Dead By Roselight
Chapter 14: Chainsaw Chase
Yang's group was moving along at a good pace, going through the field they had arrived at after running away from The Wraith. As they kept walking, the blonde girl eventually stepped on something, causing her to stop. She picked it up in order to investigate it closer and saw that it was a rotten corncob. The vegetable was withered, brown and smelled really bad, showing just how inedible it was.
"What have you got there, Yang?" Victoria asked, wondering what the girl had found.
"Nothing worthwhile, I'm afraid," Yang answered, showing the corncob to her friend.
The blue-haired woman looked at the rotten vegetable and her eyes widened slightly. The brawler was a bit confused by this reaction, as she didn't know why a corncob could be such a big deal.
"Is something wrong?" Yang asked. "I know it's not exactly something we can eat, but I don't think rotten corn should be anything for us to worry about."
"It's not the corn that I'm worried about. I'm worried about the meaning behind it," Vicky answered. "When you start getting closer to a killer's realm, there are often signs on the ground telling you about it. That corn means we are getting closer to The Hillbilly's realm."
"The Hillbilly?" the blonde asked. "That doesn't exactly sound all that threatening."
"It might not sound threatening, but he is VERY dangerous," the blue-haired woman explained. "Unless you don't think a huge man armed with a sledgehammer in one hand and a chainsaw in the other is a big deal."
Yang felt her blood run a bit cold after hearing the killer's description. She definitely didn't want to meet a person like that, even if she still had her Aura.
"Any advice on how to survive him?" the brawler asked.
"Keep your ears open and listen carefully for the sound of a chainsaw," Victoria replied. "Also, be ready to run like hell."
Not too long after the conversation between Yang and Victoria, the group arrived at a gate that led to a large farm. The gate itself was open, much like the gate at the carnival had been for team RWBY when they first arrived to this world. Before they entered, Graham wanted to sign a job to each member in the group.
"Alright, most of you are familiar with the place we are about to enter, so I'm going to let whoever gets paired up with Yang and Brad to tell them more details on this place," the blonde man began. "Since we have two new people and have lost one of our mechanics, this is going to be difficult. However, as long as we stick together and help each other out, I'm sure we will all make it out alive."
"So, will we take on the same jobs we usually do or are we going to switch things up a bit?" Bill asked.
"We will be doing our old routine for the most part," Graham answered. "That means Lucy, Sheila and Eloy are going to go around to look for stuff we can use, while Bill, Vicky and myself are tasked with looking after the killer, along with possibly saving those that are being chased. Phillips is going to be looking for the generator, like usual."
"What about me and Brad?" Yang asked. "What do you want us to do?"
"Brad will be going along with Eloy to look for stuff. Since he is new, I want him to be accompanied by at least one other person," the blonde man answered, before turning to look at the donkey faunus. "Is this alright with you?"
"Oh, you know me, Graham! I'm always happy to help somebody out and possibly make a new friend in the process!" Eloy said happily, before looking at Brad with a goofy smile on his face. "Hi Brad! I'm Eloy! I feel like we're gonna be great friends!"
"That sounds lovely..." Brad said, not all that excited over the person he was getting partnered up with.
"As for Yang, I have a very special job for you," Graham said, looking at the blonde girl. "You have shown great courage and trust by saving Phillips from The Wraith. I would like you to accompany him, while he is looking for the generator. When he is busy working on fixing it, I need you to keep watch, so the killer doesn't get to surprise him. In short, I need you to look after him. Is that alright?"
"I'll protect him with my life," Yang said with a confident smile.
"Good. Once the generator is fixed, we will meet at the meat storage to discuss what we are going to do next. Yang and Brad, you two can ask those you are partnered up with where it is, when the time comes."
Once everyone had been given their tasks to fulfill, the group broke up with everyone going their separate ways. No one was moving quickly, as they could alert the killer. Everyone knew that the best way to survive was to stay hidden and silent.
They all just hoped that it would work.
After they had separated from the others, Yang and Phillips started to make their way through the farm. As they were moving, Yang couldn't help but look around her, since this was her first time in this place. This allowed her to see just how big the farm actually was.
There were many buildings in the area. A large mansion that most likely belonged to whoever originally owned the farm was near the edge of the whole realm. There was a large field of corn with a scarecrow in the middle, and another large building close to the field that smelled like rotting meat. Yang guessed that this building was the meat storage Graham had mentioned earlier. The area also had all sorts of machinery and tools scattered around it as well.
However, everything that Yang saw was in a bad shape. The buildings looked like they had been abandoned for years and were on the verge of collapsing. All the machinery and tools were covered in rust and didn't seem like could be used. And top it all off, the entire field of corn was dried up and dead, almost like the corn hadn't been watered for days.
"Wow. This place has certainly seen better days," Yang said while looking around. "The carnival I arrived in was in a similar state. Is this a thing with all of these realms?"
"As far as I can tell, it seems like that," Phillips answered. "I've been through quite a few of these places and they're all pretty rundown. I don't know if it's because The Entity wants this for some reason or if there's a special reason for it, but I haven't seen a realm that is in a good condition yet."
"You know, since this Entity is such a powerful being and everything, you'd think that it could make things look at least a bit nicer," the blonde said jokingly. "If nothing else, it could at least put a new paint job on some of these things."
"That's true," the purple-haired boy replied with a small laugh. "It would be refreshing to see a place that looks actually inviting, instead of making me want to turn around at first sight."
Yang was happy to hear Phillips laugh, even if it was only a little bit. Considering everything they had to face, it was important to try and keep up the morale, which the brawler knew could be kept up with humor. Even back when things had been at their worst for her and the rest of team RWBY, she had always tried her best to do so, in order to help the team.
Before she could make another joke, however, Yang suddenly felt something strange. For some reason, she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched by someone. Since they were in one of the realms, the blonde immediately thought that it could be the killer, but was unable to find anyone.
"Hey, is everything alright?" Phillips asked, concerned over his partner stopping suddenly. "Do you think the killer is nearby or something?"
"It's... nothing. I'm probably just imagining things," Yang replied and the two continued their search for the generator.
The brawler thought that the feeling of being watched could have just been her mind playing tricks on her, which was caused by their surroundings. Yet despite all her attempts of ignoring the feeling, it just wouldn't go away. No matter how much she wanted to believe it was nothing, Yang couldn't help but feel like someone was watching her from nearby.
It took some time, but Yang and Phillips were eventually able to find the generator. The machine was located in the middle of the cornfield, which made it a problematic spot to be at. This was because the rotting vegetation made it almost impossible for you to see if someone was coming towards you. If the killer were to attack them, there was a good chance they wouldn't be able to escape unharmed.
"Man, I don't like this," Yang said while looking around nervously. "This spot is just the worst for us."
"Let me guess. You don't like vegetables either?" Phillips asked while working on the generator.
"That, too, but I'm mostly concerned about the visibility," the brawler answered. "If the killer finds us and decides to come for us, I don't think I'll be able to spot him fast enough."
"Well, when it comes to The Hillbilly, the best way to deal with him is not by looking for him with your eyes, but by locating him with your ears," the mechanic said. "He's known for being quite noisy, so you should be able to hear him, when he's close. That's what Ruby taught me."
Yang gave a nod at the advice and kept looking around, hoping that they wouldn't have to face the killer at all. The blonde might have had a habit of facing her problems head-on, but the monsters of this world were something she just wanted to avoid completely.
While Yang was looking around, Phillips managed to finish the repairs on the generator. He closed the lid that he had opened in order to get his hands on the machine's insides and tried turning it on. After a couple of tries, the machine turned on and was making noise.
"Okay, That should do it," the purple-haired boy said while getting up. "It's time we start heading towards our meeting place."
"Yeah. I hope you can-" the brawler began to say, only to stop when she heard something. "Did you hear that?"
Both Yang and Phillips stood silently, trying their best to hear the sound again and hopefully finding out what it was. It didn't take long for them to hear it a second time, followed by a third time. But while the blonde wasn't able to recognize the sound, the boy was. It was a sound that he was very familiar with, as it was something you would hear in this realm. It was the sound of a chainsaw's engine getting started up.
"Run," was all Phillips said in a fearful voice with wide eyes.
With the roaring of his chainsaw's engine, the killer appeared out of the cornfield with his weapon held high in the air. Yang had been so shocked and surprised by the sudden attack that she was barely able to dodge the chainsaw coming down on her.
After the initial shock had been pushed away, both Yang and Phillips ran as fast as they could from the killer. As they made a dash to the cornfield, the brawler was able to get one good look at their attacker. What she saw made her skin crawl, as she took in the appearance of the killer known as The Hillbilly.
The Hillbilly was a giant of a man, easily much taller than most people. In one hand, he was wielding a sledgehammer, while the other one was holding a chainsaw. However, the most horrifying features were the killer's face and body. The Hillbilly was horribly disfigured, with his face looking like it had been twisted like some sort of clay. His body's proportions were also completely wrong, being larger than they should be in some places. The clothes he was wearing were dirty, torn and ripped, almost like his body had grown so much the clothing had been torn apart.
Pushing aside thoughts on the killer's appearance, Yang focused on running away from the disfigured monster. Both she and Phillips ran as fast as they could, pushing the rotting corn out of their way in the hopes of escaping. They eventually got out of the field, but knew that they couldn't afford to stop, as they could still hear The Hillbilly chasing after them.
"We can't go to the meeting point like this!" Phillips yelled as the two survivors kept running. "If we go there now, we might put the others in danger by bringing him along!"
"I have an idea! We'll split up!" Yang suggested. "I'll draw that guy's attention, while you make your way to the meeting place! I'll try to find you later!"
"What!? I can't do that, Yang!" the boy yelled, not liking the idea of abandoning his comrade. "Besides, you don't know where the meeting place is! You could get lost here, while trying to avoid the killer!"
"Don't worry about me! I'll figure something out!" the blonde said reassuringly. "Besides, you won't be able to get away from that guy, so it's better for me to be the bait!"
As much as Phillips wanted to argue, he knew that Yang was right. They needed to find some way to get the killer off their tail and splitting up was the best way to do that. Not only that, but the brawler was undoubtedly the best one for the job. She was much stronger and more athletic than her young companion, which gave her much better chances at surviving. If Phillips were to be the bait, he would surely get killed.
"Alright, but you better stay safe!" the purple-haired boy yelled, before running in a different direction. "Once I find the others, I'll ask them to send help!"
Yang gave a nod and a confident smile at Phillips, who was getting away at a fast pace. She noticed that The Hillbilly was about to go after him, which caused her to stop. If the killer went after the wrong prey, all would be lost.
"HEY! UGLY!" the blonde yelled at the chainsaw-wielding killer and even threw a rock at him, causing him to stop and turn to look at her. "YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME!? COME AND GET IT!"
Having been drawn in by the taunt, The Hillbilly dashed after Yang, who ran as fast as she could away from him. The killer was surprisingly fast and was able to keep up with her, which caused the brawler to worry. It was starting to seem like her chances of getting away alive were beginning to shrink.
As she was running, Yang heard the sound of an engine getting turned on. She took a quick look behind her and saw that The Hillbilly was getting his chainsaw ready. This made the blonde pick up her pace in the hopes of escaping the fate of getting cut up. Unfortunately, it seemed like getting the chainsaw turned on gave the killer some sort of a boost in speed, as he started to run much faster than before, causing him to close in on his victim.
Luckily for Yang, there was a wooden pallet near that she managed to grab and put between herself and The Hillbilly. The wooden obstacle didn't last long, however, as the chainsaw-wielding maniac managed to destroy it with ease. But while it didn't fully stop the killer, it did manage to buy the brawler a couple of seconds of time, which she used to put some distance between herself and The Hillbilly.
After managing to avoid certain death at the hands of the deformed man, Yang spotted the farm's mansion and ran to it. She quickly opened the door, ran in and closed the door behind herself, and even put a small table that was nearby up against the door, hoping that it would slow down The Hillbilly. Just before the killer began to hit the door with his sledgehammer, the blonde had managed to make her way upstairs.
Once she had reached the upper floor, Yang found three lockers there. They were similar to the one she had hidden Blake in back when they had been running away from The Clown. She quickly went inside one of them and stayed quiet, praying in her mind that the killer wouldn't find her.
It didn't take long for The Hillbilly to come up the stairs and reach the upper floor. Once he had come up there, he looked at the three lockers that were around him, most likely wondering if his prey was hiding in one of them. Yang tried her best to hold her breath, as she watched the disfigured man slowly walk around the room, as if waiting to hear something that would reveal her location.
Suddenly, The Hillbilly grabbed the door on one of the lockers and practically tore it open. Luckily this had not been the one Yang was hiding in, but the one next to her hiding place, meaning that she was still safe and undiscovered. However, if the killer continued his search, it wouldn't be long until the brawler was found.
Just as The Hillbilly was about to go and inspect the locker Yang was hiding in, there was a sudden loud crash that came from outside the house, most likely caused by another survivor trapped in this world. This immediately got the chainsaw-wielder's attention, as he quickly ran down the stairs and out of the house to investigate it.
Upon seeing that she was safe again, Yang let out a sigh of relief and allowed herself to slid down to the door. She had been so terrified of the possibility of being found that her heart had skipped a beat. Had it not been for the noisy survivor outside, she would have surely died.
Since the danger had been avoided, Yang got out of the locker slowly and silently. She looked around herself and listened as carefully as possible for any signs of The Hillbilly still being nearby and found nothing. Seeing as how the area was clear, the blonde decided to start making her way out of the house and hopefully find the other members of her group.
However, just as she was about to go down the stairs, Yang could have sworn she heard something coming from the third locker in the room. While she doubted that it was the killer or anything else that was dangerous, the brawler decided it was best to be as careful as possible. She began to sneak towards the locker, while making sure not to cause any noise. Once she had made her way to the locker, Yang grabbed the handle on it's door and flung it open.
What she saw inside was a rather familiar man, huddled up in the locker's corner.
"Brad?" the blonde asked.
Author's notes: I decided to use The Hillbilly now, because I want to save a good amount of the other killers for later. This also unfortunately means that Leatherface most likely won't be making an appearance in this story, since I have already used a chainsaw-wielding maniac here. It just doesn't seem all that interesting to use a killer that is pretty much the same as one I've used earlier.
As for who Brad is based off, some of you were able to guess that he is based off Brad Vickers from the Resident Evil video game series. Congratulations to everyone who managed to get that one right.
Until next time.
RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Dead by Daylight belongs to Behaviour Interactive.