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

It was as though he could hear Oliver's watch ticking in the background as he continued to take step after step forward. Both of its hands were in the hoodie's pockets, and a grin painted its lips in a horrid fashion. Leon could spot crimson staining some of its teeth. The urge to gulp irritated him, and he forced it away. He couldn't show weakness in front of the creature. No, he had to remain calm; he could win the test. All he had to do was outrun the creature.

That wasn't necessarily the easiest thing on the planet, but it was possible. If Nick and (f/n) had done that, he could too. Then again, there had been five in that group originally. Mentally, he shook his head. What was he thinking? He had been waiting for this moment for so long; he couldn't let himself talk himself out of it, and if he did back out, the creature would attack him regardless.

A smirk graced his lips. This was his only shot, and he would attain his research. The creature would submit to him because there was no other option available in his opinion. Leon paused. He just was about to pass the creature. His brown, almost black, optics met the gaze of the creature.

To test it, Leon lifted up his flashlight and aimed it right into the creature's eyes. The creature continued to stare. Leon noticed a tiny wince from it, but it didn't shift its attention regardless. Its grin grew wider. "You should've come after me sooner." It giggled, leaned its head back against the wall and looked down to him. "Then, I might've had to look away."

"It's more of a challenge that way," Leon responded confidently.

Shaking its head, the creature giggled. "I can hear your heart." It leaned forward and removed its left hand from the pocket. The creature extended out its index nail and poked Leon lightly right over his heart. "It's beating pretty fast." Another giggle escaped it.

"It's from excitement, not fear." Leon hit the creature's finger away, and the creature withdrew its hand back entirely. "I'm winning, and you'll be mine."

"Don't you mean your group's?" The creature tilted its head to the left and didn't let up its grin.

"Yeah, but you'll be mine too." Leon shifted his optics away from the creature. He shone the beam of light down the hall. It remained a straight path, and the light didn't reach far enough to catch a turn or drop. The creature leaned back against the wall fully and closed its eyes. A long, drawn-out and unnecessary sigh parted from it as it began to tap its nails against the wall.

Leon wondered if it would break its word and just strike if he didn't move soon enough. He didn't avert his eyes back to the creature, however. Instead, he held onto the flashlight tightly and made sure that his bag was secured before he darted off. Instantly, his feet pounded against the hard cave floor, and the light bounced around, but that didn't slow him down; he had to find a way to loop around the creature. If he could, he would knock it out too, but that would have to be closer to the drop-off point since the creature probably wasn't that light of weight.

As he traveled further down the hall, the light finally caught a turn in the path. It went to the left before sharply dropping off. There wasn't another way to go, however. Cursing loudly in his head, he glanced behind him since he didn't hear the creature at all. The light didn't catch the creature, not even a shadow of him in the darkness. Leon couldn't hear soft footfalls either. Was it still leaning against that wall? Would it just wait there so that he couldn't get by? He hadn't considered that option, and if that was the case, he was going to have a much harder time reaching Gretchen and Terry.

"Whatever," he muttered hurriedly to himself as he faced forward again. Leon stepped up to the edge and shone the light down. Its beam illuminated a dark pit beneath him. The light didn't even reach the bottom. Wanting to test it out, Leon chipped off a piece of loose rock from the wall and tossed it down. About ten seconds later, a loud splash echoed up.

With no other path, though, Leon didn't move back from the edge. Obviously, he couldn't jump down and hope that he might find some secret passage back up. Well, he could, but he had a feeling that he'd only die in the process. Shining the flashlight around the space, he noticed that there was a thin path to his left. He would have to have his back pressed to the wall and turn his feet to the side, but he could make it across.

Before he took the path, however, he moved the beam to the other side of the chamber. The path curved along the outskirts of the chamber before it connected to another hall on the other side. Not waiting any longer, he carefully stepped onto the small road and started to slide gradually along the wall. His hands clung to the rocks behind him, and his feet barely fit on the walkway.

Making his way across, he did hear soft footfalls. Leon didn't glance back to the drop-off, however, since he couldn't. If he tried to turn back around, he'd lose his footing, but he didn't think that the creature could move any faster than him on the current path he was taking given its restrictions. The creature only would miss a step and fall to its demise. He doubted that even the creature could survive such a fall. And if it did, getting back up would be another obstacle on its own.

Another problem, though, was how he was going to circle around back to the first drop-off. The path might not even loop around, and he might have to cross the current walkway again and right into the creature's arms. He wouldn't let that happen. Somehow, he'd make the situation work in his favor.

Reaching the mid-point, he stopped and managed to stare straight out. His ears didn't catch the sound of other footsteps again, and he couldn't turn his head towards the drop-off. For all he knew, the creature might be watching him in pure amusement. Since he couldn't confirm that, he returned to progressing across the chamber; however, his ears soon did note a peculiar sound.

The noise didn't come from the drop-off or the other hall. Rather, the sound originated from ... below him. Caught off guard, Leon nearly jumped and lost his footing. He managed, though, to shine the flashlight's beam beneath him. It stretched across the rock wall and down into the abyss. Between his feet and that maw of death was the creature.

Very pale blue optics were wide and filled with the intent to kill. Strong, sharp nails dug into the rock wall while its other hand gripped onto jutting out rocks. Its feet found the perfect placements in to the rock wall too, and it speedily was making its way towards him. Leon's heartbeat increased significantly, yet his feet couldn't move. What he was witnessing truly was horrifying. The creature looked like some clawed beast crawling its way out of someone's deepest, most dreaded nightmares.

Getting all the closer to him, the thing began to giggle as though it were a manic hyena. "You should really run!" it sang out in a high-pitched voice. "Run, run, run!" it called out again, and more giggles followed.

Almost, Leon fell for its trick. He couldn't run; he just had to keep moving, so he did. His feet shuffled across the ledge, and his hands gripped onto the rocks more. He was tempted to put the flashlight away since it compromised one of his hands' stability on the wall somewhat, but he wouldn't be able to see at all under that circumstance. If he lost his vision, he would be done for.

Unfortunately, the creature followed his movements and was catching up to him. Its nails scraped across the rocks, and other rocks fell. Little splashes resonated throughout the chamber. "Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop," the creature giggled out. Leon's stomach felt like it was spinning, but he held back the nausea that was beginning to rise in him. He really might die in the next few moments if he didn't speed up his pace.

"Sh*t!" he yelled, not caring anymore. The creature was a few feet from him. Leon needed to reach the other hall, but it was still a few minutes' walk away. He wouldn't make it in time. Swiftly, he went through his options. If he kept walking, he'd be done for, but he did have hunting knives in his bag.

Reluctantly, he made himself halt. As carefully as he could, he slipped the supply bag off and reached into it while his back firmly was pressed against the wall. The creature was so close to him now. Out of terror, no longer exhilaration, Leon lost his caution and practically ripped out the knife from the bag. In his quickness, he lost grip on the bag. It plummeted to the icy, unseen waters below, and a loud splash penetrated the room soon after.

Even though he was pissed about losing his bag, he couldn't stop and go over how much his situation just worsened. Instead, his focus landed on the creature. It reached up its right hand to grab onto his left ankle, but Leon crouched and stabbed the knife down. The weapon plunged straight through the creature's hand. A slight, sharp cry of pain parted from the creature, but Leon was in a predicament of his own.

Somehow, he had been able to crouch down without losing his footing, but when he tried to get back up, his hands, both holding an object now, slipped on the rocks. His balance faded from him, and he screamed when he fell forward. In a last ditch effort to save himself, he reached out, dropped both items, which hit the water ten seconds later, and clung to the creature's clothes. The creature slid down some on the wall, but Leon no longer could view anything in the chamber. No light graced the space now, and Leon could hear the low, mirthfully inhuman giggle of the creature, and a deathly chill raced up Leon's spine.