There it was, the ticket out.
The open hatch sang to Claudette, tempted her on the curl of wispy fingers of fog, and she floated towards it like a cartoon.
She could hear him behind her, the measured footsteps that threatened her shadow, never quickened, restrained and confident. Something about that made him all the more terrifying. It didn't matter how fast she ran, he'd always catch up.
But today, her eyes fixed on the open hatch, today she had a chance, just in reach, she only had to make it a few more feet.
She clung to the sliver of hope, despite all the trials before that had put her at The Shape's mercy. No on had ever survived, not a single one of them.
She could hear him breathing now, closer than before, so much closer. Her heart pounded in her ears and then she felt it, the cold steel of his blade slicing across her shoulder.
She fell hard.
Her elbows caught her fall with an explosion of pain. The skin split and blood splattered over the pavement. She grit her teeth and wailed at the assault, tears in her eyes as the fog taunted her from the safety of a hatch just out of reach.
Close, but no cigar as they say.
A heavy boot came down hard on her back, pinning her there to the ground. She wheezed, clawing desperately at the ground in some desperate bid to free herself. With all his weight atop her, she never would.
His boots creaked as he bent down to grab her up by the back of her waistband. The world spun awkwardly about as he hoisted her onto his shoulder.
Blood trickled down from the wounds of her elbows leaving small dots along the ground as The Shape carried her off from salvation.
That's when she saw Honey.
She was bounding across the street after them, looking just as confused as Claudette.
'She's not going to...?' She knew that look in Honey's eyes, Ash often had the very same look, she was about to do something stupid. 'She is.'
There was no time to question why, if Honey was looking to help her, she needed to do everything she could to break free the vice grip around her hips. So she struggled, fought at The Shape's hold and wiggled like her life depended on it.
Honey didn't slow, gaining on the two with surprising speed until she was right on their heels and then - she leapt.
She threw herself into The Shape's back, wrapping her arms around his core like some backyard wrestler.
He didn't budge.
Not even an inch.
And Honey was left holding him in an awkward kind of hug.
Claudette broke free, scrambled to catch her footing on the way down and caught Honey's gaze in the briefest of moments before fleeing.
"Thanks, Honey," she breathed.
"Don't mention it," Honey said.
The Shape watched as Claudette fled for the hatch, leaping down into the waiting abyss and marking his first ever loss within the Entity's trials.
