CHAPTER TWO

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"I have met many different beings in this place, but this is the first one with a natural skill of hunting. In any other place one could deem it a talent."

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There was something different about the woods around them.

Everything seemed too close together, the mist a sickly green as it lazily wove through the trees. While the seconds ticked by things appeared to become clearer, the wall of nothingness giving way to more trees, and . . .

"A house," Laurie frowned. "Brings back memories."

"Looks more like a cabin in the woods," Ash replied, readjusting his metallic hand, "and I'm not fond of those. Laurie, we'll take the woods. Cheryl and the kid can have the house."

Cheryl bit her lip.

"I'm not experienced enough," she said tentatively, "and neither is Meg. If we get chased -"

"I won't let anything happen to you, but the best way to learn is through experience," Laurie interrupted. "Find loops, windows, pallets, anything to keep your distance between you and the killer. You know how this works, now you just have to put it into practice."

Meg also wanted to argue, opening her mouth to talk about how unfair that sounded, when she closed it again. None of this was fair, and she would be stupid to think otherwise. This was survival, using any means necessary.

Three tries, you're out.

"Come on," Ash grunted, jerking his head towards the woods. "We've probably got thirty seconds before the killer starts prowling this way, I want to get a jump as soon as possible."

There was a huff from Meg, though she said nothing, Cheryl nodding in uneasy defeat before she gestures for the girl to follow her, the pair making their way towards the cabin.

"This . . . Area is different," Meg noted softly.

"They all are," Cheryl poked her head into the cabin, the wood creaking as they carefully stepped through a threshold. "Some of them are outside, with little buildings, others like this one, with a main building. I've yet to encounter a purely 'interior' arena, but I've heard they're some of the worst."

"Great," Meg mumbled. "Let's hope those don't pop up any time soon."

The pair carefully crept into the cabin, pausing as they came upon the main room. Candles lit a kitchen table, illuminating the antler chandelier above. Furs were strewn about haphazardly, blood stains further solidifying the air of evil within the structure they prowled. Cheryl pointed at a set of stairs quietly, Meg quickly following her up the solid wood into a room.

"There's nothing here," Meg huffed, ghosting through the main room, past the lockers, stepping onto an outdoor balcony. It was a strange one, made of grass and stone on what was essentially a pile of dirt. However, she became less puzzled by the strange choice of decor when she spotted a generator, its lights flickering and sparking pathetically.

"Perfect," Cheryl brushed past her, eager to begin working, Meg doing a quick once-over of the surrounding woods before she too bent down and started working. Slowly the pistons began chugging to life, Meg wishing the dang things were not so loud. It was like a red flag, telling everyone who had a pair of ears where they were, which was probably the point. Still, not ideal for people who didn't want to die.

Humming, soft and sweet and sinister, starting on her ears. She jerked in shock, and as she did the wrong wires crossed, the generator exploding in her hands.

"Shit! Fuck!" Cheryl hissed, struggling to keep her voice down as she too jumped. She shot a look at Meg, but paused as she too began to hear the humming, the color on her face draining a little. "What the hell is that?"

"I don't know, but it's getting louder," Meg made to stand, Cheryl shaking her head.

"We need to keep working, or the generator will regress," she said urgently.

"But-"

"They'll come eventually, and we don't know where they are right now. If we run, we risk going straight to them," Cheryl kept working, twisting wires together. She pulled one of the cranks, frowning when it did not work and trying again.

The humming only grew steadily louder, though now the familiar heart beat began to pulse against Meg's brain.

Her shaky hands tried to keep going, but the potential for another explosion left her unhinged; coupled with the anxiety of the noises flooding her system, it was amazing she could focus enough to-

"Meg!" Cheryl leapt to her feet, movement out of the corner of her eye pulling her towards the looming figure striding up the stairs.

A woman, dressed in a filthy white sweater and loose pants, her boots sinking into the moist grass of the balcony; but perhaps more disconcertingly was the top half of her face, concealed in a hare mask. Her arm reared back, Meg scrambling towards the edge of the balcony and jumping.

Faltering as she landed on her feet she continued to sprint, the killer grunting behind her. Cheryl screamed, Meg turning to look when a hatchet sliced through her side.

"Ah!" She screamed, shocked when the weapon dropped, its owner still perched on the balcony. Fingers unhooked another hatchet which swung from her belt, the hare mask tilting as she ran her fingers across the blade, ensuring its sharpness. Her arm cocked back a second time, beady eyes focused straight on Meg.

Gripping her side she turned and ran, throwing herself behind a tree as the killer shouted again, bark flying as another hatchet struck the trunk.

Daring to glance behind her she saw the woman jump from the balcony, carrying an axe in both hands as she marched straight towards her victim. Looking forward again she wove through the trees, limping as blood spilled from her fingers. She just needed to find a pallet, something-

Another cry and she ducked to the side, another hatchet barely scraping past her ear. She spotted a shack through the woods, pushing forward even as the heartbeat grew in intensity. Not daring to consider each step her last, the shack was getting closer and she looked for a pallet, or a window, something.

She ran for the door, the colorful wood of the pallet in the corner of her eye. Meg turned to grab it, in the same motion a hatchet buried itself into her shoulder.

Her legs gave out and she fell with a scream, chest slamming into the wooden floor. Coughing and groaning, every twitch brought a wave of pain through her body. Pathetically she shifted, crying out as she reached out to crawl away, muscles trembling with immense effort.

A hand grabbed her waistband and hoisted her up, Meg screaming again as she twisted and struggled. The huntress' grip was strong, turning on her heel with unburdened grace to stalk towards the nearest hook. Fists hit her back to no avail, the girl attempting to reach her hatchets or any other possible weapon to loosen her grip.

Looking over her shoulder she saw the hook which the killer was beelining towards, terror lancing through her chest. Her efforts doubled, almost able to feel the rusted metal's hunger for her flesh.

"Hey!"

The killer tilted her head, Ash crashing through the underbrush seconds later. He stood in front of the huntress, metal hand lashing out and shoving her back. Stumbling merely a half inch back her eyes flashed behind the hare mask, appearing shocked by his audacity. With little ceremony - and certainly no words - she swung her axe, catching him in the shoulder.

Ash's shout was joined by a clink, and the hook fell from its perch to the ground uselessly. Meg caught a glimpse of Laurie when she shot to her feet and bolted through the trees, toolbox flashing in her hand. Ash turned and ran as well, the huntress swinging a second time and missing.

Her grip loosened on her prey, Meg renewing her efforts to struggle as hope replaced her initial terror. The killer growled, snarling as her fingers lost their grip on Meg's waist and she dropped.

Barely landing on her feet Meg wasted no time to run, knowing the shack would have to be her best bet and doubling back. The heart beat stayed in her ears, laced with the toxic lullaby the killer continued to hum.

This time she bypassed the pallet entirely, crouching next to the window as she searched for the killer, still within what she could only describe as a terror radius. It struck fear into her body to listen to the persistent thrumming of a heart that was not her own, and intertwined with the hums of a sinister creature further compounded it. And considering it was consistent, she could only assume she was still being pursued by the rabbit woman.

Sure enough she stepped through the entrance, hatchet raised over her head. Meg threw herself through the window, turning into the wall just in time to avoid the hatchet which flew after her, lost in the woods. She wasted no time inching towards the entrance once more, seeing a second one on the opposite side of the shack which lacked a pallet. This one would need to count.

A boot stepped through the window and she limped towards the pallet, not daring to enter the shack until she was sure the woman had stepped all the way through. Grass crunched to inform her of such, the huntress hot on her blood trail.

Meg ran into the shack, grabbing the pallet and throwing it across the doorway just as the killer swung.

"Ah!" The woman snarled, her axe bouncing off of the wood, barely scraping it. Her beady eyes glared at Meg, sending chills down her entire body. A fifth hatchet unhooked from her belt, waist now empty as she raised her hatchet to throw it once again.

Meg darted to the side, but did not waste time attempting to vault through the window, turning just in the nick of time for the huntress to throw it straight into the shack wall, burying it into the wood. She made no other noise, instead taking a boot and kicking at the pallet, Meg realizing what she was doing and sprinting for the opposite door, not willing to risk sticking around.

Her loop destroyed, she ran into the woods, grimacing as her side protested with fiery pain. Gripping it she limped as fast as she could, ragged breathing becoming less hyperventilating when the huntress' lullaby became a softer, duller thrum against her ears. She realized she was not yet being followed, however she did not dare to slow down, glancing back to see the blood trail she left in her wake. She needed medical attention, soon, or else she was just a walking red flag.

A generator hummed quietly in the distance, pulling her towards it. But even as she did, the lullaby began to grow in strength again. If she continued in that direction, she could lead the killer straight to the others - but otherwise she was out in the open, ripe for the taking without any help in sight.

Pushing ahead, she laid eyes on the generator right as it lit up, its pistons going full speed as it announced its completion unabashedly. Laurie stood up from the generator, no one else in sight.

"Keep going, I'll distract them until you find some help," she pointed back towards the cabin, "Ash went to check on Cheryl and make sure the gen's getting done."

She nodded, saying nothing as her path curved back towards the home, limping as tears ran down her face. The pain was nothing compared to what she had just experienced first-hand when the killer had her down, yet it was still borderline unbearable.

While the last place she wanted to be was back at the cabin she went, the huntress' humming fluctuated as she clearly decided on what she wanted to do - and who she wanted to pursue. Continuing onward she reached the cabin, slipping inside and limping up the stairs.

She heard the other generator burst to life as she reached the top of the stairwell, the girl quickly shuffling to the balcony in hopes to find the two before they ran off. And yet when she poked her head out Cheryl had already started down the stairs, Ash jumping from the balcony to return to the woods, possibly in search of her and Laurie. Cursing yet not daring to shout out to them she re-entered the cabin, grimacing as more blood pooled at her feet.

"Come on, there's got to be boxes here somewhere," she huffed to herself, "and where there's boxes, there's got to be a med kit."

Returning back down the stairs she looped around the cabin, avoiding bumping the decor as much as possible in search of a chest which looked inviting. She started back to the foyer, pausing when she realized there were another set of stairs, leading into what she could only conclude was a basement.

Swallowing, her gut instinct told her this was a bad idea, however it was a risk she had to be willing to take. Gritting her teeth she started down the basement, limping down the stairs and into a dark, sinister lair.

It was a single room, four nasty hooks greeting her as she turned the corner, nearly giving her a heart attack. She stared at them for far too long, the gruesome visual of all four of them hanging from each one creating an acidic taste in her mouth.

Looking past them she saw lockers, but then, through the cracks of the wooden walls, she saw a chest.

Eagerly limping towards it she knelt down, cursing when noticing the lock. It was rusted, but still strong enough to prevent her from accessing its contents. Looking around she found a few rusty nails; though not an expert, Meg knew a thing or two about lock-picking, starting to work the mechanism. Feeling the pins shift and move she bit her lip, silently begging for it to open, please.

The lullaby caressed her ears, but she kept working, looking at the lockers nervously. Maybe she could hide in one of them if the huntress got too close, yet the fear of her checking made her reconsider. Surely she could run around the hooks and up the stairs fast enough to avoid getting caught?

The lid of the chest popped as the lock released in her hand, Meg eagerly pushing it open as the lullaby grew louder. Inside, like a miracle, was a medical kit.

Grabbing it she stood to leave, now feeling as though the sinister humming was right in her ear. Before she could begin creeping back she heard Cheryl cry out, flinching back into a corner. Footsteps ran past her head, the heavy thumps of the killer following close behind. Understanding if she stayed there was no escape she sprinted towards the stairs, trying to stay light on her feet. Peeking around corners she could not detect any movements, yet now a soft heartbeat pulsed against her eardrums.

Cheryl screamed, her aura lighting up just outside of the cabin. Meg gripped the med kit tighter, running out of the cabin before the killer could find her blood trail, glancing back to see her body hoisted up by the huntress. Grimacing she ran around the corner, gritting her teeth and crying softly. The outdoor stairs greeted her, Cheryl's scream echoing through the cabin as she was hooked in the basement. Meg could see how she hung, arms dangling at her sides.

The killer's lullaby was growing stronger again, Meg bolting up the stairs as quietly as she could. She ducked into the home next, heart hammering in terror. Quickly popping open the medical kit she grabbed a roll of gauze, starting to wrap the wound at her side. If she could at least control the bleeding, then she would not have to worry about the huntress tracking her through her blood trail. With every wrap the huntress' lullaby started to grow quieter, Meg taking deep breaths.

Tucking the final inch of the gauze through and tying it off she closed the medical kit once more, standing and feeling significantly better. No longer hearing the lullaby her confidence returned, and Meg set off down the flight of first stairs, then into the basement.

No matter how she imagined it, the young woman was not prepared for the sight of Cheryl as she hung. The hook protruded from her shoulder, clavicle the only thing supporting her entire weight. Blood stained her white vest, growing larger in diameter with each passing second, the wound on her side dripping to the floor. Their eyes locked, Cheryl choking with a pleading expression to get her off.

The lullaby returned again, the huntress almost certainly setting off towards them.

Meg forced her legs to move, trying to avoid the blood which occasionally spurt from the hook. Her stomach twisted, acid coating the back of her throat. She grabbed the other girl beneath the armpits, pushing her up and out of the hook. Cheryl grunted in pain, eyes watering.

"We need to go," she gasped, feet hitting the ground in an ungraceful stumble.

"Take this," Meg shoved the medical kit in her hand, starting up the stairs first. She wondered where Laurie and Ash were, just hoping they were at least able to finish a couple of generators. The lullaby grew louder, Meg reaching the top of the stairs just as the heart began to pound in her head.

She took off in a sprint, running out of the door and heading straight towards the woods. In the corner of her eye she spotted the killer, only two hatchets swinging from her belt this time.

Great. At least I only have to avoid two now.

The strength of the lullaby growing stronger was all she needed to hear to know the chase had begun once again. Weaving through the trees she searched for another shack, a pallet, something to loop the huntress long enough to get Cheryl back in the game.

"Ha!"

She switched directions abruptly before the hatchet could find its mark, seeing a decrepit structure up ahead. Its walls were similar to that of the previous arena, random, short mazes which provided some protection if she knew how to use it. Using the trees to her advantage she never dared to run in a straight line, terrified the killer would be able to line up the shot and end her. As far as she knew she was alone; she would have to help herself.

Twisting through the structure she found another generator and locker, blowing past both and throwing herself through the window. The huntress grunted as she swung, striking the wood and barely missing her prey. Meg turned to keep her eyes on her, trying to anticipate where she would go next. The killer took a step, intending to follow her through.

Wasting no time she ran in the opposite direction she had come, hearing the huntress' lullaby practically in her ear. She turned the corner just in time, the final hatchet clipping her braid. A pallet leaned against the wall, just before it could open back up into what looked disconcertingly like some kind of corral, Meg throwing it down just as her pursuer rounded the corner. She looked at her through the hair mask, mouth twisted in an angry frown which revealed rugged, browning teeth.

With a swift turn she worked her way around towards the other entrance, Meg backing up before sliding across the pallet once again to avoid her. She heard the locker open, frowning and wondering if someone had been hiding in there. When she didn't hear a scream she tried to think of what could possibly be next, working her way back towards the window.

The killer reached into the locker, pulling out a hatchet and hooking it onto her belt, five in total slowly being replenished. Seizing the opportunity Meg took off once more, not wanting to stick around for longer than she needed to.

It was probably a stupid move to abandon this loop, however once the huntress destroyed that pallet the jig would be up. And with no other teammates in site, Meg did not feel inclined to stay for that.

She heard a generator grinding away, looking up in its direction to see its flickering lights in the near distance. Glancing behind her she noticed the huntress appeared to still be busy, thus she altered her course towards the generator, hoping Laurie was there.

Much to her disappointment she was greeted with Ash, the man glancing at her for the briefest of moments before returning most of his focus to the generator.

"You hurt, kid?"

"I'm alright," she said slowly, kneeling down to help. "But the . . . huntress, killer, whatever she is might come this way."

"Yeah, I hear her, " he replied gruffly, metallic hand reaching up and testing one of the many levers. "Once she comes this way, I'll see if I can keep her busy."

She twisted a few wires together. "I made a loop back there, but . . . she might have gotten the pallet."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, not even flinching as the huntress' lullaby filtered their way. Meg tensed, wanting to get up and leave, Ash putting a finger to his lips then pointing to the wall.

"Get in the locker," he whispered, "before she can hear you. I'll stay here and get what I can done."

She looked at him suspiciously, well aware of what Laurie told her. If she got caught in the locker, there was nothing she could do to run. The killer would just pluck her out of the locker and take her to a hook, no questions asked. Ash would not even need to run far, hiding behind the wall and waiting until Meg was carried off before he could return to the generator.

"Go," he hissed, "or she will hear you. Unless you want to get chased?"

Meg glared, though as the huntress got closer she urged herself to get up and go, swiftly looping around the corner. The locker stood there, uninviting in its rigidness and the hatches she now knew were within them. Taking a deep breath she quietly opened the door, managed to shut it with near silence just as the heartbeat returned. She could hear Ash working on the generator behind her, keeping her body pressed against the back side, ignoring the way the hatchet blades seemed to press into her cheek.

Once again the intensity of the heartbeat, coupled with the evil lullaby, sent her heart into a frenzy. She suppressed the urge inside of her to just run, hearing Ash shout something to the huntress before he, apparently, took off into a run, Meg gritting her teeth and praying the huntress did go after him and leave her alone. Taking a deep breath, the tension in her muscles decreased by a fraction as the heartbeat began to decline. She held strong, counting to five slowly. When the lullaby was all that remained she carefully stepped back out, looking around.

Releasing the tense breath she had been holding she returned to the generator, beginning to work on it. It was a little less than halfway done, prompting her to try and pick up the pace. Her fingers trembled as she worked, trying to be diligent without messing anything up. The last thing she wanted to do was mess up all of Ash's hard work - he would most certainly not be kind about that.

Swallowing her nervousness she pulled another lever, able to get it started and beginning to work on the next section. The huntress' lullaby was stable, meaning Ash had her in chase somewhere.

"I'm coming up behind you."

The voice made her jump, though she relaxed fairly quickly as she recognized the voice.

"Laurie," she sighed gratefully, shifting her stance so the woman could join. "Where's Cheryl?'

"I left her to finish the other generator," she answered, "once I saw Ash running around with the killer I knew you were around here somewhere, hopefully on a generator. This way we get two done faster."

"Makes sense," she murmured, finishing another set of wires. Working diligently, she tried not to overthink as two of the four pistons began pumping rhythmically. The third was starting slowly, some hope on the horizons.

The hope was quickly dashed, however, as Ash screamed, his aura lighting up as he fell to the ground.

"Shit," Laurie looked up as she swore, peeking over the generator. She pulled a lever, cursing again when it barely moved for her, not ready to go just yet. Her eyes flickered from Ash to the generator and back again worriedly. His aura disappeared as the huntress picked him up, Laurie twisting another set of wires. "I need to go get Ash. Cheryl should be done and joining you soon."

Meg took a deep breath. "She can throw hatchets," she warned.

"Good to know," Laurie touched her shoulder, standing. "I'll be back."

With that promise she left, running off in the direction of the hook. The huntress' lullaby had almost fully disappeared, now barely a whisper in her ear. She focused on her work, brow furrowed as she did so.

The third pisoton was nearly fully operational when Cheryl arrived.

"One more generator. This is it," she said excitedly, working on the other side. "After this is the exit gates."

"Is there any gauze left in the med kit?" her head tilted toward the bright red box.

"One wrap," she explained, "for each of us."

"Got it," Meg looked towards Ash's aura, still seeing it glow bright red. He had at least thirty seconds left, though it was starting to worry her that he was still on the hook. Laurie should have gotten to him by now.

Pulling the lever, the third piston was ready, the fourth their final one. They were so close, yet Ash was on the clock. Not that Meg was particularly inclined to worry about him, except that he did do the generators, and one less team member . . . if they started to fall, their individual odds of surviving went down immensely.

"Where is Laurie? Is she getting Ash?" Cheryl was also becoming worried.

"She was," Meg took a breath. "But we're close, right? We can do this."

Cheryl nodded in agreement, refocusing on the task at hand, though the worry lines on her face were deeper with every passing second.

The seconds ticked by, Cheryl's hands shaking as badly as hers with each one. They were so close, yet Ash's aura never ceased. It was becoming all the more clear something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Laurie screamed, her aura bright red as she fell to the ground. Judging by how close she was to Ash, it looked as if she had gone down right beneath his hook. Both of the elder survivors were down.

Cheryl stared at them with wide eyes, saying the very same thing on Meg's mind.

"Fuck."