The sound of a blade being swung breaks silence at the beginning of the trial, followed by a sickening thud as a weapon meets its mark. Meg flinches as a feminine scream pierces the air. It was agonizing in its nature, pure unadulterated pain.

She turns her attention back to what's in her control, the large generator in front of her. She moves her fingers nimbly, a skill achieved only from practice. Her eyes watch as two of the pistons now moved, showing she was halfway done with her task. The generator pings and she quickly pulls out the last wire she connected, preventing the small backfire that was about to happen. She had learned the hard way, what happens if the wrong wires connect. She then lets out a heavy sigh as she remembers her first day in this realm.

Some unknown time in Megs past...

"Shit shit, shitty shit." She cursed softly under her breath. Moving a shaky hand over the middle of her chest She silently begged her heart to calm. It was beating rapidly after waking up from her ... nap?

"Where am I?" She asked herself, as she put her other hand up to her throbbing temple. She was still dressed in her favorite runner's gear and had awoken laying prone on the chilly damp earth. As she pulled herself up and noticed a huge water tower in the distance.

The rest of the landscape was a plethora of brick structures. No houses, unfortunately, but shaped as mini labyrinths with the occasional window opening without the glass. Trees were sporadically placed on the land, as well as boxes too secure to open. Smoke from an unseen source billowed across the landscape making it hard to see more in the distance.

Where am I? How did I get here? Fuck my head hurts, she thought to herself. Wobbly rising She started off to one of the brick structures not daring to speak aloud again. She wasn't stupid, something terrible had happened and she just knew that her life was in danger. Her hand grasped tightly to the dull red wall, as she steadied herself while a bout of nausea hit her. Thankfully it passed quickly and she shook her head trying to clear her mind before continuing on-word.

The feeling of being watched caused her to shiver, pausing her momentum momentarily. She looked around, unsure of what to do. How was she to continue when she didn't know where she was? Her thin lips curled into an unsatisfied frown. Then she saw it, an unlit light source. Humanity!

Her feet thudded against the soft earth, dew from the few bits of grass that did grow soaked her pants below her knees. Goosebumps rose on her arms and she rubbed them slightly trying to stave off the cold. Taking a closer look there was a generator below the light post she previously spotted. The lights didn't stay on but seemed to be flashing to attract her like a moth to a flame. She tentatively laid her hand on it and her instincts kicked in her fingers moved as if to fix it. This is odd she thought, how do I know to fix this? She continued her work diligently, the overwhelming feeling that she had to fix this machine overcame her, so She complied. But it just wasn't that she complied, the urge to fix it was so strong it was all she could do now that she had started.

Ding! The generator gave off a warning and she paused in confusion. That last wire she plugged in was wrong. As she reached forward to remove it, a blood-curdling scream from a female rang out loud enough to make her jump. The generator was forgotten for a split second but it was too late. It sparked and fused and sounded out a huge bang as the wrong wire burnt off and fell to the ground. She fell back from the generator and scooted away panting loudly from the shock of the explosion. She turned and crawled away from it, conveniently away from the scream as well.

As she crawled her heart began to beat loudly. Meg put her hand over her chest again. Her heart raced like that of a rabbit, a small whimper of fear escaped her lips when she noticed him. His hand was raised weapon at the ready. Her scream of fright turned to one of pain and the machete dove all the way into her arm before passing through. Her face paled as her hot blood spewed Profusely from the wound to the ground. Frozen like a deer in headlights, it didn't occur to move till his weapon raised again high over his head, then she took off.

Fight or flight they say, and he was such a monstrosity of the size it made the fighting option impossible. the latter of the options kicked in, and she rounded the corner of a jungle gym and pulled down a wooden pallet that seemed too conveniently placed between her and her attacker. She watched as he kicked it twice before it simply shattered. Terror gripped her heart, and Meg took off again cursing herself as she went for being stupid enough to see if he became derailed of the chase because of a piece of wood. Of course not, she Ridiculed herself, I'm acting like those bimbos in a horror movie. I can't stop and look I have to hide!

Her thoughts of escape were shattered as he kept up to her pace, and swung his blade again, catching her back as she ran. The impact caused her to scream as her flesh ripped, her body falling to the ground with a hard thud. She sobbed loudly at his feet, her whole body shaking as she gasped for air and from pain while she cried. Tears ran rapidly down her face, cleaning streaks of dirt in their wake. He stood there for a moment wiping his blade across his arm. Meg glanced over her shoulder in time to see him step towards her again. In desperation she clawed the dirt, attempting to drag her body away from the menacing man behind her. He swiftly bent down and hoisted her by her belt loop all the way onto his broad shoulder. She cried out in pain as he began to walk swiftly because she weighed nothing to him. Her fists pounded into his back, while she swung her legs wildly thrashing in an attempt to free her self. After a few minutes of attempting to wiggle out of his grasp, he entered a small shack and began to descend the staircase. With one last twist of her body, she kneed his chin, causing him to stumble and drop her.

She didn't look back this time and ran blindly to the other side of the shack where another pallet stood against the door frame. Reaching out in haste she pulled heavily on it, not caring if he was following in an attempt to slow him down; only to immediately step into his waiting trap. Screaming as Serrated teeth dug into her shin, she could only watch as they clamped down hungrily into her soft flesh. She fell, shrieking, trying to grasp the sides of the bear trap long enough to pry herself free. As she tried she could hear him grunting behind her as the wood splintered under his massive boot. Hope-filled her watery eyes as she finally grasped the trap firmly enough that it began to give way. she frantically started to pull her leg free. That's when he yanked her from the trap, interrupting her escape attempt, placing her once again onto his shoulder. He seemed to chuckle silently to himself as he Descended the stairs once more. He lifted her small frame up and over, and then down at an alarming rate. Pain, red hot searing pain, was the only thing on her mind as a sharp object pierced through her back and out the front of her lower shoulder. She let out a scream so loud it surprised her with its own volume. Her body weight now hung on the pointed metal. thankfully it was above her lungs so she could breathe, but under her collar bone effectively holding her in place.

The shock of it left her staring directly at her assailant, and she would never forget what he looked like. His face captured her attention first. A mask with an evil grin looked back to her. It was too dark to see if eyes stared at her limp form. that combined with the toothy smile it was successful in its goal of creeping her out. The teeth reminded her of the bear trap, the spacing was nearly identical. Dropping her gaze she saw wide shoulders with rippling muscles. The straps from his overalls sat perfectly at the dip where his neck ended and shoulders began. Blood covered his torso and arms. The coppery smell made her stomach do flips as she realized there was no way all of it belonged to her. In his hand, he gripped a machete that seemed overly large, but to scale with his oversized frame. Even with the ground several Feet below her, she was hanging perfectly at his eye level.

Three loud dings each like a dinner bell seemed to pull him out of his trance and he hurriedly went up out of the basement to find more prey. Meg hung there helplessly hoping, praying someone would come to her aid. Not long after she heard a scream in the distance, this time male. the pattering of shoes above her head told her someone was coming, someone a lot smaller than her attacker. A black woman around her age cautiously rounded the bottom step. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her glasses framed her face nicely. Her skin was so beautifully dark she seemed to dissolve from the shadows themselves. She held up a finger to Meg, silently telling her to wait a moment.

The sound of something opening and items being rummaged around was all Meg could hear after the mysterious woman disappeared behind her. When she finished her search she appeared in front of Meg with a small red health kit in her hands.

"This might hurt," she cautioned quietly. Her voice was deep and had a slight draw to it as she spoke. Meg could only whimper and nod her head furiously in agreement. The lady's petite hands rose and lifted Meg off the hook making her gasp slightly as her body was freed. The woman wasted no time forcing her to bend as she examined the wound on her back. "I can't stitch this here. But I can tend to your arm and leg now."

"Okay," she mumbled holding her arm gingerly out to her. She watched fascinated as the woman's fingers moved speedily like a nurse on a battlefield. Less than a minute later the pain had magically left her limbs under the bandages and she figured somehow she would be okay. "Thank you," Meg exclaimed happily wrapping the poor woman into a hug, "My names Meg."

"Claudette." She replied quickly with a nod. She motioned Meg to follow her up and out of the shack. another bell rang out from nearby. "Yes!" She exclaimed, "I think we only need one more and we are free!" She took off running in the distance towards the sound. Meg quickly followed her. When they arrived they found a generator fully running, the lights above lighting a small area. Under it crouched almost behind it was a man wearing glasses. He looked uninjured as he nodded to the women who joined him, he stared off into the mist. Claudette looked to Meg and nodded as well following the male, waving for her to come with them. Determined to not be alone Meg followed them and eventually she saw what they were looking for, a generator that was barely running. The one Meg had started originally before the attacker found her.

The two strangers instantly started to work on the machine. It's started to work in tandem and the pistons one by one started to move. As Meg put her hand on it to assist screams once again rang in the distance. There was another person here. With there being four of us here. Are there more killers looking in the dark? Meg pondered, how many other normal people are there? Claudette tapped Meg's shoulder interrupting her thoughts.

"Meg," she quickly urged, "the generator is almost fixed, can you go find David on his hook, and save him? I'm going to go open the door as soon as we finish this."

"How do you know so much? How long have you been here? Why am I the outsider in this mayhem?" Meg's questioning tone was becoming alarmingly clear. She felt suspicious that everyone else seemed to know what's going on but her.

"I promise to explain when we leave, hurry, please!" She looked to Meg desperate for her help. Meg hesitantly nodded and took off towards where the last scream came from. Now she noticed how every so often a very obvious hook was placed. Even if she stood in her toes Meg wouldn't be able to touch the top of the structure. It was clearly there for people like her. Meg hurried onward, hoping she found the right man, not the scary one. Panic gripped her as her heart began to thud once again. She ducked behind a wall, surveying the path ahead for danger. She held in a scream as the man walked by so close she could have reached out to touch him. He was headed towards the generator where Claudette had sent her from. She watched as he continued walking past her, her body shaking furiously beside the damp brick. She timidly gathered her wits and continued on where he had come from. Meg looked to the dark sky and prayed David was near.

As she headed towards another hook the outline of a body hung from it. She slowed and watched in horror as long spider looking legs started to sprout from the top of it. The man shrieked and grabbed hold of the longest one that was trying to stab into his heart. When his eyes met hers as he struggled he seemed surprised but only for a moment.

"Hurry the Fuck up and g-get me down before this fucker gets m-me" he shouted harshly at her. She ran forward and as soon as her hand went under his arms the creature seemed to let go allowing her to pull him free.

"Sorry!" She gasped as his feet found solid ground. He eyed her with suspicion but nodded clutching his arm to himself.

"Do you have a health kit," he asked rather impatiently.

"No," replied Meg with a hint of irritation in her voice. She showed him her clearly empty hands proof that she indeed did not have the item. He grunted not happy but didn't apologize for his rudeness. Given the hard circumstances, Meg decided to let it slide. "Let me see." She asked quietly holding out her hand towards his arm. He looked at her Skeptically but held it out anyway. Not like she was the one with a big old knife in her hands. She looked at his wound

"Hurry up and take the gauze out of your pocket and bandage it before fucker comes back," David states quickly.

"But-"

"Everyone has one just look. Hurry" he added rather impatiently. She started to perform her own personal pat-down. She grinned as she pulled the small bandage wrap from her vest pocket. Then Meg set about the task of putting a makeshift bandage on him.

He grunted again in approval. He moved his arm as if it was never injured. He then ripped the bandage back off. Meg watched in amazement, the wound was gone. He grins and nods handing the now used roll back to her. She spares no time and stuffs it into her pocket, Claudette has a lot of explaining to do when she finds her again. the bell of a generator being completed sounds along with a short alarm. In the distance, Meg can see two lights.

"The doors are powered." He murmured mostly to himself and he takes off jogging towards one of the lights that have now faded from view. She follows him feeling the air around her start to vibrate. A burst of adrenaline courses through her body letting her run past him with ease. After a moment it passes and she stops to catch her breath. David is able to catch up and eyes her but keeps his reaction to himself before taking the lead again. they near a huge gate and can see Claudette pulling down a huge handle. It lights slowly blinked on 1, 2, 3. A loud alarm blares three times before the door opens as David and Meg near. Claudette grins at the two of them and waves for them to hurry. Meg hugs her tightly when she finally arrives.

"Where's Dwight?" David questions Claudette as she scans the nearby area.

"He's-" Claudette started but the snap of a bear trap and a strained scream interrupts her. Claudette and David huddle closer to the exit, fear deep in their eyes. Meg wastes no time and quickly runs towards where the cry came from. She outwardly ignored Claudette begs behind her to stop, she does, however, glance back to see David holding Claudette, not letting her go.

Meg soon finds Dwight Behind an unused pallet. He looks up with tears in his eyes, despair, and fear so thickly painted on his face as he had already accepted his fate. The trap has dug viscously into his calf. Behind him, she sees an open chest and a flashlight gripped so tightly in his hand that his knuckles had turned white. Hear heart starts to race the telltale sign that she has learned, man is coming.

"The Trapper..." Dwight quietly whispers. Meg nods and grasps the trap as her heart thunders and she can now hear the stomp of his heavy boots behind her. She frees Dwight's leg while giving him a hard shove towards the door as the Trapper's machete comes down on her arm once again. She screams from the agonizing pain and quickly pulls the pallet into his shoulder making him grunt and stumble back from the impact. Meg took this opportunity to take off behind Dwight towards freedom. She can see David and Claudette's half Dragging Dwight through the liftgate.

Another swish followed by a scream, Megs scream, rings out as the Trappers machete happily carved a part of her back out again. She falls to the ground too exhausted and In too much pain to continue. This time he doesn't pick her up but stomps to the exit weapon raised as the trio hurriedly runs through. She watches dismayed that they are leaving her. Interestingly as they cross the threshold black bars rush from the ground efficiently stopping the Trapper from following. He smacks the impromptu wall in frustration before returning to stand above Meg. He hefts her quickly and carries her to a nearby hook. A small door on the ground is nearby and open teasingly sounding like a savior she just can't reach. He pauses in front of the hook and glances at her on his shoulder curious as to why this time she doesn't fight back, no attempts are made to escape. His next move surprised her. The Trapper almost gently lowers her body to the ground. Her knees shake struggling to support her weight. Her eyes stare at his boots. She spends the time to look at the mud and gore now on them. Choosing to ingrain this image into her mind instead of giving his mmm the satisfaction of looking directly into her eyes. The Trapper leans in close enough that Meg's nose faintly brushed his mask. Her vision is obscured as the bottom of his mask is now in her field of view. It's blurry but Meg is so frightened her body is locked in place. Meg's eyes widen as the Trapper takes a deep breath in. The heat from him would have been comporting if she had pretended to be anywhere else. He stares her down for just a moment. Meg has accepted her fate. Hoping for a quick death.

Just as she starts to feel hopeful that she might not face the hook again, he lifts and slams her down onto the sharpened steel again. Her cries echo through the air with no one to hear them but her and the Trapper. She watches in horror as the spider legs descend quickly, too quickly she can't fight it. It pierces her chest and lifts her body off the hook and upward towards the entity in the sky resembling a black hole of sorts. the hook falls to the ground at the trapper's feet with a loud clang as her body leaves his sight. He wipes her blood off his blade once more, before retiring into the night.

3557 words.