Kevin and I were running through the woods, hand in hand. I couldn't see where we were going. It was all so dark. But Kevin didn't seem to have any problem. He was sprinting through the trees taking me along with him like he was doing this, all his life. My legs were aching like hell but I was in no position to complain. If Kevin thought it was best to run away from this place quickly, then that was what we were going to do. The woods seemed wilder than Mitchell had described. I had scratches all over my arms due to the sharp edges of the branches protruding from the trees. My pajama pants were torn in multiple places because of the thorn bushes we were running through. Gusts of cold wind were slapping at my face making it difficult to keep my eyes open. I was still in my pajamas and my teeth were chattering due to the lack of protection from the coldness. I thought I might pass out any second.

Even in these dire circumstances, my mind was going back to Mrs.Lewis who was now lying unconscious on the cold floor of the room where she had held me captive. I hoped she would be alive. I was no Mother Teresa but even I didn't want my long time neighbor who I thought was a friend, to be dead because of me. I still thought she was manipulated into doing this.

On the other hand, the most important thing which I was still refusing to think of was Kevin. I still couldn't believe the man running in front of me was Kevin. It was so long since I saw him that he almost acquired the status of a fictional character in my thoughts. Now here he was, as solid as the trees around me. I was not going to the dilemma that if Kevin was a friend or a foe, yet. He was my only ticket to freedom and survival and I had taken his hand for the same reason. He could be Mitchell's killer for all I knew.

"We're here," Kevin said, his sprint slowing down to a jog. I slowed down beside him, hands on knees, gasping for air. After I felt like life was back in my body, I squinted at the scene in front of me.

Dark mist swirled in front of us at a distance. I thought my eyes were unfocused with all the running. I rubbed my eyes and looked again. The mist was still there, blocking what was lying beyond it. Was this where we were supposed to go?

"Let's go," Kevin said. His chest was rising and falling rapidly with all the running. My trust in Kevin was very little and it was certainly not very much as to follow him into something I couldn't even see.

"I'm not going in there," I said, my heart beating fast. I was really afraid of going in there.

His shoulders slumped. He placed his hands on his hips and fixed me with a hard gaze.

"Are you kidding me, Naina?" Kevin asked, narrowing his eyes. "He could be here at any moment and you are refusing to go. What other choice do you have?"

I couldn't answer. I didn't have any other options. I had seen Kevin run and I couldn't even hope to outrun him if I wanted to escape from him. I couldn't even hope to find my way out of this forest before This time it was my turn to slump my shoulders. Sensing, I had given up, Kevin continued towards the mist with me following close on his heels.

In a few moments, we were standing at the border of the swirling mist. It was rippling like water. I still couldn't see through it. Kevin extended his hands towards me.

"Trust me." He said, his eyes trying to reassure me. I took a deep breath and took his hand. He sauntered towards the mist and slowly his figure disappeared behind the mist except for his hand which was still in mine. I gasped in surprise at this unusual scene. My eyes looking wide at the mist, I walked through it.

It felt like I had walked through a cold sheet of water. I shivered. When I could finally observe what was beyond the mist, I was surprised. It was not some magical or terrifying place as I had expected. It was just as normal as the rest of the forest we had run through. The only difference was there was a small wooden cottage in a clearing like a hermit's place.

I turned back and there was no mist behind me! It was as though I had imagined everything. The adrenaline rush due to all the running had started to fade and I finally knew how cold I was feeling. I instinctively raised my hand to cover myself from the cold.

"Where is the mist?" I asked my body shivering like a leaf in a storm.

"I'll explain everything. Let's get you inside." Kevin said. I nodded and when I was about to turn, a voice sounded from behind me.

"Naina," I froze in my place on hearing it. And then relief washed over me as I realized to whom that voice belonged to. I turned around and there at the entrance to the cottage, he stood, squinting in the dark to see me clearly. He was wearing the jacket I had given him yesterday. There was snow all over it like he had spent the last hour running, just like me.

"Noah," I gasped. His name never felt sweeter on my lips and my eyes never enjoyed seeing him more than in that instant. I ran towards him, to the only trustworthy thing in sight and my safe haven. He also ran towards me and in a few moments, we were in each other's embrace. I never felt more at home. His warmth was like a lifeline in this brutal cold. He planted a kiss on my forehead and clutched me tighter. I didn't know how much time we stayed there like that but it was finally Noah who broke the spell.

"Whoa, Naina. You are freezing." Noah said and covered me with his jacket. It was all like some eighties corny movie but I liked it nonetheless. Enveloping me in his arms, he led me into the cottage. I could see Kevin walking beside us in my peripheral vision.

The cottage was very warm. There was a fireplace at a corner and a bright fire was lit filling the room with its glow. It was a single room. A bed and two chairs were the only furniture. Unwashed clothes were placed as a heap in one corner. My head was spinning and I couldn't trust my legs to support my weight anymore. Noah led me to the bed and Kevin fetched me a large woolly blanket. I felt warm in what felt like years. Ducking my head under the blanket, I closed my eyes. Exhaustion washed over me and I slipped into sleep.

The tapping of my shoes was the only sound in the empty corridor. I recognized the corridor. It was the hallway of our apartment floor. But it was different somehow. It was like someone had sucked the color out of the world. Everything was grey or white. I walked purposefully to the door of our apartment. I inserted the key into the lock. I turned the knob and the door opened with an eerie groan.

Everything was dark in the apartment. I couldn't see a thing. I stepped inside, my hands on the wall groping for the light switch. I finally found the switchboard and switched on the light. I let out a scream as the most terrifying moment of my life had started to unfold in front of my eyes again. Mitchell was on the floor dead, blood flowing from under her head in rivulets. Her eyes were open and her face was contorted in horror as though she had seen something very frightening before she died. Everything was still grey except for the blood which was fiery red hurting my eyes and making me feel dazed. I was breathing very hard with fear. I stumbled backward and whipped my head to stop seeing that horrifying scene in front of me. But what I saw there had increased my panic by tenfold.

'YOU'RE NEXT.' The words were written on the wall with blood dripping from their ends. I let out a loud scream before collapsing on the floor and the world drowned in complete darkness.