The forest haunted him. No matter how far he ran or how fast he ran, He would always find him. He would never be free, but he refused to stop running. No matter how tired he was, he'd never stop. Death would be too sweet for him. His friends and family were dead. He swore to protect Jessica, and he did. She had gotten out. She was free. He was not. He threw the cursed mask away yet it always came back. He always brought it back. He gripped the mask in his hands, glaring at it, the forest looming over him. No, Timothy Wright would never be free, so he put on the mask and let go. Masky would finish what Tim started.

Masky's hatred for the Operator was what drove him to go back. His hatred mixed with Tim's hatred would help them take him down. But...would it be enough? Neither knew, but both hoped it was. He was the reason Brian, Jay, and Alex were dead. He was the reason that Tim had suffered his entire life. Masky was done running. Tim wanted to end it all, but Masky wanted to live. So, they reached a compromise. One last hurrah. One last attempt to fight the Operator and win. But, would winning even be an option?

Leaves and branches crunched beneath Masky's feet as he gripped his switchblade in his right hand and used his free hand to brush against trees and thorns. When the sun went down, the temperature dropped the deeper Masky traveled. He could see his breath filtering through the mask. The longer he stayed in the woods, the more he didn't want to leave. Masky knew he'd never have a normal life. And, he didn't care. He was only there to protect Tim, but at times, he wished he could have a taste of what a normal life was. None of that mattered now. All Masky craved was to avenge Hoody and Jay.

Masky found himself in a dark area, the trees taller than normal and the air much, much colder. He should have been scared, but he wasn't. He gripped his blade tighter and looked around, feeling eyes bore into his skull. Slowing his steps to stay as silent as possible, Masky scanned the area around him, looking for any unusual movement. A branch snapped and Masky's head jerked to the side, eyes narrowed beneath his mask. He heard another clicking noise and tensed his body. He raised his knife into a defensive stance.

"Guh!" Masky grunted, crashing to the forest floor with a thud, someone on top of him. He pressed his hands against the ground, pushed up and rolled over. Another grunt was heard and Masky stumbled out of reach, switchblade aimed at the smaller attacker. Masky's attacker wore a dark striped hoodie with a face mask, orange goggles, and wielded two hatchets. The boy was smaller than Masky but a tad taller.

"Yuh-you aren't suh-supposed to be here," the boy spoke, head twitching to the side in an almost painful way. Masky said nothing and stared the boy down. "Guh-guess you huh-have a-woo- death wish!" The boy rushed forward, swinging his axes and Masky jumped to the side, slicing his knife down the boy's upper arm to his lower arm. Blood spurted from the wound, but the boy took no notice.

'Shit. How did he not feel that?' Masky grunted as pain flared in his leg. 'Not now!' He favored his other leg and slashed and stabbed at the boy, deflecting the ax's blade. The boy pushed Masky back into a tree and attempted to trap him. Masky dropped his knife, slammed his entire body weight into the boy and both crashed to the ground with a loud thud. Breath knocked out of the boy, Masky took the opportunity to grab his knife and the axes before running.

A small part of Tim felt guilty for hurting the boy. To him, the boy seemed to be but a child. Masky was a protector who only killed or injured if needed. So, the little guilt Tim had was quickly squashed by Masky reminding him that the child tried to kill them. Tim remained silent after that. Masky found a quiet place to sit down. He braced himself against a tree and rubbed his throbbing leg. He cursed Alex for breaking it with the cinder block, but he also berated Tim for not letting it heal properly.

Time passed differently where Masky had traveled. The sun's rays barely breached the mist and dark foliage. He missed the sun. To him, the sun was a symbol of surviving the night and previous day. The Masked Man bitterly chuckled, banging his fist into the ground. Of course His woods would take away the things he craved and saw as good. Despair started to weigh down Masky. He didn't want to get up and keep going. 'Get up you bastard. Get up and fight. Don't let HIM win so easily.'

Masky had always been thankful for Tim's resolve, determination, and stubbornness. Sometimes, Masky wondered why Tim still needed him. Growling, Masky crawled to his feet, swaying before catching his footing. He flipped his switchblade closed and pocketed it, not feeling any immediate danger around. Everything around him looked the same. Direction seemed to disappear. Nothing indicated which would be a safe direction which meant no matter which way Masky went, there would be danger. Good. Masky needed the sense of danger. That meant He was close by. As he took off in a random direction, his mind wandered back to Hoody.

"You are an absolute idiot," Hoody huffed as Masky growled at him. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at Brian, who he had just finished patching up. "Jessica had the gun! Why did you tackle him instead of letting her just shoot him!?"

"Because she couldn't do it! She didn't have the guts." Hoody paused signing and looked up at Masky. "At least, not to kill him." Hoody stretched his arm, wincing as the stitches pulled. He avoided Masky's harsh glare and didn't flinch as he punched the wall of Hoody's small hiding spot in the abandoned hospital.

"Still, you could have killed him and let this all end with him!" Masky groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Is she safe at least?" Hoody shrugged and shook his head indicating he had no idea. "You don't know?" Masky's voice rose and Hoody nodded in confirmation. "FUCK!" The Masked Man screamed angrily. This time Hoody flinched back. "All of that for nothing." He turned around and leaned against the wall, head in his hands. "Damn it."

"At least Jay made it out, right?" Hoody asked after he made sure Masky was looking at him. "He had to have gotten out because he wasn't with Alex or Jessica. So, we find him and keep Jessica out of this." Hoody tugged on Masky's sleeve. "All he needs is a push in the right direction."

Masky rolled his eyes. "Right," he sighed, elbowing Hoody with a playful smirk. Hoody made a noise of protest and fell back into his mattress. He flipped off Masky. Masky barked a laugh and dodged the water bottle Hoody threw at him. "HEY!" Hoody innocently smiled. "Bastard," Masky glared at him. Though, his glare held no malice.

"Make me a promise?" Hoody asked, hands shaking slightly. Masky paused and hesitantly nodded. "Don't allow him to win. Even if he takes everything, Don't. Let. Him. Win." He punctuated each word with a finger jabbed into Masky's chest.

"Only if you stay with me." Masky shot back. "Don't you dare die on me."

"I promise," Hoody smiled.

A snapped twig shook Masky from his thoughts and he paused. A quick scan and listen and Masky determined no one to be there. Underneath his boot was a broken twig. He shook his head and kept moving, quickly and subtly moving his mask to dry his eyes. Hoody broke his promise. He died. Hoody left him alone. Like Tim left Jay alone. Guilt pooled in his gut. No, that wasn't fair. Tim didn't know Hoody was Brian, and everyone had lost someone. They both lost their best friends.

Masky lifted his head to keep moving. Eyes widened underneath the mask and the knife hit the ground with a clink.

But...but if Masky lost Hoody...then...Masky's body froze. No, this wasn't real. Both he and Tim saw the body. Alex proved him to be dead. He wasn't breathing. He was limp. Alex taunted them about his death.

Then...why was he holding a gun to Masky?

Hey guys!

I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. It's finally here and I hope you all enjoyed it! Remember, votes and comments are always appreciated. I love hearing from you all!

Have a wonderful day!

~Kat