#queeneve writes

Quentin was well accustomed to a constant sense of exhaustion.  He took any moment to rest he could, staying wary of falling asleep and finding himself in another nightmare of Freddy’s creation.  While he hadn’t dealt with any nightmares at the campfire for countless trials, he wasn’t going to take any risks.  Not when the others needed him to be focused and prepared for every test of life and death.  The aches of being hooked and sacrificed was starting to become just as normal for him as insomnia was.  He sat against one of the logs by the fire, staring mindlessly into it as he dozed off.  

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he startled himself awake.  Did I fall asleep?  For how long?  He knew the others wouldn’t want to disturb him much at all if he ever fell asleep, trying to let him get as much rest as he could.  He moved to get up, feeling something incredibly fuzzy around him.  

Jake’s jacket was not something he expected to find draped on his shoulders.  Jake himself wasn’t too far away, and Quentin quickly noticed the way he cradled his arm.  He gently shook the survivalist, making sure not to accidentally hurt him more.  

“Hey, Jake, wake up.  Are you hurt badly?”

Jake blinked his eyes open, shifting to sit up.  

“No, it’s nothing bad.  It’ll heal by itself.”  

Quentin rubbed his eyes, looking around at the near empty campfire.   

“How long was I sleeping?”  

Jake shrugged.  

“Don’t know.  I got back and you were sleeping soundly.  Thought I’d just take a nap, too.”  

“And the jacket?”  

“Thought you’d need it more than me.”  

Quentin shook his head, taking the jacket off and handing it back to Jake.  Jake pushed it back to Quentin.  

“I don’t need it.  Keep it.”  

Quentin sighed, knowing this wasn’t a battle he was going to win.  

“At least let me patch you up, then.”  

Jake handed a medkit over to Quentin, turning to show the deep gash on his arm.  Quentin blinked at the wound, looking up to Jake.  

“This isn’t bad?”

“For me, no.”  

Another sigh, this time one in genuine annoyance came out of Quentin’s mouth.  

“I shouldn’t be surprised, should I?”  

“Nope.”  

Quentin took a deep breath, bandaging the gash after cleaning it up.  When he finished up, Jake simply rolled his shoulder.  

“Thanks.”  

“Yeah, no problem.  And, thanks for letting me keep the jacket.”  

Jake stood, patting Quentin’s shoulder.  

“It suits you.”  

Quentin blinked in surprise.  What is that supposed to mean?  He hid himself in the jacket in order to hide the redness of his cheeks.  

“Still, thanks.”  

Dwight had to adjust his vision to the darkness around him.  Trials always tended to be the same, but lately they were.. Different.  The areas became more and more simple, differences fading with each trial.  The survivors were surviving more and more, the more unwilling Killers simply letting them go, and more determined Killers finding their abilities weakening.  Dwight still feared failing, especially with how easy it was getting to survive.  He noticed his injuries staying consistently longer, his ability to simply sense the other survivors failing, and knew that the Entity’s ability to maintain it’s weird realm was failing.  

They were so close to escape, yet the pressure seemed to mount higher and higher.  This trial seemed to be near pitch black, with no moon in the sky or stars to guide their way.  Dwight had to keep himself from yelping when he bumped into someone else, praying it was a friendlier Killer like The Wraith.  

“Dwight, you okay?”

Jake’s voice made Dwight sigh in relief.  

“Yeah, I’m okay.  I just... can’t see.”

“Neither can I.  Stick close to me.”  

Dwight nodded once, staying close by to Jake as the survivalist took careful, premeditated steps in the darkness.  Something feels wrong.  

“MOVE!”  

Dwight was suddenly pushed forward, nearly falling to the ground.  He turned around with a jolt when he heard Jake cry in pain, only barely seeing the off-white of an expressionless mask.  He scrambled to action, running as far as he could.  Stupid!  He’s going to get himself killed for good!  

Dwight couldn’t see any of the telltale signs of any generators, and the walls seemed to… move?  He looked over his shoulder, seeing nothing close to him.  Michael was probably chasing after Jake, then.  Dwight took the opportunity to investigate the familiar brick wall, jumping backwards when it moved under his touch.  He quickly started to move bricks away, part of the wall collapsing away to reveal misty forests beyond.  

Generators weren’t needed to escape!  Dwight just had to find Jake, and they could make it.  They were so close!  

Jake bit down hard on the scarf, keeping himself quiet.  He didn’t need any further prompting to know that the Entity was failing, and the gash on his shoulder was very real and very painful.  If he was caught now, he was as good as dead.  As the Entity’s power slipped, it became harder and harder to actually tell where the Killer was, but Jake was far too skilled at keeping himself from being wiped from existence in any normal setting, human killer or not, to be found so easily.  The crows that rested near him didn’t have the faint, glowing red eyes he was used to seeing.  Didn’t he recognize some of these crows?  

The sound of footsteps interrupted him.  Stay still, don’t move.  Don’t let him find you and erase you.  Jake stayed still and quiet, even as blood poured down his coat.  This time, he knew, he could actually stifle the flow enough to not bleed in a crimson trail, all too easy to follow.  He didn’t need to see the tall figure at all to know when Michael walked away from him, not wasting any time in trying to find a target that would take far too long to find.  

He needed to find Dwight.  He hoped the leader was alright and staying hidden from Michael.  Jake was accustomed to surviving on his own, years of practice at his side.  As skilled as they all had become in the trials, Dwight was not as naturally silent as Jake was.  Jake moved to the wall for support, nearly falling when it didn’t support his weight at all.  

He could easily move the wall aside and head into the fog if he wanted.  Does Dwight know, too?  As much as his shoulder hurt, he wasn’t going to leave just yet.  The crows still seemed unafraid, and a sudden idea hit him.  

“Hey.  Go find Dwight.  My height, blood covered shirt, tie, glasses.”  

The bird seemed to tilt its head as it listened, before squawking and flying off.  It stayed clear in his sight, before circling overhead something in the distance.  Good bird.  He quietly walked towards it.  He froze when he saw overalls again, just barely in the darkness.  He better not have found Dwight.  

His heart leapt to his throat when he heard Dwight’s  cry of pain.  He wasted no time in running towards it, desperate to escape together.  Jake clearly spotted the multicolored tie, eyes quickly adjusted to night.  He grabbed Dwight’s hand and ran, dragging the other along towards the wall.  He had to ignore the heart wrenching whine, in favor of running further away from the Killer.  He ran through the wall itself, bricks clearly disappearing from sight.  He didn't dare look back, it would waste time running.  

In the thick fog of the forest, Jake allowed himself to slow down.  Dwight struggled to catch his breath, leaning against a tree.  

“Are you hurt?”  

“I-”

Snap!

The sudden snap of a tree branch interrupted them, making them listen closely to the footsteps approaching.  Dwight knew they were too heavy to be any survivor.  

“Jake!”  

Jake didn't need any more hints than the soft whine, grabbing Dwight’s hand again and leading him through the maze of trees.  Whether it was Michael or a different killer didn't matter.  When Dwight started to lag behind, Jake made sure to keep Dwight in front of him.  It was impossible to clearly tell, but Jake was sure he saw fresh blood on Dwight’s shirt.  No time to worry now, unless we both want to die.

The fog clearing was the only indication that they were still moving.  He wasn't sure if there were still footsteps behind him, but Jake didn't take chances like that.  

Suddenly, the treeline broke from it's monotony and the sun harshly shined down on them.  Jake stopped now to catch his breath, looking back to the forest and seeing a familiar, homely forest he knew he could navigate.  Where did all of the fog go?  He turned and took several steps forward, in pure disbelief.  He couldn't help the growing grin.  

“We actually escaped.  Dwight, we-”

THUD.

Jake turned around in an instant, joy being overridden by fear when he saw Dwight limp on the ground.  

“Dwight!?”

Dwight was struggling to breathe, pale from what Jake could only assume was blood loss.  Crimson pooled underneath them, pouring from his shoulder.  Jake tore the shirt away, wincing at the deep cut dangerously close to his neck.  How much blood has he lost so far?  I don't have time.  He took his scarf off quickly, holding Dwight in his arms as he pressed the fabric to the gash.  He hated the way Dwight winced and weakly cried out in pain.  

“Just hold on, we're going to be fine.”  

Dwight’s eyes fluttered, trying desperately to stay open.  

“J-Jake, I'm…  sorry...”

No!  Not here, not when they were so close!  

“Save your strength, Dwight.”  

Jake had to stay composed, or at least seem that way, for both of them.  If he panicked now, it would only make Dwight worse.  

“J-Jake, p-please..  I-I’m sorry… I let you down..”

“Dwight, stop talking.  You’ll be fine, we’ll get help.”  

He pressed his hand harder against the wound, feeling Dwight shudder.  

“Just hold on, Dwight.  Please.”  

Dwight’s head lolled back, strength quickly fading.  This can’t be happening now! 

“Dwight, listen to me.  Just focus on me and my voice.”  

The sudden pang of fear shot through his core when Dwight’s eyes closed and he fell limp.  

“Dwight!  Come on, just hold on a little longer!  DWIGHT!”  

He couldn’t hold back tears any longer as he slipped a glove off and held his other hand in front of Dwight’s mouth, feeling nothing at all.  Guilt, anger, and sadness crashed down on him.  I shouldn’t have left him alone!  This is my fault.  No, it’s his fault.  But Dwight’s still gone, for good.  

Nea didn’t usually lay back and relax after strenuous series of trials.  She found more than enough comfort being a pain in the ass to the Entity, marking every tree she could find and hunting down the Killer’s homes just to create trouble.  It was always her way of showing the Entity she wouldn’t stop rebelling against its rules, doing what she wanted instead of what it wanted.  

This time, however, she felt completely exhausted.  She wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep, but at the same time she knew it would lead to more of the Entity’s creations, as sleeping more often than not made her encounter the bloodweb.  She didn’t want to deal with anything of the Entity’s if she could help it, not right now.  

She idled her time in a corner of the woods, secluded enough from the campfire to enjoy her own peace and quiet.  The other survivors were just so loud sometimes, and she needed to keep her distance before she went insane.  If the circumstances were different, Nea knew she’d be able to find herself enjoying the solace.  

A gentle chirp interrupted her, and she looked up to find one of Jake’s crows staring down at her, not one of the Entity’s spies.  She couldn’t help but shake her head with an amused grin.  

“Get outta here, bird.”  

The bird squawked at her, flying down to land in front of her.  

“Go, shoo!  I know you can understand me.”  

Despite her waving at it to tell it to leave, the crow instead hopped closer, almost curious.  She took a deep breath, leaning her head back against the tree.  

“Alright, fine, you can stay.  Just don’t bite me, okay?”  

The bird squawked again, wandering closely beside her as she settled back in to relaxing.  She jumped when she felt the bird’s feet on her leg, attention focusing on it as it settled in to lay down on her upper leg.  

“Hey, I didn’t agree to this.”  

Despite her protest, the bird didn’t seem keen on moving.  Nea could only sigh, then shrugged slightly.  Oh, what the hell.  She picked the crow up and gently cradled it in one arm, gently petting it’s head with her other hand.  It was quickly lulled to sleep, comfortable in Nea’s grip.  A small smile grew on her face at seeing the animal so content.  No wonder Jake spends so much time with these things.  

Play dead.  

Jake had to muffle himself from screaming in sheer agony as Michael’s knife drove further into his chest, quickly being yanked out and then feeling himself thrown to the ground like an unwanted doll.  He lay still, listening to Michael’s footsteps and the heart still pounding in his chest.  He forced himself to crawl when Michael was far enough away, not caring where he crawled to so long as it was away from where he had been thrown aside.  

Jake winced at Laurie’s scream.  This trial was going awfully, and Jake’s main concern was surviving.  He pressed his hand against his chest, trying not to scream in pain as he bled over the asphalt road underneath him.  He wouldn't give up so easily, crawling forward despite the agonizing pain.  He didn't hear Dwight’s scream, but his attention was drawn to the hatch that opened up not far from him.  

He knew something was wrong, but he couldn't do anything about it now.  Michael would simply come back and kill him when he realized that Jake wasn't dead.  Jake dragged himself to the hatch, falling in just as Michael walked out of the house.  

He felt himself fall through air for a few moments before hitting solid ground.  He struggled to his feet, shaky and uncertain of his balance.  Getting back to the campfire was his main priority now.  He pushed himself through the pain, seeing the familiar light not too far from him.  Before breaking out of the treeline, he turned to head to Claudette’s corner of the woods.  Even if she's not there, she's got a lot of supplies I can use.  

Jake didn't know if it was better for her to be absent, part of him didn't want her to see him so injured, but there was hardly anyone more qualified to treat injuries.  Claudette sat in the hammock organizing a medkit together when she looked up and saw Jake collapse to a knee, her expression turning to one of horror.  

“Oh my God!  Jake, what happened?  Sit down, I'll grab my best supplies.”  

She jumped out of the hammock and frantically gathering her things while Jake shifted to sit against the nearest tree.  His head leaned back against the bark while he took deep breaths.  Claudette sat next to him, noticing how bloody his hands and chest were.  

“I'm going to take your jacket and shirt off, okay?”

Jake nodded, pushing himself off the tree to let Claudette easily take his shirt off.  He leaned against the tree again as everything around him started spinning.  

“Okay, I’m going to lay you down, alright?”

He dumbly nodded, feeling Claudette gently move him to lay on the ground.  She pressed her hands against his chest, biting her lip when he flinched and cried softly in pain.  

“I know it hurts, I’m sorry.”

Jake grit his teeth together, digging his nails into the dirt underneath him in an attempt to keep himself from moving too much.  Claudette took a small bottle out of the medkit, uncorking it and scooping the green paste inside onto her finger.  

“This will sting at first, I’m so sorry.”  

Jake tensed when he felt the cool paste and the sudden stinging from the wound on his chest, before it quickly went numb.  He relaxed and took deep, exhausted breaths.  Claudette wrapped bandages around his chest, gently lifting him to wrap it around his back and entirely around his torso.  He was lightheaded from the sheer amount of blood loss, staying limp and trying to rest.  

He felt Claudette shift closer, her hand gently brushing hair out of his face along his forehead.  

“I’m okay, ‘Dette.”  

Jake hated how tired he sounded, wanting to reassure Claudette that he was fine.  He felt her shift again and lay next to him, her head resting on his upper arm.  

“I just worry about you.”  

I wanna say too with the upcoming release of a new character, they will be the last survivor added into this story.  The other ones will be coming out too late for me to really want to keep fitting them in.  

I ended up writing this a bit different, because I can’t imagine Tapp being genuinely mean to Dwight.  Enjoy!

Detective Tapp knew he was one of the more recent survivors to have joined the growing group, but was one of the veterans of dealing with a lunatic killer.  He quickly grew close to Quentin and Laurie, at least being able to somewhat understand them.  He still wanted to bring a crazed follower of Jigsaw to justice, but he would never do so if that meant leaving others to their death.  He was a detective, and an officer of the law, sworn to protecting innocents, and he would do just that.  

When he woke up in a strange forest, without any sign of the campfire, he immediately looked around for the others.  He spotted Quentin first, laying on his side and covered in blood.  They were used to being coated in blood, both of their own and each others, but he still was deeply concerned as he knelt beside Quentin and shook him gently.  

“Hey, Quentin, wake up.”  

Quentin slowly opened his eyes, before quickly sitting upright when he realized he had been sleeping.  

“What’s going on?”  

The forest wasn’t like what they had grown used to, and the absence of the fire made them concerned.  Laurie and Bill weren’t far, both asleep comfortably.  Quentin ran over to Laurie and Tapp over to Bill, shaking them awake.  Laurie looked around in confusion, Bill jolting upright and getting to his feet.  

“Where the fuckin’ hell are we?”  

Bill somehow still had his cigarette in his mouth, looking around the forest.  Laurie was helped to her feet by Quentin, looking around herself.  

“A new kind of trial, maybe?”  

“We should stick together then.  We don’t know what we’re up against yet.”  

Quentin looked to the others, still clearly exhausted from habitual insomnia to avoid the realm of the demon he wanted to kill.  Tapp nodded, starting to walk in a direction.  Bill, Quentin, and Laurie followed behind him, making sure to be spread out enough to not get caught in the same effect like the Doctor’s, but close enough to be able to help each other.  

When the treeline broke away into a clearing, the sight caught them off-guard.  A sunrise over a city, overlooked by the cliff they found themselves on.  They stood in shock, Bill being the first one to speak.  

“What kinda horseshit is this?”

Laurie looked over to the others, then to the forest.  

“Are we.. free?”  

Quentin stared quietly as Tapp slowly started to nod.  

“We have to be.  But, I don’t recognize this city at all.”  

Laurie noticed when Bill silently turned to walk back into the woods.  

“Bill?  Where are you going?”

She reached to grab his arm, which he abruptly pulled away.  

“Keep yer hands off me.”

“Bill, what-”

Tapp turned to walk closer to Bill, stopping when Bill turned an acidic glare to him.  

“None of you should be near me.”  

“What are you-”

“Don’t you fuckin’ get it?  I’m from a place where the world’s gone to shit and everyone’s fightin’ for their lives against zombies.  I’m immune because I carry the damn virus, and I don’t see anything gone to shit here.  Wherever we are, it ain’t home, and I’m not gonna put you three at risk of turning into one of the undead fucks.”  

Tapp crossed his arms, standing between Bill and the other two behind him.  

“We have no clue if that’ll happen.  It didn’t back in the Entity’s realm, not even slightly.”

“You wanna take that god damn chance?!  You wanna go mind our own business and end up having to shoot one of them in the head?!  Or makin’ one of them do it to you?!  I’m not gonna take that god damn chance with any of you!”  

The following silence hung heavy in the air, no one daring to speak just yet.  Bill turned again to walk away, and this time Quentin spoke up.  

“We can’t just split up now.  We have no idea what we’re going to do.”

Bill paused, turning to look towards Quentin.  

“I already know what I’m going to do, and that’s making sure none of you die because of me.”  

“‘We’ includes you, Bill!  Isn’t there some way we can test to see if you still have it?”

“Without one of you turning into a zombie?  No, and I’m not walkin’ into a full city and mass-spreading it to find out with a blood test.”

“Is there any way to prevent spreading it?  Like, avoiding contact with other people.”

Bill crossed his arms.  

“It changes too damn much to know.”

Quentin turned to Tapp.

“We can get a face mask, right?  Then we can just be careful going into town.”  

“We are all still kinda covered in blood.”  

Laurie interjected, watching as Quentin stared absently in the distance as he thought on a plan.  He suddenly jolted his head around to the town.  

“We could make our way to the hospital and then grab some facemasks there, get a spare set of clothes and come back here.  Tapp and I could go, and then you guys can stay here and keep an eye out.”  

Laurie glanced over to Bill, then back to Quentin.  

“That works for me.  How long do you think it’ll take?”  

Quentin simply shrugged.  

“I have no idea, just that it’ll be as fast as possible.”  

Bill groaned, shaking his head and turning to sit against a tree.  

“Fine, but none of you should be anywhere near me, got it?”  

There was a collection of quick nods, then Quentin turned to head to the city with Tapp close behind when they were out of earshot.  

“So, how exactly do you plan on getting facemasks and spare clothes?  I don't think I've had my wallet on me for awhile now.”

Quentin looked over his shoulder to Tapp.  

“I haven't either.”  

“So how-”

Tapp stopped at the realization of Quentin’s plan.  

“We are not stealing from a hospital!”

“I know how to do it, it'll be fine!”

“It’s still illegal, Quentin!”  

“What else can we do?  Besides, it’s not like we’re stealing everything we can find!  Just the things we need.”  

Tapp groaned.  

“Then we find another way to get it, like asking?”  

“We don’t have time to ask nicely, Tapp!  I don’t know what Bill’s dealing with, but if I can help, I’m going to do what I can!”  

Tapp let out a deep breath.  

“Alright, fine.  But I’m not covering for you if you get caught.”  

“Funny you should mention that-”

“I’M NOT PRETENDING TO ARREST YOU TO COVER YOU, QUENTIN.”  

“I don’t want that to happen, but it’s an option, okay?!”  

Tapp groaned again.  Why did I have to go with Quentin?  

“It’s not that bad, Tapp.  Like I said, I’ve done this before.  We can go in, make up something, get fresh clothes, and then come back to Laurie and Bill.”  

“Let’s also make sure to not get arrested or anything, the less time we waste the better.  We’ve already established this isn’t Bill’s home, and I have a feeling we won’t recognize things, either.”   

Quentin nodded, taking lead again and walking to the bright street lights of the city’s roads.  They kept to the sidewalk, walking as fast as they could without seeming like they had just murdered someone.  The beacon of the hospital was one Quentin quickly picked up on, avoiding as many people as they could as they walked in the front doors.  

It was hard now to avoid the concerned gazes of everyone inside.  All at once, they were surrounded by nurses and staff urging them to sit down, take it easy, don’t push yourself.  Quentin quickly glanced over to Tapp, a plan forming in his head.  

“I-I’m okay, but my… friend here isn’t.  He needs help, badly!”  

I’m starting to regret my decision a lot more now.  He still played along, forcing himself into a coughing fit.  One of the nurse’s got closer, inspecting Tapp carefully.  When she looked over to Quentin, he spoke up without hesitation.  

“We were… out camping, and ran into some really aggressive wild animals.”

Good one.  

The nurses were quick to action, guiding Tapp to his feet and out of the main room.  A single nurse helped Quentin to a small room to check him out.  

“I’m okay, really.  Besides the uh, blood all over me.”  

“Your name?”  

“Quentin Smith.”  

She nodded, typing information into the computer that sat on the desk in the room.  She seemed confused as she looked at the screen.  

“You… have no medical records at all?”

“They’re uh… with an obscure hospital.  Small town, sorta thing, in Springwood.  Ohio.  I take an ADD medication, if that helps.  I think it was always called Zoneral.”  

“Springwood?  There’s no town by that name in Ohio.”  

Now it was Quentin’s turn to be confused, shaking his head.  

“That doesn’t make any sense.  I’ve lived my whole life near there.”  

“I’m telling you, there’s no town, big or small, by that name in Ohio.  Did you hit your head in the woods?”  

Any suspicions now were well confirmed, this place, no matter how much it seemed like home, was not home.  He shrugged.  

“I don’t think so?”

Roll with it, Quentin.  Don’t seem like a crazy person just yet.  The nurse took to examining him for any signs of a concussion or blunt force trauma, humming when she found none.  

“Alright, I’m going to grab a gown you can put on while we clean your clothes up, okay?”  

Quentin just nodded, watching her leave.  He shot up when he suddenly thought of something.  When the nurse came back, he took the gown from her and took a deep breath.  Think of something to say!

“Two of our friends are still out in the woods.  One of them… thinks he might’ve been bitten by something, and he doesn’t wanna spread it if it’s contagious.  He won’t go anywhere unless he knows he doesn’t have it.  I know where they are, but they won’t come near the city.”  

The nurse blinked, looking around the small room.  

“All I can do is inform the paramedics.  Where are they exactly?”  

“Just on the outskirts of the woods.  I told them we were going to come back, but, I think it’s better if they come here.”  

There, better plan.  All Tapp and Quentin had to do was wait.  

Laurie sat in near silence at the edge of the woods, waiting for Quentin and Tapp to come back.  Bill made sure to keep sufficient distance between them, just in case.  It was predominantly silence, both consumed by their thoughts, until they heard sirens.  

Bill was to his feet first, standing up to see the ambulance driving towards them.  

“The fuck are they doing?!”

Laurie walked over to see the advancing ambulance, glancing over to Bill.

“Do you think Quentin and Tapp called them to us?”  

“That wasn’t part of the goddamn plan!”  

It didn’t take much longer for the sirens to become nearly deafeningly loud, the clamour of movement just barely audible over it.  Bill turned to leave, pulling his arm away when Laurie reached for him.  

“Bill-”

“We’ve been over this, Laurie!  I’m not gonna be the reason you get hurt.”  

The paramedics ran up to the clearing, heading to Bill first.  

“Keep your goddamn hands away from me!”  

“Sir-”

“What did I just say?!”  

Bill kept himself at a distance from the paramedics, who kept their faces covered with medical masks.  

“Sir, we’re just going to perform a blood test first.”  

At least he thought everything out, first.  Bill groaned.  

“Fine, goddamn it.”  

Laurie was checked on by the other paramedic, carefully inspected for injuries.  The other paramedic walked out of the ambulance with a needle to draw blood.  Bill didn't need to be told to expose his arm, watching the process carefully.   

“Don't let that touch anything else, you hear me?”  

“I promise you, sir, I am very precise and careful at my job.”  

Bill huffed, watching the paramedic head back into the ambulance.  It was several minutes of awkward silence before he stepped back out again.  

“No rabies or any other bloodborne disease is in your system.  Your friend said you were bitten by something?”

Bill shook his head.  

“That's horseshit.  I'm a carrier for a goddamn epidemic!”  

“Sir, there's… nothing abnormal in your bloodstream.”  

Laurie looked over to Bill with a knowing look. Bill groaned again.

“Just give me a goddamn mask and I'll get in the goddamn ambulance.”  

Jake was tired of finding his stashes of things raided.  He had no solid idea who it was, although he tended to suspect Nea.  She was resourceful with what little supplies they had, but it still gave her no right to take what didn't belong to her.  He waited until she had come back from a trial, sporting a very good flashlight that Jake knew he recognized from the three scratches on it's handle, marking it with the letter J.  

“Nea.”  

Nea calmly looked towards Jake, crossing her arms.  The flashlight was turned in her hands, and Jake saw the deep gashes in the handle.  

“You and me need to talk.  Privately.”  

Nea rolled her eyes, following Jake into the woods beyond the campfire.  They walked far enough to see the fire, but too far to be heard by the others there.  

“What’s your deal?”  

“You taking my shit without asking.”  

Nea groaned, rolling her head in an exaggerated motion.  

“Really, you’re bitching about that?”  

This was going to be a long conversation, and Jake could already tell.  

“Yea, especially when you take my stuff without asking me and end up getting it damaged to hell and back.”  

He gestured to the flashlight in her hands, which she groaned in response.  

“We all know I’m far more resourceful with these things than anyone else.  You don't even bring anything in, so what's the point of having all this stuff?  It's going to waste and I can use it to keep everyone alive.”  

Jake took a step closer, glaring down at her.

“If you asked, I wouldn't have a problem.  It's finding out that half my stuff is gone because you keep taking it “

“You wouldn't mind if Claudette took some of your medkits, would you?”

“No, because she would fucking ask, first.”  

Jake's voice grew quiet as he tried to keep himself from yelling, but the anger was clear.  Nea narrowed her eyes.

“Fine, you worry about your stuff more than the others?!  Take your damn flashlight back!”

She threw the flashlight to him, turning to head back to the campfire.  

“I didn't-”

Jake was cut off as the flashlight spun in the air, one of the gashes in it’s handle having cut to the batteries.  The throw caused acid to spray from it, landing across his face and in his eyes.  He screamed in pain, doubling over and pressing his hands to his eyes.  Nea turned around, suddenly shocked.  

“Jake?  Shit, I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean to!”  

He pushed her away when she got close, stumbling to the nearest tree to lean against it.  He still cried in pain, trying to manage to get his eyes open to blink rapidly.  The humming of a lullaby sent a chill up his spine.  

He heard Nea curse under her breath, but didn’t stay to hear more of her speaking.  He turned to run away from the humming, the last thing he needed now was to get caught by a Killer when he was so vulnerable.  He was sure the song was getting louder, and he knew he couldn’t outrun the singer.  He felt around for the nearest bush, crawling under the leaves and branches and bit into the scarf around his neck and stayed as still as he could.  

Anna heard the scream of the survivalist, and immediately knew he was injured badly.  She respected his ability to survive and traverse the woods with a skill that only came with living alone.  She came to the clearing with a beat-up flashlight resting just at the edges of the undergrowth.  She knelt down to turn it over, spotting the slashes in the batteries and the leaking of a clear liquid.  A quick touch burned, but just as quickly it stopped.  She stood up and followed the trait of disturbed plant life, knowing well that his ally had ran in a different direction at the sound of her humming.  

She knew that the clear liquid coming from the flashlight was something dangerous; it wouldn’t be kept contained or burned if it wasn’t.  The Entity granted her a great resistance to pain, but the survivors were not granted the same mercy.  The survivalist was clearly severely hurt by this liquid, and Anna found herself concerned.  There was no blood trails to follow, only footsteps and the shift of plants around her.  

She knelt down when the trail stopped suddenly.  Tracks never simply disappeared so suddenly, and Anna intently looked at the nearest places to hide.  Climbing a tree would’ve taken too much time, and she undoubtedly would have heard, but she still checked the upper branches.  She heard an extremely soft shift, the sound of branches and leaves moving.  She could have missed it easily, but she was too well-trained in picking up the smallest of details, even as she hummed the comforting song.  

She only stopped her humming when she saw him cowering in the bushes, muscles tensed and his eyes shut.  He was most definitely scared and in pain, and she was sure that he had gotten the burning liquid in his eyes.  She noticed the beginnings of burns across his face, confirming her suspicions.  His ally must have thrown it at him, had she been unaware?  She shook her head, there was no way the survivors would so legitimately turn on each other.  She quietly knelt beside the bush and stopped humming, thinking of how she could ease him to trusting her.  The last thing she wanted was for him to hurt himself in a panic, as she knew injured and scared animals to do when they were cornered.  She tilted her head, putting her axe aside.  

Jake tensed when the humming stopped, not needing to see to know she had found him.  He didn’t want to admit he was terrified; there was nowhere he could go without being seen and far too easy for her to grab.  But why isn’t she now?  He heard her say something he couldn’t understand, the language being her native one.  Is she taunting me?  

“Poor little Raven..”  

He scooted further away, knowing that she was talking to him.  He was sure that she was going to terrorize him before killing him.  Does dying outside of a trial mean dying permanently?  His face and eyes still burned from the acid.  He heard her shift, then move closer.  

“Stay away from me.”  

Any sternness in his voice was diminished by the shakiness.  He didn’t hear her move more, instead hearing her deep, accented voice.  

“Will help you.  You are hurt.”  

He tensed again, trying to reach for the nearest sharp object he could find.  He didn’t trust her in the slightest; she spent trial after trial singing as she killed them.  He shook his head, the burning pain of the acid starting to worsen.  

“Will not hurt you, promise.”  

His breaths were shaky, and he let his head hang as he thought about his options.  The Entity surely wouldn’t let him die outright, but would it let him go blind?  He heard her move again, making him recoil.  He heard her move the bushes aside, grabbing a small branch from the bush and held it defensively.  

“Don’t touch me!”  

He heard her move again away, but he tightened his grip on the branch, just in case.  

“Eyes are hurt.  Will help you, little Raven.”  

Jake fought to keep himself from whining, biting into the scarf.  He slowly dragged himself out from the bushes, blindly reaching for where the Huntress was.  He gasped when he was picked up gently, cradled against her chest.  She started humming again, Jake could feel the rumbling of her vocal chords and hear the deep, soothing song.  Why was it soothing now?  Her footsteps sounded more solid as she stepped on the wooden floor.  

He was set down gently on a soft blanket, listening to her footsteps as she moved around.  He stiffened when she came back, stifling the whine as she delicately lifted his head.  He felt a cool, wet fabric wipe at his eyes and face.  He tried opening his eyes, blinking rapidly to clear them out.  

He saw now that she had taken her mask off, being extremely gentle in her handling of the rag.  There was no doubt he was still afraid that she would change her mind, and that he would meet the end of an axe blade.  His vision was still blurry, but he could make out rough shapes.  Her hand delicately brushed along his cheek.

“Better?”

He hesitated for a moment before nodding.  He swore he saw her smile, before she reached up to pet his hair.  

“Good.  Should rest now.”