Ace had always done his best to maintain a smooth and suave persona, to be a modest man with class and tact which would be further enhanced by his sharp tongue. And, of course, his good looks. But for the first time in his entire life, he could feel his mask begin to slip.

As the fog faded, Ace looked around slowly, calculative, attempting to wrap his head around what he'd just witnessed and why it happened. How could he suddenly be in one place and then another? All at the whim of some fog? His eyes scoured all around the new surroundings, searching for the fog machines or the campfire or any indication that it was something other than reality bending magic. As he took a step forward, Ace realized perhaps things really were what they seemed.

There were indeed tricks up the sleeve of that great, wide universe.

Rather than coil up in fear and loathing of the unknown, he decided to embrace it. Ace began squishing through the muddy soil beneath his feet, roaming in, what he quickly determined to be, a swamp. Cattails and tall grass grazed his tweed coat. The moisture was nearly tangible in the air. An overwhelming marshy scent invaded his nostrils. None of those were keen on his senses before, leaving him truly convinced that he was somewhere far from that campfire- far from his home, too.

Once he successfully emerged from the thickness of the swamp, he was welcomed with a rather open area, that of which was littered with random yet interesting structures. The one that stood out the most to him was a steamboat protruding from the swampy landscape. Which left him perplexed as there was clearly no water in sight, though he soon realized the boat was glaringly abandoned, making things only slightly less weird.

In front of Ace was a sizable log. He braced his hand on the bark and was about to hop over it when he heard the unmistakable sound of running footsteps, however they were muted given the pliable mud. He turned to the left, looking in the direction where he heard them, feeling his skin heat up as they started to roared louder and louder until!-

It was Nea. She was breathing heavily and running frantically, yet still managed to have the most offensively disappointed reaction when her eyes locked onto Ace.

Ignoring the throbbing desire to taunt her, he instead watched her hastily approach him with a sense of worry. "Is everything oka-"

"Get down," She told him, sliding through the mud until she slipped right beside him. Her hand went to his upper back and roughly pushed down, making Ace crumble to his knees. She was a strong one.

"Wha-"

"Shut. Up." She whispered sternly. Her hand moved from his back and went to his chest, pushing him flush against the log, both of them nearly one with the bark.

They were engulfed in tension. Ace had hardly a shred of understanding to help quell his anxiety. When the distant sound of slow approaching footsteps faded in, he felt a pit of fear open in his gut. The steps were squelchy in the mud. They sounded… Deliberate. And they drew closer in an agonizing way that nearly set his chest on fire. His fight or flight was setting in, though he reacted on neither. Nea had the right idea in hiding. So he stayed there with her, hearing the danger close in on them, hoping that it didn't discover their hiding spot.

Nea carefully turned her head to look at Ace. There was no evidence of fear on his features, but she knew he must've had one Hell of a poker face. The hand she had pressed against his chest stopped moving up and down. She too held her breath, hearing the footsteps approach the opposite side of the log in which they occupied.

A chill ripped down both of their spines. She could feel her skin bristle against the bark. Ace's head felt airy from holding his breath. There was a strange euphoria between the lines of danger, where he found himself both excited and terrified. There was no denying that he was a thrill seeker and enjoyed those sensations, but he might've met his match.

A strange gurgling emerged from the wet plodding sounds. It was like someone constantly humming whilst having a phlegmy throat, a few rogue hisses slipping through the air here and there.

Whatever it was, it was right behind them.

Nea shut her eyes. She hadn't seen the thing, only heard that gurgling noise almost as soon as the fog faded. With everything that she'd witnessed in the last trial, Nea wasn't taking her chances. She bolted and ended up with Ace, but that thing tracked her.

Now there they were, huddled and stiff as statues, helpless to the images their minds conjured of the sinister thing just beyond their hiding spot.

The noise shifted.

A scratchy, squelchy sound in three separate parts could be heard.

Then, it was all gone.

Nea felt her hand move down as Ace's chest deflated. She peeled it off of him, ignoring the urge to wipe away any cooties she'd contracted from merely touching him.

He looked over at her. "Is it gone?" He whispered. Nea scoffed.

"You check," She said.

Craning his neck, Ace slowly rose and kept his eyes trained on the other side of the log. When he was finally at full posture, he allowed a relieved sigh to escape him. He gestured for Nea to stand.

"Clear," He muttered. But as Nea got up, she pointed at something on the other side.

"What's that?"

Etched clearly in the soil was a triangle. It looked harmless, yet a dark energy rippled from it. Nea's stomach curled and lurched uncomfortably. Ace adjusted his glasses smoothly, not appearing perturbed.

In fact, he chuckled. "What the Hell is that?"

Nea glared at him. "You won't be laughing soon. Be glad it didn't see us. And don't fucking touch that," She said, pointing at the symbol in the mud. "I don't trust whatever… That is."

A slight smile remained on his lips. "What do you mean by 'it'?"

"You wasted your chance to understand by calling us druggie lunatics," She told him judgmentally before starting to walk off. "C'mon asshole, we've got work to do."

The first thing Dwight did was exhaustedly look down at his feet as the fog faded, having the displeasure of seeing his shoes nearly consumed by mud. When he looked up, the disappointment only continued to flourish.

A swamp.

For the first time, it appeared that the environment just might work against them. The only other contender was the farm, but Dwight quickly assured himself that he would prefer that over whatever marshy Hell they were in.

It is what it is, he thought, then began walking in an unknown direction in the hopes of finding a generator. He wasn't roaming aimless for long. The low chugging of a generator drifted by his ears almost immediately. Like a moth to a light, he listlessly tracked down where it was.

When he saw that it was Meg who was working on it, Dwight felt his heart brighten despite the ever invading darkness around them.

He instinctually noted that there seemed to be some sort of pier or docks beside them, though he didn't really take the time to question why, given the fact that there were no bodies of water within sight. Instead he continued over to her, paying it no mind.

They smiled at each other, but of course, it never quite met their eyes.

"Hey," She sighed, eyeing him as he kneeled and snuck his dirty hands in the main chamber. He glanced at her, copying her sigh.

"Heyyy…" He said awkwardly, which was not abnormal to him, as he was painstakingly self aware of his inability to behave normally. But Meg didn't seem to mind. She never really did. And that always made him feel better.

"I miss them," Meg solemnly said while fiddling with the wiring. A few sparks fell toward the ground. "It… it doesn't even… feel real."

She wanted to cry but couldn't do it. She had already exhausted her tears. The numbness was setting in.

"I know." He nodded in agreement. Then his face drew grim and nervous. "Can I talk to you… about something?"

Meg sucked in a quick breath, a shot of anxiety striking in her core. No matter the circumstances, hearing that question always made her nervous.

"Yeah, what's up?" The generator thumped, halfway to completion. Her eyes flashed between the wires and him, eager to hear what he was going to say.

Dwight swallowed hard, keeping his gaze on his own hands as he cleared the internal blockages of the generator. "I have done my best to keep the team together, to keep us safe and to make the right calls. Not saying I've done a good job but-"

"You have, Dwight. You've done great- In my opinion," She told him sincerely before gesturing toward him. "Anyway, sorry, continue."

A short, breathy laugh fell from his lips. "Well, thank you. But ah… Yeah… I just can't help but feel like as we lost them… lost Jake and Claudette… It has made me realize something."

Invested in the conversation, Meg's hands fell away from the generator. She looked at him curiously, seriousness settling in her tired eyes.

"And… what's that?" She said quietly, unconsciously leaning in a little. His eyes stayed on the generator for a few seconds, until he too uncoiled his hands from it and placed them on his thighs in a contemplative way. Then, he moved his dark eyes to look at her.

"I'm really scared, Meg. I'm scared because I don't want that to happen to you." He said it to her so softly yet with so much conviction and fear- just so many raw emotions- that it hit her right in the gut. Her face flushed. Her fingers tingled with electricity and it zipped all across her skin. She blinked a few times, trying to give herself a moment to replay his words in her mind.

Eventually she shook her head. "I'm scared too."

"You are?"

She nodded slowly, "Yeah. Yeah, I am. I don't want to lose you. I know that Nea is here, and- and Ace but… It sorta feels like you're all I have."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Exactly," He said softly, gaze intensely joined with hers. Slowly, Meg watched his hand snake toward her, where he then gently held hers. "What I want to say is… I…" He looked down at their hands. "I know that I have done my best for the team but with watching people die and get replaced… I just want to focus on you. I want to make sure that we get out. Even if…"

His eyes went back up, locking onto hers. "Even if we have to do things that don't really… benefit the entire team."

For a moment, the only sounds came from the generator, thumping loudly at its halfway point. There was a tension between them- a rather palpable one. They stared at each other for what felt like ages and it wasn't until Meg took a deep breath that she finally decided on what to say.

"Okay." Was all that found its way out. Though it was only one word, it was enough confirmation for him. He could see it in her eyes. She felt the same.

Dwight nodded, "Okay."

At face value, they both knew it was wrong. The pact would work within reason, it wasn't like they were going to go around sacrificing their allies at every given chance. But if it came down to someone else and Dwight, Meg knew exactly where her vote would go. And deep down, she didn't feel sorry for that. In fact, it made her feel safer. To know that he was there and operating within her best interest, it felt amazing.

In the end, Meg smiled. He did too. Still hand in hand, they sat there quietly while reveling in the mutual need for one another. Even in the midst of an ultimate terror, there could be some shred of happiness found.

Meg looked at their linked hands, then up to Dwight. She saw a light shade of pink flush into his cheeks like two gentle flowers blossoming right above his jawline. There was something about him. He was so different from all the men she'd ever encountered in her life. He was like the perfect mixture of sweet and bitter, an exquisite blend that left her intrigued in all the right ways.

Before she could reason with herself, Meg tugged on his hand. She watched in excitement as his face reddened even more, his body angling toward her as it moved in. His eyes flicked all around, as did hers, each taking in one another's features. He came so close that she could feel his breath hit her chin and glide down to her bloodstained neck, a sensation typically normal but one that meant everything in a moment like that.

She could see every little freckle on the bridge of his nose, even tiny little cracks in his glasses, likely caused by the turmoils of those trials. But none of that mattered. It was her and him, even in the middle of potential danger.

His lips. His lips were right there.

Meg inched closer-

Dwight's arms were around her. Then they grew tight, way too tight. And it wasn't because they finally were locked in the kiss that she so greatly desired.

Completely tearing them from the fiery moment, he lunged backwards with her wrapped against him, both slapping right into the mud.

"What?!-" She exclaimed before his hand covered her mouth.

"Shhhh," He quieted her shakily, pulling his hand away in order to point at the structure ahead of them. It took Meg a moment, but she saw something… A shadow moving around, obscured by the dilapidated wooden pillars and planks. There was a chance that it could've been Nea or Ace, but they weren't banking on it. So they laid there in the mud, carefully watching.

For what felt like an eternity, they stayed zeroed in on whatever was moving about the docks, until it eventually left and no more movement was visible to the two. They waited a little longer before paranoidly looking at each other.

Most of their… pleasurable… tension had been wiped away by the frightening moment, but some remained. As they sat up, all dirty and wet with mud, they continued to hold onto each other's gazes. The searing feeling in Meg's heart faded, somewhat removing the veil of thrill from her eyes.

"I'm sorry," She said embarrassedly as she peered down at her lap.

"For what?" He asked her in a similar tone.

She ran a hand through her hair. "I- I shouldn't have…"

He bumped his shoulder into hers playfully, though his face was devoid of any such giddiness. "It's okay. I guess, y'know, if we might die soon… why not enjoy our time together?"

Her eyes shut tightly, pained wrinkles forming around her sockets. "I know…"

Dwight leaned in. "... But?"

She glanced at him, lips pulling into a frown. "I don't- I just- There's… there's something wrong with me…"

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to overwhelm you or anything-"

"No-" She said, putting a hand up, before placing it over her eyes exhaustedly. "No. It's not anything to do with you. It's all me. I have a tendency to just… take things too fast, I guess. And I don't want to do that and hurt myself, especially in this place."

He didn't say anything, so she continued. "One second things can be the way they are, which isn't great but at least we are alive, and then the next second I could be watching you die and then you're just another person who I've lost. I don't want to over complicate things… I just get really carried away and I don't know why."

She could feel his sigh drift down her arm.

"This sounds like it's not your first rodeo."

Her hand fell away as she glanced at him, head shaking slightly. "No. No it's not."

As their eyes met again, he looked around her face thoughtfully, his big brown eyes managing to comfort her without even needing to do anything.

"Let's get through this one, then maybe we can talk at the fire. Okay?"

She nodded gratefully. "Okay."

They stood up together but were immediately plunged in confusion when they noticed the generator was barely pumping at one piston.

"What the fuck?" Meg muttered under her breath as she approached it, cranking the lever down. "I don't understand, why is it regressing?"

Dwight pulled the lever too, watching the piston continue to slow. "No idea. Maybe there's something wrong with this one."

They didn't debate the matter long as they got right back to work.

When the generator popped without any further disturbances, Dwight and Meg stood together.

"Maybe we should check this thing out, see if there's any chests in there," He offered, pointing at the docks where the mysterious shadow had just been. Meg made a face at the idea.

"I don't know…"

"I mean it's gone, whoever or whatever it was."

She shrugged, "Alright."

They went to the left side of its stretched length, carefully stepping onto the first rickety planks. There were scattered wooden crates and a single pallet, but nothing else of interest. However in the center of the walkway was a cut out where a ramp led down to the underside of the pier. When it was determined nothing could be salvaged from the contents of the upper side, Dwight led her toward the ramp. Together, they descended. Before they reached the end, Dwight paused.

At his feet was a triangle drawn in the soil. "What's that-"

Just like that, something shot out from the mud with a frightening and shrill scream. Dwight's glasses were left caked with mud, and before he could even process what was happening nor attempt to clean his lenses, the hot and painful sensation of a slash ripped right across his chest.

Meg screamed, hardly being able to see around Dwight, yet seeing enough to know that it had found them.

With all her strength, Meg grabbed Dwight by the hand and hauled him back up the ramp where they picked up speed pretty quick, exiting the pier frantically.

"Run! Run!" She panted. They couldn't get away like they usually did. The muddy ground hindered them, ramping up their desperation tenfold.

Dwight haphazardly wiped the gunk from his glasses as best he could, finally being able to see clearly, though there was only tall grass all around them so it was useless. Their faces were whipped by it as they continued to run, hand in hand.

They made it into an opening where Meg spotted a few lines of crates that they could hide out at. She led him over to them, but skidded to a halt when she realized one of those symbols was scratched into the ground right by a pallet in the center of the crate cluster.

"Shit," She huffed. They started taking steps backwards when Meg watched her foot plant smack in the middle of yet another triangle symbol. Her breath hitched as she looked down at it in shock, then up to Dwight. Reacting quickly, she flung herself off of it just in time.

Sprung from the literal mud was a grotesque figure, emerging from where the symbol had been. Its back was hunched and exhibited jagged points that were indiscernible as neither bone nor skin. It looked almost skeletal with only a thin layer of rough, barky flesh draped over its frail bones. The right hand of it was lankier and carried longer fingers than the other, each joint cracking as the sharp talons flexed in an animalistic manner. Then, there was its face. A thin and wickedly frail structure allowed for its dagger-like teeth to really protrude. What once may have been dreadlocks were now stiff in a cone shape, branching away from the crown of the creature's skull. And its eyes were either so black and beady they could hardly be seen, or it simply did not possess any.

Meg wanted to scream hysterically at the sight of their newest foe, because this one was certainly the most terrifying to look at. She quickly became caked in mud through the effort of trying to get as far away from it as she could. But Meg didn't make it far. Her movements were lethargic, muscles tired. It felt like trying to run in water. Her limbs were so slippery that she couldn't even stand from the mud.

She turned onto her back, wanting to at least see what was going on around her. Much to her horror, the dreaded thing was nearing her. Its stride was sloppy looking, like it did its best to fling its limbs around in order to move. It was startling to watch, a disturbed swell of near nausea sifting through her gut.

Her eyes widened when it was stopping by her feet, and it pulled back its right hand, the one which was far more lethal with its extended and sharpened claws.

But before it could slash down, the thing twisted in on itself, wrapping its arms around its frail body before screwing straight into the ground, in a mere second, until it was completely gone as if it had never been there.

Just as it disappeared, Meg's eyes adjusted to what was now visible, which was Dwight who was standing by the pallet they'd tried hiding at before. His foot was firmly on the symbol there. She watched him take a step back so the pallet was between him and it, so when that ragged monster jumped from the soil he immediately slammed the pallet down. The thing staggered from the hit but quickly recovered.

"Run Meg! Find them!" Dwight yelled at her while trying to stay within the vicinity of the monster so he could keep her trained on him, giving Meg the chance to escape. Her heart lurched. She didn't want to leave him but she knew it had to happen.

She hastily nodded in his direction. Then she peeled herself from the ground and started moving away from the scene, taking one last look over her shoulder to make sure he was okay. But they were already gone, so all that was left to do was hope to God that he was going to make it out with her.

Otherwise, Meg didn't know if she could make it alone.