When Morning Comes Ch. 3
The first thing Claudette felt was pain. Nothing but pain. A combination of sharp piercing torment and encompassing agony registered in Claudette's head and she gasped loudly as her eyes forced themselves open. Claudette wheezed for a few seconds before the pain subsided to something more manageable. Claudette's breathing slowed as her muscles relaxed once again. She waited a few seconds before coming to her senses again.
The last thing she remembered was Bill helping her toward the exit gate. Laurie and Dwight had been there too, and Claudette remembered feeling relieved. But then the Huntress had appeared and…
Claudette violently sat up and immediately regretted that decision as every part of her body screamed at her in pain. She fell back and her head hit something wooden. That was odd. Claudette frowned as she saw a wooden roof above her head. There were no wooden floors or awnings at the campfire. Claudette had assumed she had been sacrificed, and even when sacrificed the survivors always returned to the campfire. So why was she inside this foreign yet strangely familiar place?
Turning her head slightly, Claudette began to examine her surroundings. Her eyes immediately landed on a figure sitting at the table across the room. The figure appeared to be human, but it also appeared to be enormous compared to the humans that Claudette was used to. David was the largest man Claudette had seen, and this human dwarfed him. Squinting, Claudette could make out a face with extremely short hair on the top of its head.
Claudette started slightly as the figure turned to look at her. The figure rose from the table and walked over to where Claudette lay. The person's clothing and movement seemed familiar to Claudette, but she could not put her finger on it. Claudette watched the figure's face as it drew closer to her. As the person approached, Claudette realized that this massive person was in fact a woman. At first Claudette had not been sure, but as the person came closer, Claudette could see her finer features on her face, and the swell of a bosom underneath the outer shirt that wore.
That shirt…
Claudette recognized that shirt. She recognized the brown overalls that attached to the tool belt at the woman's waist. The tool belt that held hatchets. Hatchets owned by the Huntress.
Claudette frantically tried to sit up again, but her body rebelled, and she fell back down onto the bed. Before Claudette could try to move again, hands grasped her and held her gently but firmly against the mattress. Claudette considered struggling but decided to conserve her energy. It was pointless in her current state.
The Huntress slowly removed her hands from Claudette's shoulders and stood up straight again. Claudette stared at her and realized this was the first time she had seen the Huntress's true face. There had always been that hare mask that she wore in the trials, but now Claudette truly saw her face for the first time. Claudette was actually very surprised at what she saw. The Huntress looked almost…normal. Bright green eyes stared down at Claudette. They seemed to be looking her over, and the Huntress's eyebrows furrowed in concentration as her gaze landed on the massive hatchet wound that had been stitched back together.
Wait, did she do this? Why would she sew me back up? Questions began to flutter in and out of Claudette's head. Why wasn't I sacrificed? Is this part of the Entity's sick game? Claudette was uncertain of how to answer her questions, but she decided to start with the Huntress.
"Why am I here? What are you doing?" Claudette asked aloud to the Huntress. The Huntress's eyes turned to Claudette's face, and the Huntress seemed to freeze for a moment. Then the Huntress shook her head and said a few words through a croaky voice. The language she used sounded familiar to Claudette, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it. It sounded Eastern European to her, maybe Russian. That aside, Claudette still didn't understand what she said, so she shook her head to indicate it. The Huntress nodded at that. She did not seem to understand English either.
Before Claudette could think of what to do next, the Huntress picked her up in her massive arms and moved her across the room to set her down gently next to a fire that was stoked in the hearth. She placed her in a sitting position, and Claudette recognized the cabin around her. The warmth of the fire definitely comforted her, but more and more questions filled her mind with each new observation she made. If this was the cabin that she knew from previous trials, then she must still be in the trial then too. Claudette watched the Huntress disappear around the corner for a few moments before she returned with what appeared to be a wooden cup of some kind. It was full of water.
The Huntress brought it close to Claudette's lips, and Claudette began to realize just how thirsty she actually was. She gulped the water down greedily. And the Huntress nodded before setting the cup down next to her. Walking back over to the table, the Huntress grabbed a chair and sat down opposite Claudette. The Huntress then continued to look at her. Claudette squirmed a little bit, and then decided after a little while to try to at least get some information from the killer. Claudette cleared her throat.
"Claudette," Claudette said shakily. She gestured to herself as she said it. She was still incredibly unsure about the predicament she was in, but maybe she could get some reaction out of the Huntress.
"Culaw-det," the Huntress repeated through her heavy accent. She seemed to process it for a moment before smiling slightly. Her smile was…surprisingly pleasant. She seemed to like that name. The Huntress then turned her gaze to the floor. She seemed to be struggling with something. After a few moments, the Huntress turned her gaze back to Claudette. She gestured to herself.
"An-nna," the Huntress said slowly. The word almost seemed foreign to her. Claudette could see the mild shock on the Huntress's face. How long had it been since she used that name?
"Anna," the Huntress said again. She had more confidence this time. Claudette wanted to communicate more, but she began to feel much better, and she decided to try her hand at standing. Healing always happened at an alarming rate in the Entity's realm, and Claudette was feeling well enough to try. She slowly placed her hands behind her on the wall, and began to rise from the floor.
The Huntress stood from her seat and moved to help Claudette stand. Claudette actually required very little help, and she moved quite easily as long as she took it slow. Claudette turned toward the Huntress and made a motion like a door moving open. She wanted to signal that she was headed for the exit gate. The Huntress looked at her again before nodding. As Claudette made her way to the entrance of the cabin, she saw the Huntress pick up a Med-kit from the table before following her out.
Claudette guessed that both her and the Huntress had spent enough trials in these woods to know where the open exit gate was. They both walked side-by-side in silence. Claudette almost found it pleasant. That was if anything could be considered pleasant in this world.
It was not long before the exit gate stood before them. Claudette slowed to a stop and turned to face the Huntress again. Looking up, Claudette saw something that she had not noticed before: The Huntress had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her face seemed sorrowful. Claudette suddenly felt a spark of what could be called compassion for the killer. Even though the Huntress had cut her and her friends down time and time again, something seemed different in her. She did not seem to radiate her malicious predator-like attitude from before. And now that Claudette saw her face, she saw that maybe they were not so different after all. Just players in the Entity's game. She thought of the other killers. Could they be changed too?
And idea wormed its way into Claudette's mind, and Claudette thought hard about what she was about to do. Was this a trick? Just another trap to feast on our hope? Sighing slightly, Claudette came to a decision. Reaching out, Claudette lightly took hold of the Huntresses arm. It was huge, and her fingers looked tiny in comparison. She began to gently pull the Huntress toward the gates with her.
The Huntress's eyes widened and she pulled back. Claudette looked up at the woman and nodded her head reassuringly. The Huntress, Anna, stared back at her for a few moments. Then her gaze softened, and she let Claudette lead her out of the exit gates and into the fog.
A/N: There's another one for you! I gotta admit, when I first played Dead by Daylight, I instantly fell in love with the Huntress. I love she retains some pieces of her humanity. It just makes her that much more compelling in my eyes. Anyhow, don't forget to drop a review and let me know how much love or hate this story. I am always striving to improve my writing, and any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! If you want me to try and continue this story, let me know too! I was originally intending for it to stop here, but we can keep going if you'd like