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Lights flickered in their line of sight as they watched the ceiling above. Nothing seemed to really happen, but that might as well be a good thing here. No absolute disasters or anything going wrong, but nothing having gone wrong just yet seemed too suspicious to Paranoid. It was too good to be true, especially knowing how chaotic their group was. Silence, however, fills the room they're staying in. It wasn't exactly that cabin they know and fear, but something about this particular building seemed off enough that kept Paranoid uneasy about the situation. But nothing appeared to be out of place and thus they forced themself to brush these thoughts off.
The sound of a creaking door causes Paranoid to jolt up from their bed, heart pounding as their eyes dart over to whatever is at their door. The figure at the door was barely illuminated by the faint light, blinking in and out in the mostly shadowed doorway. Paranoid squints, trying to make out the identity of this figure, and relaxes when they realize that it's just Hunted standing there. They sigh in relief, glad that it wasn't an apparition or one of the other voices. Well, Broken and Cold weren't as bad as how some of the others could be, but they'd much rather prefer Hunted over all of them.
The voice at the door notices this and trots over, reaching the bedside and hanging its head down in an apologetic manner. It remains silent, conveying its message through body language rather than speaking out loud. Paranoid understands, knowing that it deems words as unnecessary and only using them when really needed. Part of the factor is due to its fear of being too loud, despite its voice being quieter than most.
Paranoid studies the voice, sitting up more properly before speaking, “I…I know… I just… It's a habit.”
Hunted’s ear flicks, regarding them with curiosity before nodding. It points to the door, signaling to Paranoid that it is going to leave. They narrow their eyes, not quite understanding what exactly it wants at the moment.
“Why?”
The silent voice looks over into the distance out the window nearby. It stares at the trees for a long moment before turning its head back towards Paranoid. Their eyes follow after Hunted’s, watching the leaves sway in the slight wind. It wants to go outside, but why? Paranoid quickly looks back at the other voice expectantly, wanting an answer.
It stares up at Paranoid with its wide eyes, tilting its head. A silent question of why not. It just wants to, they realize. For whatever reason. But it isn’t safe out there, is it? Paranoid looks out the window once more, their heart sinking down to their stomach. The sun was going to set soon, it wouldn’t be safe to go out alone. A surge of determination rushes through them as they slip out of bed, much to Hunted’s confusion.
“I’m going with you,” Paranoid declares, marching over to the shelf nearby and throwing on their cloak. Hunted turns its head as it watches Paranoid reach up and pull their hood over their head, unblinking and turning its body to face them. They glance at the other voice, bringing their hands down and sighing, “Let’s go.”
Hunted blinks, surprise in its eyes, and nods, slipping past the Paranoid's door and bounding to the front door like a dog about to go on a walk with its owner. Paranoid widens their room’s door and exits, closing the door behind them. They follow after the other voice, opening the door and letting it out.
A cold gust of wind immediately blows in Paranoid’s face and they cover their eyes with their free arm so as to not get any swept up dirt in their eyes. After the air settles down, they lower their arm and look to see Hunted already trotting ahead. Their heart rate quickens as they hurry to slam the door, cringing internally at the sound, and catch up with the voice. Once they reach Hunted’s side, they keep their pace to stay as close to it as possible, warily looking around the area.
Anxiety surges through their veins the more they observe the trees which almost seemed to close in on them. The orange sunlight was filtered through the leaves, shining on parts of the ground and leaving others in the dark. Paranoid tries to take a deep breath, inhaling the crisp air and letting it cool his lungs. They were alright, nothing bad was happening and that’s all that really matters at the moment. Paranoid turns their attention to the sky, watching the clouds drift in a carefree manner. Some birds flew overhead, chirping to each other as they land in the comfort of the branches.
Paranoid glances at Hunted, whose ear flicks at the sounds. Its hearing was much more sensitive than Paranoid’s, or even most of everyone else’s senses. They could never imagine how it manages to go through daily life without its senses being overwhelmed. Hunted notices Paranoid looking at it and stares back with a nearly blank expression, similar to a rabbit. At the sudden eye contact, Paranoid’s heart picks up again and they look away, opting to watch the trees again.
They could feel Hunted’s gaze turn away from them, and they let out a breath they didn't know they were holding in. Paranoid internally scolds themself. Why were they so nervous? It wasn't so bad out here after all. Right? Right, they were simply getting some fresh air while making sure the both of them made it back unharmed. That's all. Maybe they were wrong about it not being safe outside.
Oh, who were they kidding? Why would Paranoid ever believe that they were truly safe somewhere unknown? It was nearly sundown and it was never safe to stroll aimlessly in the dark. There could be threats that are out there just waiting for the perfect time to strike at them. Paranoid wasn't about to just trust nature to not pull some sort of trick up its sleeve, endangering the two voices. They couldn't risk that no matter what.
As if on cue, their foot gets caught on a tree root reaching up from the ground, tripping them. A gasp leaves their lips as they tumble down to who knows where. Paranoid braces themself, squeezing their eyes shut as they're sent rolling farther and farther away from the other voice.
After what felt like an eternity, a pile of leaves flew up like confetti as Paranoid's momentum came to a crashing stop. They laid there for several minutes, their breathing fast and uneven. There weren't any sounds that signaled anything bad, and so they take the time to catch their breath. They peek an eye open, noticing that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Paranoid sighs heavily, pushing themself off of the ground.
They quickly check their body, noting that they didn't have any major injuries. Their hood had been forced off of their head during the trip and they tugged it back on, covering the cracks over their face. Paranoid turns around in a circle, unsure which way they had come from. This was bad, and they didn't like it one bit. Not only did they get separated from Hunted, but now they were lost and on their own. With much hesitation, they pick a direction and start walking from there, looking around as they go.
The path they were on wasn’t very clear and the shadows seemed to stalk Paranoid as they wandered in the woods. It was as if the night forever reigned in these parts of the forest, the tree branches swaying in the breeze to make way for a victorious leader from battle. A shiver goes down Paranoid’s spine and their eyes widen as they feel as though they’re being watched.
They glance around with a slightly panicked look on their face, eyes darting from tree to tree trying to catch their hidden pursuer. Nothing but trees and bushes seemed to surround them. Everything nearly looked to be the same no matter how far Paranoid goes. How long have they been walking in these parts of the forest? They gulp and take a deep breath, attempting to mentally retrace their steps.
Earlier, they were walking through these woods with their companion. But their fears got the better of them and they lost sight of the other. Paranoid would have thought Hunted might have found them by now due to its senses, but the fact that they haven’t reunited yet brings horrible thoughts to Paranoid’s mind. What if Hunted got extremely injured? Or what if it abandoned them to wander the woods endlessly? Or what if there’s something out there that killed it? What if it’s dead?
Paranoid does their best to push these thoughts to the back of their head. It can’t be dead, it just can’t. Survival is the one thing it knows how to do. It’ll be fine. It has to be okay. Paranoid shakes their head, trudging on down the grassy pathway. They should have never came here, but their worried thoughts regarding Hunted’s wellbeing led them to this point.
They should have known that it would have been alright on its own. But no, they were paranoid and terrified, so now they’re lost alone in these terrible woods. Paranoid can’t tell if the sky is growing darker or not, and that scares them. They tug their hood further over their head, keeping their cloak close to them as a chill passes through them. It was getting colder and that is a bad sign.
Frigid wind blows past them, swirling around the woods and picking up dead leaves in its path. It tickles their skin, brushing past their cloak and chilling their body. Paranoid’s hand finds itself picking at the scales on their other arm nervously, their chest tightening into a knot. Was it just them or did they become more hyper-aware of their surroundings?
Rustling could be heard from the bushes, causing them to stop in their tracks. They fearfully whirl around towards the sound, widening their eyes. A shiver goes down their spine as the shadows reach towards them. There's something here with them, watching their every move. Fear seized Paranoid's heart, grasping their body and petrifying them right where they stood.
Whatever was lurking in the undergrowth certainly wasn't going to welcome them with open arms. Even the world seemed to have stopped as Paranoid's breath was caught in their throat, refusing to budge from its spot. Their hands trembled as they instinctively took a step away from the bushes. Paranoid should have ran back when they could earlier. A more hopeful thought crosses their mind suddenly, and they decide to take their chances.
“Hunted?” They call out warily, their whispery voice forced out of their mouth, “I-Is that you?”
No response. Paranoid's fear increases tenfold and they back away into one of the trees. Speaking was a mistake, they realize, as something unearthly emerges from the dark. A sinister smile curls up on the figure's lips who seemed to flicker in and out of sight. Paranoid freezes in place, sliding down the tree bark and onto the dirt floor.
Was it a ghost? Whatever it was wore a long, dark dress that seemed to fade into smoke. A porcelain mask gave it the appearance of an innocent doll, creepy yet attractive enough to be played with. But to Paranoid, it was like the roles were reversed with them being the one being toyed with.
The figure glides over to the terrified voice, their breathing growing sharper as the doll draws near. It puts a gloved finger on its lips, staring into Paranoid's frightened soul as it speaks in a playful yet menacing tone, “You've made a terrible mistake coming here.”
It wasn't like Paranoid had much of a choice in coming here! Or perhaps it meant that they should have stayed inside, never leaving the confinements of their room to accompany Hunted? Panicked breaths continued to escape Paranoid as everything within them seemed to come to a lurching halt. The figure laughs at the sight of their terror, relishing in the fear it brings in them.
Leaning away, the doll twirls around, holding the hem of its dress as it does. “Oh, but this is so wonderful! A new playmate in these oh so lonely woods!” It puts its hands on its hips, narrowing its eyes in twisted delight. “I wonder how long I get to play with you before you break.”
Paranoid watches as the figure circles them like a predator about to pounce on its prey. It stops in front of them, bringing its face close to theirs.
“Cat got your tongue? It's not nearly as fun if you don't talk!” The doll almost seems to pout for one second before looking like a lightbulb lit up in its head. “Oh well, I have plenty of other ways I could have fun with you!”
Its index finger places itself on Paranoid's heaving chest, pushing on it lightly. But before the doll could do anything else, it appeared to have noticed something was amiss. It pulls away from the voice and giggles, “Ah, how unfortunate! It looks like you got lucky!”
The figure twirls again, retreating back into the darkness, but not without adding, “We'll meet again, I'm sure of it. Perhaps I'll see you in your nightmares.”
And just as soon as it was there, the doll was gone. The fear slowly subsides, yet it lingers like a heavy fog around Paranoid as they try to breathe. The sound of light footsteps barely reach their ears as they process what had happened. Before they knew it, a familiar voice popped up in their vision.
Paranoid jumps in shock, a startled yelp coming out. It takes them a moment to realize that it was just Hunted and they exhale in relief. The other voice stares at them, worry noticeable in their gaze.
“I-I'm alright,” Paranoid murmurs, trying to reassure the voice, “I didn't get hurt.”
Hunted tilts its head to the side, silently asking if they're sure.
“I-I’m sure.” They stutter in response, looking away.
The voice takes this as a sign to not bombard Paranoid with unspoken questions and get them back to shelter. It carefully nudges their arm with its head as if to say they should go. Paranoid nods, shakily standing back up while using the tree behind them as support.
Hunted looks up at the sky which had turned dark during the time it took to find the other. Luckily for the both of them, their eyes had adjusted to see more clearly in this lack of lighting. Paranoid intakes one final breath, having calmed down enough to be able to walk, albeit not steadily. Looking over their shoulder, their eyes widen when they spot a pair of eyes watching them in the distance.
Paranoid tenses up when they feel something suddenly squeeze around their hand and look down, relaxing when they see it was just Hunted who grabbed their hand at some point. The physical contact was somewhat calming and it helped Paranoid ground themself to reality. They let out a drawn-out sigh, shaking their head and focusing on Hunted. It was time to go.
The voice allows Hunted to lead the way, trusting it more with directions than even themself. They could never hope to find a way out of these woods on their own after all. Paranoid nearly zones out, holding onto its hand as it takes them back to where they and the others were staying at.
Eventually, Paranoid realizes they were back on the original path. It was rather peaceful here, they'll admit. Fireflies illuminated the trail, glowing dimly in the night. The moon shined down on the two, soaking them in the soft light. Stars filled the sky above like dots to be connected, forming constellations that Paranoid could recognize. The sounds of crickets chirping and the gentle breeze filled the silence.
Paranoid smiles slightly as they look down at the voice with them, watching its ear flick. Hunted turns its head to look back at the voice, its ear flicking again seeing Paranoid's expression. It could have been their imagination, but it appeared to them like Hunted seemed happier than before, which only made Paranoid smile more softly at the other voice. Perhaps it truly wasn't so bad after all despite everything else that occurred, seeing the scene before them. They could almost say that Hunted looked rather nice under the moonlight.