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

Something soft rested under her, and she didn't feel snow pressed up against her limbs. Even her clothes felt slightly less damp than she had anticipated. She shifted a bit before a pained moan parted from her, and she furrowed her brows from the soreness of her body. Her head moved some, and she felt a rough surface behind her. Most likely, it was the bark of a pine tree in the area, but she hadn't ...

Confusion filled her still foggy mind, and she steadily opened her eyes to view her surroundings. What she assumed to be morning light greeted her (e/c) optics, and she had to squint as her eyes adjusted to it. She went to lift her right arm to shield her eyes, and she winced at the movement. Looking down, she noticed the bandages, and she reminded herself that she had a pretty severe cut there; however, something was off about the bandages.

They were tied securely and neatly around her arm. Even the blood on them looked less than she had expected. Gently, she ran her left fingers over them, and she felt them brush against something underneath. Curious, she managed to move some of them aside and peek underneath. It loosened them a little bit overall, but she had a feeling that she'd be fine even if that happened. Sure enough, her cut had been stitched closed.

Putting the bandages back in place and opening her eyes fully since they had acclimated to the light, she noted her surroundings more, and she had a blanket both under her and over her lap. She also was sitting up against a tree, and she looked to be on some abandoned small boat dock. Unfortunately, there was no old boat to go with it, but there was snow on it. Around her, though, there was very little like someone had cleared it for her, and only a little bit of snow had fallen on her in the meantime.

Had the creature done all of that for her, and if so, did that mean he had called another timeout? She certainly hoped so. Otherwise, she had other major concerns now on her hands, but why hadn't he stayed around? Usually, he liked to show off his consideration and stick around to grin at her or something like that.

Another odd thing was the blankets. The creature did seem to enjoy them back at her house. Probably because he had stolen them at times and had her cuddle up next to him in her sleep for warmth. An eyebrow of hers twitched in irritation at the thought. For their game, however, she doubted that he'd waste space in his duffel bag for a blanket, especially two of them. He was practically immune to the cold and its effects, so there wasn't any need for one for his traveling purposes unless he really had grown to love the soft texture.

Strangely, though, she never had seen either blanket in her house. He could've picked them up somewhere else. Maybe, he had ran into Flat Peak and picked them up, but why not set her in a warmer location, then, to save him the trouble? It was more likely that he would've set her on his lap and had her use him as a blanket. A scowl greeted her lips at the thought, but that made more sense for him. Not to mention that both blankets looked old, and despite their still soft quality and them keeping in her warmth to a degree, they did have small holes in them, like they had seen quite a bit of use in the past.

Regardless of the peculiar findings she had woken up to, there also was the fact that the boat dock looked abandoned. Maybe, the town had grown lazy, or it was private, but there were no boats around. And, the wood seemed to be quite old too and in desperate need of repair or replacement. She figured that it only was supporting her because she was on the wood that rested over solid ground.

If it truly was left behind, though, that meant that the town possibly was deserted too, which pointed to ... "Sh*t," she mumbled, shifting on the one blanket and wincing in the process. No wonder she had seen no one traveling down the road and why the road had been so bumpy. Either that or the town really hated repairing and/or improving their infrastructure. Perhaps, they just didn't have the money to do so in their budget, but her gut was telling her that it was the abandoned scenario.

That didn't explain the man in the woods last night or who had helped her if it hadn't been the creature. Maybe, there was some hope that it was one of the two other options, but she'd have to check the town to find out. No doubt, she'd have to move at some point, or the creature would discover her if he hadn't already.

Gradually, she managed to stand up. Her left thigh protested in the process, and she didn't use her right arm too much, but her left arm wasn't in much better shape. Her shirt and jacket were covering it, but she suspected that there were nasty bruises there now. Once she fully was standing, the blankets slipped off of her, and a chill ran over her from the weather. It definitely didn't feel any warmer than in Faller's Grove. There only was less snow, which she supposed was something to be thankful for, and what snow there was had broken her fall somewhat.

Deciding to keep the blankets, or at least one of them, for good measure, she leaned down at what felt like the pace of a snail and picked one up. She saw her pale yellow backpack nearby, and she lifted that up too while she was bent over. After she managed to fit the blanket into the pack and slipped it over her shoulders, she glanced around and tried to spot a trail leading from the dock to the town. Then again, she really had no idea how far out she was. All she could assume was to head up the slight hill and away from the dock.

Taking some steps forward, her whole body ached, and she wished that she just could lie in bed for a bit. Her apartment bed sounded amazing at the moment, though; she remembered that she no longer had an apartment. Most likely, Ms. Zacerson and Nick had discovered the note. Nick would understand it, but Ms. Zacerson probably now wouldn't let her near the complex at all. A heavy sigh parted from her lips, and her breath danced in the air before her, but she needed to keep moving. If she was lucky, she would find a comfortable bed in Flat Peak even if it was deserted.

A bitter chuckle left her. Sleeping in an abandoned town just sounded like a brilliant idea, especially with one, possibly two, strangers wandering around, not to mention the creature. But, she had to rest at one point, and the sleep she just had woken up from hadn't been the most comfortable. Her back clearly hadn't liked being pressed up against that tree since it had cracked somewhat loudly when she had stood up fully.

Now if that man she had seen earlier was the one to have helped her, maybe, she would be fine in the town, but he hadn't looked fit to aid anyone. He had been walking as though he had been drunk, and if the town was deserted, why was he close to it? Was he running from someone too? And if he hadn't tended to her, who had, and what was that individual like?

Whenever she found a positive in the situation, questions would bog her down and lead her to square one again. Right now, she figured that heading in the direction for what she hoped was the town would be her best bet. Staying out in the open only would bring the creature to her if it hadn't already. For all she knew, he could be watching her presently. Just in case, she checked around, being mindful of her soreness, but she didn't sight anyone. And, there were no footprints in the snow, but the light snow over the several hours that she had been asleep most likely had covered any up.

As she progressed up the slight hill and left the dock behind her, she did use the trees as supports along the way. Her left hand would press against the bark before her fingers managed to grab a few low branches, which would help pull up her weight. It still hurt, but it was better than using her right arm. Annoyingly enough, her left thigh protested against any of her movements.

Mentally, she cursed the creature, and she wished that he hadn't taken that much skin off. The wound hadn't required stitches, but it stung horribly. It even itched at times, and she bit the inside of her right cheek to attempt to ignore the urge to scratch the area.

Finally reaching the top of the hill, she glanced back behind her and towards the dock. Part of her felt like she might see someone down there, but no one greeted her optics. Then again, they easily could hide behind one of the trees. And if it was the creature, he could be submerged in the water with no issue at all. She didn't know whether to find that image disturbing or slightly amusing. Maybe, she could attach an iron ball to one of his ankles and see how long he lasted.

That thought caused her to smirk slightly, but she pushed it aside as she averted her gaze forward. Staring ahead, she tried to discern if there were any buildings up ahead, but she only saw more trees and snow; however, she did spot what looked like a road marker. (F/n) traveled towards it, at a pace slower than she would've liked, but when she did reached it, a relieved smile touched her lips. Flat Peak, a mile ahead.

From the spot, she still couldn't sight the town, but she only had another fifteen to twenty minutes to reach it. Then again, her pace wasn't exactly the best, so it might take a little longer, but at least, it wasn't several miles away from her. She would've expected the dock to be a little closer, but it probably had been built farther out so that there was some peace from the town. That made her wonder just how big the town was.

If it was huge, she would have a lot of hiding places to choose from if it was deserted. Even if it wasn't, she could hide out in the one of the buildings for a bit. Maybe, get a hotel room or stay in a restaurant with a nice warm cup of coffee. She sighed almost dreamily at the thought, and she used that as more motivation to continue forward even if she knew that she probably would be let down when she reached Flat Peak.