***LYLE’S POV***

I couldn’t ignore the searing pain in my leg, it felt as if my leg was falling off, and it probably was, but I was to afraid to look. When I jumped onto that man… the axe hit me in the thigh, and I felt every second of it. The nerves, the flesh… everything tearing apart as the axe collided, and running was only ripping the gapping hole more open. I was limping, and I didn’t know if my legs were going to carry me much longer.

“Don’t run straight, more around,” Allison demanded me, but the pain had intensified within seconds. 

I whimpered in agony, “I can barely run period…”

She looked at me, her eyes held sympathy, but I knew she didn’t want me to give up. If I gave up now… I would die. She nodded, “Try Lyle…”

We made it into the cabin, and I followed weakly behind Allison as she led me into the basement, and I gained a bad feeling instantly. I felt the hot blood seeping down my leg, and I looked down this time, seeing the gapping gash in my thigh, and the pain suddenly became ten times worse. 

Why did I look at it…?

Allison led me into the corner of a dark room, it was the room we came in at first, and I saw a broken window, and she led me to it. “Stay here, next to this opening. That way if he comes in, you can get out. Don’t worry about me.”

I shook my head, not wanting her to leave me in this condition, but I knew she was going to help Brooklyn. I grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving, “Allison… I’m hurt… don’t.”

I saw worry and confusion in her eyes, and I knew we didn’t have a lot of time left, “Save yourself… don’t give yourself away if he comes down here.”

I looked down at my leg again instinctively, the burning pain was coursing through my body now. It hurt so bad I thought I was going to pass out, but I knew I needed to hold on. 

Allison walked over to an old coat and tore some lining out, wrapping it tight around my leg. I flinched, and she sighed, I could hear the fear and worry in her voice, “Here, this should help.”

I shook my head, “Doesn’t help the pain.”

She touched my cheek, “Stay here… I’ll be back.”

I wanted to protest against her, but I knew Brooklyn needed help. I stayed in this tiny corner, trying not to let my eyes close from the blood loss. I was praying to God I wasn’t going to pass out, wake up with the axe in the air, slicing down and hitting me, cutting me up…

No, I couldn’t close my eyes. 

I leaned my head back against the wall, this wasn’t happening, there was no way this was real. But the pain was real, the events were all real… 

And I was going to die. 

I knew it, if I wasn’t going to die form this psycho cutting me up then I was certainly going to die from bleeding to death. 

I looked down at the gash, the lining was already soaked in blood and I panted, I felt the air coming short and I didn’t know how much longer I was going to last. 

Then the trap door opened, and the tall man slipped silently through it, axe in his left hand. 

I clenched my jaw, held my breath, and tried not to make a single sound. He stood tall, and his mask was bloody, there was dirt and stains all in it, and I could only make out two black holes for his eyes. He was terrifying, and I could barely stand to look at him. 

I wanted to scream for Allison, I wanted to tell her to get the hell out of that room, run, but I was petrified. I was thinking about her words, how she told me not to give myself away for her, so I stayed silent.

I wondered if she was out of the room by now, I hadn’t even noticed that room the first time I was down here, how did they find it? 

He walked slowly to the door that led into the room Allison was in, and I tried not to make a sound, but I let out a slight noise, and the man stopped. 

His back was facing me, and I knew I was dead, I knew he had heard, and he was just planning how he was going to kill me. I wanted to cry, but I stayed completely silent, and he started to turn,  the axe never leaving the ground, dragging, mocking my own death. 

I was in the corner, the tiny window just above my head, but I knew I was hidden very well. I was behind a box and some chairs, so there were things throwing off a perfect view of me. 

The man walked over towards me,  and I counted his footsteps. 

1... 2... 3... 4...

That’s when I saw them, the answer to our freedom.

The car keys, they were around his neck.

Then Allison sounded in the other room, and the man took off towards the door, and I let out a gigantic sigh, only to hear Allison’s scream echo through the room. 

I winced, hearing that panicked scream brought tears to my eyes, and I was praying she got out. 

I heard a loud bang, like another trap door was being slammed, and then I heard more banging. I started to picture what was happening inside that room in my head, and I knew Allison had gotten out. I could hear her moving something heavy upstairs. 

The man began to bang against the door, thinking that Allison was the only one in the cabin. 

I wanted to move, I wanted to climb out of that window but It was so hot, I needed water, I needed medical attention for Christ’s sake! 

The pain in my leg was replaced by numbness now, and even though there was still a soar feeling, I knew my body had gone into shock. Survival mode almost, and I knew I was losing a lot of blood. 

I was still panting, my breathing was slowing, and the room next to me was silent. I didn’t know if the man had gotten out of the trap door, or if he was still in the tiny room Allison was just in. 

I was praying she was helping Brooklyn. 

They had to make it out, I knew I was done… even if they got the car keys, which seemed impossible since they were around his goddamn neck… I probably wouldn’t even make it to a hospital.

I would die long before that from blood loss. 

I wish I could warn Brooklyn and Allison not to come for me, that it was a lost cause, because I was going to die here anyway. 

I was going to die in this sinister, evil fucking place… 

But dying like this… from blood loss, well I would take it over anything else. All I had to do was close my eyes, and I would go…

But every time I closed my eyes I would see my parents, my friends… Kate, Nathan, Brooklyn, Allison… Zeke. I felt the pain in my heart return at the image of my dead friend… and I began to cry silently. I was dehydrated, I was in pain, I was clammy, and hot, and I knew there wasn’t long before I was going to die. 

I leaned my head back, trying to relax as I decided I was taking one of my last breaths, hoping that if I was going to die, I was going to go like this. 

Peaceful, not panicked, I had accepted that fact that I was going to die here, no matter what anyone did, and I was ok with that. 

And I felt as if I was in a dream, and Brooklyn’s voice rang out, “Lyle?”

Why was she here? I was dead wasn’t I? I didn’t answer, I was dead, dead people didn’t answer to anything anymore…

Then her voice became louder, more in a panic, and I opened my eyes, seeing her hand reaching out to me. Unconsciously I took it, and she began pulling me out of this hole, but I protested, “You guys… need… to get out of here.”

Brooklyn was in denial, and I knew I was gone, they needed to save themselves, but she ignored me. “No, I’m not leaving you, here,” she hoisted me some more and I didn’t even try to move, mostly because I couldn’t. 

I whimpered, “He has the keys… they’re around… his neck.”

I saw her face change into complete horror, but she refused to give up. She looked at Allison, “Allison, help me get him out.”

Allison moved to the other side, and they both began pulling me slowly out of the window, and I was flinching horribly at the pain throughout my body. It was ridiculous, I couldn’t take this anymore, and I could feel Brooklyn’s pulse speeding up. 

Then I heard the door behind me slam, and instantly I knew what was going to happen to me. 

I felt a strong hand wrap around the ankle of the hurt leg, and when he pulled I felt the skin rip open even more and I screamed out in agony. 

Brooklyn’s angry voice rang out, “Let us go you bastard!”

His grip tightening, and Brooklyn’s eyes turned from anger to terror within seconds, and I felt my grip on her arm tighten as the fear hit me. Brooklyn’s scream echoed, “NO!”

Then I felt the slicing of the axe through my back, the loud thud and I screamed, only to feel my mouth clog up with the metallic taste of blood. 

I coughed, and it got onto Brooklyn’s shirt, and I gripped the window seal, screaming, “RUN!” I felt the tears explode and run down my face from the unbearable pain, and Brooklyn fell back onto her butt. Her eyes, we made that last second connection, and she was telling me sorry, sorry for leaving me like this. 

I didn’t want her to, I didn’t want to die like this, but I was already gone. I saw the sympathy in her eyes, and it felt like we stayed staring at each other for hours, I saw my three dead best friends, our memories we had, and how everything we had been through all came down to this night. 

Our brutal deaths. 

Allison pulled Brooklyn up, and as our gazes tore for a second I knew this was it, the final blow that was going to end me. I was praying it wasn’t going to hurt, that everything was going to end soon, because there was nothing left for me on Earth. 

Then I felt a instant sting of pressure on the back of my head.

Then the last thing I remember was red, a lot of red.