I KNOW YOU SAID BEFORE YOU CAN'T COPE WITH ANY MORE

YOU TOLD ME IT WAS WAR, SAID YOU'D SHOW ME WHAT'S IN STORE

I HOPE IT'S NOT FOR SURE

CAN YOU OPEN UP THE DOOR?

The freezing air cuts my face.

But I don't stop.

''Run.''

Those words worked like a spring in my step.

I started running in the direction Elliot had gone.

Elliot.

A part of me hopes I'll find him.

That he's come to his senses.

And that he's back.

But no.

I keep running.

And I still can't see him.

Nowhere.

My legs ache, my chest burns, every step feels like a blow against the ground that resonates in my head like a war drum.

But fear drives me.

The pure, desperate need to survive forces me to keep going.

I notice him running after me.

I hear his labored breathing.

The branches snapping under his steps.

"Don't look back"  I tell myself, but the temptation is too strong.

I turn my head for a second and see him.

His face pale and deformed by black spots.

His eyes red like burning embers.

His body moves with an unnatural stiffness, but that doesn't slow him down.

He's just a few feet away from me.

And getting closer.

Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.

Panic grips me, and I try to speed up.

"Don't let him get to you" I repeat to myself.

But my legs start to give out.

My knees feel weak, my feet clumsy.

Suddenly, I feel his hands grab one of my knees.

We both fall to the ground.

I feel my skin burn as it rubs against the branches and rocks.

His weight is suffocating, and for a moment I think it's all over.

Clancy sits up first.

His face is so close to mine that I can feel his breath, hot and rough.

Those eyes.

Those red eyes.

Those red eyes I'll never forget.

"Leave me alone!"  I scream, using all the strength I have left to kick him.

I manage to punch him in the stomach, and he loosens his grip enough for me to free myself.

I crawl back, but he doesn't let up.

He lunges at me again, like a wounded beast, and manages to grab the hem of my shirt.

"Fuck!"

In an act of desperation, I slide off the shirt, leaving it in his hands.

I take advantage of his momentary confusion to get up and run again.

I feel my body protesting with every movement, but I don't stop.

I feel the cold sticking to my chest, now only covered by my bra.

Clancy lets out a gut-wrenching scream, full of frustration.

I look back again.

His face twists into a grimace of fury, and he starts to chase me again.

But this time, his body doesn't cooperate.

He trips over something, and falls to his knees with a thud that shakes the ground.

His blackened hands sink into the earth as he tries to get up, but something stops him.

His eyes seem to... winkle?

I stop.

They've gone completely dark.

Now all that can be heard are our desperate breaths.

I watch him from a distance.

His breathing is a tear, as if each inhalation is a monumental effort.

I watch him struggle, his body shaking as he tries to get up, but he can't.

Then, I hear them:

Sobs.

They're not human.

They're deep, broken, laden with a pain that seems to tear him from within.

His head falls forward, and the sobs intensify, reverberating through the forest like the echo of a damned soul.

Every sound is a mix of wailing and despair, as if he is being torn apart by unseen forces.

The black spots on his skin seem to throb with each moan, slowly expanding, like corrupted roots seeking to consume him whole.

Shit. Shit. SHIT.

My legs tremble.

I stand still, watching him crumble.

I take a step closer, even though my instinct screams at me to back away.

"Clancy..."  I say in a whisper, almost not believing I can still call him by his name.

He raises his head slowly, and in his dark eyes I see the man I once knew.

His face, now tear-stained, is twisted with suffering.

He staggers toward me, his lips trembling as he tries to form words.

''Rabbit... ''  his voice is barely a whisper, shaky and broken.

His shoulders slump, as if his entire being is on the verge of collapse.

I look at him, paralyzed by the mixture of fear and compassion.

But then, his dark eyes light up again with that damned red.

GOD, WHAT A CRAPPY LIFE.

His body shakes violently, as if something inside him is revealing itself.

A heart-rending scream escapes his throat, half human, half something much worse.

And then, with what little strength he has left, between gasps and with an effort that seems to split him in two, he screams:

''GO!''

This time it is he who tells me to run away.

I don't need him to tell me twice.

I take a step back, my eyes still fixed on him, and then I turn and run with all my strength, while his last scream merges into the silence of the forest.

I run without looking back, feeling the freezing air crash against my face.

My heart beats with an uncontrolled fury, and my legs shake with every step. 

But something changes.

I hear nothing.

Clancy is no longer behind me.

His red eyes, his heavy footsteps... everything is gone.

I stop, panting, resting my hands on my knees as I try to catch my breath.

I lift my head, expecting to see him emerge from between the trees, but there is only darkness and the whisper of the wind.

Why did he stop following me? Why didn't he finish what he started?

I look around, paranoid, searching for some sign of his presence, but there is nothing.

The forest is eerily quiet, as if even nature is afraid to make noise.

And then, a cold drop falls on my cheek.

Then another.

And another.

Within seconds, the rain begins to fall hard, soaking my hair and pants.

The ground turns muddy, and every step becomes a fight against the dirt that clings to my boots.

I hug myself, trying to calm the shivers that run through my body.

It's cold. A cold that penetrates to the bones, more intense than it should be.

Every breath I take turns into a white cloud that quickly dissipates into the air.

I walk aimlessly, the forest now transformed into a grey and slippery labyrinth.

The raindrops hit my face with an almost painful force, mixing with the tears I can't stop.

I feel small, insignificant, trapped in a world I don't understand.

Where are you, Elliot?

Why aren't you here?

I go back to that memory.

In his figure walking away.

In his last words before disappearing into the darkness.

I drag my feet through the mud. Each step is an enormous effort.

My eyes scan the landscape, desperately searching for some shelter.

I search, search, search.

Wait.

Is that a cave?

YES, IT IS A CAVE.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

I let out a laugh, rather ironic, and approach the cave.

It's small.

Much smaller than the one with the...

The NEDs.

I remember them in an instant.

Will they show up?

No.

Don't get your hopes up, Rabbit. 

That was more than a coincidence.

A reeeeeally good coincidence.

Damn.

Time passes.

There's no sign of anything.

Not Clancy. Not Elliot.

Not even those short, chubby creatures.

Loneliness hits me full force.

I can't help but feel abandoned.

My eyes fill with tears again, but I quickly wipe them away with my sleeve.

Wait.

Are you stupid?

You don't have sleeves anymore.

You've taken off your shirt.

You're literally almost naked.

''God, I'm so stupid... ''  I bury my face between my legs.

And I cry.

I don't care anymore.

I cry everything I had left to let out.

After a looooong time without stopping, I lift my head.

I look around.

There's not much.

Trees. Trees. Some bushes.

Trees.

Did I mention that there are trees?

Small ones. Tall ones. Thicker ones. Thinner ones.

Some with...

Wait.

WAIT.

I stand up and run to a specific tree.

A tree with several signs hanging on it.

They're wet, but still clearly visible.

"Shit..."  I whisper.

They all have our faces.

''TORCHBEARER''  Wanted.

Alive.

''RABBIT''  Wanted.

Dead.