Pov Grace

I had been roaming all day and night for around.. 3 days? 4 days?

During the nights my focus laid on keeping away from the monsters, but I could get no rest at all. I couldn't lose my focus, or it could be my dead.

During the days I needed to focus on finding a way out, without getting caught by the hunters also roaming around. I actually saw one of them yesterday. He took my boots away as I hid in a nearby bush.

My boots were unwearable anyway, but I had hoped they could keep my feet somewhat warm if I did decide to take a rest some time.

The woods were cold, freezing at night.

Leaning against the tree trunk and snuggled into the bearskin I cut off one of the beasts last night, I noticed the sun coming up. The bearskin reeked terribly, but it was warm and I noticed it kept most of the beasts away from me.
The beasts seemed focused on smells and sounds. And right now, I smelled like one of them.

I turn my head to the side as I hear a shrieking noise. The sun was supposed to be a sign of safety, so I didn't expect to hear one of the beasts any more.

I look around me trying to locate it so I can act when needed, but I can't find it at all.

'Mother fu..' I mutter as I feel a sharp pain in my neck. I take the cutlass off my back and start stabbing away at whatever just hit me. Hearing metal clang against metal until the sun hits my face and the robotic bat flies away from me. Are they afraid of light?

I move my hand towards my neck and it returns all sticky and red.

Fuck.

I managed to survive 4 nights without being hurt by any of the beasts.

I did get a deep cut on my leg when I tripped and fell on my cutlass. I had cleaned it up and used ants to stitch it back together. Which hurt almost more than the cut itself did. I had wrapped the scarf around my leg where it remained to this day.

My clothes were torn in most places as you don't tend to look at your surroundings too well when you're running and surviving on an apple a day.

I reach into my backpack and take out the last apple I had left.

I really needed to find something new to eat, but I didn't have the tools to go after the deer and bunnies during the day nor had the resources or time to start a fire and skin them. I had looked for berries or anything small but all I could find were roses.

I did try to eat the rose petals, but they stung my tongue so bad it almost felt like I was chewing on a cactus.

I take my time, slowly biting down into the apple. Thinking about my plans for the day.

I'm pretty sure I had seen all the corners of the woods at this point. I was told that I had ran into the woods before and was able to locate something while being completely blind and I had hoped something similar would happen now, but it didn't.

All I had found were a few roses and something that I think resembled the heart of a robotic fox beast. There were small letters written on the side, but the black oil that leaked out when I stabbed it, made it unreadable.

I sigh as I slowly make my way down the tree, fighting against the tiredness that fell over me. It was time to continue.

I start giggling when I notice someone tickling my stomach, reminding me of the last time I saw Noa.

But when I look down at my stomach, I can't find any hands and when I look around me, I can't find anyone close either.

The tickling stops as I realise no one is here at all. What is happening? I ask myself.

I continue walking and decided it might be time to try to climb the walls. I know they told me no one had survived climbing them before, but maybe this time would be different.

I turn to the side when I hear rustling sounds, but when I turn, they change direction. Scanning around me I can't notice anything out of place. Shaking it off and continue my journey, I must be hearing things.

'Grace,' someone whispers into my ears, but again no one is around me.

'Grace,' the voice repeats.

I cover my ears as I start running away from the whispers, but then something appears in front of me.

A distorted figure is looking right at me with a wicked grin holding a huge needle in its hands.

'It's just a little pinch.'

The figure starts laughing as it jolts forward.

When I turn around to run away the figure appears on that side instead.

'Leave me alone!' I yell as I cover my eyes with my hands.

'Graceee.'

The voices are haunting me.

'Get away from me!'

Their laughs are overwhelming as I drop down to my knees and scream to clear my mind.

'Yo Grace?' A softer voice asks as the other voices disappear and a hand is placed on my shoulder.

Removing my hands from my eyes I look up and this time I do see someone, kneeled down in front of me.

The new figure had black spikey hair and light brown eyes.

'Swift?' I ask. 'Yes, come.'

He extends his hand, but I refuse to take it.

'No.. no, you guys will..'
'Grace you're bleeding out.'

He puts his hands underneath my armpits as he lifts me. Stumbling on my legs.

'No please.'

'You're not dying.'

He lifts me up as he throws me over his shoulder and walks away.