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

Back and forth, back and forth, the pattern had kept repeating itself, and it continued to do so. The creature understood taking one's time to explore and being careful so that nothing was missed, but this was a whole new level. Did she really think that he would be pressed up against some wall and hoping that she didn't spot him before he could surprise her? Almost, he was tempted to sigh out of boredom.

He could've sped the process up and revealed himself, but he didn't want to yet; he wanted to wait until they reached the proper room. Otherwise, she might attempt to outsmart him and end up in another location that would be less amusing. Then again, he could've always dragged her back to where he wished her to be, but his true strength might be unveiled completely if he did that.

Of course, the human had some knowledge about his capabilities, but she never had seen them herself. He suspected that in that head of hers she believed herself able to overpower him. She might think herself different from the investigators before her, but she wasn't. All she wanted was to state that she knocked him out, that she was able to overcome the unstoppable beast. Unfortunately, that took quite a bit of careful, wise planning that the girl before him was incapable of.

If she had been more cautious, she wouldn't be in the cave right now. No, she would've waited until he was completely distracted by his pink flower, and she would've had her own set of tools on her. All of them wouldn't have been on that trash in the water now. Instead of that, she was several feet in front of him and only had a flashlight.

(F/n) had similar items back in the tunnels, but she had his interest, and she had help. Gretchen had neither. She practically was a walking and ready-to-eat steak. The only reason she wasn't dead was because he had a more fitting death for her.

As they turned another corner, flowing water greeted their ears. It was quiet, but as they traveled downwards now, it grew significantly louder. The rushing water's sound echoed up the natural staircase in the stones, and it completely erased the noise of their footsteps, but the creature wasn't sure if Gretchen had heard him behind her or not.

Perhaps, she just was playing him, which would be a foolish move on her part. Even if she was, he already suspected the possibility of that, and she, ultimately, just couldn't get the jump on him. Before she could even make a surprise attack, he already would be at her throat.

When they reached the bottom of the stairwell, the almost roaring river came into view. The path stopped right in front of it. On the other side was some solid floor, but the path didn't continue. In fact, the room was a dead end unless she rode the water under the rocks, but since the water went right up to the rocks, there would be no room for her to breathe. Given how deep the cave went, he also presumed that the water would flow for quite some time, which would guarantee that she wouldn't be able to recover her breath. That was speculation, but he doubted that she actually would leap into the water. No, she was too determined to capture him, and she only would enter the water if he went in first. Luckily for her, he didn't feel like taking a grand tour of a natural water slide.

Her flashlight's beam scanned over the room, and she stepped up close to the water. She peered down into it, and the creature smirked as he leaned against the nearby left wall. Even he wouldn't be able to withstand that current. Gretchen backed up a little before she ran and jumped over the water to the other side. The young teen made a perfect landing, and a smirk touched her lips. "This is what you wanted, right?" the confidence in her voice nearly was sickening.

"So, you did know that I was behind you," he remarked, giggling and playing along with her perception that she held authority in the situation.

"Of course." She turned around and shone the dim light on him. His eyes shifted down slightly. "I heard your footsteps early on. It was soon after I mentioned Terry to myself." Gretchen shifted on her feet and jutted her hip out to her right a little while her smirk remained. "You crossed paths with her, didn't you?"

"Aren't you the ideal investigator," he joked, closing his eyes and smiling, though; his smile was anything but friendly. Rather, it stemmed from pure annoyance, and he had the immense urge to roll his eyes at her current posture. She was acting like she discovered that thing humans called gossip. He assumed that if he waved his nails around, she'd only smirk more and chuckle at how she succeeded in her objective when in fact she was far from it.

"Did you kill her? I didn't hear any screams."

"If I did, are you mad?"

"No. It wouldn't surprise me if she tried to throw herself at you and got impaled on your nails." A giggle parted him. Did she even know her friend? Terry wouldn't get herself killed by him if she could help it. No, that ignorant girl wanted to be alive and claim him. "And, Leon? How'd he die?" An amused gleam flashed in her eyes. "I heard the screams. Did you live up to your reputation in the tunnels?"

"Not really." His casual response caught her off guard, and he could tell by her pause in response. So, he continued, "We did some research." The creature shrugged. "I proved to be correct, and he lived a short life as a test subject."

"I suspect that it was more than that." She walked back and leaned her back against the wall.

"Maybe, it was, but why do you care?" He opened his eyes back up, and they almost looked like they were glowing under the dim illumination of the flashlight. "I'd think you'd be worried more about the fact that you lost a friend."

"Why would I?" Her smirk grew, and she shook her head. "It was a mutually beneficial friendship. He gave me the resources I needed to get to you. Simple." A slight frown fell onto her lips. "And, he lost some of those. Annoying, but I should've taken them before he left. But," foolhardiness dominated her dark brown optics, "I don't care anymore about that. What's my test?"

"Deliver the finishing blow that'll knock me out." He shrugged and pushed himself off of the wall. A grin stretched across his pale, ghost-white lips. His very pale blue eyes shifted onto her fully even with the light shining right into them. It hurt him in an almost insignificant way with how dim the beam of light was.

Lips upturning even more, they soon formed almost a comedic o-shape. Laughter burst out of her, and she clutched her sides. The creature watched, not entertained, but he grinned nonetheless. "That easy!" she chuckled out as her orbs locked onto his again. "That's all I have to do to win?" He nodded in response. Her eyes lit up with more mirth before she stood up straight, and her smile fell flat. She quirked a brow. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Do I need to answer that?" he countered, quirking a brow of his own.

Rolling her eyes, she tapped the flashlight against the palm of her other hand. "I only have this. How the h*ll am I supposed to knock you out in this room with just a flashlight?" She chuckled some more. "But, you'll kill me if I don't play." Gretchen tossed the flashlight to her other hand, and her boldness practically radiated off of her like a rundown, flickering neon sign. He was tempted to say that he'd kill her in either circumstance. Honestly, he felt that his lips almost twitched out of his current fake grin.

"I suppose so," he answered back, tilting his head to the left. "So, what are you going to do?"

"Win." Not another word left her. Rather, she pushed herself off of the wall and darted towards him. He moved his head back into its original position and watched her leap across the water again. Gretchen switched the flashlight onto full power and aimed it right for his eyes. The light did meet its target, and he couldn't help but release a hiss.

Momentarily, he closed his eyes, and he felt the flashlight impact the back of his head hard. A crack resonated throughout the room, and he fell forward a bit as a grunt of pain parted from him. His head lay over the rushing water, and droplets of ice-cold liquid splashed up on him. "You shouldn't be so sure of yourself," she mocked, and he felt her place a foot on the middle of his back.

Pressing down more, she leaned closer to him. Her left hand grabbed the back of his head as his wound still was healing. Blood coated her fingers, but she didn't care. Rather, she forced his head under the water. If he was human, his face would've been numbed within moments; however, it felt only like he had his face under a high-powered, usual-temperature shower. "And, you shouldn't have cornered yourself either," she remarked before several chuckles escaped her.

Holding his head down more, she watched as his body began to go limp. Slightly, he struggled under her, but he never pushed her off of him. Eventually, he didn't move at all. His whole body relaxed in a deadly silence. Gretchen grinned victoriously and ripped his head back out of the water before she tossed him aside. "How you killed Leon and all of those other people before me is utterly hilarious. You shouldn't have underestimated me." She tossed the flashlight up and watched the beam of light travel around the room. Gravity, though, soon brought it back down to her.