that, though; she was lucky if she slept at all since coming to the cabin. The Huntress hadn't made an effort to kill her, only take care of her. Well, her idea of taking care of her anyway.

Lisa looked down at several books laying on the floor nearby. She sighed, reached for one and opened it. It was all in Russian, of course; but there were pictures in it, some of horses and soldiers.

She studied the crude drawings after a moment before turning the book around and finding a name written in the cover in a crude scribble of black ink.

Anna.

Who was Anna? It looked like a child's book. Did the Killer have any kids before being taken by the Entity? Lisa found that a little hard to believe, but anything was possible. Maybe she was actually sane before this.

There was a creak of wood and Lisa dropped the book immediately, looking up when she heard footsteps approaching. Her heart began to race as she anticipating seeing the Huntress coming for her again. It took a few moments before she noticed that the Huntress had not come through the door, but a man.

He was wearing a long brown coat, boots and helmet. His face was haggard, covered in a thick, black beard and his hair messy. Lisa had never seen him before and she thought that maybe he looked like a soldier. She took a chance.

"Hey!" she shouted, "Hey, you!"

He looked terrified by his surroundings, eyes scanning the cabin for what she could guess was a place to hide. He didn't seem to notice her at all.

Lisa tugged at the rope and spoke louder. "HEY!" she shouted again, "Can you get me out of this?"

The man finally noticed her after her second shout and looked confused as to why she was there in the first place. Lisa was nodding now.

"Yeah, you! I'm talking to you." she hissed, anxious.

His eyes widened in shock before he quickly rushed over, removing a knife from his boot. He muttered in Russian and Lisa groaned with disappointment. Of course he didn't understand her, but at least he was cutting at the rope to get her free.

"Oh, God, thank you!" she gasped, happily.

He seemed to understand the gratitude and began to help get the rope off of her neck, murmuring more in his native tongue. Lisa had never been so happy to finally have the damn thing off.

He questioned her quickly, giving her no chance to speak. "Gde ona?" he demanded, frantically.

Lisa shook her head desperately. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"Bodark," he said, as if it made more sense to speak louder. "Gde ona ?"

But just as they were going to argue further; there was a fierce, violent roar that shattered the silence around them.

"NO!"

It was the Huntress, bursting into the cabin with her axe in hand. Lisa yelped, ducked to avoid the swing. The soldier was already running, struggling to find cover behind one of the wooden tables. The Huntress was enraged, swinging into the walls and floor. The axe punched through wood in its path, sending it into splinters.

"NO!" She was roaring the word with violent fervor, as if his very presence was an affront to her. "NOT TAKE! MINE!"

The English she tried to utter was broken, followed by streams of what Lisa could only guess were obscenities of every sort in her native language. The man was yelling at her right back, terrified; it was like a cornered animal, ready to fight until its last breath. Nothing would come out of this but blood.

And that last breath came quickly for him; the Huntress found an opening with her axe and swung it into his forearm with a meaty smack. The horrible, blood-curdling scream shot through the air like a bullet from him, dropping him to the floor on his knees. He barely had a chance to utter another scream when she was upon him in an instant.

MINE!" the Huntress was still screaming it down at him with every swing of her axe into his body. The wet noises of flesh being torn, her grunts of effort and screams were the only sounds in the air as she repeated the words like a mantra. "MINE, MINE, MINE."

Lisa could only watch on in horror. She couldn't breathe as blood sprayed across the Huntress' body and mask with every brutal swing. The obsessive way that she slaughtered the man stunned her to silence; it was as if she had to stamp him out, be rid of him completely.

He was nothing more than blood and broken sinew on the floor when she finally finished. Lisa was standing there, frozen. She barely mustered a whimper when the Huntress rose, blood dripping from her body. It was terrifying to see her rise, look at her with breathless sounds behind her mask, body surging with adrenaline and wrath. She looked like a wild animal.

Oh, fuck. Lisa was dead.

But death didn't come to her. The Huntress was wiping her mask with one hand. Then, in an effort to look as inviting and harmless as possible, she crouched somewhat and raised her hands for her.

Lisa shook her head with fright, taking a step back. She didn't have far to go when the Huntress was already seizing her. She squirmed, let out several groans of agony. The smell of blood on her, the bits of flesh sticking to her sweater and mask were horrible. It clung to her cheeks and hair.

"No, no, let me go!" Lisa groaned, letting out an anguished whimper. It was horrible feeling that soldier's blood all over her. It smelled so bad and the thought of having pieces of another human being sticking to her nearly made her throw up.

The Huntress tried shushing her, perhaps as a way to calm her down. Maybe she thought the soldier was trying to hurt her? Either way, Lisa's throat felt hot and she struggled not to cry. It was hard. She almost did. She felt her eyes brimming with tears.

"Fuck..."

O

The Huntress finally let her go when she realized Lisa wasn't going to run. She rose, looked down and noticed the bloody state of herself. With a sound of irritation, she began to undress right in front of Lisa.

The Huntress definitely had no sense of modesty when it came to others. Maybe she just wasn't used to it.

"Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" Lisa hissed.

The Huntress didn't comprehend her question - the language barrier - and huffed, gesturing to herself, then to her.

"Now." she ordered.

Lisa felt her cheeks warming, forgetting the gruesome sight on the floor. "Now, what?" she groaned. She wasn't going to look at her.

The Huntress took her wrist in a steely grip, earning a small yelp from Lisa. "Wait, what are you...?" she stammered.

"Clean." the Huntress said, her thick voice huffing impatiently.

As if she should have known that by now, as if it would make it better. Lisa didn't know why she had to be involved; she didn't know if staying on the rope downstairs was better or worse. Either way, she couldn't stop the warmth in her cheeks.

There was a pan sitting in a room and the Huntress pointed at it.

Lisa wrinkled her nose, sniffing the water before her. Well, that was the first time she was sitting in a bath. She hadn't had one since she was a baby and she didn't need the help of a grown ass woman.

"Look, I'm not..." Lisa averted her eyes to avoid looking at her naked form. "I'm a grown adult I don't need help."

She could smell herself now, even as the Huntress ignored her in her search for what she assumed was soap. The awful, rotted and wet, coppery smell and the sticky feeling on her face was just too unpleasant. Maybe she meant to leave her to it. At least, Lisa had really hoped so.

A small chuckle from the Huntress now and Lisa dared to look down as she poured some water into the pan. It looked warm enough and she even put her hand inside. It was pleasant, actually and alleviated some of the strange feelings.

The Huntress huffed somewhat, plucking at her coat. "Off." she ordered.

Lisa's eyes widened. She wasn't sure she heard correctly. "What?"

"Off." The Huntress repeated. She muttered a few frustrated words in Russian and gestured to the bath. "You clean."

Lisa was still frozen, tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. The Huntress stared at her expectantly and Lisa let out a nervous laugh.

"No, no way. I'm not..." she stammered.

The Huntress had little patience it seemed because she was already grasping at her coat to get her to take it off. But Lisa pushed her hands aside with a huff. The Huntress growled a little, somewhat aggravated by the gesture. Lisa wasn't about to piss her off that much, but she wasn't backing down either.

"Okay! Okay, let me do it, then." she snapped.

The Huntress didn't remove her mask, so it was difficult to see what expression she had. Still, she wasn't making those terrible noises or grabbing her again, so it was probably satisfactory enough for her.

Lisa made sure to take her coat off, shivering the entire time. The taller woman didn't react or move until she was properly undressed and sinking into the pan. She was embarrassed and trying not to blush too much. This was ridiculous and she had to keep her calm.

God, what the fuck happened here? One minute she was running from this woman, the next she was naked and getting a bath in her cabin. It was just too weird anymore.

"Khorosho." the Huntress said, with approval.

The water was nice, at least. Lisa held herself, almost completely submerged as the Huntress stepped behind her, starting to soak her hair in the water. She was humming a lullaby to herself, the same as before. Lisa laughed nervously.

"Okay, well, now you're being bathed by the Killer. Great." she muttered to herself. "No explanation for this, she's a lunatic..."

Lisa tried to make sense of her moods, too; one minutes she was wild and vicious in every sense of the word, cutting down that poor soldier to nothing more than mush. Now, she was tending to her like nothing had happened. Lisa was trying to understand it, but came up with nothing. It was just too strange for her.

The Huntress rose for a moment and Lisa couldn't help but dare a glance up at her. She could see the naked skin of her back and ass; she was muscular, it looked like. Well, a hunter probably had to be, especially when it came to the lifestyle she lived. She also had a healthy bit of fat around her belly and legs.

Then, Lisa noticed that she was covered in scars from what looked like animals and knives. Even a few bullets looked like they hit her. The woman had gone through her share of violence all the same, it seemed.

"So...who's Anna?" Lisa asked, wanting to ease the silence with some kind of talk, even if she wasn't sure that the Huntress understood her.

It earned a reaction and the first from her. The Killer looked up sharply and glanced down at her over her shoulder. Lisa didn't look down when the woman approached and knelt at her side, tilting her head at her.

"Anna." Lisa tried. "Who?"

The Killer stared at her before raising one finger and pointing sharply at herself.

"You? That's your name?"

A few nods from the Killer.

Well, she seemed to understand a little bit of English. Lisa thought that was good. At least she was making some progress; not many Survivors could have a conversation like this with a Killer. Maybe she was even the first one. She didn't dare assume, but this was a good enough start, at least.

"Okay..." Lisa pointed at herself. "My name's Lisa."

Anna smiled a little beneath her mask. Lisa could see the little show of teeth.

"Lisa." Anna said, the word coming out rough and thick.

Her name on Anna's lips was strange; she wasn't used to being acknowledged as herself, by any of them.

Anna resumed washing her hair as well as hum her lullaby.

Lisa was still trying to make sense of what was happening; as far as situations went, sitting in a wash pan was preferable to being chased and brutally murdered over and over again. Even if the situation was a little weird, she had to admit that much.

This was insane.

The crows were watching them from a window. Lisa caught sight of their black, jagged shapes moving behind the glass. Their eyes were glowing yellow and Lisa felt herself tense at the sight of them. She felt less nervous by the Russian woman cleaning her back than the birds.

She knew the Entity watched them from the crows.

"Out." Anna suddenly said, snapping her from her thoughts.

Hearing that, Lisa suddenly felt her heart stop. She noticed that Anna had stopped cleaning her and stood with a cloth in hand. She felt exposed in front of the other woman as she rose, holding herself and shivering as Anna began to pat her down. The touches were chaste, quick and she seemed eager to get her dressed in a flannel nightgown.

Lisa thought it was itchy and unpleasant, but at least she was dry. And she had a bath, too. She couldn't remember how good water and soap had felt until she'd gone without for as long as she did.

Anna was still naked.

Lisa couldn't help her blush as she looked up at the taller woman. Anna was still wearing her rabbit mask, which Lisa found weird a bit; why didn't she just take the thing off? She had everything else gone and was standing there in front of her naked.

"Sleep." Anna told her.

"Okay." Lisa decided to humor her a bit. "So...like, are you going to put the rope back on?"

Anna seemed to be thinking about it.

"Rope." Lisa told her, emphasizing her neck with one hand.

Anna watched her hand, tracking its movement. She pursed her lips, staring at the rough abrasions the rope had created. Anna didn't seem to like it, though Lisa couldn't imagine why; she didn't have a problem putting the rope on to begin with, so why would that bother her now?

Anna gestured to the pan and Lisa didn't say anything as the woman prepared water for herself. She simply looked away out of habit to give her privacy. Anna was strange, but at least she wasn't trying to hurt her. But who knew how long that was going to last?

"Okay." Lisa said, quietly.

O

She liked this one.

Anna had found her in the forest during her trials and she'd brought her home to keep her safe. She was pretty, this one. When she'd first seen her at the gates, she only wanted to watch her, to see what she would do. Anna had found it interesting and on her mind when she lurked in the shadows, the dark her only comfort.

Her little fox had run into the hare's burrow and found her. Anna had caught her scent, found it sweet to her nostrils.

Yes, then came her laughter. A little chuckle, followed by a second. Then a light laugh as she hummed her lullaby in the dark. The crows were laughing with her, all of them, all laughing as she hunted for the woman. She had to feed her properly, after all. That was how one cared for their guests.

If she opened her eyes and found that it was true, what would she do then? Would she keep her long? Would she understand that she was safe with her? That Anna found some semblance of warmth with her? It had been a first.

There would be no nightmare then with the warmth of Lisa's body to comfort her as she slept before her hunt. She was no daughter, but something else; something that Anna needed to keep close to her.

Keep her safe.

Keep her with me.

Anna would be gentle with her, she swore that much. She would keep her safe in her home and bathe in secrets of blood when she was away.

They were looking at you, weren't they?

They hate you.

(She hates you.)

[She's disgusted with you.]

There were so many little whispers in her, dancing around behind her eyes like the fireflies she saw fluttering around in the sky.

She imagined her prey, bloody and screaming beneath her heel. They came quickly, the darker thoughts. It was a pleasant reminder.

Good.

She would keep Lisa safe from them.

Chapter Text

~O~

Lisa could hear Anna snoring loudly behind her.

She was laying there stiffly, hand close to her face as Anna had put her arm around her waist. Lisa hadn't dared move an inch. But she really had to get up to use the bathroom. Well, if Anna even had one of those.

She didn't think that Anna would be laying down next to her on the makeshift bed. As far as she assumed, she had a bed of her own.

Much to her relief, she felt Anna stirring and pretended to be asleep. The taller woman rose from their sleeping spot and Lisa felt a hand on her shoulder, lightly covering her with a quilt. If the situation wasn't so weird, Lisa would have found it kind of nice. She had no idea what to think of the whole situation, but at least Anna didn't put the rope back on around her neck. She really couldn't trust that she wouldn't run away.

Then again, Lisa wanted to get back to her friends, but she wasn't really sure how to do that. As far as she knew, each realm the Entity made was separate from the bonfire and they only got to them when they were pulled. How would she even find a way back? Were there barriers around the realm keeping them here?

Anna was eventually gone. Lisa could tell given the way the door closed so carefully to make sure she wasn't going to wake up.

She eventually sat up after a moment, stretching out the exhaustion in her limbs from sleeping in the same spot. Wherever Anna was going, she didn't know. The other woman called it her 'hunt'. It could have been animals or humans, as far as Lisa was concerned. She didn't think it was best to investigate, especially after what had happened with the soldier. It did make her feel bad a little and she sought to distract herself from it with something to do. It was all she really had right now.

"Okay..." Lisa could see a few books laying on a nearby chair. "Maybe I can...uh...read I guess."

Most of the books were in Russian except for one; an old magazine about clothes and crafts from the 1980's. Well, at least it was something for her to look at. Lisa had no idea why Anna had come to get this, but it was worth the read, anyway and it did distract her thoughts from what was going on outside the cabin. It was nice looking at things that were normal to give her good memories of home outside the Entity's realm.

There was a picture of a dog with a child. Lisa laughed quietly, remembering her days spent on her grandmother's farm. She really regretted not going to visit her before she was taken away.

Her stomach eventually grumbled a little, betraying her hunger. Lisa sighed miserably and leaned her head back. She really wished that her stomach wasn't going to bother her the entire time that Anna was out. She didn't want to go snooping and risk pissing off the other woman.

"Okay, stomach, chill out." she cursed to herself.

Almost defiantly, another growl of her stomach followed behind her words. Lisa glared down at her midsection with annoyance. Then, she huffed and rose, making her way into the kitchen to find something. It was smaller than most of the cabin and there was a cutting table where she had picked a deer clean.

She had to have something else to eat.

Lisa grumbled to herself, made her way to one of the cabinets and found a few cans that Anna had likely pilfered from soldiers. The labels were all in Russian, but at least Lisa could see that one of them had a picture of a ham on it. It was better than nothing, she thought.

"Canned ham..." she muttered, with disappointment, "Yum."

She looked around for something to open the can with and heard the front door open abruptly. It meant that Anna had come back. That was kind of quick, but she wasn't about to make her wait.

Lisa immediately rushed out to meet her host and found Anna carrying a large, white wolf on her back. It was dead, dripping blood across the floor and her clothes. Its head had been gruesomely split open with a mighty swing of her axe.

"Holy shit." Lisa gasped.

Anna was breathless from her hunt, but let out a laugh when she saw Lisa standing there. It was strange; Lisa could have sworn she saw confusion through Anna's mask. It was like she didn't expect her to still be there at the cabin.

Lisa smiled awkwardly.

"Hi." she said.

Anna lingered there near the door, blood dripping from her prey slung over her shoulder. Then, she murmured something in her native tongue and gestured toward the table nearby with her hatchet hand. Lisa didn't quite understand until Anna tapped the table almost impatiently.

Right. Clean it off.

Lisa moved to pick up the plates on the table and the few tools. She looked around for a place to put them and found a sink. That seemed good enough.

Anna nodded and deposited the wolf onto the table when she was satisfied. Lisa looked closely at the animal, somewhat awestruck by the size of it. She'd never seen a wolf this close before - dead or alive.

"Whoa." Lisa remarked.

Anna looked at her. She pointed at the wolf, then made a cutting sweep with her hand. Lisa smiled a little, nodding in understanding.

"Oh, you're going to clean it, I guess?" she said.

As usual, Anna didn't respond and set right to work stripping the animal. Lisa was observing the entire time in silence; such a complicated process to strip the fur, clean the guts from the carcass.

She never knew just how much went into it, but Anna was focused, murmuring in her native tongue a few times as she deposited the innards into a bucket. It was definitely messy and Lisa felt her stomach turn at the sight. The sounds and smells didn't really help soothe her empty belly.

To Anna, it just seemed like a normal thing, of course. Lisa hadn't really spent any time in her life watching how food was prepared this way.

"Plokhoy." Anna murmured, with displeasure.

Lisa didn't have to understand the word to know the meaning, really. Anna seemed to dislike what she saw in one of the legs of the wolf carcass. She leaned forward to look and noticed a break in the bone. It was probably when the animal fell from her hatchet - or Lisa assumed that was how it went. Anna was a careful, albeit vicious hunter.

"Well, most of it looks good." Lisa offered.

Anna looked down at her with pursed lips. She either didn't understand or didn't like the suggestion. Still, she began to cut up the meat into proper pieces and gestured to a pot nearby.

Lisa understood that enough, at least. It was a strange ritual to take part in, but it wasn't so bad, really; it was a break from the trials, after all.

Anna was making her way to the hearth and gestured to it once more.

Lisa brought the pot over and Anna took it into her hands. The fire crackling was nice and warm and she took a seat to watch Anna prepare what she guessed was a stew. The larger woman was still murmuring under her breath in Russian. The meat was crackling inside the pot and Anna observed it in silence.

"Smells good already." Lisa offered, with a light laugh. "Never had wolf before."

Anna looked down at her, a light grin on her lips. Even if there was little she understood, she seemed to enjoy Lisa being thrilled at the idea of eating with her. It was...kind of cute, Lisa couldn't help but think so.

"Good." Anna repeated the word.

Lisa looked up at her and laughed again. "Yeah. Good."

"Good." Anna repeated it again. She let out a thick noise that sounded like a chuckle.

O

It didn't taste so bad.

Lisa chewed through the tough meat, hissing sharply at every bite that was hotter than the last. Anna was eating her own beside her, chewing loudly behind her mask. With a little steak sauce and some seasoning, it would have been even better. Lisa remembered what it was like going out to restaurants. She certainly missed it.

Then, Lisa's attention was drawn to Anna's mask. The silence in the room felt too loud and she thought it would be interesting to learn about it.

"The mask," she said, "Why do you wear it?"

Anna stared at her and Lisa gestured to her own face. Anna mimicked the gesture and pointed at her mask.

"Yeah," Lisa nodded her head. "The mask. It's...uh...neat."

Anna squinted at her from behind her mask, tilting her head. She must have understood some of what Lisa was trying to say because she nodded her head in agreement. She liked it, it seemed.

"Can I see?" Lisa eventually asked, unable to resist her wonder.

Anna didn't move, simply watched her in silence. It took a few moments for her to make any reaction; a slow reaching of her hands toward the mask, removing it from her face.

Lisa could make out the details of Anna's face better in the light of the fire.

Unlike Lisa, Anna's eyes were just inhuman pools of pitch black. She had short black hair, a strong, angular jar and her mouth was frostbitten on the left half of her face, keeping it in a permanent grimace.

"Oh." Was all she was able to say.

Anna licked her lips, her features unreadable before she smiled thinly. Lisa really wasn't sure what to think about it, so she resumed eating.

"You're a pretty good cook."

It was only a few moments before Anna finished hers; she licked her fingers clean with a few loud slurps, then looked at Lisa with a small note of disapproval when she realized the other hadn't finished her food yet. Lisa didn't know what that meant, but she quickly ate the rest of the scraps of meat.

It seemed to be what Anna was wanting because the taller woman smiled with satisfaction. Perhaps she wanted Lisa to eat everything. Maybe she thought her hesitation was rude. It was hard to tell, really.

"Sorry." Lisa eventually said.

Once they were done eating and Anna set her utensils aside, she looked at Lisa and gestured for her to sit into her lap. Lisa blinked, let out an uncomfortable laugh and moved to do just that. It was still strange, but Anna had only wanted to cuddle with her sometimes. Nothing ever came out of that. Maybe she was right in her assumption and Anna was just lonely, wanting company in the realm. God knew Lisa felt like that, too. She just never realized loneliness would be chased away by a Killer.

Anna's hands were on the small of her back and she began to hum the lullaby from before. It seemed to be one she really liked; Lisa had heard it many times during the trials and it was the only one she would hum while she hunted.

Lisa could have fallen asleep and she nearly did; the lullaby was one that had a habit of getting into your head and she almost hummed it with her. It helped too that Anna's body was warm, comfortable against her own. Her breasts were soft against her head and despite how she felt, Lisa decided that this was kind of nice. For a moment, she forgot where she was and who she was with.

She smelled like trees and wet grass from her hunt. The smells were strangely comforting as well as the rough, calloused hands soothing her with strokes against her back. Gentle caresses that made her feel warmer for as long as it was happening and her mind was nearly swept away in the -

Anna murmured something in Russian, gave her a little kiss on her forehead and gathered her into her arms. Lisa gave a start as she was snapped from her haze, instinctively circled her arms around her neck and Anna let out a little laugh in response. She felt a twist in her belly at the noise as Anna carried her back to the bed she often slept.

The taller woman laid her down into the bed, draped several furs and quilts over her body. Her features were unreadable for the moment. Then, she looked up sharply and spoke, without looking at Lisa.

"Safe." she reiterated. "Go now."

"Hunting?" Lisa guessed.

"Hunt." Anna confirmed. "Safe. You."

Lisa didn't argue. She just felt too relaxed, which was a first in the Entity's realm and with a Killer. Anna seemed to be happy, smiling at her - though far too wide. She wasn't used to doing that with someone else, it seemed.

She thought of her friends then. What if she left the cabin to convince Anna to spare them as she had done for her? Could she even do that?

Then, Lisa began to feel guilty about this. She was "safe" as far as Anna liked to assure her and her friends were possibly being attacked and killed.

[They're not your friends.]

(Silly morsel. You have no friends here.)

The Ones Who Kill follow me. Not you.

Lisa could hear the chilling whispers from somewhere and it made her sit straight up, scanning the room with wide, frightened eyes. She struggled to calm her racing heart, looking around for anything that she might use to defend herself. She remembered the same chill from the basement, the same garbled tone of voice.

It was the Entity. It had to be. But she saw nothing out of the ordinary in the cabin. It was just a place for Anna to live. Nothing more.

Lisa laid there, flat on her back. She stared at the ceiling the rest of the time.

Was she really going to be safe?

Chapter Text

~O~

Smoke rose from the battlefield as Anna stalked in the dark.

She was driving them mad again; howling like a wolf and humming the lullaby as they struggled to find rest. There was no rest for them. They were fighting with one another and it made her laugh quietly to herself. It almost gave her away as she crouched in the shadows waiting for the moment to strike.

Anna thought about what she could bring back for her new guest. Maybe something pretty and shiny? The soldiers wore those sorts of things around their fingers. She still had one on her hand from her very first human kill. Lisa would like shiny things, wouldn't she? Anna would certainly bring her back something pretty. She was pretty, after all.

She thought about her pretty little fox.

A shout in Russian had her quickly shooting to her feet, grabbing the bayonet from a soldier who had tried charging for her. The blade sliced through her palm and she snarled with effort, seizing his throat tightly with her other hand. She drove him into the ground, hard enough that she felt bones cracking. His body was seizing violently in her grasp and she shoved her thumb into his eyes, clasped a hand over his mouth to silence his screams.

Blood gushed from her palm, but she ignored it in place of finished the prey that tried to surprise her. They always did try, but they were never smart enough.

He had something around his neck.

Anna tilted her head, reached into his coat and found a necklace. There was a little charm there that looked like a fox. It was cute like Lisa and shiny. She would like it, Anna was certain.

She tugged it from his neck and placed it in one of the pockets around her belt. A few more soldiers would make their war, but she would end it tonight as she had many, many times. There would be a good hunt before she returned home to her.

O

Lisa was practicing the Russian she read the entire time that Anna was gone. At least the Killer had piles of books she'd hoarded from her hunts. It was a good way to keep herself from getting too bored while she waited for her to come back. Maybe she could also learn a little Russian while she was at it. The language barrier between her and Anna got a little frustrating at times.

"Privet, menya zovut..." she read. She made a face, a few gagging noises. "Privet, menya zovut...Lisa."

It was a terrible way to pronounce the words and Lisa just groaned, rolling her eyes. Well, at least Anna hadn't heard the shitty attempt.

The sounds of crunching leaves outside turned her attention to one of the windows. She saw Anna's towering form approaching the cabin and made her way to the front door. Anna opened it, stepped inside and immediately, Lisa smelled blood.

Her blood.

Anna looked like she had been stabbed through the shoulder, her sweater soaked in gore. But she was breathless, looked proud of herself regardless of the vicious wound. Lisa balked at the sight of it, reached up to carefully touch the ends of her torn sweater.

"Holy shit, you're bleeding!" she gasped.

Anna stared down at the wound with confusion, almost as if she hadn't even noticed it until now. It took a moment before she let out a thick laugh, shaking her head. "Eto nichto." she hissed, still so proud of herself for what she'd accomplished.

"I..." Lisa frowned at her. "I didn't even know you can be hurt like that in this place. I thought all the Killers like you were, you know, invincible or something. Like the Entity made you that way."

Anna seemed to understand the word 'Entity' and it made her shake her head. Lisa didn't understand why she felt concern for the Killer, but Anna was bleeding and she wanted to stop it.

"Here, let me help." she said.

Anna stared at her.

"Help?" Lisa tried again, "Uh... Pomoshch'?"

Anna grinned at her behind the mask, understanding that much now. The effort seemed to make her happier than Lisa expected, even if it was slightly butchered. She chuckled, lowering her eyes and gesturing to the book she'd been looking at. Anna followed the gesture with her eyes, then looked at her again.

"Not much for me to do here," Lisa admitted, "Thought I'd... I don't know...give it a try?"

Anna seemed to understand. She knew that there was little for her to do when she was away. She nodded once and removed her mask, setting it gently down onto a nearby table. Then, Lisa watched her features light up, as if she just remembered something. Her hand went to the leather belt around her waist and to a bag where she removed the necklace from it. Lisa blinked, surprised when she held it out for her to take.

"Oh!" she said, "What do you got there?"

She studied the necklace in her hand, ran her fingers across the fox charm. It was cute, she had to admit and Anna seemed anxious for her to have it.

That was kind of cute, too.

Lisa looked up at her, smiling a little. Anna returned the smile and it was too broad, too wide. She didn't smile much for others, it seemed. She just looked happy for her to have this little gift.

"Thanks." Lisa told her. "It's nice. I like it."

An answer Anna wanted, it seemed; she was smiling continuously, ignoring the wound in her shoulder. She reached up, taking the necklace before placing it around Lisa's neck. She wanted to admire it, Lisa assumed.

That was nice.

Lisa found that she didn't mind the attention, just a little. She didn't know why Anna wanted to give this to her, but it was cute in a way. She'd never had someone appreciate her like this before. The oddness of the situation was ignored in place of her attention to Anna's wound.

"Okay," Lisa said, carefully. "Can I help with that?"

She gestured to the sticky slice in Anna's sweater and the Killer nodded, removing her sweater with a thick grunt to follow. The wound in her flesh was a simple stab, but it looked hideous and oozed with blood.

It was surprising when Lisa noticed that Anna wasn't bothered by it at all. She seemed only focused on her and what she was doing. Lisa assumed that Anna had a high tolerance to pain; the scars that covered her body told many stories of her murders and hunts.

Oh, right. She was supposed to help clean the wound, not be distracted by the woman's bare chest in front of her.

"Gauze..." Lisa pondered, "Do you have anything like that?"

Anna's features clouded in thought. Then, she made a thoughtful grunt and murmured in Russian, looking back at a cabinet nearby. She gestured to it with one hand and Lisa took the hint, rising to open the cabinet door.

"Nice," she said, with a smile of relief.

"Nice." Anna repeated, in agreement.

Lisa found a med kit, along with several other items Anna must have pilfered from her hunts. A few bandages and some alcohol caught her attention. Lisa wasn't really an expert on this sort of thing, but she had some idea of how to clean wounds and Anna didn't seem to want to object to it.

Lisa took one of the gauze wraps, poured the alcohol onto it and gently pressed it to Anna's wound. The taller woman jumped suddenly in her seat and Lisa jumped a little as well, startled by the abrupt movement. She laughed nervously.

"Sorry," she told her.

Anna blinked rapidly, wincing somewhat when Lisa began to clean her wound in slow, delicate strokes of the gauze. She felt the muscles in Anna's chest clench and unclench at the contact. The wound looked rough, but not enough that stitches would be needed. At least, as far as Lisa could tell.

"Anyway..." Lisa felt Anna's eyes on her and she was suddenly squirming a little, hoping to ease a discomfort she felt. "Uh...were you hunting my friends?"

Anna's brow knotted. She tilted her head.

"My friends." Lisa chose her words carefully.

"Soldier."

"Oh." Lisa wrinkled her brow somewhat. "Like the one who came here? He was trying to help me and - "

Anna bared her teeth, tone severe. "No trust. No help."

Lisa didn't really understand the hatred that Anna seemed to have had for the soldiers, but she didn't dare ask, either. Anna clearly had a problem with them and she had no idea how Russian soldiers still roamed around the Entity's realm. Maybe it was just a little treat the Entity provided for her; constant kills and constant hunts.

She resumed cleaning Anna's wound in silence. She still felt Anna's eyes on her.

O

Lisa climbed the rock and nearly slipped if not for Anna's hands catching her around her waist. It made her laugh nervously at the taller woman, earning a small grin in response. It still felt strange exploring the Entity's realm like she once did when she went wandering the woods of her family's home.

"Thanks." she said, kind of embarrassed.

Anna looked around, then crouched low and gestured for Lisa to do the same. She watched the taller woman with a curious frown and looked ahead, noticing a deer grazing.

"Deer here in the Entity's realm?" Lisa mused. "That's weird. Guess you get to have your animals to hunt, too, huh?"

Anna brought a finger to her lips, shushing her. Lisa clamped her mouth shut, nodding once to show her she understood. Anna retrieved a hatchet at her belt and crouched low, making her way toward the deer as slowly as possible. She even held her breath; not a single sound came from her, even as she walked across the grass.

Lisa thought about how interesting it was that such a large woman could be so quiet while she hunted. Anna was clearly doing this for a long time.

She raised the hatchet, waited for a few moments before throwing it through the air with a single, mighty swing. The weapon embedded itself into the deer's head, drawing a dying cry from the animal's mouth as it collapsed into the grass.

"Holy shit." Lisa gasped.

Anna walked up to the deer, retrieved her hatchet and looked at Lisa. She beamed with pride, held it up and wiped the excess blood on her wrist. Such a gesture was fluid and she worked on hoisting the deer carcass over her back. Lisa watched her, blinking in astonishment as she watched Anna walk back toward the cabin with the deer.

She couldn't help but watch every muscle in her forearms clench tight as she held the heavy animal. She just made it look so easy.

She had to stop staring at her. Anna probably thought she was rude for it.

They returned to the cabin and Anna worked on cleaning the deer while Lisa watched her from the cabin window. She knew Anna wouldn't go far without her and it made Lisa think about what the other woman had planned. She didn't know why Anna had chosen her or what she was still doing here.

Her mind was filled with doubts and questions, but she'd been strangely comforted here in Anna's cabin.

The other woman was washing her hands in a pan of water. Lisa made her way over to her, noticing the water running red. She reached out and Anna stared at her, but held out her hand for the other woman to take. Lisa was interested in the ring on her finger; a simple silver band, but a nice ring.

Anna's hands were larger than hers, calloused from years of hunting. Lisa stared down at her palm, running her fingertips over them absently. She didn't even realize she'd been doing it until Anna spoke a low grunt of Russian - a curious note, filled with a warmth she didn't possess before.

"Are there always going to be soldiers for you to fight?" Lisa questioned.

"Soldier. Strong." Anna replied, with a nod. "Long war."

Lisa frowned thoughtfully. "War?"

Anna nodded her head once more. She seemed distracted by the touch of Lisa's hand on hers, but spoke in snippets of Russian instead of her broken English. She rose and looked down at Lisa, her expression deeply thoughtful.

For a moment, Lisa felt a stillness in her heart. She didn't know what Anna was thinking; but the abrupt change in the room made her feel uneasy.

Anna blinked once. Twice. She licked her lips before leaning down and giving Lisa a small kiss at the top of her forehead. It made Lisa audibly gasp and she felt warmth spread through her skin in the place Anna had kissed her. She hadn't expected that.

"Anna?" she said, carefully.

The other woman huffed somewhat before turning, leaving the room without another word.

O

Lisa listened to the rain pelting the cabin roof. She was laying by the fire, thinking about where Anna might have gone. The Killer had not returned for almost several hours, so she assumed it was for a hunt. But there was still the deer in the kitchen, picked clean and left for food for the next several months. So why did she just leave?

Lisa let out a sigh, paging through a book of conversational Russian. She found it laying in the piles of books that Anna had pilfered, several edges singed from burns. Maybe Anna had taken it so as to teach anyone she took Russian. It made her concerned that Anna had probably planned on taking one of the Survivors long before she found her.

So why did she choose her instead? Lisa didn't think she had much going for her that made her a worthy pick from the Huntress.

Lisa was horribly confused now. She didn't know why she had that idea in her head.

Then, she looked up when she heard the sound of Anna throwing the cabin door open. Lisa balked at the sight of the woman standing in the door frame, soaked from the rain down to her toes. But it was the look in her eye that stilled Lisa's heart.

Anna's chest was heaving with deep, thick breaths. Her axe was dropped to the floor and she stepped inside. Her face was filled with something primal, something hungry that had Lisa's breath catch. Whatever had happened outside, she didn't know; but Anna's eyes and attention were fully on her and she didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

The taller woman strode over to her, breathing heavily and before Lisa could speak a single word, Anna leaned down, hands cupping her cheeks and her mouth came down upon hers.

Lisa let out a muffled, startled cry. At first, she thought of shoving the woman away; but at the heat of the kiss, her thoughts were knotted, twisted into conflict and confusion. Anna really didn't know how to kiss at all. Her mismatched mouth just seemed intent on devouring hers in a scalding sensation of teeth and tongue.

But the effort was there and it was doing something to her belly the moment those teeth scraped her lower lip. Despite how sloppy and unpracticed it was, it still brought forth feelings that she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt fire singing the corners of her insides, missing the need to feel touched.

The kiss had just thrown her; Anna had left so suddenly and now came back to just mash her face into hers like they were old girlfriends? None of it made sense and Lisa struggled hard not to succumb.

Lisa fought those thoughts, grasped Anna's hands and managed to find the strength to pull away and breathe, staring at her with shock, cheeks tinged with red.

"No." she hissed.

Anna stared at her, eyes shadowed with hunger. She wrinkled her brow, almost confused by the refusal.

"No?" she repeated.

Lisa was torn, body awakening with a need she hadn't felt in so long. She was being betrayed by her own skin and by a Killer. She had to stay strong and not let herself be taken in by the feelings. She was just lonely, that's all. Maybe Anna was, too. Maybe they were just here needing the same thing.

"No." Anna reiterated, with a deep frown.

Lisa shook her head, struggling to calm her heart. The intensity of Anna's kiss had left her breathless, her lips prickling from the contact.

Anna leaned back with a rough growl in her throat. "No." she repeated.

The word was a final confirmation and Lisa was trembling. She couldn't help it. Now she wasn't sure if Anna was going to let her live. The Killer was angry, that much was certain. But she didn't know who or what she was most angry at.

"I'm sorry." Lisa huffed, quietly. She struggled to stay calm.

Anna didn't answer. She simply seemed agitated, making her way out of the cabin once more. She left Lisa alone for the remainder of the night.

It was fine, really. Lisa couldn't sleep and she was left with fire teasing the surface of her skin.

Chapter Text

~O~

Anna didn't understand.

She felt the stirring in her thighs, the blood rushing through her veins as it fueled her charge against the soldier. She was doing what she was meant to do. She was going to give Lisa a gift and share a kiss. Anna had wanted that - to make Lisa hers. But she was refusing her and Anna was angry. She gave her a gift and fed her. She kept her safe from the world outside her cabin and she said "no"?

Anna bared her teeth, taking the rock nearby and bringing it down upon the soldier's head. She felt bone and flesh breaking with every blow and the blood that sprayed fueled her drive for more killing, more death.

The Entity was calling her for another trial. She felt it stirring in her head; the call was strong, like a whisper that dug deep into her brain. She was compelled to go forward and observe the four humans in the forest.

They were strangers. They had to be killed. She had to keep them from Lisa. It meant she stayed safe. That was what mattered to Anna.

One of them cursed violently in a language she didn't understand. Anna would finish him first. It frustrated her when they were too loud, too annoying; but she kept her focus as she crouched in the shadows, humming the lullaby to hone her thoughts and frighten them as she often did.

There was a yelp, like a dog that had its tail stepped on. Anna noticed it came from one of the Survivors when he tripped and fell. It made her laugh lowly and she raised her hatchet, ready to deliver the strike. He would be a quick, easy kill.

He looked right at her and screamed, moments as she threw the hatchet and it embedded itself in his face.

Anna moved quickly. She rose, retrieved the hatchet buried in his head before dragging him into the shadows. His body was shaking uncontrollably, hands clawing uselessly at her arms in his final moments. Anna always found it funny the way they did that.

She would get this done, then return to Lisa.

O

Lisa was laying there on the furs, taking some comfort in the crackling hearth beside her. The heat gave her a sense of peace for only a few moments as her mind struggled to come to terms with what had happened. A Killer had kissed her without warning and had left without explanation.

Lisa was sure that Anna had gone out to kill more. Maybe she needed time to think? Lord only knew that Lisa needed time to think about it herself.

Her lips tingled with the memory of Anna's kiss; like wet leaves and earth, not at all like the blood that she had imagined. Her mind was betraying her and she felt a shiver run down her back.

Anna's mouth had been rough, uneven because of the scarring and something about it lingered in her mind.

"Alright head, knock it off." she cursed to herself. "Stop it."

Lisa looked up at the sounds of angry Russian shouting and she froze, confused and stunned by it. Rushing to the window, she found soldiers making their way to Anna's cabin. They were armed with rifles and some with torches. Lisa understood very little of what they were saying, but they were intent on finally killing Anna. That part she picked up on.

Oh shit. She was alone.

Lisa immediately looked around for a weapon to defend herself. Anna didn't use guns and she wasn't leaving her with hatchets to use. Lisa wasn't sure if Anna trusted her quite yet with weapons.

Well, that was going to bite her in the ass right now.

Lisa hurried toward the back of the cabin and made her way outside into the biting cold. She was in a hurry to get away, sensing danger from them. They were here for so long and wanted to kill Anna, she didn't know if they'd see her as an enemy as well. The looks in their eyes were of men with nothing left to lose.

Someone was shouting in Russian now, alerted to the sight of her. Lisa held up two hands to try and calm them as they circled her.

"YA ne vrag!" she cried.

The soldiers froze, confused by her poor attempt at Russian. They looked at each other, murmuring in snippets of their native tongue before one leveled a rifle at her chin. Lisa eyed it warily.

"Togda kto ty?" he demanded. "Razgovarivat'!"

Lisa trembled, struggling to find her words. "I - I'm sorry, I don't know much Russian. I'm... I'm still learning it and - "

One of the soldiers - a rough man with a thick beard and ripped coat - grabbed her wrist tightly in one calloused hand. Lisa let out a sharp grunt, struggling to get free, but his grip was strong.

He was yelling now and Lisa was struggling to pry his fingers from her wrist. "Stop it!" she shouted, "Stop, I - "

There was suddenly a loud "HYAH" and a hatchet embedded itself in the man's face in a spray of blood. Lisa froze, eyes widening in shock and horror. He released her, eyes rolling up in his head. His hands feebly grasped at the hatchet before collapsing into the grass.

Anna was charging like a rampaging bear toward them, shouting in furious Russian. She was out for blood and Lisa was in the way.

"Oh, fuck." she gasped, barely able to muster another word as she scattered to avoid the swing of the broad-axe.

The soldiers attempted to overwhelm Anna with their numbers; one tried to jump onto her back and throw his rifle around her throat. Anna seized him, jerked wildly around before tossing him from her back. Before he could recover, her heel came down on his head.

Lisa watched in muted shock as Anna fought the soldiers. She couldn't believe it; this woman was taking on all of them and for what? For her? Did she really think they were out to hurt her? Well, Lisa hadn't been too sure then. For all she knew, they really thought she was a threat being with the Killer.

She smelled blood and it was so strong already. Anna was slashed in her arm by a bayonet and she snarled viciously, taking the weapon and shoving it into the soldier's throat. A spray of blood struck her mask, an animal roar left her throat as she forced him back into another soldier.

He spat at her, cursing her name and everyone that came before her. Anna was grinning cruelly, using her other hand to seize his throat and force him into the bayonet that had pierced his comrade.

The horrible scream from him sent shivers through Lisa. She had to tear her eyes away as Anna ripped into every soldier in her path. Her axe cleaved through flesh and bone, soldiers sliced her arms and chest in a blind effort to fight back. The chaos and sounds were terrible and she had to shield her ears to try and block them out.

Oh, God... make it stop.

Lisa was welcomed with silence. She opened her eyes, horrified by Anna doubled over the ruined bodies of the soldiers. The other woman was heaving in deep, thick breaths, clutching her bloodied axe in hand. A heavy gash had opened up on her forearm, dripping her blood into the already soaked grass.

Lisa took a careful step forward and Anna locked eyes with her. Those black pools stared down into her depths, those lips parting with loud, rough breaths. A storm of hell was behind them.

She was exhausted, bleeding and terrifying, but Lisa couldn't look away. She was frozen, reaching out with two hands before she realized she was walking.

"Anna?" she somehow managed.

The woman's name earned a visceral shudder the moment Lisa's voice filled the air. Anna gasped quietly, looking down at two hands that slowly, carefully reached for her. The storm in her eyes had dissipated for now, leaving only the dark clouds.

The touch was feather-light on her arm. She didn't tug her away, but only stared at the contact of her hands on her skin as if it were something she hadn't expected.

"Come back inside," Lisa felt herself calming, if only a little. "Get this blood off of you. I can help with that cut, too."

Anna glanced down at herself, then nodded a few times. She seemed fine with that.

Lisa swallowed thickly, struggling to maintain her peace of mind as she took Anna's hand, guiding her back toward the cabin. Strangely enough, Anna didn't argue or stop her from leading the way. Maybe she was too tired.

O

Anna sat in the chair in silence as Lisa worked to clean her shoulder with a rag. The sounds of water, Anna's quiet breathing and Lisa's gentle strokes against Anna's skin were unusually loud in the room. The air between them felt heavy, almost uncomfortable. Lisa sought to ease it somewhat.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, not looking up at Anna. "Why did you fight like that for me?"

Anna didn't look at her. "Protect."

"But why?" Lisa repeated, wanting to understand. "What makes you want to protect me? It doesn't make any sense."

Anna eventually looked down at her. Those black eyes were searching for something that Lisa didn't understand; she felt stripped all of a sudden as Anna watched her, like a wolf studying its prey, but not knowing what to do with it.

"Soldier strong." Anna explained, as much as she could. "Lisa. Anna. Together stronger. And..." The rest was lost in Russian.

Lisa felt her throat catch. She didn't know what to say or feel about that confession. Then, she looked down, frozen as Anna's hand reached down to cup her cheek. Calloused and capable of crushing men was somehow gentle against her. She couldn't help but lean into it. Anna was watching her, almost careful and uncertain all at once.

Anna's crooked mouth twitched in surprise when Lisa's hand covered hers. She seemed to expect her to pull her away, but Lisa didn't. She craved the warmth, the contact. Her mind was screaming disgusted things, but she just didn't want to fight them. She didn't want to hear them anymore.

Somehow, through trials and constant death, Anna had found her.

Lisa had no idea why she was chosen. Anna never gave her an answer.

She just wanted to be held.

Anna leaned forward, reaching out with two hands to cup her cheeks, her thumbs stroking the skin beneath her eyes. She smiled a little, seemingly happy that Lisa wasn't pulling away from her. It lit up her face in a sweet way; not at all like her terrifying grins when she was close to taking her axe to someone's head.

A kiss to Lisa's forehead made her close her eyes. Her breath had stopped. She didn't want to pull away.

She just wanted to be touched.

Anna's chest swelled with a deep breath as she moved her mouth to her neck. It made Lisa's heart thud faster. She shuddered, holding onto the hands that held her to keep herself feeling grounded. She felt light, her skin set aflame from such small contact.

It had been such a long time and after tonight, Lisa wasn't sure if she wanted to push Anna away. She'd never had someone protect her the way Anna did. Even if she was a Killer, Lisa pushed those thoughts away. She would regret it later, but now she couldn't think about that. Now, she was here.

"Moya malen'kaya lisichka." Anna murmured, against her skin. "YA zabochus' o tebe."

Lisa didn't understand what that meant. She simply felt herself drawn to the heat of Anna's body, taken by the gentleness she offered.

Anna rubbed her nose beneath Lisa's ear, then breathed out a question, laced with apprehension, almost.

"No?" she rumbled.

She expected the refusal, sought it, really. Lisa leaned back, struggling to focus through the growing haze in her head. Her eyes felt heavy, her lips parted as she took a moment before answering.

"Yes."

The intense look on Anna's face had ensnared her; she looked like she craved something, but didn't understand fully what that was. Her lips parted, her cheeks flushed and Lisa was captivated.

She leaned forward, giving Anna a question in her eyes. Anna nodded her head and her breath caught when Lisa's lips were gently moving against the scarred half of her mouth. Lisa didn't want to move so quickly, but Anna looked to be barely leashed to the ground.

She responded and, like before, her kiss was clumsy; her lips just seemed intent on nipping her lower lip and rolling around on her mouth, but it was a good effort really as it left Lisa's spine prickling with heat. Anna mimicked what she did, which told her that she had little to no experience with something like this at all.

Anna finally pulled away and the thick, wanton growl that burst from her lips startled Lisa. She gave a yelp, instinctively wrapping her arms around Anna's neck when the larger woman scooped her up in her arms to carry her up the stairs of the cabin. It made Anna chuckle deeply and Lisa blushed at it.

They entered Anna's room and Lisa was urged toward the bed. She attempted to calm herself down with a few light laughs when Anna carefully crawled in with her. She moved over to cover Lisa's body with her own and the bed creaked slightly with the added weight.

Anna murmured something, nosing at the skin of Lisa's throat. Her teeth nipped, making Lisa utter a breathless gasp. Her skin was alight with sensation, her body aching for more. Doubts were furthest from her mind. It was so long since she'd been touched that it no longer mattered who it came from.

The larger woman on top of her growled again, urging her hands into Lisa's shirt. She wanted to touch more and the pace seemed to be too slow for her. Lisa gave another gasp, reaching out to take her hands and stop her. Anna looked down, cheeks flushed red and brow knotting with confusion. She didn't seem to like the way they'd stopped, so Lisa sought to explain.

"Don't worry, we're not stopping," she breathed, "Just... Let me. If we go slow, it'll feel a lot nicer, I promise."

Anna seemed to understand a few of those words. She huffed once, allowed for Lisa to lift the shirt over her head on her own. She took the opportunity to shed off her own sweater and Lisa couldn't help but trace her fingers over every scar she could find covering Anna's skin. It earned a shiver and the skin at her fingertips raised with goose bumps

Anna's larger hands were slowly moving up the length of her sides and cupped her breast. She leaned her head down, mouthing at her collar bone. Lisa mewled against her shoulder, arms wrapping around her.

The noise spurred Anna on and her hands were rough as they plucked at Lisa's nipples, bringing them to aching hardness. She whimpered against her skin, hips jerking unconsciously against Anna's thigh. She felt her body betraying her and it seemed that Anna certainly got the hint, bucking her hips back against her. It was a possessive, animal instinct to just claim every bit of her.

"Moya lisa." Anna rumbled, her own body trembling with need. "Mine." She nipped at Lisa's throat again, then looked at her through her haze of desire. "Mine?"

It was so different compared to her irritated growls, vicious snarls when she hunted prey. It was a gravely, coarse sound filled with heat and smoke that made Lisa's entire body hum with anticipation.

Lisa nodded frantically. Both of them were loud in the room as they breathed heavily; Anna's hands were tugging at her belt, working to free her from them.

It took a little effort, of course; Lisa had to wiggle her hips and Anna was overeager to get her undressed. Not that she minded any of it; it was nice to be wanted that much, Lisa couldn't even deny that.

Anna's own trousers were simpler to do away with. A few wiggles, some choice words in Russian and she was finally free of them, toss them aside to the floor and gather Lisa up into her arms.

It felt nice to finally appreciate the skin of her body against her own. She was warm, almost feverish, her rough hands exploring her chest to lightly pluck at her nipples again. Lisa moaned appreciatively as jolts of pleasure danced between her thighs, moving to try and get comfortable in her lap.

Anna hissed sharply when she felt her straddle her bare thigh, coating her in her body's excitement. Lisa felt embarrassed by herself for getting so worked up, but Anna didn't seem to mind it at all. She simply grinned, licking her lips with anticipation and hunger in those dark eyes.

She gave Lisa a light push into the bed, earning a surprised note from her. Anna sat up, cupped her breast with one large hand and thumbed her nipple. Lisa squirmed beneath her and Anna gave her nipple another pinch before lifting Lisa's leg, draping it over her shoulder so that it exposed her lewdly and left her foot near her head.

Lisa groaned loudly when a thick hand moved across her slick folds. It was apparent that Anna quite enjoyed the sight of her open and dripping for her. Lisa couldn't help herself and she was embarrassed at being so worked up. It really had been far too long since she'd led anyone else touch her.

"Dlya menya?" Anna hissed, rubbing her with a grin.

Lisa didn't know what she was asking, but her body was alive with pleasure. She merely bit her lip, moving her hips in time with the hand against her, assuming that it was what Anna wanted.

"Khoroshaya malen'kaya lisichka." Anna growled thickly.

She licked her lips once more, spreading Lisa's legs wider. Her fingers were thick against her folds and Lisa groaned when she felt herself filled by them. Anna wasn't slow about it, but it didn't really matter because all of that workup and being without a touch for so long made her more than ready for the blunt force of her fingers pushing deep inside of her.

"Oh, fuck." she bit out.

Anna leaned forward, teeth biting down against Lisa's neck. The pressure of her fingers, combined with her teeth had Lisa pleading against her ear. Anna's growl, her chest swelling with deep breaths quickening with subdued excitement went lost in place of the rough rhythm she started with her fingers.

"Mine..." Anna's voice was hot in her ear. She seemed determined to stamp that word in Lisa's mind, claiming her with it.

She was larger than her, so she had to straddle her thighs while her fingers drove her on and on. Lisa focused on that deep pooling warmth where Anna found her, wanting it so much and fearing it ending so quickly. But she couldn't help herself.

Anna's palm was grinding more firmly against her clit, breathing out words of command in Russian. Her voice was hoarse, her breath quickening just as fast as the motions of her hand.

She threaded her fingers through Lisa's hair, holding her against her cheek. Her nails scratched against her scalp, wrenching a cry from Lisa's throat. Her back arched against Anna's hand and one strong jerk of her hips had her flowing over her; a sharp cry burst from her throat and she let herself fall, clenching and relaxing in waves around those thick fingers buried inside of her.

Anna let out a deep, self-satisfied chuckle, balancing her weight on one hand to lift herself up properly. She slid herself forward a little, moving to slip herself up against Lisa.

She understood it well enough and Lisa moved to get herself comfortable. She was still shaking from her orgasm, her thighs aching from the position. Anna certainly wasn't going to wait for her chance to find relief.

Lisa was aching from the brute force against her clit, but those thoughts derailed the moment she felt the scorching heat of Anna's folds rub against her own. Anna hissed sharply, no longer intent to be patient as she began to move her hips, rolling herself against Lisa with no thought but her own pleasure.

It took a few awkward movements; Anna's hips twitched in an uneven pattern as she seemed to struggle to find her pattern. Anna grunted with frustration and Lisa sought to help her along by moving her leg somewhat, guiding Anna's hips in a rhythm with her hands.

"There..." Lisa gasped, "Like that."

She smiled breathlessly and Anna grinned down at her, moving her hips once more. The rhythm was perfect now and the friction began to build up the fire in Lisa's thighs again. She clutched at Anna's thighs and the taller woman held her ankles in place, holding her right where she wanted.

The roughness in her movements would have hurt anyone, but Lisa ignored it in place of their mutual pleasure. Bruises were probably going to form, but the movements of Anna's hips, the delicious friction between her legs pushed all of those thoughts and pain aside.

Anna doubled over, words in Russian falling from her lips. Her cheeks were flushed red, her dark eyes locked onto her and only her, body shining with sweat. Lisa was taken by the look, never seeing something so attractive in her life. They were hungry for her and no one had ever looked at her that way.

"Moya lisa. Moya malen'kaya lisichka," Anna bit out.

Eventually, the look was so intense that Lisa tossed her head, eyes squeezing shut as she moaned Anna's name. It earned her a low, laugh from the woman above her and she moved faster.

Lisa raised her hips to meet her movements and Anna doubled over, letting herself fall forward to sink her teeth at the base of Lisa's neck, her movements more rough and rapid. Lisa wrapped her arms around her shoulders, thanking god she was large enough to pull it off.

"Anna, come for me." she breathed against her ear.

Low, indulgent moans left Anna's lips and when Lisa tried to nip her ear to help her along, it earned a heated snarl that transformed into a high cry from Anna's throat. She stiffened, hips stuttering out of her rhythm before she finished with a forceful thrust and a low, primal groan against Lisa's neck.

Both took a moment to catch their breath. Eventually, Anna raised herself back up, looking flushed and sated. She helped Lisa up into her lap and it was nice to be able to stretch out her muscles a little.

Lisa was still trembling as she was held in Anna's arms. She felt boneless now, relaxed and comfortable being held against her breasts. Those were nice, after all.

"Moya malen'kaya lisichka." Anna murmured, against her hair. "Anna pozabotitsya o tebe."

Lisa didn't know quite what she said, but she didn't mind just laying against her sweat-covered chest, taking comfort in those large hands soothing her back and chest. She would deal with whatever came after this. Right now? For the first time in what felt like forever, she was calm and happy.

Chapter Text

~O~

"Look, all I know is she's gone."

Meg had been talking about Lisa's disappearance with the others for what felt like an hour. No one had been listening to her much and they just assumed she was taken by the Entity in another trial. But she knew she'd been gone for longer than she should have been and her spot by the bonfire was empty. Dwight had been guilty about it having lost sight of her during the time they'd been resting. She didn't really understand why.

"So, what are we supposed to do about it?" Nea snapped, rubbing her eyes with one hand. "We don't even know where she is."

"Fuck." Dwight hissed.

David grinned at him. "Hey, watch out, he's using big boy words now."

"David, shut up." Meg snapped, rolling her eyes.

Dwight smiled with irritation. "Yeah, like it's my fault David likes to whip his dick out for every little thing."

Nea rolled her eyes when David gave Dwight a rough punch in the back of his head. The two started rolling around near the campfire with Dwight angrily shouting for him to stop, David laughing and pushing him several times. The other Survivors were not really enjoying the sight and only wanted quiet after their trials.

"If Lisa's not here, then you know what happened." Nea told them. "And it's bullshit." She rubbed her face with one hand. "Just bullshit."

After a moment of handling him a bit too hard, David had eventually let Dwight go. Dwight shot David a dirty glare, then looked at the others. "Lisa's probably being tortured somewhere and we can't do anything about it."

O

"...and... u kolo...dtsa?"

"Kolodtsa." Anna corrected gently.

She was laying her head comfortably on Lisa's chest, looking at the book she was reading and correcting her every so often on her Russian. Lisa was laughing, unable to fathom being here with the other woman, naked and covered beneath the furs and quilts of the bed. Anna was also calm and relaxed as Lisa absently ran her hand through her short, black hair.

"My Russian is shitty," Lisa said, with a feeble laugh. "Sorry."

Anna shook her head, murmuring with displeasure at the profanity; she never really liked to hear it having heard it far too often from the soldiers. Lisa was learning that as she spent time with her.

She looked down at her and, eventually, Anna lifted her head when she sensed the stare. It made her look somewhat adorable like that; just contented with that mismatched smile on her face, laying in Lisa's chest like they were just old lovers. It felt strange, in a sense, but not in a bad way.

"It's so weird, honestly," Lisa said.

Anna wrinkled her brow. If she was confused, or lost on the word, she didn't make any mention of it. So Lisa tried to find the proper word in Russian. It earned a deeper frown on Anna's face.

"It's just..." Lisa was trying to explain better. "I've never really looked at you and thought I'd find myself here. But..."

She laughed nervously and Anna raised her eyebrows, amused by the look. She gave her arm a light squeeze.

"Talk." she said.

Lisa couldn't believe how light she felt. Maybe it was the post sex feeling that made her a little more giddy than she would have thought. Maybe she was just relishing the feelings she felt for the first time in so long.

"Well, I..." she said. She licked her lips. "I've never had that happen. Uh... Tak tyazhelo v moyey zhizni."

It took Anna a moment. She blinked at her, eyes widening incredulously before she roared with laughter, tossing her head back on the bed. The sound startled Lisa and she grinned, laughing along with her. She'd never heard Anna laugh like that before and she found that the sound was addicting.

"YA poradoval svoyu lisu!" Anna hissed, gleefully.

Lisa's chest and face warmed at the sounds of Anna's laughter. She had been used to the soft, almost cynical chuckles from Anna during the trials, but never laughter like this. She didn't sound frightening or hungry, just amused and delighted. It was something that Lisa found she wanted to hear more of.

She was scared of that. Anna was a Killer, but she was still unable to find herself wanting to leave her. She believed she protected her and took care of Lisa in a way that she'd never had in her life.

It was confusing.

Anna straightened and sat up, looking down at Lisa with a frown on her face. She raised one hand, cupping her cheek gently.

"Lisa...upset?" she asked.

Lisa blinked, startled by the question. Then, she laughed gently, shaking her head. "No, not upset," she assured her, "Just thinking about things, that's all."

Most of that was lost to Anna, who studied her with a mixture of confusion and doubt. It made Lisa reach up to cup her cheeks, lightly brushing her thumbs against the skin beneath her eyes.

"It's good," Lisa said, trying again, "I'm okay."

Anna nodded her approval. She was satisfied with the response and gathered Lisa up into her arms. It was comfortable resting her head against Anna's chest, savoring the warmth of her skin, the thrumming of her heart against her ear.

Her breasts were soft and Lisa absently teased one with her hand, fingertips lightly brushing her nipple. It made Anna squirm with a small grunt in her throat. Her hands cupped Lisa's backside, stroking the skin.

There was a shadow of hunger dancing in Anna's eyes. The way the larger woman licked her lips, stared at her with a smile on her face, an inquiry in the tilt of her head. Those hands swept up and down Lisa's back and her mouth nipped at her collar bone.

"Khorosho. Khoroshaya lisa." Anna husked, against her ear.

Lisa shivered, feeling a pulse of desire rock through her from the feel of those lips on the soft shell of an ear. She melted into it, breathing a sigh of pleasure with Anna's name to follow. Lisa couldn't help it. The heat of her, the comfort of her skin against her own made her forget everything else.

How had she forgotten everything else?

Anna's calloused hands brushed against her chest before her lips followed, teeth biting against one hardened nipple, making Lisa gasp out. A hot pulse shot straight to her thighs, between her legs and Anna responded with a growl deep in her throat. The delicious sounds she made spurred her on and Lisa took a chance, grasping Anna's head to pull her from her chest.

It earned a grunt of irritation and Anna frowned at her for an explanation. Lisa just laughed and looked pointedly down at her lips, lightly brushing them with her fingertips. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes partially closed.

"I really, really like that," Lisa assured her, "But I...was kind of hoping to do something for you."

Anna blinked, wrinkling her brow thoughtfully. It seemed to interest her a little, though she didn't seem to understand what Lisa wanted to do. That was fine, but Lisa was nervous as well. She hadn't done what she wanted to try in a long time. There was just an urge to please her now after she'd fucked her a few rounds for a few hours.

Lisa put light pressure on Anna's shoulder and it made the other woman frown, but allowed herself to lay on her back with Lisa straddling her waist. Anna's hands swept up her sides and groped her breasts, plucking her nipples with that same hungry look on her face. It made Lisa's back arch and she shivered wantonly, delighting herself with being atop the mighty Killer at last. She couldn't help it.

"Touch." Anna grunted, with a smile on her face.

Assuming Anna wanted more, Lisa leaned down and brought her lips to one of her nipples, giving it a careful lick. Anna hissed softly, shifting beneath her. She didn't object, so Lisa continued to lick before bringing it into her mouth for a little suck.

Anna made soft, delightful sounds, grasping her hips and grinding beneath her. Her fingers were hard and bruises would surely form. But Lisa found that she didn't mind it so much. She was a little proud to make such an intimidating woman want her as much as she did. In that moment, every single doubt she had was gone completely in place of pleasing Anna as much as she could.

Lisa lifted her head, smiling down at her. Anna looked remarkably flushed and less like a terrifying Killer in the throes of need. There was something irresistible about the way she showed her teeth in a grin, looked up at her with her hands exploring her chest and hips.

As much as Lisa enjoyed that, she was eager to do what she wanted. She scooted from Anna's waist, earning a confused look from the woman beneath her. She shook her head and began to lean down and kiss Anna's belly.

The other woman murmured thoughtfully and laid back against the furs of the bed to watch her. She raised an eyebrow, studying Lisa now with curiosity.

As much as to prepare herself and Anna, Lisa moved slowly. She arrived at Anna's thick, beautiful thighs and spread them slowly. She kissed each one and felt those dark eyes watching. She was unsure of the expression Anna would have, so she was careful in her approach.

Bringing her lips above the delicate part of her, wet and hot with renewed arousal, Lisa savored the feel. The contact had Anna's thighs jumping and she could make out how she gasped softly, almost shocked by the contact. It made Lisa look up at her now.

"Okay?" Lisa asked.

Anna's expression was dark with lust. She looked very interested, licked her lips with anticipation and nodded her head. Lisa felt an absurd sense of pride as she closed her lips around her.

Anna let out a soft gasp, squirming somewhat. It was probably strange to have someone's mouth touch her that way for the first time, but she wasn't complaining. Instead, she grasped Lisa's head to hold her right where she wanted.

Lisa certainly didn't mind; she was thrilling at the continued grunts and soft moans from the woman above her, lovely and pleasant to her ears. She suckled on the little nub gently to give her a chance to get acquainted with her mouth. Anna was lightly bucking her hips into her, demanding more.

Well, that was an invitation if Lisa ever had one. She slid her fingers into Anna alongside her mouth. It was incredible to finally be inside of her, to feel the greedy way she gripped her fingers. The continued cries she made filled the room.

"Khorosho. Khorosho, malen'kaya lisichka." Anna groaned, the movements of her hips quickening, the grip in her hair tightening. "Boleye."

She humped herself against Lisa's mouth, nearly knocking her over. Lisa was internally pleased with herself, ignoring the mild sting of the hand clutching her hair tightly. She wanted to hear her finish. She had to.

She twisted her fingers inside of Anna, seeking out that spot that would help with that. When she found it, she put wicked pressure against it with her hand.

Anna howled as she came, riding her face with all the force of a storm. Lisa took every bit of her release, letting Anna ride her face and the remainder of her orgasm. By the time she was finished and taking a moment to breathe, she took only a moment before she was pulling Lisa up across her chest for a fierce kiss of teeth and tongue. Lisa gasped against her mouth, taken by the roughness of it. Anna definitely recovered quickly.

"Mine..." Anna sighed, parting to rub her lips against Lisa's throat.

Lisa melted into her arms, shivering with need as she felt a large hand move between her legs, touching her slick folds and sending pulses through her core. Anna merely chuckled, looking at her with a question on her face.

Lisa gasped when a finger slipped right into her. She could only muster a small groan and a nod.

And Anna finished her again. Twice.

O

Anna found comfort in her little fox.

She was small, of course. Most of them were. Anna knew that she would have to teach her how to protect herself in the Entity's realm. The hare had found its mate and a good mate took care of its own. She had seen it amongst the wolves and the bears that would fight her with teeth and claw when she came to hunt them. Anna certainly would fight the same way to save her. Lisa belonged to her now and she would make certain they knew that. She would make certain THAT THING knew that.

Anna felt herself thinking of the past. She thought of her mother teaching her such ways to hunt and how she would teach her little fox. Lisa seemed smart enough and eager to learn her ways. It made Anna feel a little proud of her.

The hatchet was simple and a good enough start.

She held it up to her, watching her look down at it in confusion. Lisa was unsure of it at first, it seemed. She was not as confident as Anna was. But that was alright; Anna would teach her, she would show her how to properly protect herself. The soldiers would come again and again to kill her. Lisa would get caught in her war. And her little fox would need to survive. Anna would see to it.

Lisa would learn how to sense the grass beneath her feet, taste the air around her and feel the things that her prey felt. She would take that into herself, be blessed as Anna was with the Entity's gifts. She was already thinking of how Lisa would adapt to the hunt at her side. But until then, she would learn.

Her hands were on her sides, guiding her into a proper stance. Lisa liked when she touched her, though she tried to hide it through little laughs and turns of her head. Anna took a deep breath, smiling beneath her mask. She leaned over her, pointed toward a nearby tree and indicated where she wanted to throw it.

"Tam." Anna said.

Lisa seemed to understand, which Anna was comforted in. She was learning her tongue and it made it easy to talk to her. Anna was frustrated when she couldn't get her to understand what she wanted.

Lisa tossed the hatchet and Anna watched as it spun end-over-end into the bark. Lisa was happy with it. She jumped a lot, pointing and yelling. Her excitement was cute; Anna had to grin as she watched Lisa's little dance.

Her little fox.

Chapter Text

Anna had so many scars.

Lisa had seen them before, but she was never able to sit so close to her like this and trace her fingertips along Anna's naked back. There were three that interested her and they seemed to form a path similar to claws. Something big had slashed Anna across her back and she'd walked out of it mostly unscathed.

Her hands couldn't help but caress the muscles of Anna's shoulders and back. They twitched somewhat at the contact and Anna seemed to like that; she was leaning into them, her belly clenching when Lisa's hands moved there to touch another cluster of scars.

Anna glanced back at her with a soft grunt, perhaps curious by the lingering touches to her skin.

Lisa looked up with a small laugh. "Sorry. You just have a lot of scars." she told her. "It's hard to imagine just all that you went through."

A small, thoughtful note from Anna and the taller woman seemed to agree. She looked down at Lisa's hand and Lisa took her time to run her hands across the larger one, marveling at every callus on her palms. Lisa remembered how those hands brought her so much pleasure and the thought made her blush deeply.

"You have a nice body, too." Lisa blushed with a little giggle.

The sight earned a smirk from Anna. She knew Lisa admired her and she took pride in that. It made Lisa laugh again. She rarely made such comments, but it was true; Anna's muscle, her healthy bit of body fat in places that mattered was nice.

Lisa pondered another matter; her friends, her life outside of the Entity's realm that led her here in Anna's bed, tracing her scars and just touching her like they were an old married couple. She still had a hard time wrapping her head around it.

A part of Lisa felt guilt for it; she was comfortable here with a Killer and her friends were out there in the realms, being killed over and over again. Lisa didn't want that to happen, but she didn't know what she could do.

"I wish I had my phone right now," she said, trying to distract her thoughts.

Anna wrinkled her brow. "Phone."

The word was lost to her and Lisa understood that. As far as she could tell, Anna had no experience with technology or anything like it. In a way, it was kind of interesting explaining it to her and seeing how she would react to it.

"It's something you use to talk to people when they're far away," Lisa explained, with gestures of her hands, "Even if they're not close to you, you still feel like they are?" She groaned, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I really didn't explain that good."

Anna seemed to think about it. She wrinkled her brow, leaned over toward the edge of the bed and pulled out a wooden box. She held it out to Lisa and the woman found it odd, but opened the box and was surprised to find a corded phone. An old one used in the Cold War, it looked like. Anna must have picked it up from scavenging.

"Phone?" Anna questioned.

Lisa nodded with a laugh. "Yeah, an old phone," she said. "Sorry, I guess I didn't think you knew what a lot of stuff was. Living in the woods and all."

Anna thought about that, then smiled a little, shaking her head. "Anna smarter than Lisa thinks."

Lisa winced at the words. "I didn't mean..."

Anna shook her head, leaned down and kissed the skin beneath her ear. It seemed fine and the Killer didn't appear to be annoyed by the remark. That was nice. Lisa would have hated to ruin the mood because of it.

Then, Anna looked up sharply and Lisa was suddenly tense. The look of alert that came to her face suggested she was listening for something. Something that Lisa could not hear herself. But she definitely sensed a chill in the air, like a coldness with no name.

"What's wrong?" Lisa asked.

"Hunt." Anna explained, rising and preparing to dress herself. "Stay."

Lisa started to rise, but Anna shook her head and she felt the warmth return when the taller woman leaned down to kiss her cheek. It was such a chaste gesture and so gentle compared to the woman she'd used to be around her.

But what would Lisa have done otherwise? She was sitting here, comfortable amongst a Killer who went out to hunt her friends; they were going to die again and again while she was here in front of a warm fire, being fed, taught how to hunt and adored. She wouldn't deny a little bit of guilt there.

But Anna was gone before she could protest.

O

Anna didn't like the smells here.

There were old, wooden walls around her that reeked of rot and dust. Screeching birds perched on rooftops and upturned wagons conflicting with her senses. This place felt older than her own hunting grounds.

Then, she heard them. Her prey.

Four of them making their way into the building nearby. Anna crouched low, watching as they seemed to talk together, a bit restless by their arrival. There was a taller one who mentioned Lisa's name and that put Anna at attention. She was frustrated somewhat at their language barrier, even though Lisa had been trying to be understanding and teach her.

They didn't know where she was. They weren't sure where to look.

They were looking for her? Did this mean her prey had been friends with Lisa? They must have thought Anna had hunted her like others before.

But no. Anna would keep them away from Lisa. She belonged to her. She was not going to see her taken. Not by the Entity or by them.

She was safer with her.

O

David scanned the bar with a defeated noise. Every bottle was empty. The Entity had been a real prick taking away that much from him. He could have really used at least warm beer. He wouldn't complain.

Sniffing sounds drew his attention toward the entrance of the bar where Anna was standing, back hunched, axe clenched tightly in hand. A grin lit his lips when he saw her and he squared up his shoulders, raising his fists.

"Another round, eh?" he hissed, "Come on then, big girl. Show me what you got!"

Anna tilted her head at him and he rushed her with a roar.

Outside the bar, Dwight, Meg and Nea could make out the sounds of fighting. They were working at the generator, talking about David's attempt to fight Anna again.

"So...think he needs help?" Meg asked.

A loud crash and David was thrown through a window, tumbling head over heels across the dust. He staggered to his feet, bloodied from the glass and laughing loudly before jumping right back inside to resume his fight.

Dwight looked back, shook his head. "Nah, he has it covered."

"She might know where Lisa is." Nea hissed, looking at the other two. "Maybe she took her or something. She was giving weird goo-goo eyes at her during that trial."

Dwight laughed now. "Come on. Really?"

"Yeah, I saw it."

"Bullshit."

Nea rolled her eyes at Dwight's arguments. "Listen, you can believe me or not, I don't give a shit," she snapped. "I know what I saw and I know, for a fact, she took Lisa. She's probably keeping her in her cabin to use for like, a weird little sex pet or something. You never know with these freaks."

Meg made a face. "God..."

David's shouts of effort turned their attention to the bar. They could tell he was having a difficult time against her and collectively rose from the generator to help him.

Inside, Anna was stalking toward him from behind the bar and he was swaying, broken and bloody with his knuckles smashed in.

"That all you got, you Ruskie bitch?" he grunted, thickly.

Anna breathed with effort, taking another step forward before a chair was shattered against her back. She barely budged, but blinked with irritation and turned slowly, facing Dwight now. The smaller man blinked, eyes widening in horror.

"Oh, shit." he gasped, turning and running.

Anna rolled her shoulders, cracked her neck once and stalked after him. David was helped up by Nea and Meg and he yelled angrily after Dwight.

"I had it handled!" he spat.

"Yep, sure did." Nea said, dryly.

David glared at her. "Shut it." He winced sharply. "Damn, that bitch can hit like a freight train. But she didn't get me near that fucking hook."

"Nea thinks she has Lisa." Meg told him.

He stared at her, confused. "Huh? Why do you think that?"

"I saw how she looked at her." Nea explained. "During the trials. She didn't kill her, only looked at her. Like she was a piece of meat. You know, when a guy checks your ass out and follows you in a dark alley."

"Nice image..." David quipped. "We gotta find a way to get to her if she's being held up by this animal. Any ideas where she'd be?"

O

Lisa was asleep.

She heard whispers and it made her stir somewhat with distressed whimpers. Crows were perched at Anna's cabin windows, watching her with yellow, glowing eyes. One of them squawked loudly and it awoke her with a yelp and she fell right out of bed, onto the hardwood floor.

A groan. "Dammit, what the hell?"

Lisa sat up, rubbing her tender nose before looking at the two crows staring at her. It made her uncomfortable immediately; they were looking at her like they understood her, knew even everything that she was.

A hiss filled her heard, swathed her eyes in shadow and cold.

"Well, well, well..."

The voice was speaking in her head, all at once in various languages and tones. It was old, far older than anything. Lisa had no idea how she knew that, but that same voice had been in her dreams, lulled her into a chilly cold fog of despair and pain. It was the same as it had been in the basement where the Entity was closest to her. But also, it had been different; as if so many voices spoke at once, loud and clear for her to hear.

"Who's there?" she whispered, even though she knew.

The crows were still, eyes piercing into her head.

"Food for the worms."

"Little food pray. Little food sing. It makes no difference to us."

Lisa looked away from the crows. "You're talking to me like I'm scared. I'm not scared of you. I don't know what you are and what you want - "

"Death. Hunger. Always hunger."

"Scared. Scared. Scared."

It seemed stupid to try and challenge it. Lisa didn't want it to know she was terrified of it, but she knew it obviously sensed her terror and her anger. She knew that in the short time she'd spent in its realm, it fed from fear and hate like a starved beast.

The crows' eyes reflected a fire now and Lisa was lost in their gazes. She saw flashes in her head unbidden.

Wars fought.

The universe in its infancy.

The deaths of thousands of people who had offered themselves to it.

And Anna and Lisa were just its tools all the same.

"No friends. No love."

"Die. Now."

Lisa huffed tearfully, stalked toward a corner where a broom was and picked it up. She angrily swatted the crows from the window with a fierce shriek and the cold chill in her head was gone for now.

But the ache of agony and reality lingered in her mind and heart.

She dropped to her knees and stifled a small sob.

O

The rat was gone.

He had been twitching on the hook for some time, kicking at her, clawing at her sweater in a futile attempt to fight back. But Anna knew that she would savor this in this moment. She could only watch as he spent his final breath cursing her name and her people and everyone who had come before her. For something so small and frail, the animal had spirit like she'd never seen in bigger prey. She respected that.

The bigger one fought back hard. He'd shattered a part of her mask and that had angered her, spurred the fiery storm in her heart as she cleaved him in half with her axe. He had tired from his fighting, his struggles weakened from a broken leg. Most animals went down easily after something like that. She'd seen it when one had stepped into a bear trap.

The other two were at the gate, demanding to know where Lisa was. Anna understood that much, at least. But she wouldn't tell them, of course. She had no reason to speak to her prey and, unlike Lisa, they did not earn the right to hear her voice.

"We'll find it!" one of them spat. "We will find her, you fucking freak!"

Anna didn't deny that. They were fierce and knew how to use strategy to elude her. They were more cunning prey than what she was used to. But she could adapt and evolve to face them as she had many times before.

Lisa was hers. They would see that.

She would keep Lisa from them and the Entity.

They would see that, too.