insane

/ɪnˈseɪn/

noun

mentally ill people

----

You stood there frozen to the spot, just staring at the person a few meters in front of you. It felt like a miracle to everybody in the room as you couldn't even comprehend the situation straight away.

Judy was the first one to snap out of the trance as she sprung off the bed, not even caring about her wounds. On the way to the door, she shoved you to the side in quite a sudden, rough manner. You stumbled slightly, but caught yourself right after, biting on your tongue to hold back any insults and instead huffing softly at her actions.

You heard her wretched sobs as she embraced the man at the door, who let out a soft groan, but didn't complain.

Andrew was back.

However, he looked awful. His usually tanned skin was tainted a dark red and brown colour, decorated in nasty bruises, wounds and cuts. Some were even bleeding still as they weren't tended to yet, leaving bloody streaks. His dark brown locks were messed up and had leaves stuck in them; his clothes were torn in some places. The most noticeable area was his lower stomach: The monster must have struck him there as his shirt was torn completely, showing of the bleeding wound he was holding onto before. Through all of this, he was still smiling though as he looked at his girlfriend in his arms.

It was silent for an unknown amount of time, only soft whimpers and groans heard from the couple in front of you, along with rhythmic breathing.

Unfortunately, the short moment came to an end when Andrew started coughing violently, letting go off Judy and stumbling back a bit. His episode stopped soon after, however, his hand and floor were now splattered with saliva along with crimson blood.

All three of you looked at him with concern, Judy having a look of horror painted on her face as well, since a few droplets managed to hit her.

''O-Oh my god, Andrew, we need to treat those wounds immediately!'' Faye choked out in a shaky voice, helping him keep his balance as he looked ready to fall over. She steered him over to the bed Judy slept in before and made him lay down, he protested a little at first, but got interrupted by Faye.

Faye glanced in your direction with pleading eyes as she tried to make Andrew as comfortable as possible. ''Could somebody please get me some water to clean his wounds?''

Judy stayed silent as you nodded, volunteering for the task. ''I'll go. If i scream, you'll know what's up.''

But first, you walked over to a corner filled with a few cupboards, heavily coated with moss and plants, rummaging through them to find something to hold the water in. Luckily, a small, but old bowl was in the far corner of one of the cabinets, covered in spider webs and dust. It had a few cracks, but it should work.

You dusted it off and walked out of the cabin towards the pond near by. As you neared it, you noticed the water not being clear at all. It had a green-brown layer on top along with plants here and there. Huge trees surrounded it, casting many shadows and blocking out the moon light.

A soft sigh left you as you kneed in front of the water and struck your hand through the layer; it felt quite disgusting and sticky on your skin, but ignoring it was your only option right now. You pushed it to the side and created a small hole in the coat.

Afterwards, you pulled out and filled the bowl with the semi-clear water underneath. The cracks gave you a hard time, as they made the water leak out a little. As you were done, a sudden shiver ran down your spine as a soft breeze traveled through the trees, rattling them gently. Your hair moved along.

It didn't seem strange at first as you stood up and began your journey back, but there was this unsettling feeling creeping up. It made you feel extremely uncomfortable. You glanced around you, not seeing anything suspicious in the darkness around. But your hearing picked up the snap of a twig from your right, making you face that direction.

Nothing.

Your instincts told you to run, to get the hell out of there. After all you were currently alone, the cabin a small walk away. Would your friends even hear you scream from this distance, if something should happen?

'Fuck this. I'm not going to investigate.' You glared at the dark trees and speed walked back to the cabin, walking in a big zig-zag manner and taking weird turns to confuse anybody who could have followed you. The risk of finding the cabin was decreased now at least, even if only a little.

The cabin came into view soon after, it looked abandoned. That was a good sign.

You rushed inside and saw both Judy and Faye staying at Andrews side, who had his T-Shirt taken off and showed off his big, bloody wound. It was certainly caused by something sharp, maybe even finger nails as there were claw marks around it. It was a miracle he hasn't passed out yet though and simply stared at the ceiling.

Judy was sitting on the edge of the bed, near his legs, as she had his hand in hers, holding tightly on it. She looked worn out and pale, her eyes dull. Faye on the other hand sat on a chair near the bed, waiting for you to come back.

As soon as she noticed you, she let out a soft breath of relief and smiled a little at you.

She took the bowl from you and put it on the table, which was moved closer to the bed. There were a few white strips on it as well, which were only slightly dirty. They were going to use those as bandages for his wounds. Andrew's torn shirt lay on it as well.

''Where did you get the bandages from?'' You asked softly, glancing at Faye.

She pointed towards the bed, where you only now noticed the rips and tears at the side. They used the bed sheets.

''Smart.''

She smiled a little as she began to work, taking one smaller strip to soak water with and afterwards began cleaning the wound gently. Andrew hissed at each contact, letting out groans. He was holding back screams at some points.

''You're really lucky, Andrew.'' Faye suddenly started, catching the attention of everybody in the room. ''The wound isn't that deep. Meaning that you don't need stitches.''

He stayed silent at first, only hissing sometimes and looked deep in thought as if he was contemplating, if he could tell us something or not. Faye was done with cleaning up his biggest wound by now and stared at it.

''What is this?'' She whispered softly, making you look out of curiosity as well. You heard a soft sigh escape him as he glanced around. You were speechless, right next to the actual wound was a symbol. It was the same symbol you saw on the very first note as well! A circle with an 'X' in the middle. It was covered in blood before, but was visible now.

''A-Andrew, what the hell is this? What happened?!'' Judy suddenly spoke, also staring at the symbol, fear dancing in her eyes.

He bit on his lip and tried to sit up, but failed with a groan. He gave up and looked at Judy with pleading eyes.

''I...I h-honestly don't know.'' He said in a raspy and tired voice. ''A lot happened that i can't explain.''

It was silent as you all waited for him to continue.

''After you all left...''

-Flashback, Andrew's P.O.V.-

He glanced back for a split second, catching Judy's fearful gaze as she was dragged away. Soon they disappeared from his view and he got snapped out of his thoughts as a claw came in contact with his skin.

He let out a loud groan at the sudden pain, gripping the bat even tighter than before. He sneered at the creature in front of him and glared at it with pure hate.

''What do you want from us, you disgusting monster?!'' He screamed at it, swinging his bat forwards, only missing it by a few inches. It let out a growl, taking a step back and positioned itself again. It looked ready to strike once again.

It didn't answer him, simply staring into his blue, hateful eyes. Anger and fear showing at the same time.

''TRIALS!'' It screamed loudly, making Andrew's ears hurt from the sudden shout. It echooed through the forest and certainly would attract attention. The monster took the chance to rush at him again, but he managed to dodge it just in time, only leaving a few smaller, but burning cuts on his arm.

However, he swung his bat down on it right after, hitting it right on the head. It stumbled forward, not keeping its balance and falling on the stony ground below. He took it as a chance to hit it again, perhaps if he could knock it out, he could find the rest of his group and escape.

''Die!'' He shouted as he hit it over and over again, forming cracks on its white mask.

Suddenly, his attacks stopped as a bloody hand gripped his bat and ripped it out of his right hand. It landed a few feet away from them.

He gulped and took a step back as the creature sprung up, their mask half broken, remains lying on the floor. Its cold, visible eye staring right at him as he shivered, it looked dead. The thing in front of him couldn't be alive, could it even die?!

He saw a small smirk forming, at least he guessed that's what it was as it walked forward to him. It didn't say a word, just grunts leaving from its mouth a few times.

Out of nowhere, it pounced on him, sending him flying to the hard floor. He hit his head, momentarily leaving him stunned and making black spots appear in his vision. At the same time, he felt sharp claws on his body, creating wounds all over his skin.

As soon as he snapped out of his state, he let out a pained scream and grabbed the creatures arms, stopping it from continuing its attack. It screeched into his face, a few drops of its saliva hitting him. He hissed and managed to throw it off, sending it rolling off.

He sat up quickly and glanced at the damage, his arms were full of wounds and bruises already and his shirt was torn in some places. He then looked to his right, seeing his bat lying there.

'I have to get it!' He thought as he tried to stand up as quickly as he could and limped towards the weapon. He must have hurt his ankle as he fell.

Before he could grab it however, a force shoved him to the side, making him hit a tree near by. He groaned and glared at the now-hooded figure, its hoodie was slightly torn as well.

As it ran at him, he managed to punch it straight into its face with his still intact arm. It landed on the floor again at the unexpected attack and let out a hiss. Andrew didn't waste any more time and began kicking it repeatedly until it stopped moving. He glanced towards his bat, it broke on the impact, now being useless.

''Damn it..'' He whispered under his breath as he stared at the figure on the floor.

'Is...is it dead? Knocked out?' He thought, being unsure about the situation. He let out a sigh as seconds turned into minutes.

He actually managed to survive.

He smiled as he began limping towards the direction his group ran off to.

But not a few steps later, another force hit him, sending him to the floor once again. The creature sneered at him and forced him on his back. It sat on his legs and held onto his arms, managing to keep him from moving much.

That's when the worst part began.

It started using its claws on his stomach in a digging motion, splattering blood everywhere. He screamed loudly at the pain, tears cascading down his dirty and bruised cheeks. The pain was unbearable and he swore he'll pass out any time soon. That's when it stopped, only carving something now. He didn't know what was happening.

He was ready to pass out, when he felt a stinging pain on his cheek. It slapped him awake.

''Chosen! Mark show!'' It screeched at him, glaring at him. ''Me Kate!'' It, or she, pointed to herself, looking down at him. She stood up slowly, standing above him. Why wasn't she attacking him anymore?

''Up!'' She hissed at him, holding out a bloody hand to him. He flinched and stared at it, he didn't take it and stood up by himself. However, it hurt as hell and he groaned. His wounds were bleeding furiously and staining his clothes bloody red.

She pointed in a direction, to the left side of the woods, muttering something to herself. He didn't make it out though.

''Cabins. And Friends.'' She tried to say, her rough voice making it hard for him to make out the correct words. Was she telling him that his friends went this way? Into the woods?! ''Street too.''

He felt a shiver run down his spine, feeling fear and uneasiness creep up. Should he really go in that direction and risk it being a trap? Kate glared at him, as if reading his expression and growled at him.

''GO!'' She screamed at him, her dead eyes filling with anger. He jumped at the sudden loud noise and decided to just go along with her words. She could just as easily kill him right here, but instead let him go. He had a chance at finding them and that was all that mattered right now.

''A-Alright.'' He muttered out, his voice wavering from the pain he felt. Some parts of his body began to become numb, purple and blue bruises already forming. He saw her nod as she crossed her arms, letting out some hisses as well. She probably had wounds as well.

He didn't dare look at her again as he limped into the woods she pointed at before, just walking straight all the way, holding onto his stomach wound. He knew she had carved something into his skin, but didn't check what it was yet.

He didn't know how long he was walking or how he could walk in the first place without passing out, but he soon reached a small stream and simply followed it.

-Present time, (Y/N)'s P.O.V.-

''That's how i found this cabin, i kept following the stream to the pond and managed to see the cabin.'' Andrew finished his story, his voice sounding scratchy and rough. He licked his dry lips and looked away. ''I have no idea what she meant by 'chosen' though. Chosen for what?''

''This is all crazy!'' Judy suddenly exclaimed, biting down on one of her manicured finger nails. She looked worriedly at the carved in symbol, it looked messy and bloody. There was a high chance his wounds would get infected, even if they got cleaned.

''Wait, so she knew where we were?'' You suddenly asked, panic evident in your voice. Andrew simply nodded at your question, muttering a small 'at least the general direction' afterwards. ''This is really bad. We have to keep moving, if we stay in one place, they could find us really easily.''

Faye agreed, reminding the teens that there were more monsters than 'Kate' after all. Even if nobody met them yet and hopefully wouldn't. You knew that as well, since you saw them at the edge of the woods before. They were following and watching you all.

''How are we supposed to move when Andrew can't even stand properly?'' Judy barked at the two of you, glaring angrily.

''It's fine, cutie.'' He croaked out, grinning a little at her. ''Could you just bandage me up Faye, please?''

Faye nodded gently and grabbed the strips, beginning to bandage him up as best as she could. After a few slow and probably painful minutes for Andrew, she finished. The carvings and wounds were now gently tucked away from view.
Andrew smiled at her, thanking her. He told you all, that he could manage to walk as long as there were breaks. He agreed that it was dangerous to stay at the cabin for so long and that the goal was to find the rest, afterwards the exit from this nightmare.

''Shouldn't you perhaps take a nap for a little at least?'' You asked, being unsure about his state. He looked like he couldn't even sit up! He shook his head at your suggestion.

''I'll be fine.'' That's when his smile suddenly faded as he stared at Judy and noticed things about her. ''What happened? Why do you have bandages?!'' His eyes shone with worry directed at his girlfriend as his skin got paler.

''Just a small wound. I tripped while running.'' She looked down, not wanting to catch his eyes. But she snapped and glared at him, a small tear running down her cheek. ''Y-You shouldn't be worrying about me! You're the one with the deadly wound!'' She screamed at him, stumbling over her own words a few times. She looked dead serious, even with silent tears streaming down her cheeks and dripping on the floor.

Andrew stayed silent, not knowing what to say. You saw Judy shake her head however, as she muttered a small 'sorry' and looked away from the group. Faye patted Andrews intact arm to calm him down as well.

''We should keep going.'' You interrupted the tense atmosphere, you suddenly had a feeling that something bad would happen if you won't keep moving now. ''Let's help you stand Andrew and then let's go.''

Faye nodded in your direction, beginning to help Andrew sit up at first. He groaned a few times as the pain was still there, even if it probably was numbed at this point. Afterwards, all three of the girls helped him stand up. It took a few tries until he could fully stay in an upright position without falling or wobbling.

He nodded towards all of you and limped towards the door, being followed closely by the rest. You were in front of him, while the other two either right next to him or behind him. You all communicated without words now as you decided to check if the coast was clear.

Managing to open the door with as little noise as possible, you peeked out and scanned the area. It was quite dark, but there were no figures seen nor footsteps heard. You turned to the others and nodded.

The whole group made their way out of the old cabin and sneaked in the opposite direction of where they came from, staying closely together. It took longer for you all to move, because of Andrew. He currently was limping heavily, slacking behind the females of the group. But he still managed to stay close enough.

Everybody walked in complete silence for a while, taking a few needed breaks here and there. Andrew looked worse each time, but simply shrugged you all off when help was offered to him. Instead, he tried helping you find a way towards a vacation cabin or simply just a street just like 'Kate' told him before. He apparently remembered the general direction somehow.

''Are you sure you don't need some help?'' You asked him quietly, glancing behind you. Some of his bandages began to turn a bit red, the wounds opened up again and began soaking through. He shook his head. ''A break?''

''I'm fi-'' He choked out and interrupted himself as his eyes went wide. All girls turned around in worry and looked at him. He stared forward, glancing at each of you a few times. He opened his mouth to say something, but only blood dripped out and ran down his chin. He suddenly began coughing violently, blood splattering everywhere. ''R-Run.'' He managed to groan out in pain.

He fell on his knees as you all rushed forward to him. That's when you noticed the rusty hatchet stuck in his back, Judy let out a loud scream at the sight and stumbled back.

''Holy shit.'' You whispered out as you stared at the object before turning your attention towards the sudden footsteps and noises coming from the darkness in front of you.

''Woohoo! B-Bullseye!'' A voice shouted happily and quite loudly, his speech being interrupted a few times due to unknown reasons. The unexpected noise scared all of you.

''T-Told you I c-could hit him from this distance!'' He exclaimed loudly once again, making you cringe a little and take a step back. ''Hey, l-look!''

''Shut up.'' A calm, but stern voice interrupted him completely, sounding annoyed. It belonged to a male for sure.

That's when you saw exactly three figures walk in your groups direction, you couldn't have noticed them before as they were hidden between the trees and the darkness quite well. Up close they terrified you even more; they must have been the ones watching your group all this time.

They were looking at all of you, simply standing there and towering over you all. On the far left stood the tallest man out of them all wearing a yellow hoodie, which was obviously stained with dirt and blood. He had simple, but slightly torn jeans on and worn-out converse. You could make out a weapon, a gun to be precise, strapped to his leg. The most noticeable feature, however, was his 'face': It was covered with some sort of black mask with two red dots and a frown painted on it. He was the one who stayed silent so far. On the far right stood the man who threw the hatchet before, he currently seemed excited, but you couldn't tell exactly due to his mouth guard and orange tainted goggles. He was the least buff from all of them and wore a brown, dirty striped sweater along with bloody jeans and converse. His hands were covered with gloves; he currently held onto a hatchet. The other being stuck in Andrew. What you noticed right away was, that he moved weirdly and suddenly from time to time. Were those Tics? At last the man who stood between the other two. He looked like he was the buffest from all, wearing a yellow jacket with blood splatters on it, black or grey jeans and black, dirty boots. His face was covered with a white mask that had female looking lips painted on it. You could only see his eyes slightly through it as the eyeholes of the mask were only covered with a thin cloth. He was holding onto a bloody crowbar, staring straight into your eyes.

You shivered at his direct gaze as you heard a rough laugh coming from one of the men.

''Let's kill them!'' The goggled man shouted and held onto his hatchet tightly, taking a step forward, scaring Judy so much that she let out a scream and a whimper right after. The masked man in the middle let out an evil chuckle at her actions, taking his gaze off of you in the process. You let out a soft sigh.

''Not yet.'' He stated simply, his voice was really rough and in another situation you would have thought it sounded attractive even. But right now wasn't the time for such useless thoughts. ''Let's have some fun with them first.''

A really deep chuckle made shivers run down your spine as the so-far-quiet man on the left let out a sound. It didn't even sound completely human to you.

That's when all hell broke loose, the right man rushed forward and yanked out his other hatchet out of poor Andrew, who let out a loud, painful scream at the action. Faye panicked and took a few steps back, falling on her back in the process as Judy instead caught Andrew in her arms, making both of them end on the forest ground.

You were the only one standing.

The man with the hatchets stared right at you at first, before swinging at you with one of his weapons, making you yelp and dodge to the side just in time. He chuckled and tried again right away, he was fueled with energy.

But so were you, you had a sudden rush of adrenaline as you dodged his hatchets like crazy. He cut you a few times, but in general you were still standing. Instead of taking a break as the both of you panted slightly, you took the chance to grab onto your trusty pocket-knife, keeping it hidden.

They haven't noticed.

As soon as he swung again, you did as well, stabbing him right into his arm. You pulled at the knife and stumbled back, but he simply giggled at you, not even caring about his now-bleeding wound. It seemed to be quite deep.

''I-I'm numb to pain, sweetheart.'' He continued giggling like a maniac, having Tic-attacks from time to time.

You gritted your teeth, they were truly some inhuman monsters. How were you supposed to survive when they can't even be defeated?! You glanced around, trying to find a way to escape with your group without anybody dying.

Unfortunately, Andrew wasn't in a state to do anything. He was lying limp on the ground, bleeding from his stomach and back, painting the ground red. Most of the bandages were soaked in blood at this point. His head was in Judy's lap as she sobbed and cried loudly, simply staring at her boyfriend with red, puffy eyes. She was in a bad state as well, mentally at least.

Suddenly, you noticed the left man approaching Faye, who was frozen in fear on the ground. He held onto his gun and stared down at her, staying silent all the way. The only sound were his heavy footsteps as he stepped on leaves and sticks, snapping them instantly.

The man you've been fighting was distracted for the time being so you sprinted towards Faye, being firmly determined to help her. The hooded man was focused on her, readying his gun to shoot her. You glared at him and tackled him as he pointed the weapon at her, catching him by surprise as he accidently shot the spot right next to her, snapping her out of her trance as the sound of the gunshot echooed through the woods.

She let out a loud, breathy gasp, a tear running down her cheek. She quickly got to her feet, trying to keep her balance.

As soon as the surprise faded, the man beneath you let out a low growl, shoving you off of him. You landed on your ass, but noticed that his gun wasn't in his grasp anymore. He must have let it go by accident and it landed a few feet away from the both of you, out of reach.

''Stupid bitch.'' He spat out roughly, standing up quickly and staring down at you. At least you thought he was, probably also glaring at you. ''Don't get in my way.''

He kicked you hard in the stomach, making you wheeze from the sudden pain. You curled up and hugged yourself, coughing heavily as a few tears escaped from your eyes. That certainly will leave a bruise.

What caught your attention, however, was Judy's sudden scream followed with choking sounds. You hissed in pain and slowly got up, seeing the masked man holding Judy by her neck as she clawed at his arms and hands, leaving nasty scratch marks. He let out a hiss as he threw her a few feet away from him. She was lying on the ground now, coughing and wheezing heavily.

Andrew managed to let out a worry-filled scream, shouting his girlfriends name. This caught the murderers attention as he looked to his feet, seeing Andrew glaring up at him.

''You're still not dead, you pest?'' He chuckled dryly, kicking the poor guy on the floor, forcing him to cough up more blood and make his bandages loose up a bit.

''Leave him alone, asshole!'' You shouted towards the masked man, catching his attention. He simply stared at you for a few seconds, his cold eyes boring into yours and making you shiver, before he kicked Andrew again. He didn't even move anymore.

''Trying to save your friend, little one? Too bad he's already dying.''

He grabbed his crowbar and hit your friend's head with full force, splattering blood all over him. There was one last scream that managed to escape his dry throat and it was a simple, heartaching 'Run'. He wanted you all to run, to get out of here.

It was too late for him. And he knew that.

And that's exactly what you did, you ran over to Judy, who Faye was already tending to and grabbed the broken girl by the arm, forcing her to run with you. Judy fought against the both of you, but stopped after a few sad attempts.

You all ran away from the murderers, leaving a smiling Andrew behind as he watched all of you go.

He closed his eyes.

-Unknown P.O.V.-

He watched the girl with (h/c) hair run away with her so called friends, until she couldn't be seen from his point of view anymore. He didn't know her name.

At least not yet.

But that could be changed easily, after all the game just began.

What he knew, however, was that she was the one.

''Our chosen one.''

He chuckled lowly as he stared at the corpse in front of him. He has checked the wounds below the bandages and found Kate's markings. She was going to go on a rampage when she finds out about his death. Not like it was his problem, he didn't care.

All he cared about was to keep her alive for the time being.

She was interesting.