Nea was still out cold when they got back to the fire. They draped her against one of the logs, choosing to let her get some rest rather than force her awake. Meg understood the pricelessness of sleep; it was their only form of escape. She didn't want to rip that pleasantry away from Nea, it would feel like committing a felony crime to do so.

They gave her some space to enjoy her brief slumber, coming to sit beside one another at the opposite log. As Meg sank meekly into the dirt, she couldn't help but recognize that familiar emptiness permeating within her. They lost another one. It wouldn't be long until the next person came. She almost didn't even want to learn their names anymore. It'd make it hurt less.

Ace was a peculiar person, but if Meg had to be honest, she was a tad fond of him and his unwavering charisma. The way the trials had ruthlessly tore at the foundations of her sanity made it so that she couldn't fully appreciate him in their time spent together. Too busy surviving, struggling, pondering everything in between. Now she had some time to think about him. He was a light snuffed out by the misery.

She solemnly thought about his life outside. Maybe he had kids. Surely he had friends with that silver tongue. There were all those ex-wives, too. They probably didn't miss him but likely would never wish death upon him… or maybe they did. But the point remained the same: Someone out in that great big world loved him. But he was gone. Nothing but a memory, like dust whisked away by a breeze.

Meg put her hands over her eyes and pressed hard until the blackness behind her lids turned staticy. The guilt started to make her feel sick. She felt bad for simply being alive. It didn't feel like something to be grateful for anymore. In all actuality, it just felt like there was a clock ticking somewhere. It'd only be a matter of time before she was another corpse discarded on the mass grave. She was somewhere between dread and acceptance.

Dwight's arm carefully laid across the log just behind her neck, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder. It helped to pull her away from all the torment. She leaned into him, laying her head on his collar bone. Meg felt his chest tighten in response. He was too cute. Even with everything they'd been put through, he still dangled onto his innocent sense of humanity, enough to be nervous over a girl being close to him.

The yearning within her was nearly fatal. She wanted to be home. She wanted to get out of there with him. As she let her tired eyes fall onto the fire, she swallowed the emotional ball in her throat. Then, "I wish I could've met you back home. Like in the real world."

She could feel the muscles in his arm tense as he awkwardly coiled his hand.

"Me too…" He told her quietly.

"Do you miss your family?" She asked, suddenly realizing she didn't know much about Dwight and his life outside of the trials.

A dry chuckle fell from his lips as he adjusted his glasses. "Yeah, sort of."

"Really? Only sort of?"

"Yeah," He sighed, "It's just… I'm basically the black sheep of the family."

Meg nodded knowingly. "Do they play favorites with your siblings?"

He looked at her pointedly. "I'm an only child."

Her face fell. "Oh."

"Exactly…" He muttered. "What about you?"

Meg pursed her lips. She didn't even want to think about her mom, didn't want to utter a single word about her. The ache was bludgeoning her insides apart. Wondering what was going on at home was the most agonizing part. Her mom had no one to take care of her. No money to make payments on the medical bills. No one to make dinner or go shopping or do anything that needed done.

She bowed her head, trying to keep the tears inside her skull. "Just me and my mom."

Dwight sensed her change in tone. He sat up and leant forward a little so he could be in line with her face. "What's wrong?"

Meg wiped at the tears, they were unstoppable. She was so sick of weeping endlessly but she was caught in the cycle of tribulation, whether it be problems in the trials or problems with the life awaiting her outside of it. "She's sick. And she's all alone. I hope she doesn't think that I abandoned her. I hope she doesn't… doesn't-"

The sob that wracked through her body nearly tore her apart. The reality she'd been trying to suppress finally slammed into her full force.

"I don't want her… to- to die! Not when I'm not there!" Meg wailed helplessly. Dwight immediately wrapped his arms around her. Her fingers clawed at his back, holding on for dear life.

She couldn't handle it. All her adult life, Meg was just parading around as a responsible young woman when in reality she was just a kid forced to grow up and do big girl stuff. She never got to understand what it was like to live carelessly. She never had a time in her life where chores were the only problem to worry about. Her mom started getting the symptoms when Meg was only six. It was a couple days after the birthday party when she decided to go to the doctor for extreme fatigue and the headaches, then it was a spiral thereafter, one that they both succumbed to.

It was playing with dolls in her bedroom with the lingering thought of 'How can I make mommy feel better?', and it never got better from there, only worse. Slowly it became 'What's the best paying job I can get at fourteen?', 'Maybe if I stick to sports I can get a free ride to college', 'Actually, I have no time for college', 'Can I take out a loan for all the bills?'. It was never ending. Meg never had two seconds to just cry, to be coddled, to be protected from the pain, to be her. She wanted to be vulnerable and sensitive and taken care of but that was ripped away the day her mother was cursed with illness.

Meg didn't blame her. She blamed the universe, she blamed God. And now on top of the Earthly misery, there was this. There was the dark underbelly, the evil lurking and it decided to snatch her up instead of taking someone else who didn't have the great pain that she carried on her back. Her life could've been one massive Greek tragedy.

It wasn't supposed to be that way. But it was. It just was.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Dwight told her with utmost sincerity. Then he sniffled, as he too was brought to tears by the way she sounded so broken. His heart hurt for her. He had no idea that any of that was going on in her life. There were no words or thoughts of his that could really describe how much he pitied her situation. It was just so unfortunate.

"I'm going to get you back home, Meg. I promise. You're gonna see your mom again," He told her with determination laced through his words. Gently using his hands, he pulled her off of him so that they were face to face. They stared at each other longingly, tears wetting both their gazes. His head dipped down a little.

"Do you know what this means?" He asked pointedly. She shook her head, so he continued. "We need to find that metal door you were talking about."

Something ignited in Meg. Yes. Yes, they needed to work hard. They needed to do what they could to get out. It made her feel like they were making the right moves. Like maybe, just maybe, with enough investigating and pushing against the bounds, they'd actually get out of there. She wiped her tears away. He was right. She was going to get back home. She was going to see her mom again.

"Okay," She said with a determined nod. "Let's do it."

They stood together, facing the darkness. Meg went first. It was eerily quiet when being amongst the shadows. The cold ground tickled her feet, she was so used to the campfire's warmth. She couldn't help but feel the further she delved into the wilderness that it was somehow alive; One living organism which sensed someone had entered its bounds. The feeling of not belonging was so visceral that her mouth dried out from fear.

There was something in those woods. They already knew that but this time she could sense it.

When she was far enough out, she began revolving around the campfire, feeling and kicking with her feet in order to find the metal door. Dwight was right behind her, worrying more about keeping his eyes peeled for any danger.

By the time they'd tediously traveled a crescent around the fire, Meg finally knocked her sneaker into something hard. Her breath hitched. Please don't just be a rock. She leaned down and felt with her hands, landing them directly on top of cold metal. Bingo.

"Dwight, I found it! It's right here," Meg whispered in excitement. She blindly felt around, there being hardly any light with how far they strayed from the campfire.

"Okay, great, great…" He responded eagerly with an underlying urgency.

Her roaming hands finally graced over the protruding handle. Meg's fingers trembled with anticipation, her heart fluttering with the overbearing sensation of hope. This was something- It was a clue. It had to help them understand what was going on in one way or another.

She gripped the handle. A shuddered breath fell from her lips. The muscles in her arm constricted as she slowly lifted the door up. It was pretty heavy but she was far too desperate to allow it to slow her efforts. Her teeth grit together, pulling hard until the door was ajar. From the thin crack between it and the metallic frame, the rays of bright, bluish light poured outward.

Her jaw fell slack as she squinted, lifting more and more-

A distorted laugh slipped through the shadows around them. Without any further warning, the last thing Meg felt was the bludgeoning pain of something solid slamming into her head.

She plunged into darkness.

She twirled mascara through her lashes, having just finished applying a thin layer of cherry gloss on her lips. Meg wasn't normally a makeup wearing girl but that night was a special occasion. She figured it wouldn't hurt to get fancied up. There wasn't anything better to do anyway. Spring break had just begun so her days off were spent taking jogs and having casual outings with her friends or relaxing at home with her mom. It was nice. A pleasant break from the hustle and bustle of college life. Her classes were pretty good but no matter how easy going it was, some time off was always an appreciated reprieve.

The mascara tube was plugged back into its assigned slot within the little storage shelf sitting atop her vanity. Meg then made her way over to her closet, some shopping bags piled on the floor being evidence of her recent retail therapy. Her mother was pretty adamant about her not getting a part-time job in order for Meg to really focus on her studies, so the woman always did her best to pamper her daughter when she came home on breaks. Meg's wardrobe needed a refresh. Plus shopping with her mom was always fun. They had their ways of excusing dropping stupid amounts of money on clothing; There was no shame in their game.

"Meg! Honey!" Her mother called from downstairs. Meg quickly threw on a casual dress and clipped up her hair at the sides, leaving a few stray strands to frame her face, before jogging out to the stairway landing.

"Yeah?" A burnt smell drifted by her nostrils just as her mother came into view, looking both playful yet disappointed as she stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"So the casserole didn't go well. But-" From behind her back, she pulled out the menu to the local pizzeria. "There's nothing some pizza can't solve."

Meg smiled. "Ha, alright."

"I just ordered a cheese and a pepperoni. He likes pepperoni, right?" She asked, propping her hand against her hip.

"Yeah I don't think he's picky, especially not when it comes to pizza," Meg informed her mother while cocking her head thoughtfully, trying to remember if he'd ever mentioned what pizza toppings he preferred.

Ding. Ding.

Speak of the devil. Meg felt butterflies manifest in her stomach at the sound of the doorbell. Her mother offered a comforting smile as she noticed her daughter's face shift. Meg blinked away the subtle nervousness that had slipped across her features. She pinned a little, coy grin on her lips and headed downstairs, following her mother through the hallway until the woman diverged into the kitchen while Meg continued straight for the front door.

She stood in front of it, knowing that he could see her silhouette through the frosted glass, so she made her deep breath a rather quick one. There was no turning back.

Meg opened the door. He looked more nervous than she was whilst he awkwardly stood on her front porch.

"Hey," Dwight said through a shaky exhale. She looked him up and down, feeling a laugh push through her teeth at the sight of his attire. Normally he was a hoodie and jeans guy but that night it was dark, formal pants with a sage sweater which a white collar peeked out of.

"It's not 1950 anymore," She told him humorously, holding a hand over her mouth as she smiled like crazy, overwhelmed by her excitement of seeing him. The way his face fell made her want to crumble in a fit of laughter. He always loved acting offended.

With his hand pressed against his chest, "Is this how you always treat your guests?" They shared a chuckle, then he gathered himself a little, saying, "I didn't want your mom to think you were dating a greasy, dorm rat loser."

Meg rolled her eyes and took a baby step so that she was on the edge of the doorway, lending her a few inches over him. He looked up at her. The porch light poured tiny dots of light into his brown eyes. She couldn't tear her gaze away even if she tried. Meg would admit it, she was enamored.

"Fake it till you make it," She crooned with a wicked grin. Yet again, they shared a laugh though this one faded instantly. They were too consumed by their close proximity to engage in anything else but each other. Her body burned absolutely everywhere. They weren't quite official yet, so their relationship was still new, still fresh. And she loved it. They were on the brink of something really special. It felt like she… Well, she didn't want to get ahead of herself.

"I have something for you," He whispered. His breath tickled across her lips, agonizing her in the best way.

"Really?" She hadn't realized that his hand was behind his back until that point, at which time he brought it around to reveal a bouquet of flowers clutched within it. Her face lit up. They were the most perfect, red roses she'd ever seen. He reached forward and took her hand, guiding it to the stems and wrapped her fingers around it.

"Do I get a golden star sticker for that one?" He asked with a hopeful pout. There wasn't a single thing he couldn't turn into a joke.

"I think so, maybe even some brownie points…" She informed him while bouncing on her heels.

"Meg!" Her mother called from the hallway, startling them both out of their conversation. Meg turned around, giving clearance for Dwight to see inside the house. "Hi honey!" Her mother said sweetly when she saw him, then her face grew serious as her gaze settled back on Meg. "What are you doing? He's gonna freeze to death out there. C'mon!"

The woman beckoned for them eagerly, walking toward the front door. As they stepped inside, she toyed with the petals of the roses. "Jeez, aren't you just a little charmer?"

Meg glanced at Dwight out of the corner of her eye, giving him the 'I'm sorry' stare. He just smiled and returned his attention to her mother.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Thomas, I'm Dwight," He introduced himself. Then he extended his hand out, to which her mother shook it with a laugh.

"Oh God, you're too cute. Just call me Jen. I'm not actually Mrs. Thomas anymore but I can't lie, it's a better last name than my maiden one so I'm not keen on correcting people."

Meg covered her face with the roses embarrassingly. "Oh my gosh mom…"

"Whaaaat? I didn't even say anything bad!" Her mother whined.

"I agree," Dwight nodded. Her mom pointed at him.

"Keep that attitude up and you'll fit right in around here," She said, making Dwight laugh. Meg looked between them, feeling like an outlier.

Ding. Ding.

"Mom, that's probably the pizza," Meg said in response to the doorbell. Her mom reached in her pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill like it was a sword and she was going into battle. She walked by them and approached the door, giving Meg and moment to look at Dwight and roll her eyes in amusement over the exchange that'd just occurred. He shook his head whilst wearing a little smile that she yearned so badly to kiss, if only it weren't for the overbearing nature of her mother.

Speaking of, Meg leaned forward, peering past Dwight's shoulder to look at the front door and see how-

"M- Mom?" Meg said in pure, utter horror. The only thing she could see was her mother's back. The white blouse she'd been wearing was tainted by the deep crimson of blood. The end of a blade peeked through the torn flesh of her back, glinting in the hallway lights.

Meg was frozen in place. Her chest pumped up and down, throttled by fright. "Mom?!" She cried while standing in the middle of the hallway.

Her mother stumbled, turning around to face her daughter while twitching and coughing up blood, convulsing due to the unmanned blade that was stuck in her body. When they locked eyes, the woman opened her mouth to say something but a strangled breath floated through her teeth before she slammed down, nothing but a corpse lying on the hallway carpet.

Meg blinked. She stared at her mother's dead body on the ground until her eyes dragged upward, landing on the wide, blood splattered frame of the Trapper standing in the front doorway. The crooked grin of his mask… it… it taunted her. It called her name, it laughed at her misery- It wanted to devour her light, consume her soul, destroy her entire world.

Everything went dark. No mother, no Dwight. Just her and death.

He lunged into the house just as Meg darted down the hallway. She screamed in agony when her eyes confusedly scanned the impossibly long corridor that awaited her, like the hallway had stretched miles without her noticing. This was no longer her house, it was a cold labyrinth. It had the same makeup as her downstairs hallway but it was decayed by grime and blood. There was a maze of archways along the hall that led into other ones that looked nearly identical.

There was no thought process behind the lefts and rights she took, she was just trying to get away from him. Her wails echoed all around her deafeningly. Meg held her hands over her ears as she ran and ran and ran, but he only seemed to be gaining on her. His damning strides thumped louder, louder!

She drifted around a corner. At the end of the hall was a light. A heavenly, bright white light. It seemed impossibly far away but there was no reason not to try and reach it. Her heart was on the brink of exploding. Meg flew up the hall, seeing the light grow bigger as she neared.

But then something changed. She frantically looked around, hearing what could've been leaking water. The reality was far more sinister.

The walls were bleeding.

It started slow but quickly picked up speed, so much so that her feet were splashing in it. It was draining into the hallway at such an accelerated speed that she was becoming swamped by it. Everytime she blinked it was reaching a new height. Before Meg could comprehend what to do, she was forced to swim through its thickness. The light was so close but she couldn't move, she couldn't make it.

The last thing she saw was the ceiling, the blood climbing higher until Meg was consumed by darkness, choking on the taste of copper, suffocating agonizingly slow. Her lungs burned as her limbs shook, overridden by shock and panic.

Her body slowed. Her brain felt thick. It was getting quiet. She was sinking.

Drowning…

Drowning…

Drowning…

Her soul was ready to let go.

But then a hand grabbed onto hers. It yanked fiercely, pulling her up. Like an umbilical cord, a connection was made between her and the skin of the stranger that held onto Meg. It was familiar in a supernatural way. Like she was suddenly imbued with knowledge of them. She knew everything but nothing- Just hazy details in her mind that she stole from their subconsciousness.

Candle making. Stages, intimate crowds. Restless nights. Poetry and horror. Mysticism. The bitter taste of coffee on a quiet afternoon. And the dreams. The dreams that were actually nightmares- No- No actually, they were visions. Visions of another realm. The darkness that lurked just outside of the light.

It all went silent.

The hand thrusted her up one last time.

Meg breached the surface of the sea of blood.

She didn't see the light.

But she did see hope.