The group ran in fear as fast as they could.

Navigating through the dark woods with barely any sight but a few feet in front of them, Lit up only by the grace of the full moon.

The whirring sound of buzzing was getting closer.

Puck was ahead with Beth 3 feet behind him.

The only one lagging behind was Quinn.

After her car accident in high school, she couldn't run the same.

The winter weather wasn't helping either.

The blonde's lungs weren't as strong as they use to be and she's currently nursing a fever.

"LOOK OUT!" Finn shouted.

A silver looking boomerang cut clean through one of the large oak trees.

A loud snap was heard before the large tree careened to the left falling with power.

The running group staggered to a halt than redirected their direction, before feeling the ground shake like a mini earth quake from the impact of the tree.

Quinn was breathing heavy as sweat dripped down her face like rain.

Her lungs felt like they were melting away with each step.

Her spine burn like molten lava as sharp pain shot through the nerves of her spinal cord with each stomp that made contact with the ground.

The blonde was losing steam as the group gained ground ahead of her.

SNAP!

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" Quinn's scream was gut wrenching as her head snapped back.

Her eyes wide, mouth hanging open as her body slammed to the ground.

Some of the group skidded to a halt, looking back. All their eyes wide with fear.

"QUINN!"

"MOM!"

The group members that were closer to see the blonde go down took a step forward in the fallen blonde's direction.

But the stampede heading for them with purpose caused them to run in the opposite direction of the crying woman.

All except one. Beth.

The teenager went to run to her mother but Puck grabbed her by the waist before she could.

They struggled against one another with him trying to make her run but Beth fought to run to her mother.

"BETH, IT'S NO USE! LET HER GO!"

"NO!"

"BETH, STOP IT! LET'S GO!"

The teenager thrashed wildly before stepping on her fathers foot than elbowing him in the gut.

The moment his grip was released the young blonde ran at top speed back to her wailing mother.

"MOM!"

"BETH, NO!" Quinn shouted.

Quinn's red swollen eyes watched on in horror as her daughter ran back to her.

Beth skidded to a halt before falling to her knees in front of her mother out of breath with wide shocked eyes full of tears.

Quinn's calve was locked in a death grip of an old rusted bear trap.

"Beth, Run! Please, Run!"

"No.." Beth whimpered as she gripped the bear trap and gritted her teeth, trying to pry the trap apart.

The ground shook again as another tree fell.

The boomerangs coming in multiple shots now.

"Beth! Please!"

"NO! I AM NOT LEAVING YOU!"

"BETH!" Puck shouted as he stopped just in front of them.

Taking in what had caused his wife to drop.

"Dad! Please help me!" Beth grunted as she and Quinn fought to pull the trap apart.

His eyes wide at the sight before him before looking up to the their oncoming enemy.

"I'm.. I'm sorry!" He cried before turning and running as fast and as far away as he could.

"DAD!" Beth yelled out to him in shock as another loud tree slammed into the ground shaking it again.

"Beth! Go! While you still have time!" Quinn whimpered/yelled through gritted teeth over the raising whirring sounds around them as the wind began to pick up.

The snow thick and the temperature freezing.

Beth couldn't believe her father just left them.

The teenagers face took on one of anger and hatred though her tears continued to fall in disbelieving hurt.

She whipped her head back around at her mother with hard flowing eyes of determination.

"No!" Beth spit out stubbornly.

Beth grit her teeth as she tried again at the trap causing her mother to whimper in pain as she too tried to help pry it apart again.

As they pulled harder it began to open a crack.

Quinn's eyes opened just in time to see a figure approaching with speed from a short distance causing her to release the trap to slam back into place.

She gasp at the pain of it slamming shut again and bit her lip to keep in her howl of pain.

Her eyes widened with fresh tears from the pain and fear of being killed.

Before grabbing her daughter by the collar with trembling hands and pulling her down on top of her.

Using her other hand to cover the sixteen year old's mouth before she could speak and willing her trembling body to still.

The two stared in the others eyes with remorse, fear and tears.

As they felt the floor begin to quake slightly as the enemy approach at high speed.

Quinn mouthe to her daughter. 'I love you.. Close your eyes."

Beth did as she was told.

The pair laid still as they felt the ground shake and rattle as the villains of their nightmares ran straight past them in search of their group who had left them behind to die.

Beth and Quinn stood in that position for 20 minutes.

Until the woods settled and there wasn't a sound but the light bustle of wood branches on the wind.

Beth sat up slowly and Quinn hissed in pain.

"Mom! Are you o-"

"Why didn't you run like I told you to!" Quinn fumed cutting the young blonde off.

"How could you expect me to!" Beth argued back.

"Because I wanted you to live!"

"And I wanted the same for you!" Beth fired back. "I'd rather die than live without you!" Beth stated with absolution before a sob escaped her throat.

Quinn stared at her daughter in tears. "Oh sweetheart.." Quinn whimpered as she pulled her daughter into her arms.

"I need you, mom... I can't do this without you. I don't want to." Beth whimpered in her mother's arms.

The two held each other crying.

Their breaths clouding in the still cold air.

They pulled apart and looked down at the blondes calve.

It was still bleeding, slowly but still bleeding.

They couldn't see very well to begin with but could see the trap had Quinn's blood on it.

But they couldn't see anything as far as the wound it self.

Because the teeth of the bare trap just bit through the blonde's pants.

There weren't any tears' in the clothing to actually see how bad it was.

"We won't be able to pull it apart, Beth..." Quinn spoke softly in sadness.

"I know.."

"We can't make a fire. The wood is too wet from the snow.." Quinn spoke again.

"I know.."

The two fell silent as the realization that Quinn would die out there sunk in.

"There's still time. If you leave now you'll be able to catch up to the group." Quinn tried.

"No!"

"Beth, Please!"

"You die, I die. I'm not going anywhere so stop trying to convince me!" Beth said with no hesitance in her eyes.

Quinn knew her daughter. She could see it in Beth's eyes that she meant what she said. She'd rather die with her mother alone than be some what with a group that could help keep her alive.

Quinn's tears fell uncontrollably as she stared at her daughter in anguish.

"You're really going to make me watch you die." Quinn gritted out.

"Technically, you'd die before me from blood loss. So, really it's the other way around."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you gave me life. You're mother for goodness sake! I'm going to stay here even after your last breath! You know you'd do the same for me if it were my foot caught in that trap!" Beth fired back in emotional anger.

Her tear stained face staring her mother down as she breathe heavily in turmoil.

Quinn nodded jerkily at the truth of the statement.

If it had been Beth, She would have stayed even after her daughter was dead.

Waiting for death to take her as well because there was no life without Beth..

The two sat in silence. Shivering in the cold, still processing how they found themselves in their current situation.

It didn't help that for the last 20 minutes they felt eyes on them but neither of them said so to the other as to not scare each other.


4 HOURS LATER.

Quinn and Beth lay huddled on the ground in the snow shivering.

Beth kept falling in and out of sleep but Quinn couldn't sleep at all though she was heavily drowsy.

The numbing pain in her calve made it too difficult to difficult to sleep.

Add the freezing temperatures and laying in snow.. Well, it was like sleeping on a block of ice.

Quinn's lips had a tinge of purple to them.

Her face beginning to pale as a ghost, she slowly lost blood.

Beth sat up quickly as she heard a twig snap close by.

She scrambled to her feet and picked up the thickest piece of wood she could see.

Standing guard in a terrified trembling protective stance in front of her mother.

Quinn did her best to sit up but couldn't, she felt weaker than she had a mere hour ago.

"B..Bettth.." Quinn whispered her teeth chattering as her body shook from being so cold.

"Shh.." Beth whispered.

Whipping her head from left to right in the darkness.

The teen was petrified but she wouldn't go down without a fight.

Snap!

The teenager whipped to her left at the close twig snapping 10 feet from their left but still she saw nothing.

"You are a brave one aren't you.."

"AHHHHHHH!" Beth screamed at the same time the voice spoke right beside her right ear.

The teen swung the wood but her eyes widened when it was caught in a strong unmoving grip.

Beth released the stick taking a step back in fear.

Quinn's eyes widened at the sudden sight of the hooded figure in front of her daughter.

"P..P..Please.. D..Don't.. H.. Huu.. Hurt her.." Quinn whispered breathlessly as her words slurred in drowsiness.

The blonde felt nauseous and weak.

Their last time they had anything to eat or drink was 4 days prior and it had been old rotted cabbage with only a few leaves still good.

"Stay back!" Beth said but you could hear the tremble in her voice. "I mean it! Don't come any closer!" Beth said as she picked up another piece of wood.

A thinner piece but a piece of wood none the less.

"I must admit young one. Your spirit is strong." The hooded figure spoke.

"Just leave us alone! W-We aren't doing anything to you! We just want to die in piece!" Beth said with fresh tears, spitting out the word 'die' with angry pain in her voice.

"Die?" The hooded figure asked in a fascinated tone.

Beth didn't respond. She was too scared.

The person had a thick cloak over them that went down to ground.

Their feet weren't even visible.

The hood was hung over the face area.

All you could see was darkness not even the person's chin was showing.

There was nothing but pure blackness which only made Beth more terrified.

"Why would you want to die?" The hooded figure asked.

Beth's lips trembled as her tears continued and her anguish and sadness engulfed her.

"Well?" The hooded figure pressed for answer gently.

"B-Because.. My mother is all I have.. I won't let her die alone and I don't want to live in this fucked up world without her. She's the only one that really loves me.." Beth started out angry but ended in an emotional whimper.

The hooded figure stood silent as it assessed the teenager.

"Is this what you really want? To die? For your mother to die here?" The figure asked.

"No but.. We-We can't get her out and I'd rather be here and die with her than go on without her." Beth cried as she once again was hit with that reality.

"I see.." The hooded figure step forward and Beth raised her stick with shaking hands.

"Don't!"

The hooded figure raised it's hands slowly. "I only intend to help."

Beth looked conflicted. She glanced at her mother and whimpered when she saw her mother had passed out.

She looked back at the figure with fear.

"How?" Beth asked.

"How?"

"How are you going to help her? How can I know I can trust you?" Beth spoke in rushed fear and worry.

"You don't but maybe this will help." The figured spoke before lifting their hand and gesturing to the shadows.

Beth gasped when two more figures seemed to just appear within the darkness walking towards her.

"Oh god.." Beth whimpered as she jerked back and forth aiming her stick at each figure a few seconds at a time.

"Calm down, brave one.." The first hooded figure that she spoke to said before gesturing to the shortest figure there.

The small hooded figure stepped forward and removed their hood. Beth gasped in shock.

"I told you.." Said the hooded first figure.

Beth whipped around at the first hooded figure and gasped again when she finally saw the face of the woman who first found her.

"We only mean to help." The woman assured.

The blonde looked back down at the smallest hooded figure that turned out to be a little red headed girl who looked no older than 4.

The 3rd hooded figured removed their hood as well.

It was a boy who looked to be around Beth's age.

"It's ok. Your safe." The woman spoke.

Beth looked back at her still in fear. The world was not what it use to be.

People aren't who they use to be and trust is something that no longer existed but.. What other choice did she have? Beth lowered her stick in apprehension.

The woman smiled and for some reason Beth felt a calm wash over her at the sight of it.

The woman stepped forward slowly.

"Excuse me." The woman spoke sweetly to Beth before kneeling at the foot of the passed out blonde's body where the trap was.

The woman grip the trap on either side.

"It won't work. We've tried." Beth said but gasped as her mouth dropped open with shock when the woman pulled it apart causing a rusted squeak sound with no effort on her part.

"How did you do-"

"We don't have much time." The woman cut in as she lifted an unconscious Quinn bridal style with ease.

Beth felt her hand being grasped than looked down at the smiling child.

The child began walking following after the woman and boy, tugging Beth along with them.