A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Freezing water wrapped itself around her form as it rushed over her. Her eyes widened at the intensity of its cold touch, and her lips parted in shock. Bubbles formed above her mouth and floated up, though; she couldn't see them due to the darkness of the water. Part of her ordered her to endure it more due to the being that was up on the stairs, but she couldn't; it was too painful, too suffocating.

The cold water burned her throat and lungs. It was like torture in its own right. She forced her limbs to move as she hurried to reach the surface and climb onto the steps wherever they were; however, the current was too strong, and it kept knocking her down. Her legs already were too weak, and her left thigh barely could tolerate the exertion she was forcing upon it.

Desperately, she reached up, but she rolled to the side. More bubbles escaped her lips, and oxygen was abandoning her rapidly. She screamed at herself to keep pushing herself upwards. (F/n) didn't want to die, especially after everything she had dealt with. There was still the game to beat. She still had a chance. If it weren't for the water, tears could be seen streaming down her cheeks.

She probably looked pathetic in her attempts to survive, but she had to try; she to keep trying like she always had done. Her fingers stretched out. "Please," she cried out, her words muffled and distorted by the water. To her panic, though, her eyes were beginning to shut as her body grew weaker. (F/n) couldn't stop herself from slipping away, and her eyes finally shut under the icy depths.

Absolute softness greeted her fingertips. They rubbed against the texture, and a calm smile touched her lips. Underneath her head, a comfortable cushion rested, and she tilted her head into it. Wherever she was, it was warm and soothing. Memories of chilling waters and lack of oxygen filled her mind steadily, and she furrowed her brows as she woke up more. A headache began to form, and she tried to focus on the softness of her surroundings once more.

A quiet moan of discomfort parted from her when the headache wouldn't leave her be; however, it was a sign that she probably wasn't dead. That thought, though, woke her up even more. Where was she? Opening her eyes would help with that, but she didn't wish to know who had rescued her. She doubted that the creature had unless he had managed to find her at just the perfect moment. And if it wasn't him, that left the possibility of it being whoever/whatever had been in the tunnels with her.

Recalling the shoe, she wondered if it really had been a ghost in those tunnels with her. If it hadn't been, then what/who had she been dealing with? Unfortunately, she couldn't keep her eyes closed any longer when she accidentally moved onto her right arm too much. Instantly, she winced and rolled onto her back as her eyes opened a little bit. In the process, she heard movement nearby, and she felt her heartbeat pick up a bit. Careful footsteps walked across the room, but they didn't move towards her. Instead, she heard what sounded like a chair being dragged across presumably a wooden floor.

Opening her eyes more, a dull glow greeted them. She turned her gaze to her right and noticed a lantern lit on a nightstand beside the bed she was on. Plush, but old white sheets covered her body, and there was a large white comforter on top of her. Her more awake mind registered that the heat underneath the covers stemmed from something at the end of the bed.

"I wouldn't stretch your legs out too much." A casual, collected voice warned as she jumped up slightly. "There's a heated pan underneath the covers, and it'll burn your skin if you touch it." Thankfully, she didn't hit the pan in the process of her jump. Her back pressed up against the pillows and metal headboard of the bed while her (e/c) optics searched for the owner of the voice.

They landed on a figure straight ahead of her, and she felt her heart constrict as fear ignited in her veins. Instantly, she pulled her legs closer and searched for her backpack, which was nowhere to be found. She barely registered her sore and wounded body protesting the violent movement. "You really shouldn't strain yourself too much," the male suggested, taking a seat directly across from her on a wooden chair.

Pinning her gaze back to him, she held onto the sheets tightly. "And, a thank you would be nice. I've saved your life twice now after all." Her lips didn't part; she was in too much shock. He sighed and leaned back on the chair. "Right. I guess that your silence makes sense." His arms crossed over his chest. "I doubt that you were expecting ever to see another one of us." The male's shoulders shrugged. "Not surprising given how we usually are much more discreet."

Again, she didn't answer. Her mind was busy attempting to process what she was seeing. Very pale blue optics stared at her, not even squinting at the pale light in the room. Nearly white, straight locks, which trailed down to his shoulders, were pushed back while bangs of the same hue were swept to the right, not covering either of his eyes in the process. His eyes gave off a tone of patience and maturity, yet they were threatening all the same in their unmoving gaze, and his nose, which was a delicate-nose shape, only gave more authority to his eyes. Overall, the male looked to be in his late twenties, maybe twenty nine.

"Did you stare at him like this too when you first met him?" the male asked, not amused but also not annoyed. That seemed to break her out of her trance, and she tried to calm herself down since he seemed to be quite content on the wooden chair. She knew, though, that he could be right next to her within seconds.

"I ..." Her mind tried to process it all. His lips rested in a neutral expression, and he waited for her to continue. "I ... Why did you save me? Were you the one in the tunnels?" she blurted out a little too quickly as her fear-driven mind finally processed thoughts into words. He raised a brow before he nodded.

"I was in the tunnels." He coughed and added in the demented, scratchy voice from before, "It had been fun." A chill ran up her spine, and she was thankful that she was at least by the lantern. Easily, though, he noticed her movement. "I'm not here to harm you. Otherwise, you wouldn't be as comfortable as you are right now." His voice returned to its casual tone again, but she wasn't convinced by his words in the slightest. "And, the disbelief in your eyes is understandable."

"If you're not going to harm me, why do all of that in the tunnels?" she asked, managing not to stutter and sound confident. She had to remind herself that he wasn't the creature she knew, but there was no doubt that he was of the same species. His long, sharp nails on his left hand gave that away instantly.

"Easy. I hate you." His eyes displayed no such emotion, however, and he shrugged like it meant nothing. She furrowed her brows in confusion; they never even had met before. "You escaping the Cankerfell tunnels has been a major pain in the a**, but the fault does lie on your partner too."

"We're not partners," she cut him off harshly.

Ignoring her, he continued, "He should've killed you in those tunnels along with that other human. Instead, his carelessness and need for attention brought about our species' weakness. And, I lost my home too. I used to live in a cave near a town about two hours away from here, but it was stormed with lights and armed humans. Now, I can't step foot into there without setting off alarms even though I hadn't nearly been killing as mainly people as him."

Annoyance laced his voice, and he tapped his left nails against his right upper arm. "I was being careful, but he had to make a show of things. It hadn't been too much of a problem until you opened your mouth about light since I had been able to kill anyone who stepped inside and got too close to my territory in the cave. With the lights, though ..." He trailed off. "Well, I had to adjust." His eyes glanced around the small room and boarded up windows. "But, I found this place. Still, I prefer my old home."

Pushing back her fear more, she sat up straight, but she remained cautious. "So, you blame me for your problems. Why not kill me?" It was a foolish question to ask, but she needed to understand where he was coming from to know her situation better. The male before her was an unknown, and there were no deals in place to spare her life. She was alive because he wanted her to be at the moment. And, the calmness in his eyes began to look cold and uncaring. It unnerved her, but she tried to remain strong even though she wanted to scream and panic.

"Because, that would be a waste." She raised a brow, perplexed still. "Despite my dislike for you, I healed you because I need you for something." He rolled up the sleeves of his midnight blue button-up, and she tensed slightly at the combination of his statement and action. Another sigh parted from him, but he didn't feel like repeating himself about not harming her. "It's hot in here. Keeping you warm is a nuisance, but it's necessary. I've already heated that pan several times using the gas stove in the kitchen." Almost, she was about to make a sarcastic comment, but she held her tongue; again, he wasn't the creature she knew. If she pissed him off, he might harm her despite his claim not to.

"... And, what do you need me for?" she asked, caution in her voice.

"Remember, that your partner is to blame too." She was about to argue about her relationship with the creature, but he didn't allow her to speak. Rather, he cut her off and continued, "So, I'm going to make a deal with you." Memories of her first deal with the creature came back to her, and she hesitantly motioned for him to continue.