"We stick together, alright? I'm assuming we outnumber that fucker, we'll take them down. But only if we stick-to-fucking-gether okay?" Jess said angrily, wiping away her tears with her forearm before aggressively tying her hair behind her head. She was the most visibly tense. Veins pressed against her skin the more she squeezed her fists together, giving a few limber stretches here and there.

"It'd be fair to assume they've got Jen's gun..." Niall whispered, his eyes hadn't left Jennifer's body yet. They'd respectfully covered it with a bed sheet, but that seemed to only achieve in making it more haunting as opposed to the intended peace. She appeared as a supine ghost, blotches of red for constellations on a snow-white sky. Dipping like macabre chasms where her eye sockets and mouth were.

Niall suspected it was the shock of the situation that explained how they were dealing with everything relatively well. Being hunted, friends dropping left and right. Survival instincts kicked in to high gear, conscious control making sure not to overload on adrenaline and keeping a clear thought. They would feel the tragedy later, but for now: they had to survive.

They each dealt with it in their own way as to their character. Jess was looking for a fight. Not dumb enough to go alone, but not quite smart enough to keep quiet. Her teeth were clamped together and she was incapable of shaking herself from the rage. If it was fight or flight, for her there was only fight.

Will was the worrier. He didn't tremble or panic, just made sure his two remaining friends were as okay as possible, while thinking about the possibilites of what could happen next and how he may pre-emptively counteract it. They just had to get through the night. The storm surely couldn't last all night, and come morning they could escape and get help.

Niall was the observer. When he wasn't looking over Jennifer, Will, or Jess, he was watching everything else. Aware of everything else. Any creak of the floorboards that couldn't of come from the room was immediately a focus. Every draw was suspect for traps. He didn't have time to think ahead right now, only the present mattered.

"We need a better position. We also need to find Emma." Will worried, standing up and pressing his ear to the bedroom door. The other two were silent while he listened, stifling breath and only speaking when he pulled away shaking his head.

"Fuck Emma. I wouldn't be surprised if she was the one doing this." Jess scolded, folding her arms across her chest and releasing a heavy breath out of her nose like a snorting bull.

"You don't mean that... She's our friend, and if she's not the one doing this then we're leaving her out there to die."

"But if we stay here, that means three, maybe four if she's hidden somewhere safe, of us survive. We go out there, and there's a chance that someone will die. One of us will die. Like you said, they've probably got a gun now." No one could deny that Jessica had a point in that. There was a silent agreement here that the logic was flawless. Despite the less than savoury surroundings, even if the murderer were to charge in here with a gun, the chances of them getting far with the three of them in such a close environment were low. Assuming no extra tricks or traps, the three of them had the advantage here.

"We should be extra careful then. You're vying for a fight anyhow."

"Yes, but I'm not stupid, Willard. I'm not going to charge head first into a potential bullet because I'm a bit hot under the collar."

"Tiebreaker! Niall. It's up to you. What do we do?" The two arguing friends then turn to Niall, who once again felt incredibly under the stop light. Shifting his gait nervously as he did his best not to look at either of his expecting friends. Jess stood there, one eyebrow raised and leaning on her left hip.

However Niall would be lying if he said the slight pleading look in Wills eyes didn't sway his decision a little bit. Ultimately he was at war with his own self preservation and the right thing to do. Jess was right. If they all died then the murderer would definitely get away with what they've done here. But if Emma was killed, could Niall live with the guilt of not even trying to do all he could to have prevented it? A grim selfishness, within him said that he'd learn to bare that weight in time, if he'd only just survive.

"I think... As long as we're careful, and I mean really careful. We should help Emma if we can. She's one of us. We can't leave her behind..." Niall eventually said with a reluctant sigh, his decision spiking at his shoulder blades. He felt simultaneously lighter yet couldn't help the sinking feeling in his chest.

What have I done?

Will looked relieved, giving a proud grin as he straightened his back and nodded. Jess' posture didn't change, she merely gritted her teeth and clenched her fists once again before relaxing with a breath and making for the door.

One by one, carefully peeking around the edge of the door as they went, the three left the safety of the bedroom. They pushed themselves against the left wall, rolling their feet as to displace as much weight as possible and minimise the threat of the floorboards squeaking. Luckily the battering rain seemed to almost be a constant crackle of static through the total silence of the house.

Aside from that, it was terrifyingly silent. Each step felt like it was the deciding factor in life or death, and each one seemed to equally take the length of a lifetime to take. Eventually they made it to the top of the stair well.

"Emma?" Jess, who had taken the lead, hissed twice over the side of the banister. Getting no reply, she gave a worried look over her shoulder back at the two boys who were close behind her. Stealthily they clambered down the steps, upon reaching the bottom one however their came a loud, screeching, whirring sound.

They all nearly jumped from their skins, pushing themselves against the furthest wall to get the widest view of the room as the mechanical sound continued to whine around the house. Brute forcing its way through the sound of the rainstorm with ease. Slowly, metal shutters began to descend over the doors and windows.

Before any exit could be reached, they were blocked. Anti-burglar measures now serving as their cage as opposed to their protectors, there was an ever present sense of doom that cloaked it's tar-filled wings over the three survivors as they awaited any further signs of movement.

When nothing appeared after a minute or two of heart pounding silence, they continued onwards. Uncannily aware by the pinpricks of hair at the back of their necks, that they were probably being watched.

They made their way to the kitchen, grabbing hold of the various knives at their disposal as some meagre form of protection. Only Jess seemingly confident in what she would have to do if it came down to it, as both Niall and Will secretly hoped it was enough to be a deterrant as opposed to an actual weapon. Will had never thought about the possibility of actually killing someone before. Even in self defence. The very rare occasion he did get into fights in school, he never once took it too far. A few punches and some shoving and it was usually done.

The three made their way further into the house. Intending to go for one of the few downstairs bathrooms in hopes of finding Emma. The dim lighting of the hallways did nothing to calm the nerves that sparked.

Eventually they came upon a door, that they felt an intuitive sense to check. Upon opening they found it to lead further down stairs, which was odd considering that this house was built on stilts and they were already on the lowest floor without being outside. This time, Will went down first, with Niall following second and Jess watching the rear.

The steps were soft wood, and held a distinct slipperiness of condensation. The outside wasn't so muted in here. It was cold, and they could hear the rush of water below them. It was more of a large wooden box as opposed to an actual room and smelled of damp. A few storage boxes here and there, and a metallic shelving unit stood against the far right wall with numerous knick-knacks, like tools and bolts, on it's shelves.

The rush of footsteps, thumping on the wooden floors above caught their attention, and gripping the knife in reverse Jess scrambled up the steps with a growl in pursuit.

"Jess! Wait!" Will called out just as the sickening crunch of wood giving way, erupted behind him. Niall let out a scream as his leg fell through, shunting him to the floor as wooden splinters erupted and pierced his leg. He reached and clawed at the floor around him, looking for anything to pull him up. "Jess!" Will called up the stairs once more as he sprung towards Niall. He gave but a brief moment of hesitation, uncertain on whether the floor would give way any more as he hooked his arms under Nialls and heaved upwards.

Niall clutched onto Wills back and shoulders, yelling as with great effort they managed to hoist him out of the hole. The pieces of wood, now blackened by his blood, slipped out of his inner thigh in a horrifying manner, and as Will managed to drag him to a more stable part of the floor, he began to bleed profusely.

He found it difficult to let go of Will as Will ripped off his shirt and began wrapping it around his leg.
"Shit. Shit." He cursed, as Niall winced at the tightening of the makeshift bandage. "Jess!" He called out once more.

He was torn. Torn between staying with Niall and making sure he's okay, and going after Jess for back up. Will stood up, turning towards the stairs, and Niall couldn't help but feel the fear grip his chest tightly.

"Don't leave me..." Niall immediately regretted as he whispered a little wish out loud.

"Not on your life." Will had heard, giving a reassuring smile as he crouched down beside Niall. The two breathed in tandem in an attempt to calm each other down. Will hooked his fingers around the back of Nialls neck, as they allowed each other to rest on one anothers forehead. The sweetness of the embrace leaving so much said in a single moment of contact, that not a single thing needed to be said at all. This time it was Niall who acted first. This time, it was Niall who kissed.

Jess looked upon the figure. Silhouetted as it stood directly beneath a ceiling light, casting monstrous shadows over its features. They were smaller than they imagined. Their frame was lithe, and quick. A blade gripped in their left hand, lightly stained with blood. They were dressed in simple running clothes, nothing anyone would grow suspicious of if they saw them going for a delightful jog down the road. The face was hidden by a hood and scarf, shaded so that not even the eyes were visible.

They stood invitingly. Teasingly. Tauntingly. Twisting the knife loosely, playfully, in a gloved hand, and with their head tilted mockingly to the side. Jess could tell the figure was smiling. Grinning with a confident challenge.

"Alright, bitch." Jess goaded, she clicked her neck from side to side before raising her own blade and arms in a defensive position, she took no more than three steps forward when she noticed the gun.

A/N: Well then. There's that.

How's it going? Any hints on who it may be? Or is it overly obvious who it will be? If it is why do you think they're doing it?

Thanks for reading ^-^