It felt like forever after Rydge had taken off running back inside the convenience store. What should have taken mere minutes now felt as if it were taking an eternity for him to return, the sounds of snarling and growling only growing even closer by the second. Those very sounds had put everyone standing around on edge, but none more than Payslynn as she waited for her blonde haired friend to reemerge from within the building. 

However, the longer he was in there, the more unnerved and unsettled Payslynn was becoming. 

Payslynn was practically bouncing in place when she turned her worried ember gaze onto Candice, hoping to find some solace or reassurance from their eldest member. 

"He's taking too long. I think I should go in and find him." 

"Wait, Pays-" 

Candice didn't get a chance to stop her short haired companion from darting back into the building they once used as a temporary campsite. 

A frustrated sigh left the nineteen year old's lips, her pale green eyes shifting between Tanner and Tully. She knew she needed to wait for Payslynn and Rydge, yet, she couldn't continue to stand around and risk their own lives as well. 

Faced with a rather difficult decision, Candice decided on the only course of action she could think of in that moment. 

"We need to move and find somewhere to hide out." 

Candice faced both Tanner and Tully, seriousness and utter turmoil swirling deep within her eyes. She didn't like the decision she had to make, didn't like leaving two of their group members behind, but it was the only way she could keep herself and their two youngest members safe from those that were stalking towards the street they were on. 

"What about Rydge and PayPay?" 

Pale green eyes dropped to meet with curious hazel brown ones as Tully question the decision she had made. 

"They are going to meet up with us later, okay?" 

Candice tried to reassure their youngest member with a gentle smile, but she could tell he didn't fully believe in what she had said. Even when Tully quietly nodded his head in understanding, she could still see the doubt that lingered in the young boy's eyes. 

"Alright, let's get out of here." 

Her gaze once more shifted from Tully to Tanner, only to look back up and turn her back on the convenience store. Without stalling for another second, Candice quickly began leading the way to their next destination, even if she had no idea where that destination would be. All she knew was she had to get them to safety and pray they remained as safe as she wanted them to until Rydge and Payslynn could find their way to them. 

**** **** **** ****

Payslynn darted into the darkened convenience store, her ember eyes adjusting to the dimmer lighting that lingered within. Her heart hammered within her chest as if someone was beating down a tribal drum. She only prayed the beasts nearby couldn't hear it and weren't drawn to the sound like it was a some sort of screaming beacon. 

"Rydge!" 

Her voice came out in a whispered scream, trying not to draw too much attention to the convenience store she was in. All she wanted to do was find Rydge and get out of there as fast as they humanly could. 

"Rydge, are you in here!?" 

Payslynn called out once more when she got no response the first time. She didn't like the silence within the building as she slowly made her way towards the back of the store. It was closer to where they had made their earlier camp the previous night and where she hoped to find Rydge packing up his backpack still. 

However, it was just the opposite. 

Their little campsite looked completely untouched aside from the few blankets and backpacks everyone carried around with them. Even Rydge's bag was missing from the campsite, which meant he was still around or had to find another way out of the building to get to safety. 

"Rydge, are you-" 

She had been about to question if her friend was there once more, but Payslynn had been quickly silenced from saying anything more when a hand reached around from behind and covered her mouth. 

Along with being silenced, an arm wrapped around her tiny frame, a surprised yelp was muffled by the hand silencing anything she may say. She stumbled backwards over her own feet, fighting to stay standing upright as someone drew her back into one of the nearby aisles. Her panic was rising with each step she was pulled back, prompting her to attempt some form of struggle to get free. 

That too was quickly halted, but not by some other person. It was the images she was seeing in the 360 degree mirror the convenience store used to be able to view the entire store. 

Rydge had been the one to silence her, but it was the creature stalking around on the opposite side of the store that made her blood run ice cold. It was large and looked as if it could take both Rydge and herself down all at one time. Still, she didn't know exactly what she was looking at as she ducked behind what used to be a snack aisle in the store. Her brain was having difficulties comprehending it. 

The creature looked like a large dog, well over half her size. What baffled her though, was the fact it had hooves instead of the standard dog paws, making it appear as if it were some wolf trying to disguise itself as a sheep. Large black antlers sprouted from the top of its head, sharp and pointed, ready to skewer any target it so wished to do so with. If that didn't work, the powerful jaw with razor sharp teeth in it could definitely get the job done. They looked as if they could shred anyone apart within seconds if caught within its grasp. 

"I need you to be very quiet, not a single word until we are away from that thing." 

Payslynn nodded her head, relaxing ever so slightly knowing Rydge was alright and she was safer within his presence. However, she couldn't promise that she would remain quiet the entire time, not when their lives both depended on them finding a way out. 

The moment Rydge freed her from his grasp, Payslynn whipped around and threw her arms around him. She hugged onto him tightly, feeling as if he would vanish from sight the moment she let go of him. Her relief that he was alright had been soaring through the roof, but the fear of having almost lost Rydge still knotted her stomach in the worst way. It made her sick to even think that Rydge could be taken from her life so easily. 

"Okay, I'm right here. Though, we need to make our way out of here before we become monster dog chow." 

The way Rydge whispered in her ear and gently rubbed her back was a welcomed and comforting gesture. It was something she definitely needed to sooth her frayed nerves after the scare her friend had given her. 

Pulling out of the hug, Payslynn's relief turned to immediate curiosity. How were they to get out when the back door could be compromised and getting to the front required them to sneak by some alien created beast? All options seemed to point towards getting caught, and that alone was something neither teenager wanted to happen. That left them with a rather difficult choice to make since they had to choose between the lesser of two evils. 

Moving back slowly, Rydge was doing his best not to disturb anything that may be laying on the ground near his feet. He watched where he placed his feet and hands, moving slowly while crouched to see around the display they were hiding behind. Rydge waned to make certain there was a safe path he could pick out, that they could go through without alerting anything that was nearby. 

Payslynn leaned over, holding herself up with one hand and with her free one, tapped Rydge on the knee to get his attention once more. 

Once his attention was gained, she motioned him back over to her. 

"Why not walk out the front door? I walked right in and it never even noticed me." 

Payslynn whispered the moment Rydge was back within earshot of her. If she had been able to waltz right in without being noticed, the two of them should have been able to walk right back out without any problems. At least, that's what Payslynn was hoping for and where her current thought process was going. 

It was no surprise to her when Rydge began looking at her as if she had lost her absolute mind. The idea was pure insanity and risked them getting spotted within seconds by the beast roaming the store. 

"If not that, our only other option is going out the back door. I don't know about you, but I want to go in the opposite direction that they're coming from." 

She kept her voice quiet, but saw the frustration building within her friend and companion. Neither option was ideal in any way, but one did have a more favorable outcome than the other one did. 

"No, but both options are completely and absolutely suicidal." 

"Then what do you propose we do, Rydge? Eventually that thing will work its way over here and find us." 

Silence was the answer Rydge was giving her, but not because he was being rude over the fact she was questioning his current tactics. They hadn't gotten this far or survived this long by not putting their heads together and talking things through. By working together would they be able to survive and live another day. It was why Rydge was contemplating everything Payslynn had just brought to his attention. 

"There's an option we haven't considered yet." 

Rydge said, looking as if a lightbulb had just gone off in his head. However, Payslynn looked at him rather confused and not understanding at that moment what her blonde haired friend was even talking about. She didn't think there were any other options aside from the front or back doors out of there. 

"Pays, the manager's office near the front. If we can distract the monster mutt long enough to slip inside, we can get out through the window in there undetected." 

It was Payslynn's turn to contemplate what Rydge was suggesting. If she were being honest with herself, his idea sounded far better than the ones she had been suggesting. It would allow them to close the door, give them a temporary barrier between them and whatever all was out there. There was no doubt that things were going to swarm on their location the moment the other beasts were alerted. Their time window was also going to be limited, but it was going to have to do. 

"Alright, lets do it. We can throw something in one direction and run in the opposite." 

Payslynn had already grabbed one of the canned goods resting at her feet. Her eyes however, remained locked on Rydge as the fear and nervousness once more began to settle and build deep within her. 

"This is going to work, right?" 

"It has to and it will. Do you know why?" 

Shaking her head slowly, Payslynn was waiting for Rydge to indulge her curiosity on how this was definitely going to work out for the two of them. 

"Because. . ." 

A smile of reassurance crossed Rydge's lips, his ocean blue eyes sparkling as if he had just been deemed the most clever man in the world. However, behind that sparkle was an ever rising fear that didn't seem to be easily quelled by anything. 

". . . I'm here." 

Payslynn wanted to laugh at Rydge's cockiness and his ever growing ego, but she remained silent for the sake of both their lives. 

"Here, hand me that can and get ready to run. Whatever you do, don't look back." 

"Right, run and don't look back. Sounds easy enough." 

There was no denying the nervousness within Payslynn's voice, but she choked down how she was feeling and readied herself to run like hell was on her heels. 

Both Payslynn and Rydge slowly stood from their crouched positions, taking slow deep breaths to prepare themselves for the run of their lives. Rydge was the one that peeked around the corner once more, searching for the beast they were about to attempt to avoid. As he looked around the nearby area and the 360 degree mirrors for any signs of the feral friend, something seemed off. 

The beast didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. It was as if it had just left the convenience store all together or vanished into thin air. It had Rydge lowering his guard just a little and ready to just stand and walk out into the open. 

"I think it's gone, Pays. I don't see it anywhere." 

"Rydge-" 

Payslynn's voice shook and cracked with unimaginable terror behind him. For the first time since looking, Rydge noticed the vehement snarling and rolling growls that were now coming from behind the pair of them. Those very growls were letting the teenagers know that their end was close at hand, far closer than they could ever imagine. Payslynn knew it, she could feel the hot breath on her neck as the beast breathed down on her as if she were some tasty snack ready to be devoured in one chomp. 

"Payslynn. . . run." 

Even though his voice was low and gentle, his message had gotten across to Payslynn loud and clear. 

Rydge dropped the can he had been holding and took off at a run, sprinting as fast as he could towards the manager's office like they had planned. Not far behind was Payslynn, following after him with a beast half her size on her tail. 

The sound of hooves smashing against the tiled ground and the vicious barking could be heard behind the two teens as they darted through the aisles of the store. Neither one of them wanted to look behind to see how close the massive creature was, afraid if they did, it would definitely be their end. 

Rydge was the first one to make it to the store manager's office, which was no surprise considering his football background. He immediately turned around, one hand on the door knob and the other reached out for Payslynn to grasp hold of. 

"Come on Payslynn, it's right behind you!" 

Grasping hold of Rydge's hand as she finally managed to catch up to him, Payslynn nearly crashed into her friend from the lack of being able to stop herself from running. He pulled her inside, right up against his body just to make sure they were both safe from the beast outside. Their eyes met, both of them panting and attempting to catch their breath from their prior run. 

"I went. . . as fast as I could. . . speed racer."

Payslynn teased while panting, turning her ember gaze back out of the doorway and onto the large monster barreling towards them at full speed. Her eyes widened as she took a step further into the office despite Rydge still having a tight hold on her. She cried out in terror, unable to hold back any longer from panicking; 

"Rydge, the door!" 

As if remembering what they were actually doing there, Rydge turned his own gaze back onto the predator coming for them. 

Just as the creature leaped into the air, teeth bared and ready to attack its prey, Rydge slammed the door shut in its face. The beast crashed into the temporary barricade, its face the first thing to make contact with the door, making a sickeningly loud crunch. Neither were sure if it was the face of the beast crunching or the sound of the door splintering from the impact. 

Either way, neither were sticking around long enough to find out. 

"Let's get out of here." 

Payslynn said, tears in her ember colored eyes as she trembled within Rydge's arms. 

Still looking at the door, Rydge shook his head and backed up a little as if trying to determine how much time they had before the door was completely busted in by the predator coming after them. Even so, that little bit of knowledge didn't matter knowing full well that their lives were at stake the longer they stayed in that small office. 

"You don't see me disagreeing with that. Let's go before something worse comes along."