The forest grew dimmer, the rain falling heavier. The path seemed to stretch on forever, the trees never getting thinner no matter how long they walked. Con wondered if the misery of the run had skewed his perception of distance. The wind picked up, rattling the branches and moaning as it wound through the trunks.

"How long did we run?" he finally muttered. 

Taemin shrugged in response, looking over his shoulder. "I think...too long." He didn't elaborate, and a shiver crawled down Con's spine.

The shadows flickered in the sporadic lightning, chasing and retreating, moving in a way that was beginning to make Con nervous. He drifted closer to Taemin, eyeing the darkness gathering between the trees. His skin was starting to prickle, tiny itches blooming everywhere a raindrop struck.

"We're gonna get soaked," Taemin said as thunder clapped over them, threatening to burst the clouds and free the true storm looming overhead. 

Con didn't answer, the prickling feeling concentrating on the back of his neck. They managed to walk a few more minutes before Con couldn't stand it anymore. He twisted around, unable to convince himself that he and Taemin were alone in the forest. That nothing was watching them.

"What is it?" Taemin asked, his voice whisper-soft beside Con's ear. The warmth of his body burned through Con's damp clothes.

"N-Nothing," Con said out of reflex.

The wind blew again, carrying what sounded like a growling laugh. Con flinched backward, bumping into Taemin, who put a bracing hand on Con's side.

He squeezed his eyes shut. "The wind's playing tricks with me," he gritted out, remembering he'd already told Taemin how batshit crazy he was. "It sounds like it's laughing. And...and something's—"

"Watching."

Surprised, he opened his eyes and turned to find Taemin staring over his shoulder, right in the direction he'd heard the laughter. Taemin licked his lips, nodding his head in the direction the path led. When Con started walking, Taemin spoke in his ear.

"I should have noticed earlier. I was distracted." He huffed a breath that ruffled the hair around Con's ear. "Don't run."

Every nerve in his body screamed to do just that. Like he could sense Con's thoughts, Taemin's hand locked down tight on his forearm, forcing him to fall in step with the other man's long strides. Tension crackled through Con's muscles and he took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

"What should you have noticed earlier?" he said, his voice pitching low of its own accord.

Taemin darted a glance behind them before he answered. "We're not alone."

Con wasn't sure if it was comforting or not that Taemin seemed to sense the same thing. On the one hand, at least Con wasn't just suffering a delusion. On the other...someone had literally just been murdered the other day.

"And we shouldn't run because...?" he said, resisting the urge to look over his shoulder again. Something horrible would be there. He knew it.

Taemin was silent for a long moment. Then: "Because predators like the chase."

Those words swirled around in Con's brain for a moment before settling like lead at the bottom of a river. He licked his lips, squinting against a sudden blast of wind that lashed icy raindrops into his face. Taemin continued to stroll along, looking mostly unbothered aside from the strange tilt of his head and the line of tension through his shoulders.

He was listening for something, Con realized. What he could possibly hear above the wind, Con hadn't the faintest idea, but he stayed silent anyway. Meanwhile, a creeping tightness had begun to move across his body, pulling at his skin and making him feel like one wrong move would split some important seam and he'd unravel into a bloody pile of bones and guts.

A scream erupted from their right.

The air rushed from Con's lungs as something slammed into his chest, flinging him clear off the path. He carried through the air before a tree reared up, stopping his flight trajectory. Stars burst across his vision when he hit the ground and all he could do was wait for them to clear, struggling desperately against the vacuum residing where his lungs should be.

When he could see again, he found Taemin just a few feet away. One hand reached toward Con, but his head was turning this way and that as he searched through the trees.

"The hell was that?" Con managed to whisper.

"Don't move," Taemin snarled, his voice harsh and nearly frightening. "Stay right there."

Then, to Con's complete astonishment, Taemin took off running. His slender figure disappeared into the gloom between the trees within seconds. At the same moment, thunder clapped, lightning spearing overhead. With a sound like some great beast sighing, the rain came in sheets, immediately drenching Con.

Water plastered his hair to his head and got in his eyes. He struggled to his feet, using the tree that he'd slammed into as a crutch. He dashed the water from his eyes with his arm. More rain barreled down, rendering any effort at visibility useless.

Fear clutched at his heart and he stumbled forward, his back and chest aching from the impact of hitting the tree and whatever had hit him.

What had hit him?

Con wasn't the biggest guy in the world, but at six-foot-one it would have taken something pretty strong to send him flying like that.

Before he could pursue that line of thought, another of those horrific screams rent the air. It didn't even sound human, the sound rippled and distorted by the rain. Lightning cracked and Con strained his eyes as the world washed white, desperate to catch a glimpse of something. Anything that would tell him which way he needed to run to find Taemin.

Anger washed through him, eradicating his terror.

"Stupid son of a bitch," he hissed, taking off in the direction he'd last seen Taemin. "Can't just run off like that. Taemin!"

His shout was swallowed by a peel of thunder.

"Taemin!" he screamed again, feet sliding in the muddy morass the ground had become beneath the torrents of rain. A steady stream of curses flowed through his head and he clung to his anger, because it was either that or be crushed by his fear.

His feet skidded out from under him, Con barely managing to stay upright as he flung his arms at the nearest tree. The branches and rough bark tore at his skin, but he righted himself and looked around, trying to get oriented.

Another scream split the air. It was close.

Where was it coming from? What was it coming from? Con hit the tree with the side of his fist, jogging a few feet forward before he slowed, hesitating. Running toward the freakish sound didn't seem like the brightest of ideas.

But what if that...thing had found Taemin?

Images of bright blood and torn skin and lightless eyes flooded him. Con broke into a run, aiming as best he could for the direction the scream had come from.

Something darted in front of him. There was a bright flash that blinded Con and he slid to a halt, going to a knee as the wet ground tripped him. Then, he was being jerked to his feet by the collar of his shirt.

"What are you doing?" The hands shook him, making his head whip back and forth.

He gripped the hands holding him, blinking hard. Taemin blotted into view as the spots faded. Relief made his knees weak, then he lifted his arms and slammed his palms into Taemin's chest. "Looking for you, you stupid bastard," he shouted.

Taemin stumbled back, then kept stumbling until he fetched up against a tree. Con furrowed his brow. He hadn't meant to push Taemin that hard.

"I told you to stay," Taemin said between panting breaths. "I told you to stay!"

Con resisted the urge to beat some sense in his stupid, pretty head. "We need to get out of here. We can argue over who shouldn't have done what when we're out of these creepy fucking woods."

"Seconded," Taemin gasped. He pushed off the tree and grabbed Con's hand, pulling him into a run.

They slipped and slid their way through the trees, branches clawing at clothes and skin. Taemin's hand burned hot in his. The icy rain tried to drown him, pouring thick and fast down his face. He gave up attempting to find his own way and clung to Taemin's fingers, trusting him to guide them through the woods.

It was like one of those nightmares—the kind where you run and run, knowing you're being chased but unable to actually gain any kind of ground.

His heart pounded frantically, his breaths harsh as they bubbled past the water pouring down his face and over his mouth. 

The forest finally spat them out. Taemin let out a strangled yell and Con found out why a moment later when his next step didn't land quite as soon as he'd expected it to. They'd run right off a small ledge demarking the edge of the trees, the sudden change sending them tumbling across a flat expanse of ground.

When Con stopped rolling, he found himself staring toward the hotel. He closed his eyes, certain he'd never been happier to see the place.

"Come on, Con," Taemin said, wrapping his fingers around Con's wrists and pulling him to his feet like he weighed nothing. "We need to get inside."

Con bobbed his head, a foggy numbness starting to stuff his head with wool. Taemin's fingers slipped through his, slippery and hot with rain.

A frown pulled at his mouth, his brow wrinkling. That wasn't right. He looked down, lifting their hands. He stumbled when he found Taemin's hand slicked red with blood. Slowly, he let his eyes travel up Taemin's arm until he found what looked disturbingly like claw marks shredding the shoulder of his hoodie.

Shredding...his shoulder.

"Taemin," he whispered, hand hovering over the source of the blood.

"Not out here," Taemin pleaded, dragging Con forward. "You can see when we're inside. When we're safe."

"Safe?" Con repeated, then laughed. He clapped his free hand over his mouth, but was too late to stop the sound. It bubbled between his fingers until his eye was caught by the blood on Taemin's shoulder. He sobered abruptly and started walking, now dragging Taemin along behind him.

"Ow!" Taemin complained, wrenching his hand free. He cradled his injured arm to his chest, falling into step beside Con. 

He wrapped an arm around Taemin's waist, careful not to jostle his shoulder, but worried the shock would soon catch him and he'd fall. The lights of the hotel seemed to swim and wobble before Con's eyes as they crossed the flat expanse between it and the forest.

When they reached the porch, Con disentangled himself and motioned for Taemin to wait. He opened the door and peered inside, heaving a sigh of relief when he found an empty lobby. Turning, he held the door open and gestured Taemin through.

The last thing either of them needed was to be discovered with any more blood on them. A million excuses and explanations whirred through his head as they hustled across the lobby and up the stairs.

Con glanced over his shoulder, but as far as he could tell, all they left in their wake was water and mud.

He didn't breathe again until they were slamming the door to Taemin's room shut behind them. Taemin stumbled to the bed and sat, panting. His face was drawn and pale, and he was clutching his injured arm to his chest, his bloodied hand shaking and twitching.

When Con turned to look at him, he swallowed hard, his eyes too dark in his white face.

"Well," he croaked, "so much for a romantic confession in the woods."