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Chapter Text

The sun felt warm on her skin, filling her with a strange sense of optimism. The distant, whirring sound of the generators had become part of a twisted routine. In the fog, everything was part of a game with a sole purpose: to escape, to 'survive'

Freedom of course, would only ever be temporary. The mysterious, eldritch being trapping them here, wallowed in their hopelessness, keeping them stuck in a loop of death and revival. Perhaps its purpose was bigger than what their feeble human minds could ever understand, perhaps their role had been set from the moment they were born. It didn't really matter. What was the hardest to ignore and therefore the most real, was the perpetual suffering. Including the originally overwhelming need to survive, which was now waning day by day, as months or even years passed. They couldn't tell anymore. The few survivors that kept track of the days, stopped doing it long ago.

Kayla's memories were fading, who she was, was getting swallowed by who she became, hardened and sharp. A freaking shadow of her old self. She was merely prey to the hunt, she and plenty of other lost souls, taken from their homes by the 'entity'. Prey primed to entertain the soulless beasts that slaughtered and sacrificed them for its sake. They enjoyed the hunt, their fear and pain as they pushed themselves to the limit just to escape the piercing feeling of the hook in their flesh.

'Fuck them all' she thought, her palm itching from the hay on the dirtied ground of the farmhouse. On her knees, she carefully approached the untouched generator. She tried to enjoy the weather, much better than the other realms, warm and almost welcoming. Small things like that became her only joy in this hellhole.

It had been at least half an hour yet none of the other survivors showed up, nor screamed in the distance. Weird. Even if it was a stealthy killer, he would have launched at one of the survivors by now.

She couldn't be bothered to ponder about too long though, time was money and the generators wouldn't fix themselves. Slowly, she placed the red cable next to the familiar part of the blue, it was muscle memory at this point, a skill honed by the countless times she had to fix these wretched machines. She was kind of glad Dwight wasn't here to mess it up, he always confused the cable positions, getting them noticed by the killer enough times to dread working with him.

She shook her head a half smile forming on her lips. Just move this here and then a bit to the left and bam! She was done! There was only one more generator to go and the gates would be powered up. She'd get back to the comfort of their little camp, with Bill and his stories about the war, Feng and her complaints about the lack of wifi. It was all comforting, a type of normalcy amidst the chaos and its uncertainty.
She had no idea how she'd get through it if she was completely alone in this, so she was grateful. Grateful that even though the entity had robbed them from their lives, it still left them something to keep them going. Someone could argue it was another form of cruelty, giving them false hope to keep them broken yet obedient to their purpose. They'd never really know.

She got up hastily, shaking the dirt from her knees, needless and more of a habit. Another remnant of her old, comfortable life when she could afford to be presentable. Her jeans were ripped and worn, her green tank top something she didn't remember owning. Her flimsy clothes were the main reason she preferred realms with warmer weather, the cold was unbearable, making her fingers numb and in result affecting her work on the gens. It was funny, considering none of the survivors needed to eat and drink water to survive anymore.

Adam had a pretty interesting theory about it, something about their bodies clock stopping, which explained why they could still get affected by the environment, despite not feeling hungry or thirsty. Some sort of stasis. It was plausible enough to Kayla,but she still couldn't sake the thought that this may have been done purposely, for sadistic reasons by the entity. It wasn't too far fetched, considering the things they were tasked to do. If Kyla could name true evil, it would be this being.

Sighing, she started walking, each step purposeful, hiding behind rolls of hay and rusted, agricultural machinery. Couldn't risk being seen, even if the killer had taken too long to show up. Seeing the last generator inside the old sack up ahead, she came to a shocking realisation. She had actually completed four of the five generators all by herself, no one had showed up at all, no one had been working on anything aside from herself.

Kayla shivered, a sense of foreboding making her already anxious mind worse. This was the start of an anxiety induced migraine and she certainly wasn't looking forward to it. No, she couldn't waste time, ever. It was an unwritten rule between the survivors, always move and contribute. For now there was only one thing to do and that was to finish the last generator, open the gates. She could discuss this with the others later. It was weird yes, but at the end of the day what wasn't at this point in her life? Nothing ever made complete sense in the fog. This might as well be an elaborate joke by the entity, a test. Or even a 'glitch' as Feng likes to put it.

Kayla slowly placed the cables in place, the whirring of the gen growing louder, the more she worked on it. As she was about to get to the finishing touch, she felt the hairs on her arms rising, her instincts alarming her enough to make her pause.

Someone was here and was approaching stealthily the sack.

Not wasting a single moment, she quickly hid in one of the red lockers that were conveniently placed all around the map of the realms. She held her breath, waiting for whatever it was to show up and kick the gen. It would render her progress slow, but it didn't matter. She could work on it again. If anything it was relieving, since it meant that this was after all a normal trial. Perhaps her teammates were hiding, or perhaps they were keeping the killer busy the whole time.

She waited, her heart beating faster and the familiar foreboding feeling growing in intensity. Her eyes moved curiously, starring from between the small gaps of the locker.

Nothing.

No one was showing up.

Her heart was about to burst, her instincts were screaming yet the killer was nowhere to be seen.

She was going to stay in the locker as long as she needed to, she had to.

After what felt like hours, her heart calmed down. The threat gone.
She reluctantly stepped outside, the thought that this may be a trap never leaving the back of the her mind.
Crawling, she slowly approached the window of the shack, its bottom and top rail dilapidated, the glass broken.

No one was there. It was safe for now. She had to continue her work and leave.

After a few minutes the generator became fully functional and the sound of the gates powering up was like music to her ears.

She ran, her eyes always on watch in case the mysterious killer decided to finally show up. She moved across the farm for what felt like ages until she saw the familiar rusty walls of the huge gates. A look of relieve washed away her previously disgruntled expression. With her hands shaking, she reached for the switch, applying as much pressure as she could on her palms. It felt strangely stuck, unmovable.

After a first, a second and a third try, she started panicking.

"No, no no- please open Goddamn it!" she mumbled, the adrenaline and frustration making her want to burst.
Kicking the gates with as much force she could master, she yelled "OPEN THE FUCKING GATES!"

Falling on her knees, her forehead touched the rusty metal and her palms scuffed as they rubbed on it.

She had to get up. Try the other gate. There was no way she couldn't leave.

Numb to the environment around her, she blindly ran into the cornfield, trying to make it to the other side, on the second exit. Reaching the familiar structure, she pursed her lips, her hope fading at the absence of the familiar light on the switch.
She gave it a testing pull anyways. Her dread was instantly justified. It wouldn't budge, not even an inch.

It made no sense.

None at all.
She had fixed all the generators, heard them whirring to life, powering up the gates. She did everything that was within her power, she played by the rules like every other trial.

The entity was still playing with her.
And it was pissing her off.
The killer was out there, that was for sure.
She felt it and it was unmistakable. Instincts was something like a superpower in the fog, quadrupled in power unlike her past, normal life.

She still didn't know who it was and the uncertainty terrified her. She thought she had gotten used to getting thrown in unknown situations, yet there she was. Paralysed in fear.

Stupid.

It wasn't as if she could truly die. She would be given as an offering and it would all end. Yes, perhaps this was the only way out in this case.

She started to actively search for the killer.
Whoever they were, they induced the strongest sense of dread she ever felt. It was unfamiliar in a way. Perhaps it was a new one, someone she didn't happen to come across before in a trial.

Minutes, then hours passed but she had yet to come across them. Or any of her teammates for that matter. Not that she had expectations for the second. Her feet started hurting from the aimless walking around the huge farm field.
Kayla leaned on one of the randomly placed massive rocks.

Something was seriously wrong. And she couldn't stand her lack of clarity and her inability to resolve the situation.
What if she got stuck in this realm forever? Did she somehow manage to enrage the entity with her ungratefulness?

Leaning her head back, she noticed something truly peculiar. The sky was darkening, the golden hues of the sun indicated that it was evening.
This never happened before. The time on the realms was always unnaturally unchanging.

The sight was enchantingly beautiful, something she hadn't ever since she stepped into this strange world. It almost felt like she was back in her place, where normal phenomenons such as sunsets were obviously a common occurrence.

She wished the others were here to witness it. She could bet Kate would tear up at the sight. She did so too, only realising it the moment salty wetness reached her chapped lips.

A strange sort of feeling made her chest feel heavy. She heaved, her tears sliding like a small river on her reddened cheeks. Oh God, it had been a while. A while since she felt such an intense emotion. It felt more than just a crack on the numbness built like a shield on her psyche.
Along with it followed thoughts she'd rather not deal with. Thoughts of frustration, pointless, unproductive ones and impossible to answer. Thoughts like 'Why me?' or 'When will this end?'.

And this was why she hated being in touch with her emotions. She couldn't afford to wallow in them and no one would cater to her. She had friends here yes, but she was still alone when it came to facing the results of what this 'place' did to her mind.

As the darkness grew, a frigid wave of air started settling on her body like a thin sheet of ice. This was a painful reminder she was sitting in the open. She had to move, perhaps find a place in this realm, somewhere safe enough to temporarily settle for the night.

Her knees trembled as she got up, sprinting through the cornfield. She would settle for the sack on the other side and first thing in the morning she'd search for a way out.

Unless the entity felt generous enough to move her back to the camp in her sleep.

Chapter Text

The sound of cornstalks brushing against each other in the gentle morning wind made her stir and slowly open her eyes. Her mouth felt dry and she was sweating a lot, drenching the back fabric of her top. At the first flicker of consciousness, anxiety surged on her like a tide. She was still in the sack, still in this Goddamn farm.

She forced herself to get up, muscles aching and a migraine slowly building up. Today she'd explore the whole place in detail, checking every nook and cranny. She'd leave nothing until she either found a way out or at least 'something' found her. Literally anything offering her an explanation was accepted, anything to end this burning feeling of uncertainty.

She stepped outside, the golden light of early morning spilling across the field. It was quiet. She couldn't exactly describe what felt wrong. Somehow the usual, subtle yet oppressive hum of the entity’s presence felt oddly...muted. It wasn't this way yesterday. And hell, she still couldn't get used to saying 'yesterday', to have a day pass like everything was fucking normal.

She made her way past the familiar landmarks, the rusting tractor, the hay bales stacked like broken pyramids, and the animal pens. She kept her eyes focused for anything unusual. After several long, winding minutes through the outskirts of the map, something caught her attention, something from the corner of her eye.

Far in the corner, nestled beyond the edge of a broken fence she had passed through and actually inspected before, was now a faint, strange shimmer. A haze. Not like the soft, misty fog that lingered throughout the realms, but something more dense .
It moved like smoke, lazy and heavy but twisted in unnatural ways, pulsing and thinning like it was alive. Kayla looked at it unnerved, her stomach twisting.

She approached slowly, brushing past wild shrubs that seemed to have overgrown with abnormal speed in this hidden corner. Her thin canvas shoes crunched over dried leaves and brittle stalks, every sound deafening in the strange quiet.
The fog pulsed again as she neared, and an icy breeze tickled the back of her neck. Oh God, it felt… wrong. Her gut told her to turn around, but at this point she was far beyond listening to fear and self preservation. Any clue about what this fucking creature wanted was precious.

She extended a hand toward the fog. It felt cold and somewhat...soft? Not wet like real mist, not even tangible like smoke. More like brushing against static. It made her skin prickle and goosebumps rise on her arms. She inhaled once, then took a decisive step forward.

Instantly, her vision blurred, her ears plugged. And then everything changed.

The moment she passed through the veil the air became thicker. The scent was different too earthy and fresh. Also somehow sweet like damp soil and pine needles after rainfall. She stumbled slightly, the shift in footing surprising her.

Once her sight cleared up, she couldn't hold back her gasp. It was really cliche.

She was no longer on the farm. Towering trees surrounded her, gnarled, ther canopies covering most of the sky. Light filtered through in beams, creating shadows along the forest floor. They were kind of... strange, their bark seemed to pulse faintly, like veins just beneath the surface.
Moss covered rocks dotted the ground, and the deeper she looked, the more distorted the forest seemed.

Hell, she considered turning back to the farm because this Goddamn forest was an instant nope. It didn't even look like any of the maps she was familiar with, nor like the forest surrounding the survivor camp.

She turned around, trying to find the fog that lead her to this place but it was nowhere to be found. It just freaking vanished. It was supposed to be right between this section of the trees.

Cursing under her breath, she felt herself paralysing on the spot. She couldn't bring herself to move and explore this place. It was literally something that came out of her nightmares, which was hilarious, considering what she had been through in the claws of countless demented individuals and their territories.

The distant sound of something snapping in the trees, snapped Kayla out of her limbo instantly.

Fuck.

She just ran.

Her body was consumed by uncontrollable tremors, her heart nearly beating itself out of her chest. She had to hide, she had to be stealthy. Her survival instinct had pushed every button in her brain releasing adrenaline.

She ducked beneath a low hanging branch and pushed herself forward, the sharp slap of foliage scratching her arms as she sprinted through the forest. Her breath came in ragged gasps. The trees blurred past her peripheral vision, and her shoes threatened to rip with every uneven patch of forest floor. But she couldn’t stop.

Something was following her.

She didn't hear it, not anymore, no snapping twigs or rustling branches. But fucking hell, that only made it worse. The quiet after the noise. The calm before the goddamn storm

Her eyes scanned frantically for anything, ANYTHING that could offer cover or protection. Then she saw it: a dark shape carved into a rocky slope not far ahead, mostly hidden by hanging ivy and crooked roots. A cave.

She didn't hesitate.

Kayla barreled toward it, nearly tripping on a root at the entrance. Ducking low, she forced her way inside, the cool air instantly washing over her overheated skin. She pressed herself against the inner wall, breathing hard, trying not to sob.
It was deep enough to feel hidden. Safe, maybe. She slid down into a crouch, the rock cold beneath her, and tried to regulate her breathing.

What was it? It was the same unfamiliar sense of dread she got back in the farm sack.
Fuck this, it was getting goddamn exhausting.
She was used to being constantly hypervigilant thanks to the trials, yes. But this was truly something else. It touched a primal type of horror she was not ready to face. No one was insensitive enough to EVER get used to this.

"I'm okay" she whispered to herself, more out of habit than belief. "I'm okay. You're okay"

The tremors in her limbs gradually lessened. The panic didn't go away, but it dulled into a quiet, somewhat manageable terror. She sat cross legged,arms wrapped around her knees, shivering from the temperature drop and the cold sweat clinging to her skin.

She tried to position herself as comfortably as she could, closing her eyes, her head leaning on the hard cave wall. Absurd as it was, she felt herself drifting to sleep.

****

She stirred awake. It was the clicking, kind of mechanical sound that rudely dragged her back up from her much needed, shallow sleep. It wasn't like the crackling branches from earlier.

Snap.

Again. Her eyes flew open.

She blinked rapidly, heart lurching into her throat, her mind fighting through the disorientation. The cave was darker now, colder as well. She hadn’t realized how long she'd been asleep. The faint light filtering in from the entrance was nearly gone, reduced to a dusky glow.

She didn't move at first, just listened in paralysing fear.

Nothing.

Snap.

It was a faint whirring sound, like a lens adjusting, annoyingly familiar.
Then… a low chuckle. Drawn out. Mocking.

Her breath caught. Her body tensed as she slowly, shifted her weight forward, peering into the darkness ahead of her in the cave.

Another flash.

A brief, white flicker of light near the far wall. Her eyes took a second too long to adjust, and when they did, her breath hitched. There was a silhouette in the dark. Familiar long black robes and a white mask.
Perched inside the cave. With her.

Not coming from outside.
Inside.

Ghostface.

Her pulse exploded, she couldn't see his eyes through the mask, but she felt them. Felt him watching her. He hadn't lunged, hadn't moved since that last click of the camera. He was crouched in the shadows, elbows on his knees like he had all the time in the world. Like he was waiting for her to catch up. The fucking bastard.

"You looked peaceful" came his voice in a teasing, casual tone. Like someone commenting on the weather. "Had to ruin it. Sorry"

She fell backwards on instinct, her heel skidding on the cold cave stone, but she didn't get far as back met the hard wall. He didn’t move, he just tilted his head, the camera in his gloved hand lowered now, dangling loose from his wrist like it was just an afterthought.

"Aww so you do know how to pick hiding spots" he mused, voice still soft and amused. "Really cozy. I might just stay a while"

Kayla's breathing was ragged now, her limbs half frozen with adrenaline. She could feel her mind racing for something, any options.

"Why are you here?" she croaked out, hating how weak her voice sounded. She always disliked Ghostface and his fucking light hearted attitude as he gutted them one by one. This guy was a freak, in the worst sense of the word.

Ghostface laughed. A short, delighted little burst. "You're asking for a reason? Really now sweetheart?" he said, drawing out the word. "I just saw sleeping beauty and couldn't resist joining in" Okay, he was a corny asshole as well, that was for sure.

He stood now, slow and graceful. No sudden moves. That somehow made it worse. Kayla's eyes darted to the mouth of the cave, but she knew it was pointless. He was between her and freedom. And even if she got out, where the hell was she? The Entity's world didn't allow for random glitched forests or secret caves. This place wasn't part of the rules.

Strangely though, he didn't look confused. In fact, he looked right at home. Ghostface took a step closer. She didn't move.

"You ran from something out there" he said, nodding vaguely toward the forest. "I saw you. All those branches snapping, your little panic dash… beautiful. You've got that desperate thing going on. Very final girl" Kayla's jaw tightened. She fought to keep her voice even.

"What is this place?"

Ghostface tilted his head again, mock thoughtful. "Don't know. Don't care. but..." He took another step forward. "the real question is what are 'you' doing here. Little survivor rats aren't supposed to scatter in our side. Not that i'm complaining though. Your sweet little ass-"

She stopped listening after the first part, the weight of those words hitting her hard. That was what had felt off all along. The usual static hum, that sick sixth sense that told survivors they were being watched, it had been gone since the shimmer. Muted, yes. And now, maybe, completely absent. This place was off the limits of the survivor camp.

Unregulated. The killers fucking side.
Truth to be told, she was always morbidly curious regarding their side but she certainly didn't want to find out this way.

She looked up at him, this masked voyeur with his knife and his camera and his hungry, repulsive fascination. Ghostface crouched again, now just a few feet from her. The lens of his camera lifted. A red light blinked.

"Rude, are we? Say cheese"

The shutter clicked again. And Kayla, frozen in the dark, didn'tt even blink.

Chapter Text

Kayla wanted to scream. To yell, to lash out, to do something that might express the crawling discomfort under her skin, but nothing came. She remained still, pressed against the cold stone, her eyes locked on Ghostface's every movement.

He was currently occupied with his old, grimy Polaroid camera, fiddling with it like he had all the time in the world. The lens clicked softly again, the flash briefly illuminating the walls as he gave it a good shake for whatever reason. She didn't really care to know why.

How were you supposed to confront a killer?
Or worse, this killer. Ghostface, in his damn element. Cornering her in a tight, claustrophobic space where every breath felt too loud. She felt self conscious and frank.y speaking, terrified.

She didn't dare move. Not even an inch.
This wasn't a trial. This wasn't one of the Entity's rule-bound, loop-and-pallet games. She didn't know what would happen if she got injured here, whether death meant being pulled back to the campfire… or something more permanent. There were no guarantees now. Only the crushing weight of uncertainty.

"Pfff" Ghostface made a strange, snorting sound, half amusement, half contempt, like watching her struggle to exist was the funniest thing in the world. Then, with a lazy step to the side, he lifted his left arm and pointed toward the cave's entrance, gloved fingers outstretched.

"Go"

Kayla stared at him like he was speaking gibberish, her mouth slightly agape in disbelief. He chuckled again, low and mocking. "Go before I change my mind"

Was this some kind of trap?
He was letting her go? No fucking way it was out of kindness. The very idea was absurd.

Still, her body moved before her brain could argue. She rose slowly, legs trembling, every step forward uncertain. Her senses were screaming, wired to react the moment he twitched.
She stepped out of the cave on wobbly feet, the air outside somehow colder than before.

Just as she prepared to bolt, muscles tensed, lungs filling for the sprint...something yanked hard on her left foot. She hit the damp forest floor face.first, the impact knocking the breath clean out of her.
Air rushed from her lungs in a harsh, choked gasp, her cheek scraping against wet leaves and cold dirt.

Stunned, she laid there for a second, blinking against the sharp sting that bloomed across the bridge of her nose. Her thoughts scrambled to catch up, trying to piece together what had just happened.

"Man" came the familiar, smug drawl just above her "you’re so cute I almost feel bad"
A strong, leather-gloved arm slipped around her waist and yanked her up effortlessly, turning her onto her back. She could feel the fabric of his black clad suit on her belly which was exposed, as her shirt rid up with the fall.

He tilted his head, the hollow white mask looming above her as she struggled to catch her breath, the world still spinning slightly beneath her.

"Just a small prank" he murmured, voice smooth and sickeningly calm.

He crouched lower, inching closer until she could see the faint scuffs on his mask, the warped reflections in the eyeholes. His hand reached out, slow and deliberate as he tucked a damp strand of her auburn curls behind her ear, fingertips grazing her skin far too gently.

Then he leaned in. Close enough for her to feel his warm breath passing through the gaps in the mask and brushing against her cheek.

"This only between us but..." he whispered, right at her ear "I only play jokes on the girls I like"

Kayla flinched violently, twisting her head away with a choked breath, her stomach twisting with nausea. Every nerve in her body screamed at the proximity. He snickered behind the mask, low and pleased.

The bastard was every inch the sadistic creep she'd expected him to bemand yet, somehow, she still felt stupid for being caught off guard. As if she hadn't learned by now that with freaks like him, things could always get worse. Absolutely nothing new,

Except perhaps that she wasn’t in a trial.
Aaand the new horrifying possibilities of what he was going to be allowed to do to her.

Fuck.

She was a meal served on a silver platter, laid out and helpless, and he knew it.

Before she could even think of moving, his weight slammed down on top of her, knocking the breath from her lungs. No warning and definitely no hesitation.
His gloved hands clamped around her wrists, pinning her to the forest floor.He loomed above her, mask inches from her face, head tilted again in mock curiosity.

"Come on" he said softly, voice laced with amusement, "what's got you thinking so hard?"

She tried to raise her knee, subtle and quick, aiming for where the sun doesn't shine. But he caught her effortlessly. His hand snapped to her thigh, twisting her leg to the side and pinning it against the ground, throwing her off balance and killing any chance she had of following through.

Then his grip on her wrists tightened. Fucking Hard.
She winced, the pain blooming instantly through her forearms, tendons straining beneath his crushing hold.

In a flash of pure frustration. and reckless defiance, really... She did the unthinkable.

She spat on him.

The moment it left her mouth, a fierce rush surged through her, rage, adrenaline. Damn, the sharp thrill of disrespect felt fucking great.
But was gone just as quickly.

Fuck.
She was already regretting it in fact.

He froze. Not exactly in anger. Confusion was the more appropriate word to describe it, surprised at her crude action.

Slowly, he raised his hand, fingers dragging through the spit smeared across his mask. He wiped it off on her shirt, which was muddy, torn, and already stained enough.

"I can imagine of a few better places i'd like your spit on."he murmured, voice low and dry.

Something in him shifted. The casual, playful cruelty drained from his posture, was replaced with something colder. If Kayla could describe it, it would be... predatory.

His entire form seemed to harden, and the weight of him above her suddenly felt unbearable. She went still, instinctively. She felt like a pinned butterfly, breath caught behind glass

"However..." he said softly, almost thoughtfully "I may just gut you instead"

Chapter Text

She couldn't breathe. Her throat clenched like she'd swallowed a tennis ball, chest rising and falling in quick, shallow bursts. Unbeknownst to her, she was grinding her teeth, jaw locked in raw anticipation.

Oh God, she was going to die...
She would either get send her back to the camp… or there would be nothing.
Just the end, final and silent. And judging by how far she'd pushed this sadistic fuck, it was going to be painful.

He didn't give her the luxury of spiraling too far. She felt movement between their bodies. They were too close, tight, there wasn't even space enough to flinch. His arm shifted, fumbling for something in his pocket.

Her stomach dropped. She didn't even need to see it. She knew that shape, seen it getting drenched in blood more times than she could count. The familiar glint of his hunting knife emerged into view, cold and casual in his hand as her body went rigid.

He leaned in further, deliberately pressing more of his weight against her, until she could feel every inch of him, inhumanly still and oppressive. She wanted him off her so fucking badly.
With one hand, he held her wrists captive in a bruising grip, with the other he turned the blade slowly, letting the sharp tip trace lazy patterns in the air just inches above her skin.

"We could test how far into your ear I can slide this baby" he said casually, like it was a passing thought and Kayla shivered, revulsion surging up her spine. "Make your brain a nice little mush of flesh, hmm? What do you think?"

The cold edge of the blade traced her cheek, slow and deliberate, dragging in a sickeningly rhythmic motion down toward her neck. She could feel it scratching across her skin lightly, leaving thin, red trails.

Without a single warning, he struck. The knife plunged into her upper arm with terrifying precision, fast and practiced.

For a split second, there was only numb shock, her body failing to register what had just happened.

Until the pain hit. It crashed into her like a wave of fire, forcing out of her a nearly animalistic scream. Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes, soaking further her already wet from sweat hair.

The sharp, metallic scent of blood filled the air, thick and nauseating. Kayla's stomach churned violently, so much that choking on her own vomit before bleeding out actually felt possible.

But Ghostface gave her no chance to recover. He ripped the knife from her arm in one swift motion.

She screamed again, high and raw, her body twisting in agony. Her now freed hand flew instnctively to the wound, clamping down on it, slick with blood. Her face contorted into a grimace, eyes squeezed shut as white hot pain pulsed through her like electricity.

"FUCK YOU!"she screamed, voice ragged and furious. She never felt so much hatred in her life, not even during trials. She was cut, hooked and killed so many times she thought she was numb to it by now.

When she opened her eyes again, vision swimming and unfocused, she saw him, still straddling her, still pressing down on her hips with steady, possessive weight. With gloved fingers, he wiped the blood from his blade,slow and practiced. Kind of ritualistic.

"Well, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" he said smoothly, mocking her, baiting her.

To make it worse, she could feel the sick thrill he got from it, his arousal pressed against her hips through the fabric of his pants Her face twisted in disgust.

"Why don't you just fucking finish it?" she snapped, breath ragged. "You think running your mouth nonstop is gonna make me care? You desperate piece of shit" Her voice cracked slightly from the pressure in her chest, the venom in her words intense.

He chuckled darkly, unbothered "Why so pissy, sweetheart?" he purred. "You wanna die that badly?"

"In general? Not really" she said, her voice hoarse but steady. "But listening to your corny ass monologues? Might as well croak faster" The sarcasm rolled off her tongue easily, cutting through the dread in her chest. For a moment it even made her forget the fear.

Now that she had that momentary clarity, she had to think of something to get him off her. Her eyes darted toward the forest floor, catching sight of a thick, jagged rock halfburied in the mud beside her.

Relax. You can do this.

You HAVE to do this.

Ghostface tilted his head, clearly amused by her mouth. But in that flicker of reaction, that tiny beat of ego boosted moment of his, Kayla moved.

She didn't pause to think, her hand shot out, fingers scraping over wet earth as she grabbed it. Before he could react, she slammed the rock into the side of his masked head with all the force she had left.

He reeled back with a surprised grunt, momentarily stunned, and that was all she needed. She bucked her hips, kicked free from under him, and scrambled to her feet. Her arm screamed with pain, blood trailing down to her wrist, but adrenaline drowned it out. She didn't even register her footing, just ran like hell.

Branches whipped at her face as she sprinted through the forest, heart thundering in her chest like it wanted to tear free. She didn't look back, not even after hearing his furious voice echo through the trees

"Get back here, you stupid whore!" he roared. "Let's see how far you get with that busted arm! If I catch you, I'll hang you by your fucking intestines!"

Kayla didn't look back.
If lord had any mercy, she wouldn't come across him again for a while.

Chapter Text

She wandered through the forest's dark labyrinth for what was hours, if her aching feet could accurately mark the passage of time that is. The air was damp, thick with moisture that made her throat feel raw and her eyes sting, making her rub and kind of further irritate them.

She had no idea where she was going...Left? Right? And what if Ghostface caught up with her? Could she face and outrun him again? He clearly knew this place far better than she did, she had his seer arrogance to testify for it. It was only a matter of time before he found her unless she moved. As far as she could.

She walked ahead, stumbling into a small, suspicious clearing. A dozen red flowers carpeted the ground in a strange spiral, almost as if they were carefully arranged this way.
A thin, white mist surrounded them from stem to the petals.
She stepped carefully between them, hoping to avoid getting her shoes soaked in the muddy patches. Even during this simple action, she felt... watched.

She didn't know if she could completely trust her ears, especially now that she was utterly exhausted, but she could hear really faint whispers. Her brain was screaming danger, that she should turn away... but she really had to move, even if it was between these creepy bunches of wildflowers.

A putrid stench hit her nose, kind of like rotting flesh, thick and cloying. She froze, scanning the clearing.

No carcasses, no signs of death… nothing.

It was strange, in a very unsettling way. At this point, even the sight of a human corpse would have offered a sick kind of reassurance, some grim explanation for the smell, but there was none.

She quickened her pace, walking for at least ten minutes. All this distancing only to step into another identical clearing.

Same flowers. Same smell.

Her shoes sank deeper into the mud this time, darker and thicker, as if the rain had been selective in this cursed patch of earth.

Muscles screamin, she ran again.

A third clearing appeared, indistinguishable from the first two. She was going in fucking circles, sheer panic clawing at her chest.

The forest felt weirdly alive, almost like it was closing in on her, as if with every step she made, it followed. She didn't know if she could take another surprise through this day, first Ghostface and now even the Goddamn trees were playing with her mind.

As she felt the pressure on her head build in, walking mindlessly ahead, her foot snagged something. She stumbled, crashing elbows first into the mud, making her heart leap out of her chest.

Oh God, something was holding onto her... It felt cold and clammy on the skin of her lower leg.

As her eyes faced her caught ankle, to her horror, she saw a deathly white hand, bone protruding, skin blackened and rotting. She kicked and thrashed, mud coating her face and shirt. The smell of decay was overwhelming, making her gag. The mist was starting to clear up, giving her a more clear glimpse of the ground.

The flowers were gone.

Around her, dozens of corpses, their bodies twisted and cold, formed a grotesque cushion. Her shirt was drenched in dark, cloying blood. She screamed, eventually managing to kick off the arm, uncaringly stepping over the bodies.

Sweat poured down her skin as she stumbled away from the third clearing. She thought she caught a faint, manic laugh riding the wind behind her, but God, she didn’t want to find out whatever the fuck it was. At least the stench of rot was fading, proof she had put some distance between herself and that nightmare.

And yet, she couldn't bring herself to feel relief.
Why the fuck would she ?
Every step forward revealed horrors she couldn't comprehend, each one another weight pressing down on her sanity. She couldn't even bring herself to ruminate over what just transpired.

This was the last damn straw for the day.

She felt the familiar lump in her throat, the pressure building until her body shuddered and tears finally spilled. She was covered in blood, reeking of decay, and was shivering from the cold, humid atmosphere. On top of it, her arm felt numb, the stab wound possibly infected. Saying she was a miserable mess would be an understatement.

Kayla weakly pushed herself towards the bark of an old, massive tree. It was surrounded by misshapen bushes with dried, empty branches, giving her a meager layer of coverage from anything that would possibly pass through this path. For now at least. She tried to rip a part from her worn jeans, to use it on her wound but after a few tries unable to make the fabric give in, she gave up. She ripped instead more from what remained of her messed up shirt, tying her stabbed upper arm with it, applying pressure to the bleeding wound.

She couldn't get used to her body getting tired so easily or going through any type of human ail. It made her feel more mortal than ever, she could even feel hunger gnawing on her stomach, and if she wasn't nauseous from the exhaustion and adrenaline, all she would think about would be food.

Food.
How the hell would she even sustain herself in this hellscape? No creature in this realm had a need for it, no survivors and she assumed no killers either.

To her non surprise, she found herself missing her old, 'irregular' body, even if it made her feel less human and more of a punching bug thrown into trials for the entertainment of an eldritch god.
She missed her friends, the jokes around the fire, pumping everyone up for the next hunt. The trials felt like a walk in the park in comparison to this...

She wasn't going to sleep, just rest her body and keep watch. Sleep was a luxury and only brought her a step closer to danger.

The countless noises whispered through the forest, all different and coming from all directions, kept distracting Kyla, keeping her on her toes and making her flinch every few seconds. If she thought the forest couldn't get any darker, she was gravely wrong. The darkness and mist grew so thick, she could barely make out the gnarled shapes of the other trees. She felt so vulnerable that even her breathing was soundless.
What was worse, her eyelids were drooping no matter how hard she fought to keep them open. And this time, she didn’t know if she’d wake up again. Was it blood loss dragging her down? An infection already setting in? She’d never had to care before, never had to worry about festering wounds or bleeding out after the trials. Usually when she was brought back, she was instantly healed, no survivor ever needed to tend to bleeding limps after they went back to camp. Now she was left with nothing but a raw, throbbing wound and the very real possibility of dying in some nameless pit of trees.

She was so fucked it was kind of funny. She'd spat on, fought, and bolted from a psychopath… only to maybe keel over hours later, alone.

Hilarious. Truly.
No surprise there, the entity made it clear that no matter how hard you fought, you'd still be eternally trapped, gaining relief on its fucking terms.

As she pushed herself to stay awake, a faint and distorted sound, drifted through the trees. It was different than the other ones, not natural..

Bells.

Kayla's blood went cold. Her heart lurched so violently it hurt. For a split second, she thought she had imagined it, her exhausted brain conjuring echoes out of silence. But then it came again, a familiar, hollow toll.

Not again. She couldn't handle this so soon, she could barely function in her current state.

Fuck, it was possibly the wraith and if not, possibly something she didn't want to come across. She couldn't wait to confirm. Her body moved on instinct, legs stumbling into a run before her thoughts could catch up.
She ws seeing double, branches whipped her face, mud sucked at her shoes, and her messed up arm screamed with every jolt. She felt weak and drained, like her blood had been literally siphoned out of her veins, every step making her lightheaded. Nice, she was probably going to die before another killer git her.

Still, she pushed forward, because if she slowed, that bell would be the last thing she ever heard and she'd be damned if she allowed any of these sick fuckers get their pleasure.

As she moved through the choking mist, something flickered in the distance, a pinprick of light. She nearly sobbed in disbelief, blinking furiously, halfconvinced it was a hallucination born of her desperation. But the glow was steady, it felt so Goddamn real she couldn't pass this off, risks aside.

Kayla veered toward it, lungs burning and her feet dragging, every muscle on the edge of collapse. As she closed in, the shape of a shack emerged from the fog, crooked and half swallowed by vines. A torch burned weakly outside its doorway, spilling a faint orange halo into the dark.
She didn't pause to think, she staggered inside, eyes darting just long enough to make out the outline of a dusty, miserable bed shoved against the wall. Her legs gave out before she even reached it properly, and she collapsed onto the thin mattress, grime and blood smearing the fabric.

Her last thought before blackness swept in was that she would regret this if she survived until the morning.