Chapter Text
"Finally,"
A pale man with scruffy brown hair and crooked glasses sighed. He removed his hands from the insides of the generator that was brought to life, sparks flying momentarily, causing him to shield his face with his hands, and lights shone bright, illuminating the dark environment. The man put down his hands from his face and looked down at them. They were stained with oil from trying to fix the gears inside the once dead generator. He wiped his hands onto his dirty black trousers to get rid of the oil stains. It didnt matter to him, his pants were already covered in mud and dried blood. He had enough dignity to not wipe it onto his white button up shirt, even if it too had dirt and old blood stains scattered all over it.
Taking a second to breathe, the man began to walk away from the generator, being very cautious of his surroundings. If his memory served him correct, that was the first generator done. He groaned, four more to go. He crouched behind a tall rock, eyeing the cornfield in search for anyone at all. He hadn't seen anyone of his fellow survivors at all, meaning he didnt know who he was stuck with aswell as he didnt know what monster they were trapped in with in this nightmare.
Could it be that killer whose traps littered the place in blind spots you would never think would be trapped like a worried housekeeper would set up traps for the pesky rodents in their home. Could it be that creature, that carves her symbols into the ground as if marking her territory, warning those who trespass with dire consequences. Would it be the invisible monster that can sneak up on you and by the sound of his loud bell ringing, you can only pray that he's not behind you. Maybe it could be that witch who teleports around, screaming as if she herself was in great agony. Pray to whatever god existed that it wasnt that sick doctor, slowly controlling your mind till you yourself have lost your sanity like him.
There were more monsters that he could overthink the possibility of being in this cage with him and his companions but he froze and leaned against the rock when the sound of footsteps crashing onto the wet grass reached his ears. He covered his mouth to quiet his uneven breathing, frozen like a statue as he lay still. Was it the so called "HillBilly" whose chainsaw awoke fear in those just by the sound of it in the distance. His heartbeat was so loud that he felt as if his ears would burst.
Ba-thump,
'Please don't come to me,'
Ba-thump,
'Please,'
Ba-thump,
"Dwight!" A soft familiar voice whispered to the man, slightly shaking his shoulder.
Dwight opened his eyes, only then realizing two things, the first being that he was closing his eyes and the second being the sound of the footsteps were not from a killer but from a fellow survivor and not just any survivor, it was Meg.
'Thank God.'
Dwight was now locking eye contact with the ginger woman in front of him, staring into her sky-blue eyes for a mere second. His face slightly reddening at how close she was, "Jesus, Meg, you scared the shit out of me."
Dwight's anxiety made it hard at times to differentiate whether the loud beating of his heart was from the killer getting close or from panicking.
Meg stood up and placed her hand on the back of her neck, "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She looked down at Dwight, extending her hand towards him, which he shyly accepted, pulling him to his feet.
She immediately began walking away from the rock, also being very aware of her surroundings, still holding Dwight's hand. "You got any info on anything here?" She questioned, looking back at the nervous man. He stuttered, "I- I got a generator done but that's it. I haven't seen or heard anything at all," his eyes were wandering towards their hands. He and Meg haven't ever held hands like this, only bare a few short moments of Meg having to drag Dwight to help him run away from the Hillbilly and his chainsaw. He had never noticed how soft her hand was and how.... comfortable it was just to let her guide him without having to run away from any form of danger. He felt his hands grow sweaty and clammy and he cringed, hoping Meg wouldnt notice.
"Well that means we have four generators left then," The woman replied, "I seen Feng awhile ago but i lost sight of her in the cornfield before i could reach her," Meg's gaze grew distant. She turned back to Dwight, "Knowing her, she's probably working on a gen right about n-" A machine bursting to life stopped Meg mid-sentence. "Well there you have it."
Dwight smiled at her, despite their circumstances, he felt more at peace and calm for a reason he couldn't quite figure out. He grew to be quite fond of the hand holding, as they quietly made their way towards a group of trees, one of which another generator was located. Meg let go of his hand and started to piece together the puzzle that was fixing this generator. Dwight's hand felt just that bit more empty when she let go and the small lingering feeling of wanting to feel the warmth of her hand again loomed inside of him, trying to shake off the feeling as he joined her in fixing the generator.
Meg was not the best at fixing generators but she was getting there. She was more used to being a lookout and on more physical tasks such as running. Feng and Jake had given her some tips on fixing them efficiently while they were sitting beside their campfire while others were sleeping. Eventually, she got to the point where she had completely forgotten what to do next. She knew she had to do something with the wires but what did she have to do? She removed her hands from inside the machine and spared a glance to Dwight who was concentrated on fixing the generator. She found herself really looking at him, noticing alot of details on his face that she wondered how she failed to notice before.
The way he had a rough trimmed stubble with a few cuts from shaving with whatever the man could find. His eyes were dark brown almost black but in the dark setting they were in and how every few seconds sparks would light up from the machine, she was sure his eyes were truely a light brown. The way the sparks lightened up his eyes like fireworks for a split second was just beautiful to her. Next she noticed the soft blush on Dwight's cheeks and then how his glasses sat almost perfectly on his face, they were just that tad bit off to the side.
"Hey Dwight," she mumbled to him, "What do you do with the wires again?" He looked over to her and raised an eyebrow before moving over to her and demonstrating what she had to do, which was simply connecting the coloured wires to their pair. She felt slightly dumb, of course she had to connect the red wire to the red wire, what was she thinking? After Dwight was done, Meg muttered a quiet thank you before she scanned the area around them. It was quiet. Too quiet for her liking. She felt watched but from where? Dwight had finished the gen before she could go back and help him to her surprise. The familiar noise of the buzz of the generator coming to life and the lights turning on was a small win for the duo.
"That leaves two more to go then," Dwight beamed before a bad gut feeling came over him,this was going by too quick, too easy, too quiet. way too quiet. They both shared a look, they both knew exactly what the other was thinking. Dwight grew overwhelmed and Meg grew impatient as they both scanned the area frantically, where was this killer?
What did catch Meg's eye was a dusty deserted box next to some hay bales. She quickly went over to it and began her search to find what on earth she could scavenge from the old loot box. Dwight still kept an eye around the area, the feeling of being stared at never leaving. Just when he had began to calm down his nerves, his heartbeat grew louder and faster. He turned to see the Trapper in the cornfield, stomping towards them with malicious intent, his steps long and heavy. The red blur in front of him only added to his already threatening presence, alarming Dwight to the point where he nearly screamed in fear.
Ba-thump.
Ba-thump.
"Meg," He nudged her shoulder. She was still looking through the box, "Meg, we have to go!"
Ba-thump.
Ba-thump.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her up before he began sprinting in the opposite direction of the killer. Meg had nearly for a second, lost her balance by the sudden movement but quickly regained it when she glanced behind her to see the monster in the distance, moving in a quick pace towards them like a bull would run towards a piece of red cloth. Their hands were still tightly intertwined, neither of them loosened their deadly grip as they ran as fast as they could.
Meg being the more athletic one of the two quickly took the lead,now dragging Dwight behind her. For a moment she had to let go of his hand to vault through a window, her speed still increasing before she heard the scream coming from behind her. She halted to a stop behind what looked like some old fencing, and looked to see Dwight leaning down, whincing and groaning in pain.
His leg was caught in a bear trap, the piercing metal latched onto his ankle. The bear trap was just below the window, he must of vaulted but got caught in it. How did she miss it? His hands were prying at the metal mouth that held his foot, using all of his strength to try to get it off. He was bleeding furiously, the blood getting everywhere. On the grass, on his pants, his hands and white shirt.
"M- Meg pl- please..." he whimpered, "please help me."
Her heart ached, she was seconds away from sprinting back to him but someone got to him first. She felt her eyes water up and heart drop when a tall figure emerged behind him, placing one foot over the window and stood behind the wounded man. The Trapper looked down at the poor man, clear enjoyment apparent on his other wise emotionless face. He picked him up harshly and slung him over his shoulder like how a wood cutter would place a log over his.
She could only watch in fear as he walked away, Dwight still in hand, hyperventilating, kicking and hitting the killer in an desperate attempt to break free. For a moment he made eye contact with her, his eyes pleading for help but Meg stayed. She was frozen to the spot. Then it all hit her at once, she began sprinting. She had to get out of here, she had to. She had to run far away. She wanted to run till her legs gave out.
.
.
.
.
She just kept sprinting, adrenaline pumping through her veins. Eventually, she stopped, cold sweat trickling down her neck and arms. She was so exhausted,out of breath and tired. She was in the cornfield.
No, this isn't safe it's out in the open.
Meg crouched and carefully made her way out of the field towards a clearing with some hay bales around. She opted to sit down beside it to catch a small break and did rightfully so. She lay her back against a haybale, her exhausted legs appreciating every second of the break. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, she lept up and spun around, Dwi-
Nea flinched and stepped back almost tripping over a deserted rake, her hands up as if to show she had no weapon,"Jeez, calm down tiger it's just me." Her thick Swedish accent coated her words.
Meg frowned, Of course it's not him, She should of known. "You know better than to creep up on me when the fucking Trapper is in here with us," She gave out to her impatiently. She was really mad at her.
"OOOOOH,so that's who the killer is," Nea said, gears in her brain turning. Her raven hair was parted to the side,nearly covering her right eye. Her dirty beanie perched on top of her messy hair.
They were quickly exchanging information about what was going on, there was only two generators left, Trapper's traps, how Feng and Dwight were the other two here with them. Dwight. She had to go save him. She had-
No, She thought. He has probably wriggled out by now, maybe Feng got him. She continued to think, but what if she didn't. She shook her head. No pull yourself together Meg, i dont care about him. I have to only worry about myself.
"Speaking of which, where is Dwig-" Nea's words were cut off when the agonising scream of pain Dwight let out pierced the air. Before either of them could utter a near response, Meg ran-
Meg ran towards the opposite direction of Dwight's pained scream. She didn't even intent to, it was like her body did it on instinct. She was terrified because his scream sounded so close, that would mean the Trapper could be close. Adrenaline once again took over her veins.
"W- Woah for fucks sake, hold on a bloody second?! Shouldn't we be going to Dwight not away from him?! " She called out to deaf ears. She glanced towards the direction in which Dwight's scream was heard and sighed. Stretching her arms and legs, Nea reluctantly started jogging after the athlete.
She should trust her, right?
.
.
.
.
Dwight's body grew limp, he didn't dare move. His shoulder was in such agony, the hook stuck right out of his skin he could vomit. He was bleeding horribly, the blood dripping onto the dirt ground from his body. He could only let out small quiet cries of pain, his energy was gone. He was like fish bait on a fishing rod, completely helpless. He felt his eyelids grew heavy, he was so physically, emotionally and mentally tired. He just wanted for all this to be over with, he wanted an escape from this horrible place. At this point, he secretly wished to be killed off fully, no power of the entity to bring him back each time just for him to play another cat and mouse game, no. No, Dwight longed for the sweet release of death, one in which he would not come back, even if he was scared.
No, I have to get out of here.
He thought to himself, he opened his eyes and mustered up what strength he had left to try pull himself off the hook. He grabbed the top part of the metal hook with both of his hands firmly and pulled himself up for a moment, before he painfully slid back down. He let out a screech of pain and his arms grew limp again, dangling from his sides.
For fucks's sake.
I'm not getting out of here.
"Psst!"
Dwight looked up and turned his head towards the sound. Ducked down in a small bush was Feng Min. The small petite woman was crouched down, staring straight at him. Her green bunny hat lay on her head, providing Feng a bit of comfort during these games. She mouthed the word 'traps?' to the hooked victim. Dwight instantly looked around to see if any bear traps were deserted in their area.
He shook his head and then Feng made her way over, standing on her tippy toes as she unhooked the taller man. The moment his legs touched the ground, a sense of pain relief flew through his body as if he was in shock. Not even a second had passed when the pain hit him all at once, causing him to wince and hunch over, holding his chest in pain.
Feng guided him over to a wall and sat him down carefully. She pulled out her medkit from her dark purple jacket and crouched down beside the injured man. She grabbed a small bottle of alcohol and poured it onto a ball of cotton before dabbing it onto Dwight's wound in his shoulder where the hook used to pierce through. Dwight hissed at the burning sensation, earning a quiet apology from the ex-gamer. His body was healing quickly, thanks to the power of the entity and the rules of which it had set, the injured's wounds would be healed quickly by a medkit. You could have been bleeding out, losing litres of blood but your wounds could still heal like black magic had occured.
Feng wrapped a dressing of bandages around Dwight's shoulder as he slowly gained back his strength.
"Thank you so much."
As she put the remaining supplies back into her medkit, she gave a quick nod to Dwight.
Feng stood up and extended her hand out to Dwight who reluctantly accepted it. He let go the second he got up, this doesn't feel the same. Feng didn't take any notice to Dwight's saddening expression as he caressed his own hand.
It's not the same.
He buried the feeling deep down in his heart and took the lead. Dwight was a natural born leader after all, despite his nerves getting the better of him at times. Feng trailed behind him as they carefully made their way through the cornfield, ducking down low.
They stumbled upon a tall abandoned house, its wooden walls and floorboards were discoloured and dusty. It was so worn down that they had started to peel back. Every step in the house was followed by a creaky noise, what Feng compared it to was zombies groaning in one of the games she used to play. They took the old stairs up to the top level of the house, Feng having to basically grab Dwight by his shirt collar before he could of fallen into the giant hole in the floor. They sneaked around its edges and went towards the generator that lay on the balcony.
"Hold on,"
Dwight stopped Feng by drawing his arm out in front of her. He crouched down and diffused the horrid bear trap on the balcony floor. Just by looking at it, the phantom pain of its teeth biting into his ankle lingered. He pondered over to the machine and instantly began pulling its levers and organizing its wires. His companion had started to fix and reattach its cogs.
.
.
.
It was as if Meg's mind had gone haywire to Nea. She was so stressed about Dwight but of course who wouldn't be stressed when your buddy is hung onto the hooks to be sacrificed to the entity. What Nea couldn't understand was why she was this worried and yet she ran away in the opposite direction.
She had tried to calm Meg down as she seemed to be slightly overwhelmed and wasn't able to focus. This ultimately led to Meg walking backwards only to step straight into the middle of a hidden trap, camouflaged in the grass.
The ginger woman yelped in pain as her knees instantly buckled down to the dirt floor.
Nea had rushed over and helped get the trap loose from her friend's ankle. Her ankle was bleeding profusely, it was like a miniature oil leak.
Reaching into her pocket, Nea grabbed her emergency bandages. She wrapped them around her ankle. Within seconds, her ankle was good as gold.
"Thank you N- Nea,"
Ba-thump.
Nea smirked at her, "You just got to be more careful," She didn't notice the other's eyes begin to widen, "We are getting out of this hell hole togeth-"
Ba-thump.
A sharp object had struck across Nea's back. She screamed and looked back briefly to see the Trapper right behind them.
Ba-thump.
Meg had already sprinted ahead, leaving Nea behind with the killer. The swedish woman winced in pain as she began running towards a ledge. She vaulted over it, the killer close behind her. She ran to a pallet and dropped it right onto the Trapper, who yelled in annoyance.
Shit, why the fuck did I even follow Meg?
Nea mentally cursed to herself as she vaulted over another ledge. The delinquent took a sharp corner and continued to run as fast as she could. She bit into her bloody gums.
She quickly ducked down in a bush, steadying her breathing before covering her mouth and nose with her two hands. Then the Trapper marched by, his steps still long and aggressive. He had lost sight of her and continued in a straight line. Nea peeked out from the bush, he had gone.
Thank fuck.
She gritted her teeth. The burning sensation of pain on her back needed her attention as she could feel her own blood soak her clothes but she had no medical supplies left. Tears had begun to form in the corners of her eyes.
She knew that if she were to pass out from bloodloss, she would have to do so while on the presence of others. She wouldnt necessarily die of bloodloss during the game as this was the first time she was injured. The entity had rules for bleeding out, if you were to lose alot of blood when you have only been injured one to two times, you would only lose consciousness. Your teammates would be able to nurse you back to a healthy state. If you were injured more than three times, you would die from bleeding out. That's depending on whether or not you are hooked.
Nea emerged from the bush and began walking slowly. Fast movement will only lead to a higher chance of being located by the killer aswell as strain herself even more.
After a few minutes, she felt like she had been walking for hours. The amount of blood she had lost now had led to her weakened state.
Finally she reached an abandoned house. She carefully made her way inside, at this point she had to lean onto the wall for support. She listened and picked up the sound of a generator being worked on. Her eyes lightened up.
Could it be?
She struggled going up the stairs, leaning on the wall caused a smudge stain of blood to follow her. Her cat-like senses allowed her to crouch and move without a sound when she got to the top floor.
Nea peeked in through the opening that led to the balcony. She saw Dwight with bandages wrapped around his shoulder and Feng with her infamous bunny hood working on the machine. The delinquent smiled.
"Hey,"
Feng was the first to stop repairing and looked over to Nea in surprise. She instantly got up and ran over, her arms reaching towards her. She wrapped her arms around Nea's chest and the other placed her head on top of hers.
"Aw, i missed you too Min," Nea muttered weakly. She melted into the hug. They both enjoyed their silence for a bit. Feng could feel Nea begin to relax but that wasn't the only thing. She felt her hands on Nea's back grow wet and she looked at her hand.
It was blood.
Her eyes widened in realization, "Nea, you're bleeding,"
She started panicking from the lack of response from her girlfriend. Nea's body grew limp and her head fell from hers to her shoulder. She had passed out.
"Dwight-"
He looked over to her, realising something was wrong. The sight of Nea's unconscious body and Feng's serious expression sent chills down his spine.
"Dwight get me my medkit."