Y/n's POV:

Several trials passed and neither Laurie nor me had touched on that subject; I didn't know whether or not she had accepted to keep what I had told her to herself, but I felt the atmosphere in the camp had drastically changed...we no longer talked around the fire, or laughed to try to forget the constant horror that haunted us...none of these was done anymore. I saw their neutral expressions that never changed, both when they entered and when they left for the trial.

I was sure it was my fault. Ever since I got there and met those guys I always thought we had different ideas; I had the impression that I was the only one who really wanted to get out of there. Well, I couldn't deny that I had lost my sense firstly, but I wasn't crazy and my intentions were serious.

The only person I could really talk to was Jake. I felt that I could talk about anything with him, until he sighed too and gave me the same answer as everyone else.

《I understand what you mean, but believe me when I tell you that I have done everything to find a solution...but there is no way out of here, Y/n.》

And he was right. However, I didn't believe it...maybe, I was really crazy and Jake couldn't help but look down when he heard my answer.

《There must be another way, I know. We just have to look for it.》

Jake carefully stared into my eyes to try to find my weakness that would lead me to surrender. It was true that those words were meaningless, but I knew they wouldn't be forever if I reacted.

Suddenly, Jake would change the subject and ask me how I was after that incident in the basement, but I told him that it was over and that I didn't want to talk about it again, especially with him, the only witness to what had happened.

Then, he asked me about us. He asked me what I thought of him and if I understood his feelings.

Honestly, Jake was the only guy who had been close to me from the start. If I had accepted what he felt for me and if I had stayed by his side, perhaps I would have seen this reality with different eyes, aware of the fact that there was a person by my side who would never abandon me.

《Jake, you are a wonderful person...but...》

But what? Why couldn't I look at him differently from now?

I knew the reason, but I didn't want to admit it, not in front of him...in my mind there was always Michael Myers who troubled me.

- - -

Jake's POV:

This girl was amazing. No matter how many times I told her it was useless to try to escape from here, she kept repeating that it wasn't, that there was another way somewhere to leave that nightmare definitely.
This was the first thing that took my attention about Y/n; her determination and the will to never give up, despite the difficulties.

But I felt like a pain in my chest. Although I spent a lot of time with her, I couldn't really feel her next to me. Even though she looked me straight in the eyes, her head was lost elsewhere.

《Y/n, what are you thinking?》  I squeezed more and more my fingers intertwined with each other.  《Or, who are you thinking...?》

I wasn't wrong and her gaze couldn't lie.

《What are you talking about? Didn't you hear what I just said?》  Of course, I knew she would be impatient and that meant my doubts had been confirmed.

《You know what I mean. But I don't understand why...》  Maybe I had lost my mind because I thought that killer, the Shape, was involved.

But I couldn't finish the sentence. Y/n looked at me with doe eyes before heading off into the forest alone.

《Sorry Jake, but I don't want to talk about this now.》  She just said, but I couldn't let her go like this without getting an answer.

《Why? You are avoiding everyone, including me. Why Y/n?》  I had the feeling that she was hiding something from me.

《...I have nothing to say, that's all.》  She replied after a pause. I didn't want to force her to confess something against her will, but I couldn't bear being kept in the dark from the very person I cared about most. 

And from the person I loved most.

I couldn't restrain myself and pulled her towards me falling on my chest. I could feel she was agitated now, like she was a trapped little squirrel.

《W-what are you doing, let me go Jake...》

She tried to push me away, but I just couldn't do it. Not anymore.

《No.》  I said firmly and this angered Y/n further.

《W-why are you doing this to me?! Try to understand me, please.》  At that moment, I placed my hands on her cheeks interrupting her.

《...because I love you, that's why.》

- - -

Y/n's POV:

When Jake said that, his face had gone completely red, while I was left speechless.
Just as he had done during the trial in the Red Forest, he had stated his feelings openly again.

His smell and warmth enveloped my whole body. I was completely embarrassed, but at the same time relieved.
However, I couldn't understand his feelings...how could he love me after what I had done? I wasn't worthy of that.

《Jake, you are a good boy, so don't waste your time with someone like me...》  But my mouth trembled every time I spoke, because I knew it wasn't my fault.

And he knew it too.
《I never did it.》  Then, he clenched his right arm around my waist  《When I'm with you, I feel the need to protect you, because you are the most beautiful person I have ever met in my life.》

He tightened his grip on me.
《Even now, I don't want to let you go Y/n.》

His black eyes looked at me intently, on the other side of the tufts of hair that fell on his forehead; I had never seen Jake so serious and my mind was starting to cloud with all those events happening one after the other.
I felt he was sincere towards me and my sight became foggy because of the tears...he could no longer see me as a friend and I couldn't ignore his feelings for much longer.

Now, I had to give him an answer.

《Jake...》  I tried to create a small space between the two of us and to be able to look him in the eye  《I'm glad for everything you do for me, but I don't know–》

Suddenly, he took me back a few steps until I hit a nearby tree.

《What...what else do you need to know to give me a proper answer?》  His tone had changed, although he tried not to be impatient.

《I-it's not that...》  I didn't know what to say.

《Is it for him?》  He said raising his voice  《You're thinking about that killer now...but why?》

《I don't know, maybe because I have suffered too much and I can't get him out of my head.》  Contrary to his words, Jake gently positioned me in his arms; I felt his chin resting on my head.

《Please, tell me what I can do to make you forget about him...》  What I did was give back that hug as I dipped my face into his clothes. They weren't dirty and worn like during the trials and their smell was surprisingly fresh; they reminded me of grass, especially when it was wet and in the morning the dew remained on the leaves, still intact.

I really wanted to drop and forget everything...but every time I did that, Michael Myers' white face appeared before my eyes.

In the end, I walked away from Jake.

《There's nothing you can do for me.》

Jake looked at me without understanding. He could never do that, even if I told him what I really felt. I was just a fool.
Then, he grabbed my hand and crossed his fingers with mine.

《I want to tell you this Y/n, I will never abandon you, no matter what. I'd rather die than see you suffer.》

Although I dried my tears earlier, I covered myself with my free hand to prevent him from seeing me like this again. Jake said nothing more and took me back with him to the camp with the others.

The first to approach us was Laurie, followed by Claudette.

《If you keep disappearing like this you will only make us worry...!》  Laurie said crossing her arms nervously but always worried.

《Sorry for that.》  I answered serenely; I could feel Jake's gaze on me and he was probably smiling to see that I was myself again, but he was suddenly distracted by Ace who, for no reason, was smiling with thumbs up and sunglasses in front of his eyes, even though it was night. Claudette couldn't help but laugh silently in front of that scene.

Luckily, Ace himself took care to restore morale with his innate cheerfulness; when we all sat down on the wooden logs around the fire, he took a bottle of wine and uncorked it without much difficulty. We all wondered where it came from...

《Ask and you shall receive, haha!》  He said aloud, catching the attention of the other survivors.

Unfortunately, there were no glasses and the only way to drink some was to pass the bottle one by one. After having a sip, Ace passed it to Jake who then passed it to me as he sat next to me...

《Yesss, Jake's about to give his first indirect kiss! Go, Jackie, go!!》  I was on the verge of choking when I heard that and I couldn't hold back the laughter. Jake didn't know what to say, but I could read his embarrassment thanks to his red ears.

《Where did you get this stuff?》  Nea asked after she had joined the group.

《Well, the same reason Bill keeps that thing in his mouth all the time!》

Of course, Ace was referring to the cigarette that old William always carried with him, even in the hardest moments...Nea raised an eyebrow as Bill turned in the player's direction with his usual frown.

《...I've had this fucking stub since I walked into this shitty place and you ask me which hole that bottle came out of?? You're fuckin' jackasses.》  He grumbled making us all remain silent, except Nea who burst out with laughter.

However, Ace didn't take it and continued to show his usual mocking smile.

《It's a lucky  hole, as you can see...》  He made the gun gesture along with the wink.

Bill wanted to punch his face but decided to hold back, not knowing where those killed outside the trial end up...again, everything seemed to proceed normally, as if nothing would scare us anymore. But I was so far from thinking that and as I thought about it Jake's hand gently stroked my back.

It was really true...his smile became the only light I had seen after who knows how long.

- - -

This time, you were the chosen ones for the next trial. You, Jake, Ace and Nea. The realm was the Grave of Glenvale, in the Dead Dawg Saloon.

You didn't know why, but you felt unusually nervous. There was a chance, even the smallest one, of bumping into Michael there too...

Luckily, Jake was close to you and thanks to this you could start with an extra emotional gear, but as you headed for a generator, a loud noise caught your attention.
It was a shot. Of a rifle.

Jake saw your strained gaze.
《The Deathslinger, that's how we call him.》

It was the first time you had heard of him. He told you that he was appeared in the entity's world at the same time they met Zarina...in fact, not all of them had been brought there alone like you, but they had been chosen along with a killer without their knowledge, just like Laurie and Michael.

So, what if also a killer decide to get out of here? Could there be a reverse effect? This was what you thought as you placed your hand on the generator lever.
The problem was that it was impossible because neither the survivors nor the killers were trying to communicate with each other...well, that was before you met Myers.

However, you returned to focus on the moment.

《Is he dangerous?》  You asked your teammate about the new killer.

《Not at all, if you can dodge it and there's a limit to how far the harpoon can reach.》  Jake explained to you and you listened to it carefully...
Since the day you were there, you have always been cautious about anything, always gathering new information in order to react and survive to the fullest.

When the light of the generator finally switched on, you walked carefully inside the wooden shacks to reach the next one. This time, you two had to reach the saloon in the heart of the map.

At that moment, more shots in succession crossed the desert air chasing the tracks of the survivor; it was then that you saw Nea jump through a window and avoid the shot of the flare gun.
To your surprise, you noticed the killer had human features, as well as being of an advanced age...when you shared your thoughts with Jake, he couldn't help but laugh at your sweet naivety.

You followed him inside the inn and were impressed by the realistic appearance of the place; it really seemed to be in the Far West...of course, the most disturbing was the piano against a wall playing without a composer.

Anyway, the situation seemed to be under control...Nea was keeping the killer busy, you and Jake were fixing the generators, and Ace was looking for useful things inside the wooden boxes.

Now, only two generators were missing to find. Shortly after, you met Ace who supplied you and Jake with good toolboxes.

It was rare to find items in such good condition.

《Wow, where did you find these–》  You said with your mouth open, until you thought about it. It was Ace you were talking about, after all.

《These will be just fine.》  Jake thanked the player. Meanwhile, your eye fell on a flashlight.

《Do you mind if I take this?》  You asked.

Ace nodded with a little chuckle.
《Go ahead, sweetie.》

It could be useful in an emergency. It wasn't a real weapon, but was effective when you need to escape or help others...well, you would have preferred a weapon similar to that of the killer, if you really wanted to protect yourself.

There wasn't much left to activate the exit gates, but you didn't know how long Nea could hold out; in the end, the killer managed to hit her. She tried to free herself from the harpoon chain but it was useless; the old outlaw could shorten the chain and bring distant prey closer to him.
You could hear her cry of pain as she hung on the hook not very far from you.

《I'm going to save her.》  You said in a low voice to the two guys. But Jake disagreed.

《Are you crazy? You can't go alone.》  He said grabbing your arm, clearly worried about you. At that point, Ace intervened.

《Don't worry Jackie, you can see a mile away that Y/n is a brave girl! Let's try to distract him while she saves the stray girl.》

- - -

Y/n's POV:

Like Ace said that, I walked out of the saloon with Jake covering my back and, as we thought, the killer was guarding the hook.

《Tsk, what a fucking camper...》  Jake yelled when he saw him...that was a very common tactic when they couldn't kill us all.

《We have to split up. I'll pop out from his right to distract him...》  I said while I was squatting.

《No, I'll take care of it, think about saving Nea.》  Jake passed me and went to my place. I didn't want him to risk getting caught, but it was the only way to help her; so, I stayed hidden until the killer walked away from the hook.

It was hard for Nea to hold back the screams as the hook finally came out of her shoulder. Then, I ran off with her to Ace's position.
From the balcony of the saloon on the first floor I saw the Deathslinger chasing and shooting Jake, but he luckily managed to avoid him.

As we thought about healing Nea, I couldn't help but worry about him...we managed to finish the fourth generator very quickly, but before I left, I warned them that I was going to find Jake.

《I can't leave him behind.》  I told the two of them before jumped down, under their bewildered eyes. Well, I was tired of watching without doing anything and letting others always save me...

I followed the traces of blood on the ground and then I saw Jake throwing down a pallet to distance himself from the killer, but the other still managed to brush his face with the back of the rifle.
Jake was on the verge of losing his balance and falling when I decided to come out and stand in front of him.

I didn't hesitate to point the flashlight at his eyes. I helped Jake get back on his feet and then we ran away before he could recover...I could hear the laments of that old monster in the distance.
I knew which way to go to reach the saloon, until something strange happened...a sudden sandstorm hit the inside of the map. I closed my eyes and mouth trying to protect them from the sand.

《J-Jake!》  I tried to call him to make sure he was still there with me, but the wind was too strong and even for me was hard to hear my own voice.

Of course, not even the killer seemed capable of resisting that force of nature...it was as if he was disappeared.

- - -

When the sandstorm subsided and you were able to open your eyes again, you realized Jake was gone too...he had probably managed to get back to the others, but the problem now was that you were left out alone facing the Deathslinger.
As soon as you took the opportunity, you started running as much as you could ignoring the noise you would make. Also, you soon realized that you had strayed too far from the saloon.

《I-I haven't moved, how is that possible...》  You thought with bewilderment. Anyway, you didn't try to walk around to avoid the killer and ran into the middle of the playing field.

When you finally saw Ace and the others, you thought you were out of danger...until something hit you painfully at the height of the waist. You clearly saw the harness on the other side of your shirt.
The chain began to wrap around itself and it was very difficult for you to free yourself in that way.

《No no no...! Let me go!!》

You have tried in vain to free yourself; in that moment you heard the killer grin evily and got a quick blow to the temple when you were close enough...you fell to the ground in pain by pressing on the area hit by his weapon with your hand.

You could feel him approaching you, until he violently grabbed your shirt to take you to a sacrificial hook, but it didn't happen too soon...there, Jake managed to sabotage the hook right in front of him.

《Come and get us, piece of shit!》  Nea yelled at him, drawing his attention.

On the other hand, Ace was hidden behind some crates of ammunition to avoid being targeted by the killer because of that. Jake didn't let go of you for a moment and kept going around him to make him lose his grip on you; the problem was that you were unconscious and couldn't make any movement to unbalance him.

At that point, Nea motioned the saboteur boy to look at the ground, where was the flashlight you had lost from your hand. He took it and aimed the light beam against his evil eyes.
Finally, he let you go. Jake rushed towards you and took you away from there by wrapping your arm around his neck and stabilizing your body by taking it around the waist.

Jake saw your emotionless, bloodstained face and prayed you would wake up early.

《I won't let anyone hurt you again...please, hold on Y/n!》

- - -

Jake hid with you behind thick flower beds. Now, the situation had changed; there was still a generator to be repaired to get out of there and didn't know where Nea and Ace had gone, let alone if the Deathslinger had caught them...his main goal was to protect you, at any cost.
Shortly, he found a generator not far from him and sneaked up on it; he decided to work on that, but before he left you lying on the soft, dense grass next to it. In this way, you were well hidden and protected.

Jake was sweating cold as he held the electrical cables between his fingers. He hoped to have time to get out of that damn place with you, but at the same time he hoped that his teammates were okay...around him, there was a strange silence that didn't reassure him at all. Even the crows had flown away.

He was close to finishing, but something went wrong...unexpectedly, the generator exploded for no reason unleashing sparks and a loud noise. Now, the killer knew his location and had to leave immediately. He bent down to take you into his arms again and decided to go back to the saloon, opting for it as a safe place.

But he never went inside. A shot fired in the chest stopped his run and irremediably made your helpless body fall to the ground. Jake knelt down and began to spit blood from his mouth and deep wound.
He didn't want it to end like this. He had to fight to save your life, at the cost of giving up on him, but he didn't even find the strength to get up.

The old outlaw's footsteps came closer and closer to both of you. Suddenly, the chain dragged Jake through the dust to his feet.

The killer easily grabbed the young man and pointed the rifle under his chin. In front of that sadistic smile, Jake spat in his face hatefully. Nobody could help him anymore.

He closed his eyes and waited for the harpoon to pass through his skull when a groan of pain came out from the killer, letting him go.
He opened his eyes and couldn't believe what was happening...the Deathslinger turned forcefully towards his unexpected attacker...only a being like Michael Myers was capable of facing a monster like him in that way.

His blade was still in the air and stained with blood. Blood belonging to a killer.
Not only Jake, but none of them had ever seen two killers in the same trial and on the verge of killing each other.

Jake crawled weakly across the ground to reach you. You still hadn't been able to wake up and, before all strength left him, he successfully tried to get your bodies back on their feet.

He didn't care anymore, he just wanted to escape from that hell, but as soon as he tried to do it, someone grabbed his scarf and threw him back to the ground. Then, he saw the masked killer approach you slowly.

《D-don't you dare touch her...!》

Michael noticed the survivor was still trying to fight him; he had ignored him, but now he absolutely wanted to kill him.

Anyway, Jake narrowly dodged his slash. He couldn't fight back so he did the foolest thing that came to mind...he threw himself on the killer and thanks to that Michael lost the knife.
Of course, Michael's body didn't flinch and tried to grab and finish him off with his bare hands.

However, Jake wasn't determined to give up and kicked and punched repeatedly ignoring the wound on his chest; in fact, it was there that Michael pressured him to make him scream in pain.
In the end, he was lifted into the air; the killer's large palms encircled his neck and in seconds he would no longer allow him to breathe.

The young Myers found it very funny when he tried to resist, and unbearable when he always saw him around you...he hated when someone else touched his properties.

As a last desperate gesture, Jake tried to do the same at him when accidentally didn't make the biggest mistake; the killer's mask fell hopelessly to the ground.
Michael was in a rage. No one had to see his face at all, and his gaze was enough to leave a petrified survivor.

However, Jake confronted him by provoking him further.

《She will never be yours...》

But he was shocked by the killer's reaction...it was impossible to believe it, but Michael had shown a grim smile before finally getting rid of him.

He threw away Jake's body, took back his mask and watched in your direction. Finally, you were his again...