There were many problems with their current situation, one of them, and the most prevalent at the moment, was that Joey didn't speak fluent Russian. Sure, he'd picked up a bit here and there, but that was mostly just insults or greetings. He had no idea what the Huntress was saying, or what had put her on edge during this trial. From the moment they arrived on the grounds of the old mining facility, the Huntress had been hyper fixated on… something. She could tell there was something amiss, or something she wanted. Joey couldn't tell what had her attention, and was going to chalk it up to her being a psychotic maniac. As while he too was a killer, he at least was able to keep focused and deal with the task at hand. However, as he had gotten ready for their usual strategy, she had stopped him.
"Встань у меня на пути, и я убью тебя." She snarled, pressing her great axe into his chest. Despite being a killer, Joey felt nothing but terror as he stared into the crazed eyes of the woman before him. He wasn't sure what she was saying, but he assumed it meant: 'If you screw this up, I'm shoving this up somewhere that you really don't want it to go'.
"Crazy freak…" Joey muttered under his breath, taking off into the darkness. The funny thing was, in past dual trials, he and the Huntress had done well together. While neither understood the other that well, they had been able to devise a strategy that worked with lethal consistency. Depending on where they were taken to, Joey would track down survivors, and perhaps wound them. The main idea wasn't to take them down just yet, but to scare them. After picking one off and separating them – which was often easier than expected – he'd chase them towards an opening, or towards a choke point. From there, they would run into the Huntress, or she would have a clear and clean shot to throw her hatchets into them. From there, one would take the Survivor to a hook while the other would track down another. Perhaps this time the Huntress flushing the prey out to a spot where Joey could render them helpless. Regardless, it seemed like this time, the Russian woman wanted to do things her own way, and Joey wasn't stupid enough to argue with her. He looked around, then made a series of hand gestures to the Huntress, who seemed distracted, but nodded. Joey was taking point, and he ran off into the hunting grounds.
At times, Joey would wonder if he was a monster. Granted, he killed people. Both before coming here, and since, but he didn't really feel guilt over it. Not anymore, at least. Legion was strong, and they had to do what they had to do. It was fun, in a twisted sense of the word if he was being honest. Yet somedays he had to question not just himself, but the others, too. How long could they do this? When would it end? Would it end?
The second Zarina had heard the humming, she was put on edge. Granted, the Huntress had a presence about her that almost no other Killer had, one that could scare the soul out of someone who merely heard her humming. Zarina knew to expect at least one or two hatchet wounds, and her body moaned in protest, having flashbacks to previous trials. Wounds long since vanished seeming reopening and causing her to wince in pain. She felt the fear and despair welling up within her, and she had to fight to keep them from overcoming her. According to some old journals that had been found throughout the Survivors' time here, those emotions may be what the Entity wanted. Or perhaps, it was after the feelings of hope? Zarina didn't know, and frankly didn't care. She slid around a corner and felt a jangle in her spine, something she often associated with a Killer being near, but this time, it felt softer. Almost as if it was trying to tell her someone was nearby? She took a moment and focused, hoping someone would make a sound or something she could follow. There was the usual eerie silence, and the calling of crows, but not much else.
"Yuri? Dwight?" Zarina quietly called out. She wasn't sure who she was stuck here with, something admittedly quite rare for a trial. But now, she knew she needed to find someone – or a generator – and fast. Moving along the ground, she looked around to try and see where she was. These places were never exactly the same, most likely the Entity's doing to ensure the Survivors didn't have an easy escape. Sighing, she kept moving along the ground. With fearful hesitation, she looked around a corner, seeing nothing – killer, survivor, or generator – she let out a breath she'd been holding and slipped away.
Despite the tension and paranoia, Zarina couldn't help but find herself thinking back to the little innocent girl who was more or less dumped into their small gathering. It wasn't fair! None of them should be here! Especially a child! But for some reason, some twisted higher being decided to throw one in here. "Still, she's pretty cute." Zarina couldn't help but smile. The poor thing hadn't seemed to realize the danger she was in, and usually seemed more interested in food, napping, or trying to grab something that caught her attention. Sometimes it was Zarina's scarf, sometimes it was Meg's braids, or sometimes it was Jane's shirt. Only now did Zarina realize she'd nearly walked into a generator… sputtering in slight annoyance, she shook her head to clear it and got to work.
"Okay… connect those wires, empty this gauge…" She thought, trying her best to remember how this all worked. One of the worst parts of this nightmare was that there was little to no explanation as to how to repair a generator. From what she'd been told, Dwight and the others more or less had to fail, over and over again to figure out how it worked. How Meg and the others hadn't given up all hope was beyond her, honestly. But perhaps they were motivated by the prospect of escape, but wasn't that exactly what the Entity wanted?
"SHI-" The Generator exploded as she crossed the wrong wires, leaving her covering her face as a muffled explosion rang out. Across the grounds, the Huntress' head snapped up, as if the rabbit ears on her mask actually worked, and she turned, making her way towards the noise. As she hurried off, she'd miss a tiny figure crawl out from around a corner, looking around and letting out a series of garbles as she wondered where she was.
With his heart pounding in his ears, Detective Tapp slid around a corner and pressed himself to the wall of the ramshackle cabin. Steeling his nerves to the best his training would allow, he held his breath as one of the Legion's members tore through the room at breakneck speeds with an animalistic craze in their movements, seeming more like a wild beast than anything else. The Killer dove headfirst through an open window, hitting the ground and actually running on all fours before skidding to a stop, looking around and dashing off once more. With his heart threatening to beat his rib cage into dust, Tapp sighed deeply and began to peel himself away from his hiding spot. His survival instincts told him to run, but one thing he'd learned in his time in this waking hellscape, was sometimes moving slowly was the key to survival. Tapp wasn't sure where the others were, all he knew was that he'd figured out one of the killers, which was better than not knowing. The only thing worse than that, was the knowledge that there were two of them in this trial, and he knew the other one was the Huntress. He hadn't seen her yet, but he knew that unsettling humming well enough to be wary of any flying hatchets. Because of that, he knew that hiding in a locker was a gambit he had to think twice on before trying.
Scanning his surroundings, he noticed there were stairs leading down to the basement of the cabin. Once he was sure that the Killers were gone, he descended slowly down the creaking wooden steps. Each stair felt like it was moments from giving out and sending him toppling down into the basement, as well as giving away his location. Finally, he reached the abandoned, somewhat frozen and almost putrid basement, and he saw what he was looking for.
"Had a hunch you'd be down here." He smirked, walking over to the nearby chest. As he began to work on the lock, he felt his spine tense. This meant he had a choice; remain here and try to finish unlocking the chest, and hope the Killer didn't hear him, or try and hide in a locker or corner until the Killer was gone. Despite his better judgement, he went with the former, working on the old steel lock until it dropped through his fingers to the ground. "Damn it!" He cursed, knowing his didn't have much of a choice now. He heard footsteps approaching the stairs, as well as heavy breathing, like that of someone who'd just been running for several minutes. Grabbing the flashlight out from the chest, the detective rose, ready to make a desperate, and possiibly painful stand.
"You just had to get yourself caught in the basement, didn't you?" He chided himself. The basements were dangerous, heck, they were suicidal. Most times if you were hooked down here, you were on your own. This wasn't due to lack of loyalty or anything of the sort, it was just… there was nothing that could be done. From Trapper's bear traps making getting down the stairs risky, to the Clown using it as a great place to throw his drugs at them, the basement was a death trap. Yet oddly, few Killers seemed to waste the time it would take hauling the survivors down to it… taking a deep breath, Tapp readied for the incoming chase, the upcoming stab wounds, and the inevitable excruciating pain. As the Killer approached the landing, he knew he had one chance at this. He needed to blind him and run like his life depended on it. In this case, it very much did. "All right Creepshow. Let's do this…"
Suddenly a whistle from above caught his attention. "Oi! Bell end!" The footsteps stopped as the voice of David King came from above. "How's about you stop playin' with that there toy, and c'mere? I can show ya how big a blade should be!" He said, speaking in a way that Tapp wasn't clear if he was fully being sarcastic, or if there was a small part of him that actually wanted that. The sound of running and an angered growl told Tapp that David had taken off running again, and the Legion was chasing him. Despite himself, a grin came to the detective's face, he was gonna owe David for this. Again.
Zarina was injured, and had only been able to partially patch up her wounds. She was doing well enough that she'd survive for now, but she wasn't exactly hopeful for the future. Hearing the groan of another generator go off, she smiled knowing they were one step closer to escaping. The other thing that was making her nervous, was that she was carrying Hope with her. The little baby had been sitting near a generator, and Zarina knew now more than ever she couldn't afford to make it backfire. Both because the sound and Hope's crying would probably alert the Killers, and because she didn't wanna make Hope deaf. Then, she heard the humming… her eyes widening she knew she had to hide Hope, like right now! Hurrying off she looked around, and found a good spot to hide her in some ragweed's that had sprouted up and gave her a good hiding spot. Setting Hope down, the girl whimpered, clearly not liking being away from Zarina. Zarina didn't like being away from Hope either.
"I promise, I'll be back for you soon. Okay, love?" Zarina promised quietly, leaning in to kiss Hope on the forehead. The girl whined and reached up, seemingly wanting to go with her, but the documentarian had to refuse. Pausing for a moment, she felt her spine tighten, and an icy chill crawl down her back in warning of impending danger. Biting her lip, she took her scarf off and gently laid it in Hope's lap. "Hold onto that for me, kay?" She said with a forced smile. Hope blinked, and then looked up, reaching sadly for Zarina again. While it hurt, she turned and left her behind, hoping that she'd be able to come back for her. Or, at the very least, someone else would.
Humming aloud, the Huntress threw one of her hatchets, watching it sail towards the survivor and just barely miss her. Growling in annoyance, she began to walk towards a locker, knowing the woman was too far away to bother chasing. As she stomped towards it, she heard… was that an animal? Perhaps. The rabbit-masked killer opened the locker and grunted, hearing a small garble again. This time, she was SURE she'd heard it.
"…" Something was amiss. The Huntress stopped walking when she heard something for a third time. A woman? No, it was too soft to be a woman. Hm, perhaps it was a Survivor. Weak and injured, ready for her to cleave in two with her axe. That other one, the one with the odd mask, hadn't brought her anyone to cut down yet, so she wondered who this could be. Closing the locker, she grabbed her hatchets and slowly took aim, before letting it fly, curious if she'd hit a hiding survivor. Prey that cowered wasn't as fun as prey that fled, but she didn't care. When the axe came down, she DID get a scream…
The loud, horrified crying that came in response to her throw was heard all around the trial ground, and everyone looked up, trying to gauge where it was coming from. To the Killers, it wasn't totally clear what the scream originated from, but to the Survivors, they knew exactly what it was.
"HOPE!" Zarina couldn't help but scream in terror. The image of the poor, innocent child speared and dying because of the Huntress' axes caused her to abandon the generator she was working on and topple off of the dock she stood on. She took off running towards the cry, unsure if she was going the right way, but she had to try!
"Bloody hell." David muttered, turning white, trying to gauge what was happening.
"Please, God, no…" Tapp whispered in fear, fearing the worst for what that crying could've meant.
"Oh, there she is." Joey muttered, realizing Zarina had been literally right above him for the past several minutes. He was confused as to what the screaming and crying was, and was equally confused as to why the Huntress had stopped her song. Shrugging, he ran after Zarina, who now seemed to realize that she was being chased. This caused her to double her efforts to try and escape, moving wildly in a zig-zag pattern, launching herself over a palate, one which Joey quickly followed along. The wooden plants and boards shattering as he did so. He knew Frank would enjoy this fear, he'd enjoy their screams and terror, but to Joey, he just wanted this over with.
"NO! NOT NOW!" She cried out, anger and fear overtaking her. "PLEASE! I NEED TO PROTECT HO-GAAHH!" That was as far as she got, as the knife slashed her along her back, knocking her to the ground. Joey wiped the blade off on his sleeve and looked down, seeing Zarina desperately trying to crawl away. Growling, he grabbed her leg, and was promptly kicked in response. Snarling, he stabbed her in the thigh, her scream ringing out, and being returned by another cry, this one much younger.
"What is that supposed to be?" He thought, hauling th bleeding, crying and furious Survivor up. Thankfully, he was headed towards the sound, as the nearest hook was there. His curiosity was growing and he felt like he needed answers now.
Hearing the screaming and crying, the Huntress slowly approached the bushes. She knew that sound. She adored the one the sound belonged to. But this couldn't be real, it couldn't! It wasn't possible! She'd lost all her daughters, she'd lost them all! The Entity, her new guardian, had never provided her with such a prize… was she being teased? Tested? Tormented? She dare not hope for what she thought the sound was… as she approached, she saw her hatchet dug into the ground, and then she saw what it had nearly hit. All at once, her entire body froze, and she felt the frozen grip of terror and panic settling in at the prospect of what she'd nearly done…
"моя драгоценная любовь…" The Huntress whispered, the cold night air around her melting away to give her a sense of joy and warmth she'd long since thought she'd never witness again. Looking up at her was the prettiest little baby she'd ever seen, and it was looking at her with wonder in her eyes! Well, that and terror, considering she'd nearly kebabbed the poor thing… Slowly, she knelt down and reached out, somewhat afraid this was nothing more than one of the Entity's hallucinations, brought upon by that jawless, drooling freak with his weird liquids. Her hand made contact with the little one, and she watched the small baby lean into it… This wasn't a trick! This was real! Here she was, a precious, adorable little baby girl, all wrapped up and waiting for her. With tears forming in her eyes, the Huntress picked the little one up and gently began to rock her back and forth, her lullaby taking on a softer, almost more maternal tone to it. The girl began to cry and Anna bit her lip, holding her close and giving her a slightly reassuring squeeze. This seemed to work a little, as Hope seemed to calm a bit, and was sniffling slightly in the killer's arms.
Hope, for her part, had no idea what was happening. The pretty scarf lady was gone and now there was another lady. Hope didn't know who anyone was, or even who she was, or where she was, or what was happening out in the trial grounds. With a fearful expression, she stared up into the eyes of the face looking down at her.
Sighing gently, the Huntress hugged Hope close to her breast once more, a sense of belonging and maternal protectiveness overwhelming her. Holding Hope in one arm and her axe in the other, she set out to try and finish her task. She wanted this over with quickly so she could tend to her child.
"Oh, damn…" Joey muttered, seeing the little baby taken from her hiding spot. He'd heard rumors of a kid being here, Susie apparently had seen her. But honestly, Joey had been unwilling to believe it, trying to cling to some hope that this place wasn't as screwed up as that. Yet here was the proof that this place was indeed as screwed up as that. Yet, while the revelation that a newborn was here would probably be enough to send anyone into shock, he seemed almost indifferent. Truth be told, that's what he wanted to feel, but in actuality, he felt nothing but confusion. Why? Why a baby?
The Huntress heard whistling, and turned to see one of the men looking at her from a distance. He raised a finger at her, and ran off. Growling, the Huntress gave chase, but soon realized she couldn't carry her daughter and chase her prey. Reluctantly, she set her down on a large stone and gave chase, wanting to keep an eye on her.
"C'mon Jeff, I need you to come in clutch here, mate!" David mentally scowled as the hatchets started to fly. He ducked and weaved, hearing them whistle as they raced by his head, digging into the ground and the old dilapidated building he found himself running into. Typically, running into a building wasn't a great idea, but the Huntress wasn't always a great shot up close – unless she was using her great axe – so David was willing to roll the dice. Really, he just needed to distract her. Jumping through a broken window, he cast a glance back "CRAP!" And just hand enough time to dodge the incoming hatchet. He slammed into a wall and was able to bounce off of it, running up the stairs as the killer smashed a blocked door open with her weapon. King heard angered snarling, and had a feeling he'd gone and angered her. "Good."
"Hey, hon." Jeff whispered, picking up Hope gently. The little girl let out a happy garble, and Jeff looked around nervously. "Shh… shh… yeah, I'm happy to see you too! C'mon, let's jet." He whispered, running off with the baby in tow. Thankfully, just as he vanished over a hill, Joey appeared on the scene, breathing heavily from the culmination of his Feral Frenzy.
"…where did everyone go…" Joey muttered, only to hear a generator backfire. "Okay." He growled in frustration. He didn't like being made to look like an idiot.
The Huntress wasn't in a good mood, she had lost her prey, the man slinking away into the shadows, leaving her without any more hatchets to chop him down with. She'd given up on hunting him so she could return and comfort her child. As she left the house, she approached the rock, and… nothing.
She was gone…
Wait. No. That wasn't possible! The Huntress' heart stopped as she looked around in a panic. "Малыш!?" She called out. "Малыш!?" The girl was gone! She wasn't on the rock, she wasn't around it, she-she-she-
She… was… gone…
No.
NO.
NO.
SHE COULDN'T BE GONE. SHE COULDN'T!
Where was she?! Where was her baby?! Then, she realized who'd taken her. These… these MONSTERS! They'd STOLEN her baby! She'd slaughter them all! She'd make them talk! Letting lose a wail of maternal fear and fury, the Huntress thundered off, axe in hand, ready to kill anyone who got in her way.
Despite their best attempts, the Survivors weren't in good shape. Somehow, all of them were alive still, but they were growing wary, and reckless. The Legion had been funneling them towards a specific spot, clearly turf he knew better than them. Most likely, he they had some sort of ambush set up, but when they heard the Huntress scream, they knew things were about to get BAD. None of them knew why she wanted Hope so badly, but none of them were about to give her to that monster! Currently running, David knew for certain the Huntress was angry, as she had stopped singing her creepy song, and was just screaming now.
"Где мой малыш!" The Huntress screamed. Her words were a mixture of hell-driven fury and ice-cold terror. It wasn't clear if she was scared or if she had finally found someone who had wronged her… She didn't kick the dropped palette like normal, she obliterated it with a single swing of her axe and kept chasing after David. The survivor's eyes widened in shock and she doubled her efforts to try and escape, but the Huntress was on a warpath. Something had shifted in this trial, and David couldn't say what it was. "ГДЕ МОЙ МАЛЫШ!" The Huntress slammed her great axe into David's back with such force that the Survivor didn't even get a chance to flee. Flesh, muscle, bone and organ was pulverized under the crushing force as his body was pinned to the ground. The Huntress hadn't seemed to realize this yet, as she ripped the axe from David's back and shouted again: "Где мой малыш!" Upon receiving no answer, she let out an angry wail, like that of a wounded animal, and drove the axe into David's head. The man was dead before, but if he wasn't, he certainly was now.
"This is so F**ked." Was all Joey could think. He needed to find the baby, he needed to get her to a gate, or somewhere hidden until this was over! He wasn't about to let the Huntress get her bloody hands on her! He might be a Killer, but he had standards! He moved quickly, and skidded to a stop when he saw her, tucked away next to a locker. He sighed, knowing this may not end well, he moved towards her, trying to move low and slow, as not to frighten her. However, this had the opposite effect, as Hope began to whimper when she saw Joey approaching. "Hey… hey, it's okay, I ain't gonna hurt ya…" He spoke softly, trying his best to remain calm and 'comforting'. He wasn't very good at it.
The Legion was ripped from his thoughts by pounding footsteps, and then Joey was punched in the back of the head. Why the survivors didn't do this more often… well, often they were injured, and in most cases, the killers were much, MUCH larger than them. Legion, on the other hand… was not. "MOTHERFU-!" He swore, turning in anger.
"If you think for one damn second I'm gonna let you get within twenty feet of her, then I swear you're gonna need the most skilled gastroenterologist to remove that mask from your backside when I'm done with you." Jeff warned, standing his ground and refusing to back down. Normally, the Survivors didn't talk to the Killers (or each other, as much as they should) during the Trials, but this was different. Joey growled and spun his blade, knowing he could take this out of shape old man down with little issue. As he closed in, Jeff stood his ground, watching Joey's movements carefully, clearly willing and ready to fight to protect the baby. Despite his hatred for the Survivors as a whole, Joey would admit that this one had guts. Joey snarled, the smart thing to do would be to walk away. Stab the artist and go. There wasn't any reason to start something… and then he saw her running at full tilt.
Oddly, Jeff for the briefest of moments thought he was being saved by the Huntress, as the large woman seemed to body-check the Legion out of the way, forcefully shoving him a good distance away. However, when he heard the snarl, and saw the fire in her eyes, he knew this wasn't a good thing.
Joey, meanwhile, was back on his feet and rather annoyed. "Hey! What are you-" The Huntress snarled and this time backhanded Joey. The force of the strike sending the other killer flying backwards, smashing his head against the base of the hook. His skull smashed against the metal, and a searing headache shot through his skull and rocketed down and throughout his body. Groaning, he realized his mask was dislodged slightly, his left eye visible to anyone nearby.
"Не подходи, или я накормлю тебя твоими собственными кишками!" The Huntress outright screamed, pointing at Joey with her hatchet in a clear warning. Joey didn't need to speak Russian to know this was his last warning to stay away from her, or he'd end up like the survivors. Dead as dirt. Even then, he felt like he had to do something, so he tried to pull himself up-
"Nope. Nope. Not doing it." His skull was screaming in agony at the impact against the metal hook's base. He felt like his head had been cracked open and his brain was desperately trying to pull itself to freedom.
Screaming in anger, the Huntress glared at Jeff, who took a step back, but still wasn't ready to run away. He wasn't about to abandon Hope to this monster's clutches. He'd lost someone close to him, someone small and relatively helpless, and he never wanted to feel that pain again. Screw the Entity, screw the trials, and screw death. He wasn't going anywhere. Yelling, he swung at the Huntress, only for her to bash her face against his. Blood splattered outwards as he recoiled, and was kicked in the stomach by the large monstrous woman.
"She's angry. She's irrational… gotta get her… away…" Jeff thought, struggling to keep on his feet. The Huntress wasn't her usual self, and he felt like he was in greater danger than before. Still, he wasn't about to stop. He looked up through blurry eyes to see the Huntress wheeling back with her axe, ready to cut him in two. "Hope. I'm sorry." He said softly. But at the last moment, by what some may call 'divine intervention' the Huntress was stopped!
"JEFF! RUN!" Zarina screamed, jumping onto the Huntress and tryng her best to hold her back. Both women growled and struggled against the other. The Huntress was stronger physically, all the Killers were. But Zarina was proving harder to buck off than she may have expected. "GET HOPE OUT OF HERE! JUST GO!"
"Go! I'll help Zarina!" Tapp ordered, appearing on the scene. "Just get her and run! We've got the exits powered!" Jeff blinked, realizing that the generators were done! They could escape! With newfound hope fueling him, he turned… and then everything went to hell.
Succeeding in dislodging her prey, the Huntress turned and saw Tapp, and then threw her great axe at him. The detective could only stare in mounting horror as the massive blade whooshed through the air, and drove into his gut. He was sent flying by the attack, literally pinned to the nearby locker by the axe. He knew there was no saving him now… grabbing Zarina by her jacket, the Huntress dragged her over to the dying detective and ripped the axe free. He slumped down to the ground, his intestines spilling outwards in a bloody, steaming, disgusting mess.
"ГДЕ МОЙ МАЛЫШ!" The Huntress roared in some sort of uncontrollable fury as her large axe came down into Zarina's face… again, and again… the wounded detective could only watch in shock as his teammate was butchered with a ferocity he hadn't seen from this killer before. Blood and gore flew everywhere as the Huntress screamed, grabbing at the mangled mess at her feet and tearing it entwine. One hand in the Survivor's dislocated jaw, the other in the head wound she'd been dealt. The sounds of tearing flesh and bone were so gruesome it felt like even the crows were left in mortified silence. With one final mournful shriek of fury and agony, she looked around, only to see nothing. Nothing but blood.
Then she heard crying… her baby! Her baby was okay! The Huntress looked around frantically, and finally saw her… with one of those MONSTERS standing before her!
"Don't you dare think about It you old cu-" He began, but the hatchet spoke louder, digging into his chest and knocking him onto his back. The blood poured out and the blade dug in deep, finding its mark. As he began to fade away, only to once more wake in this never-ending hellscapes, slowly, Jeff looked over and saw Joey. For the first time ever, he swore one of the killers was scared…
Sheathing her axe, the Huntress slowly knelt down and felt a big grin spreading over her face. Hope looked up from where she was sitting and let out a confused, frightened garble. The Huntress' smile didn't falter as she slowly reached in and picked up the baby. The girl shivered and squirmed nervously, and the Huntress held her closer, rocking her slightly as she began to hum her lullaby once more. Despite the calming aura of the song, it didn't seem to help that much, as Hope kept squirming and whimpering.
"Hey, I don't think we're supposed to take her." Joey said, stepping in front of the Huntress. "Look, I don't know if we should put her on a hook or-GRK." Joey's words were cut off as the Huntress grabbed him by the throat with one hand and lifted him up, beginning to strangle him as a fiery hatred blazed in her eyes. She felt her hand tighten, and his neck begin to crack, when suddenly a black tendril lurched from the ground and sliced across her arm. Shrieking in shock and pain, the Huntress stumbled back, releasing Joey and letting him gasp for air.
"What the hell-" He gasped.
"Оставлять. Ему." The Huntress heard a voice speaking in her head, giving her an order that she feared death would be a punishment if she did not obey, and she nodded like a scared child. Hope whimpered and began to cry in fear at what had just happened as well as the loud noises going on around her. Joey wasn't exactly the kind of man one would call 'compassionate' but he felt bad for the baby. This was sick, even for him. A baby shouldn't be here, and especially shouldn't be in the arms of someone who was just smashing skulls open with an axe. But should they be in the arms of someone who stabbed people with a knife? Well, if he got them, maybe Susie could look after them…?
"Look, put her down and-" Joey began, gripping his knife. He didn't like his odds against the Huntress, but he was faster.
"I will not protect you a second time." The voice spoke now to Joey in his mind. Joey considered his options, looking to the Huntress, who's body langauge was that of a protective Mother holding her child. There was anger in her eyes, and she was ready, willing and definitely able to kill to get what she wanted. He considered his options, where he could strike before the axe or whatever had spoken to him struck him. All around him the ground was cracking as the world seemed to be falling apart, and the dreadful realization that he had to act now was becoming all the more apparent. Despite his better instincts telling him not to be a coward, to stand and fight, he simply turned and ran towards the darkness. As he fled, a feeling of bitter shame following him. The Entity was displeased with his performance in the trial, that much was obvious, but he had never heard it speak to him before now… at least, he assumed that thing was the Entity. Was it cowardly to not stand and fight for the child's safety? Why should he care? It wasn't his kid, so he didn't feel like he needed to go out of his way to protect her. But at the same time… It was a baby.
As the world continued to shatter and fall into ruin, the Huntress walked off, eventually entering the eternal field where the Killers would find themselves after a trial. She walked slower than normal, and didn't brandish her axe like she normally would. Her attention was fixed on the precious little baby in her arms. An adorable little girl, the cutest she had ever seen!
Entering her cabin, the Huntress felt a warmth and joy she hadn't experienced in what possibly could've been decades. She didn't know when the thing in the sky found her, all she knew was she had been hunting for so long. But now, she had what she had been craving for so long. Here it was, finally in her arms! Sitting in a soft chair, she held the bundle up and beamed ear-to-ear at it, letting out a soft coo, which Hope seemed to reply with a timid garble of her own, before shivering. The child was shivering! No, this would never do. Anna pulled a blanket over, draping herself and the newborn in its thick, wooly warmth. She began to rock the chair lightly to try and calm the little one further. As she soothed the baby, her eyes flickered to a corner where a cage and series of cuffs and chains were latched to the wall, and her gaze fell back to the baby. After about two seconds of consideration, Anna shook her head. There was, and would not be any need to cage or chain the precious little bundle snuggled in her arms. She was so little, so young, she couldn't possibly flee from her, now could she?
Perhaps it was the movement of the chair, perhaps the warmth of the fire, blanket and the woman holding her, or perhaps something else. But whatever it was, the little girl in her arms did gradually calm, snuggling up to the protective embrace of the Huntress. The Killer smiled warmly, feeling content and happy at last.
For the first time since arriving, Claudette Morel was truly inconsolable. She was an absolute mess, crying hysterically one moment and threatening to snap and attack anyone who came near with the ferocity of the Twins the next. Everyone knew this wasn't her, everyone knew she was upset… they all were.
"So… the Huntress took her." Ash quietly remarked, for the fifth or sixth time, he was still struggling to figure out what had happened and how. The four survivors had recounted their story time and again, and Claudette had run off into the fog (along with w few others) desperately hoping to find Hope somewhere, scared but at least with them. But that wasn't the case.
"Yeah- but… it's weird, y'know? I think she was acting against the thing keeping us here." Tapp moaned, alive again, but still in immeasurable pain. "Look, they can kill us, but… that seemed different. I don't know how to explain it beyond that…"
"The Huntress was after Hope, for some reason." David said quietly. He felt pissed. He was furious at the killers for taking a baby, but he was more so angry, and disappointed at himself. He should've been there to help! But he was the first to die. No matter how many times Jake or Kate tried to reassure him, the anger was still smoldering. Even Yun-Jin seemed more compassionate than normal. Sure, she hadn't been the most affectionate to Hope, but she never wanted THIS to happen!
"But not just that. She fought him." Tapp groaned, looking with the utmost seriousness in his eyes at David. "I've never seen the Killers attack one another. Work together, yeah, but not… not that!"
"What…?"
"He's right." Jeff nodded, his voice broken and hollow. He seemed almost shell-shocked upon returning. There was a haunted expression and tone to his voice that was only comparable to when a survivor first arrived in the fog. "The Legion seemed ready to back off, but the Huntress attacked them. She fought them to try to get to us. I've never seen that happen before."
The group sat in horrified silence, trying to think about what the next course of action was, when the silence was broken by Dwight remarking on something most peculiar.
"Her stuff isn't here…"
The Trapper was pulled from his sleep by panicked knocking at the door. He snarled, pulling his mask on and grabbing his cleaver. Once or twice a survivor had somehow ended up here and he'd simply cut their head off and called it a night. Throwing the door open, he raised his weapon, and-
"WAITWAITWAIT!" He paused, annoyed to see one of the Legion's members standing before him.
"What do you want." He snarled, his metallic-mask making his deep voice tinge and drip with contempt for the one standing before him. Susie cowered back, afraid to say anything, but knew she had to. She was terrified of the Trapper, yes, everyone was… even Frank was unnerved by his towering visage, not that he'd admit to it…
"Sh-she has her…" Susie whimpered. The Trapper slammed the door to his cabin in her face. He had no idea what this kid was talking about, and frankly, he couldn't possibly care less if the tired- "The Huntress has the little girl!"
There was a long, tense silence, and finally, the door opened again. "What."
"She- I- Joey-" She sputtered, but knew she had only a few moments before the Trapper would tell her to go. "Joey was in a trial. He saw the Huntress… he saw her kill all of them, then take the little baby…"
Honestly, for the first time since being claimed by the Entity, Evan wasn't sure what to do or say. He looked through his mask at one of the Legion's members before finally finding his voice. "All right. Why are you telling me this?" He asked, as bluntly as a bear trap that needed sharpened.
"Um, I don't know what to do, and- and I wasn't sure who to go to. The one with the chainsaw and the one with the bell don't talk. Maybe you can talk to her?" Susie said, the awkwardness and hesitation palpable in every word she spoke. "I just- I don't want her to hurt the baby!"
"Why me?"
"From what I've figured you're the killer who's been here the longest… and you're also one who Frank hasn't pissed off yet. I was gonna go to Caleb or even the Trickster, but both hate Frank and I'm scared they'll ignore me-"
"Frank's a pathetic weakling, and I don't care for him in the slightest." The Trapper cut in, making it clear he wasn't a fan either. This only made Susie talk more frantically.
"PLEASE! I know you don't like us, or anyone, but I don't want the little girl being hurt! I don't know who else to go to! The Pig and that woman who throws up probably wouldn't be able to take her on, or would hurt the baby as well. The giant one with the big staff doesn't speak English, the one with the giant sword doesn't seem to listen to anyone… I just- I'm out of options!"
"No, you're not." The Trapper scowled, really not wanting to get dragged into this… "Why not, Billy, or the Nurse? Why not-"
"Because you're the only one I can trust to do this without hurting the little girl!" Susie was outright begging now, and it was clear she didn't wanna be here in the first place. The Trapper's hand was on the door to slam it shut, but for some frustrating reason, he hadn't done the sensible thing and shut the door yet.
"We've slaughtered how many in service to the Entity?" The Trapper finally asked, his tone cold and sharp. Anger seemed to coat his words as if that would give them more edge as he spoke them. "And this is where you decide you need to do something? Because some baby ends up here?"
"Y-yes!" Susie squeaked, her determination to see the baby unharmed keeping her going even when the realization of whom she had to turn to was devouring that hope faster than Julie cleaning off a box of barbecue wings… Evan genuinely wasn't sure what to say or do. The two just remained silent for a full two minutes until he heard what he swore was crying. "Please… I'll do anything." She begged in a hushed whisper. Growling, the Trapper finally conceded with a nod.
"If you speak a word of this to anyone, I will force you into my traps, limb-by-limb before closing one around your face. UNDERSTAND?"
"Y-yes! Thank you! I mean- No- I mean, yes! I-" The door was shut in her face, and the Trapper groaned in annoyance while Susie nodded and hurried off, back into the fog.
Evan McMillian wasn't exactly what one would call a 'nice man' or even a 'decent person'. He had been raised to be loyal, strong, and intimidating when need be. He wasn't someone who had many friends, and even fewer people who he would say he genuinely liked. He'd long since given up trying to keep track of how long he'd been in this place, and long since given up trying to keep track of how many people he'd killed. Both in life and in service of the Entity. So WHY was this making him question what he needed to do? He knew why. He'd be a fool if he denied it. It was drudging up memories from when he and his Father ran the estate. There was one incident in particular that always stood out to him. Both as a reminder of how cruel the world could be, and how some people had no limits to their depravity.
It was also one of the only times his Father did something that would be considered 'truly good'.
The meeting had been dull, the usual drabble of people attempting to weasel their way into his family's lifeblood, trying to take control of what wasn't theirs. He had felt bored, and angry. But then one of the workers suggested using migrant children to help in the mines. To excavate and remove rubble so the others could keep mining, saying something along the lines of 'if they don't make it back, it won't matter that much.' The silence had been chilling, and then his Father had beaten the man within an inch of his life. Several teeth were lost, his jaw fractured, his head suffering blunt force trauma, it was a miracle he had lived. Even though Evan and admittedly, almost everyone present, had wished his Father simply kept going until the man no longer moved.
Granted, Archie was a violent bastard, and would beat workers on the regular, but when Evan had worked up the interest and/or courage to ask why this had angered him, his Father had simply told him: "It was bad for business." to involve children in the mines. Evan had reason to believe it had more to do with the potential legal ramifications, but he hadn't pressed his Father further.
Did that mean he liked children? No, not really. They were annoying, loud often incompetent messes that on the rare occasions he had to deal with left him with a headache and didn't let him get any work done. But did that mean he would kill one? He wasn't sure, and to be honest, he didn't really want to find out. It was easier that way… but now, he felt like he had to do something. That baby… did it have a name? He didn't know. The Huntress had it, and while he never understood why she seemed so obsessed with it, the Trapper didn't know if he was able to just ignore that. But what was he supposed to do?
"Damn it all." He growled. This was a problem he hadn't encountered before. The Entity was powerful, this much was so obvious daring to say otherwise was pure lunacy. But would it have an issue with him trying to stop another Killer like this? Taking something from them? In the past, when that idiot Olsen had tried to take a bear trap, the Trapper had beaten him so badly the Entity had to pull him off. But this felt different, and it was that feeling of unease and unknowing that Evan absolutely hated. Yes, he could, and would make his own choices, and no one but his Father could even TRY to tell him otherwise,
A sickening squelching sound came from above, and initially he thought the Entity was calling upon him for… something, but instead he saw the bulb-shaped head of the abomination called 'The Demogorgon' staring down at it, seemingly able to tell where he was without eyes.
"What do you want." The Trapper snarled. "Max isn't here." The creature let out a low whine, then vanished back into the disgusting hole it appeared from. Of all the killers he'd met, that one always confused him. It was more animalistic than any of the other killers, and yet Max had forged some sort of semi-bond with it, to the point where it would seek him out…
The Huntress was upset, frightened even… the little one hadn't eaten a thing yet! She had tried a few different meals, but she didn't seem interested in them. At first, the Huntress had actually been a bit angry, but that anger shifted to fear. She wouldn't lose another one. She couldn't. She wouldn't. Not after she'd been waiting so long to find another one!
There was a soft rustling, and she looked around, seeing a basket having appeared. Slowly, she approached it, a hatchet in one hand in case this was a trick… but when she opened it, she saw a blanket, some bottles with white liquid and some small bags she couldn't recognize, as well as what looked like small white pouches, similar to the one the baby was wearing. The Huntress picked up one of the bottles, it looked like… hm… The bottle was glass, and it had an odd top to it, but inside was a semi-warm white liquid. Sniffing the top, she realized it was milk. She blinked, then saw the baby reaching for it. Smiling, she sat with Hope on her lap, and held the bottle up, the little girl beginning to suckle on the top as she drank her fill. Relief washed over the Huntress as Anna watched her newest daughter hungrily suckle away on the bottle. Her humming resumed as she rocked the chair lightly, only stopping when Hope pulled away from the bottle. Putting her to her shoulder, Anna patted her back until the baby burped, and looked up at her. There was confusion, maybe due to her mask… but then there was also adoration, and an adorable child-like innocence in her shining eyes. To Anna, it made her want to hug her, to protect her, to keep her by the fire and give this innocent flower the world, like how her Mother had been so wonderful to her! Sighing, she thanked whatever force had brought these two together, and silently preyed nothing would ever take them apart…
It knew its duty.
It always knew.
It knew what called upon it.
It knew whom would call to it loudest.
It did its job, and it would prepare for the long rest.
It did what it was supposed to.
But this… was different.
Something was calling it, something was calling out for it. Did it want to be found? Did someone require atonement and would seek it? If so, it would deliver it upon them. That was its duty.
Picking up its blade, it began to drag it behind it as it lumbered off into the shadows. It was time to atone, and it was time to kill. There was that glint again, a glint it didn't understand… perhaps soon, its task would become clear once more. If it was to make those here atone for their regrets and sins, it would do so.
Yeah, yeah, I know. I've been using a lot of the same killers for the past few chapters, but trust me. Now that things are rolling, LOTS more will be showing up!
Just in case anyone was curious where we are in terms of killers and survivors, Mikaela Reid is the most recent survivor and the Trickster is the most recent killer (with Yun-Jin Lee as well) at this point, the first Resident Evil chapter hasn't happened yet. I'm playing a bit loose with the characters' appearance order.
Oh, and a certain angel to some and demon to others has arrived as well, but has yet to fully reveal himself aside from visiting a familiar face…
Also, NIC CAGE AND ALIEN. YES. SO. MUCH. YES.