It had been days since we'd last had anything to eat or drink but neither of us felt hungry or thirsty- not that there was food or water for us if we had wanted it. Whatever this place was, it was keeping us alive without the need for sustenance. Sleep on the other hand was something we needed, and the rest we got was minimal at best with how much they'd been toying with us.

"Tim..." I called out to him as I stopped and leaned heavily against a tree. "Can we rest?"

He glanced over his shoulder before retracing his steps back to me. "I guess."

I slid to the ground, practically falling, and leaned back against the tree trunk, hearing him join me seconds later. "How long do you think we've been here?"

"Hard to say. I know just as much as you do."

"...I don't know if I want to remember this... if we get out..." I yawned and rested my head on my knees; I could barely keep my eyes open.

There was silence and I began drifting off only for Tim to shake me a few minutes later. "Get up."

"Hmm?" I obeyed and glanced around, not seeing what he was so alarmed about.

Tim stepped in front of me, glaring in the direction of a thinner section of the woods. "I saw Alex."

"What? Isn't he dead?" I glanced around him in time to see a man wearing glasses walking toward us with a gun in hand. He looked familiar, though I wasn't sure if it was from when Tim explained his past or something else.

"Run, go!" Tim stayed between me and the line of fire as he ushered me in the opposite direction.

I didn't need to be told twice, as Alex fired off a shot- somehow managing to miss us- and gave chase. "Tim said he was dead... Did he know Alex was alive? Or is this The Operator's doing?"

I couldn't bother to waste my breath questioning Tim on his thoughts and continued focusing on running. If Alex was alive trying to kill us I couldn't risk tripping over a root or slipping up on the large dead leaves blanketing the ground. My adrenaline was rapidly ebbing away, I could feel myself getting slower despite pushing myself forward. Glancing back, I could see our pursuer was raising the gun at us once more as he steadily gained on us.

"This is all your fault, Tim!" Another loud gunshot rang out, by some miracle still missing us. "I can still stop this from spreading!"

My shoe slid as I stepped on a damp tree root and I winced as I clipped the side of the tree with my shoulder. I gasped for breath, my chest aching with each inhale, and my legs shook as I once more tried to pick up the pace. I looked over my shoulder again; Alex didn't look winded in the slightest but I was more alarmed at how close he was. At this distance I could see the large stain of dried blood covering his throat and the front of his shirt; his glazed eyes held only bloodlust and determination to finish what he'd started.

Fear shot through me, paralyzing me as I slowed to a stop and turned to face him. "What's wrong with him? Is- is he possessed by something? I didn't think Slenderman or The Operator could actually possess people like this! ...I don't want to die here and end up like that!"

I staggered back, starting to run again, before feeling my legs buckle and give out; dots flashing across my vision as I smacked into the ground. Tim slowed to a stop next to me and pulled me back to my feet, letting me use him as a support while I prepared to pull out the knife. It wouldn't do much against a gun but as long as one of us could get close enough while Alex was distracted... maybe we'd have a chance.

We stared back in the direction Alex would come from at any second- a chill going through me when he didn't appear from the mist almost immediately. "He was right on our tail... was it a hallucination?"

A hazy figure drew closer for a second from our right and I shakily stepped back in preparation to flee once more. Alex's gaze snapped in a different direction and to my confusion he took off after whatever had caught his attention with a threatening shout. I couldn't comprehend how he didn't see us or why he would give up the chase; he had us. I was shaking as I stared at the last spot Alex had stood, my throat burning with each breath. The desire to collapse to the ground then and there was only forced aside by Tim's urgency.

"We need... to keep... moving." He coughed between heavy pants and slowly began walking again.

I limped after him, rubbing my shoulder as I went. There wasn't a safe place to go or hide. We could only keep trudging along and put distance between us and the sound of Alex's yells. Gunshots would go off, as if he'd found another target, and each one made me flinch as I waited to hear a scream or worse... dead silence. A shiver went through me from both the cold and the fear.

"How is Tim doing it? ...He's holding himself together so well it seems." I looked at him as he led the way. Sure, he was clearly uncomfortable from the cold air, damp clothes, and he was obviously tired- I was too- but he still seemed so sure of what he was doing. "...Would he be better on his own? I feel like I'm holding him back. Alex wouldn't have found him if I hadn't asked to stop back there..."

Tim finally came to a halt once the danger had gradually faded into the distance behind us. "Get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

I sank to the ground, feeling guilty he was forced to stay awake because of how weak I was being. "Are... are you sure?"

"Yes." He sat down and rested his back against a tree.

"Alright..." I slid the knife out of its sheath and put it between us. "Here then."

***

I woke up to the sound of something scraping against tree bark. The worry we were under attack went through me, snapping me awake, and I looked up to find Tim getting to his feet and cautiously walking toward another figure watching us.

"Jay..." Tim stopped and I followed his gaze to the bullet wound in the man's stomach. "No... no you can't be here..."

A grim smile appeared on Jay's face and he took a step forward, glazed eyes staring sadly back at Tim. "Tim, come on. I have a new lead, we can stop all of this."

"We should go... That isn't Jay." I got to my feet, a chill going through me as Jay's gaze slid past Tim to glare daggers at me. "T-Tim please... This isn't right! It's creeping me out..."

"We're so close." Jay motioned toward the mist behind him as he spoke again. "I know how to get out of here. We can leave. We'll be able to show so many people what's been happening. We'll fix everything."

"No, this isn't real, you're not real!" Tim took several steps back toward me. "I saw your body, Jay. You're dead. Jay and Alex are dead!"

"Alex is going to kill us if we stay here!" Jay ran around, cutting Tim off as he tried to walk away. "You can't just give up now. People are counting on us- they need to know!"

The gut feeling that something wasn't right increased as he got closer and I flinched as Jay looked over his shoulder once again to stare at me. Our eyes locked and for a moment I was frozen, scared if I moved he'd attack. As soon as he turned away I circled around him to stand next to Tim, hoping he'd help me should Jay actually prove to be a threat.

"I have the knife... If I have to fight either of them... I should have the upper hand." I brushed my hand against the hilt.

"We're running out of time. Alex is going to be here soon, he's been hunting me. Do you want to stay here and die? Do you want me to die?" His shout held pain at the end, something I didn't expect given Jay's half dead appearance.

"...We need to go." I nudged Tim, even if Jay was lying, something was bound to have heard the yelling by now.

"I tried to keep you safe." Tim ignored me and stepped closer to Jay. "You were becoming a danger to yourself and everyone else because you didn't listen. I- you didn't die because of me! I tried... I tried to help you!"

His composure I'd been admiring earlier was cracking and for a second I thought the two would start fighting. A cry came from Jay that was barely audible over a gunshot from behind us. Fresh blood spilled from his side as he fell to the ground clutching the new wound. My eyes widened in shock as I watched; was he actually dying? Jay's face was contorted in rage as he glared up at us, the glaze no longer covering his eyes.

"This is your fault." He coughed, blood staining his mouth as he tried to stop the bleeding with his hand. "You let me die, Tim!"

I could hear Alex hurrying through the trees to get closer, probably taking aim at us already. "We need to go."

If we stayed there any longer we'd be dead just like Jay. I yanked Tim by the arm, breaking him out of whatever trance he'd fallen into as he watched Jay bleed out. I didn't wait for him to catch up as I ran deeper into the trees and away from the thinner part of the forest. Behind me I could hear running and another gunshot. As much as I wanted to look back to make sure Tim was behind me, I didn't. He would be fine, right? He wasn't stupid and Alex was still shooting somewhere back there, which meant Tim likely hadn't been shot yet.

After a few minutes I slowed to a stop, realizing my footsteps were the only thing I could hear. Worry went through me as I looked back and didn't find any trace of Tim or anyone else. Had I been wrong? I began retracing my steps the best I could, occasionally calling his name only to receive silence in return. The only thing that suggested he was still alive was the lack of blood and a body.

My blood ran cold as I finally got a response. The child's crying got louder and my stomach dropped when I saw a young girl wandering through the trees in my direction. "No... n-no that trick won't work on me!"

Faith looked up at me with tears staining her cheeks; her eyes brightened when she saw me. "A-Ash! You... You came for... for me! I knew you wouldn't l-leave me here!"

I stiffened as my little sister ran over and hugged me, my mind going completely blank as her arms physically wrapped around my legs. "That's not... no... she can't be... it wouldn't make sense...!"

"I was so scared..." She continued crying and sniffed as she pulled away to look up at me. "I wanna go home..."

Her eyes weren't cloudy like Jay and Alex's had been, and I couldn't see anything to suggest she'd died. "But this can't be real... she still looks four years old!"

"Sis...?" Faith frowned up at me as she whimpered. "I'm scared... please... I want to go home..."

I pulled out of her grip and backed away. "No. You aren't my sister."

"What?" More tears ran down her face.

"She isn't real. I know she's dead..." I pulled out the knife and watched as she shrank back.

"Ashley...?"

"You're not my sister, shut up." I snarled, angered at how my innocent, dead sister was being used as something to torment me with.

She gave a piercing scream as I lunged at her and pinned her to the ground. Her words became gibberish as her crying worsened and she struggled to get away from me. It wasn't hard to restrain her, especially after I shoved the blade through her chest. Blood splattered on the ground and her lips as she coughed. Hesitation flashed through me at the sight before I pushed it aside and pulled out the blade, bringing it back down swiftly again and repeating the process until her sobs died out.

I sat there, hunched over Faith's body, trembling at the feeling of her warm blood on my hands. "That... that wasn't her... This is just in my head... She wasn't real- oh fuck please... this couldn't be real... The blood isn't real..."

Her body twitched as she died. I was disgusted and sickened by the realistic sight yet I couldn't tear my gaze away even as the feeling of blood drying on my hands made me gag. Her eyes were distant and dead but I still felt like she was watching me, judging me for my actions.

"Are... y-ou... happy?" Faith wheezed out, her bloody lips barely moving as she breathed the words. "...You... killed me... I died... that night... you... you left me... alone... I-I was so... so scared- alone... I c-cried... for y-you and D-Daddy... save me..."

"No, I didn't... I didn't kill you! ... Stop saying that!" I tried to block out her voice as tears welled up in my eyes.

I jumped and gave a startled yelp as someone shook my shoulder, jerking my head up to see Tim staring down at me in alarm. Fear went through me over what he'd do and I shifted away, still shaking. My gaze fell guiltily to where Faith's body was lying only to freeze when I saw the body was gone along with any trace of blood; the knife I'd attacked her with was stabbed deep into the ground, covered in mud but otherwise clean.

"This place is messing with our heads, we know that. Whatever happened wasn't real." His own voice sounded shaky, as if he'd recently recovered from his own breakdown.

I couldn't bring myself to speak and was barely able to get to my feet before pulling out the knife and handing it to him; I didn't trust myself with it anymore in fear I'd snap and hurt him. Tim didn't press me to explain anything, probably due to how out of it I looked- if I appeared as dazed as I felt. Once more I felt his hand on my shoulder as he began guiding me from the area, which I didn't protest to as I numbly followed after him. I'd feel disgust at my reaction to this later... if they didn't break our mind or kill us first.