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As if today couldn't get any worse. Mikaela has been sneaking around the hospital map, she can't remember the name, and every few minutes she can hear the horrifying sound of one of her teammates getting hurt or the ringing of the bell belonging to the dreaded Wraith. She would assume the Wraith is a man, or at least, he used to be. She can't get away from that sound, can't drown it out. It slithers through her ears like a snake and coils around her brain.
She's never gotten close enough to ask him what he really is, and anytime she's close enough to him to ask, she wants to run for her life. He's a monster, she's seen the terrible things he can do when he's angry. Her teammates haven't been downed yet, but she knows they've sustained injuries. She can hear their whimpers and pained gasps reverberating off the walls in these seemingly endless hallways.
There's not a shred of hope to be found here, no chance of survival and nothing to make her feel better. The first-aid kits are useful, but trying to suture a wound shut while under immense pressure and delirium brought on by said injury can be very stressful. You're more likely than not to accidentally exacerbate the situation and make it worse.
She's having the worst luck of her life today. Originally, she was feeling confident because she found a new outfit, a gift from the Entity to reward her success in a previous match. A beautiful purple floor-length skirt with fabric as soft as silk. Paired with a black shirt, a pink leather jacket and tons of different jewelry.
She packed it all on eagerly because why not? Why shouldn't she enjoy the gifts she's given, the smallest things that make her happy when every other waking moment is a living nightmare? This small act of defiance by using non-practical outfits and jewelry makes her happy. Speaking of non-practical... Mikaela had already snagged her new skirt on two separate occasions, once when vaulting a window, the other time when she ran out through a doorway and the hem of her skirt caught on a stray nail.
Great. Just great. Mikaela sighs, frustrated, but she knows that when every trial ends, their damaged clothes are repaired just like their wounds. Fatal or non-fatal. Nothing lasts forever here, but that just makes more sense in her head because she gets to enjoy the little things that make her happy. Yeah, those little things are going to be both the biggest hinderance and biggest help today.
She turns down another corridor, creeping along as quietly as she can, mindful to keep her dress out of the way so she won't trip and bust her face wide open, can you imagine? God, she would never live down the embarrassment if that's how she was caught and in turn, how she ended up getting killed. She would never live it down.
For a few minutes, she assumes that maybe her luck is finally turning around, because she hasn't seen the Wraith yet. She spots a generator next to a window with moonlight and snow pouring through it. She takes a second to glance around to make sure the coast is clear. So far so good... She turns back to the generator and kneels down to begin working on it.
A few minutes of peaceful silence follow, and she actually dares to believe that she might complete a generator by herself, bring herself and her team closer to a safe escape. Just as the thought is formed, it's squashed by the sounds of soft footsteps approaching which she wrongly assumes to be one of her fellow survivors.
Mikaela turns around to greet them silently before realizing there is no one standing there. She frowns and her expression turns into one of horror when she realizes the amount of danger, she's in. The Wraith slowly uncloaks himself, staring down at her with all the menace that an ungodly, unsightly creature like him can muster up.
Mikaela doesn't have time to run, nor beg so she cries out and raises a hand to protect herself as the Wraith raises his weapon to strike. Three seconds pass and nothing happens... She dares to look up and flinches when he reaches out to grab her wrist and yank it up so he can look at it closely. She frowns, "W- What are you doing?"
For a moment, she's afraid he might bite her fingers right off. But he's not trying to hurt her, he's just... Staring at her rings? Mikaela has eight rings in all, and she likes them all. But if a piece of fabricated metal with a shiny stone will keep her alive, well... "D- Do you want it?" He looks at her, and she continues. "The ring. Do you w- want my ring?"
She reaches up with her free hand and the creature growls, she freezes. "Wait, wait! I- I'm not trying anything. I'm just gonna take it off. Okay?" She moves slowly, making sure he sees her grab the ring with her fingers before sliding it off. She holds it out to him with a trembling hand and he opens his palm. The second the ring is dropped into his palm, he drops Mikaela's arm, and she curls up on the floor, staring at him as she waits to find out what he's going to do next.
The Wraith is- No fucking way. He's purring?! Mikaela frowns as she listens because no way she's hearing this, but he really is. He lifts the ring into the wash of moonlight so he can examine it closely. "I- Is that what you wanted?" The creature shifts his attention back to her. "Can I... Can I go now?" He backs up and gives her room to leave while staring at her.
A very confused Mikaela runs away until she finds another teammate, a sweet girl named Claudette. She tells Claudette what happened, much to the confusion of Claudette. The girls decide that if it kept them alive, maybe it's not such a big deal. Why read into it too much? It was a one-time thing, she's sure of it, it's not worth reading into.
An indiscernible amount of time later, Mikaela has won a match against a Leatherface, and lost a match to Nemesis. Now, she's facing The Wraith again because she can hear his bell ringing. She tries to stay out of his line of sight just to avoid pressing her luck, until later in the match she rounds the corner and literally runs right into an cloaked Wraith.
When he uncloaks, Mikaela turns to leave, and he grabs her by the arm again. Terrified that her good luck has run out, Mikaela begins begging for mercy. "Please don't do this. Please. I won't drop anymore pallets or firecrackers I promise I won't. I'll-" She pauses when he holds out his hand, palm facing up, like he's expecting something from her. "...Really?" She frowns, confused. He grunts once and Mikaela frantically nods. "Okay, okay. Just uh, hold on."
She looks at the remaining rings on her hands and removes another one, her pinky ring this time. She barely has time to offer it to him before he's snatching it out of her hand and releasing her wrist so she can examine the new ring. "Really? That's it?" He growls and steps forward, prompting her to turn and run.
When she relayed the story to Dwight, he simply said it wasn't the most bizarre thing he ever caught a killer doing. She asked what the most bizarre thing was, he turned red and asked her to change the subject.
The next trial was the same, much to her surprise. She found herself at Blackwater Swamp. This time, she had only had about ten minutes to explore on her own before The Wraith literally ran up to her, excitedly purring and holding out his hand to her while flexing his fingers. He's literally making grabby hands at her, waiting for the ring.
She nearly laughs and lifts her hand up to show him as she removes another ring to offer him. A black ring with a malachite stone. He purrs again and nods, clearly happy with this one. Much to her surprise, he holds out his hand again, anxiously awaiting another. "Oh, come on. I just gave you one." He angrily stomps his foot with a sound akin to an elephant's trumpet and a growl.
"Okay, okay! Sorry. Jeez..." She removes another ring, a black band with three little opal stones in a row. "Here." She gives the ring over and he happily begins examining it just like all the others. It's so odd but... She's never seen him wear the rings; he just wants to take them from her. As he backs away to let Mikaela return to her team, she can't help but wonder, why does he want them?
When the trial ends and the survivors leave, Philip returns to the large field where the killers await their next trials. He passes by the Legion kids, all talking among themselves as the two males of the group arm-wrestle. Michael is just sitting down, still as stone, unmoving until the next trial. Philip doesn't care about them. He's looking for her.
Sally is standing inside one of the wooden houses, examining her reflection in a cracked mirror. She smiles when he enters and comes running or rather, floating, into his waiting arms so he can wrap her up in his embrace. Her soft red lips peck his cheek, leaving a red imprint on his weathered face. When they part, he holds her at arm's length and she excitedly waits to see what he's brought her this time.
Philp lifts his hand to present the two latest rings. She smiles and holds out her hand, clearly showing the ring he got the first time from Mikaela. Philip happily slides both rings onto Sally's hand, she holds her hand up close to her face with a contagious smile. She then brings him in close for a kiss. Mikaela may not know what Philip is doing with her rings, but as long as she keeps supplying them, Philip will continue to allow her to live.