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The two girls ran like their lives depended. Only now in this twisted reality, their lives really did depend on it and this wasn't that same feeling of watching Scream in the comfort of your own bedroom as the fictional characters were being hunted one by one.

This time they were the unexpected prey and they had one glimpse of hope that they had no intention of letting go or wasting. Both girls knew they would do anything to survive together. They paraded through the thick trees and bushes with their beating hearts practically in their mouthes, trying to keep a steady and healthy distance from the predator. Though navigating through a pitch black area with a lowered phone flashlight wasn't exactly rocket science as one might think. It became a particular task that had them on edge that one mistake or misleading placement of their vibrant guide would lead them to a painful death at the hands of a psychopath sooner than they'd want, if they could avoid it.

The journey never seemingly wanted to end and it was entirely down to their horrified state of adrenaline that was pumping in their veins from this horror-infused game of cat and mouse. Everything looked the same. Everything sounded the same. Navigating through these woodlands was not a simple task at all and it nerved both of them to the core, but they had to remain composed enough to get themselves through it.

In just over 10 minutes of strongly held running, Selena and Faith managed to find the arch of the quarry, the other side entrance which they didn't usually enter through but luckily recognised it from their one off times of exploring its grounds.

The quarry was abnormally large in the sunlight and was a labyrinth in the moonlight.

"This way." Faith had managed to find herself as the adrenaline managed to suck up the sedatives aftermath. She was sharp, looking constantly in front, behind and at Selena to ensure their safety while Selena refused to let go of Faiths hand in fear of separation.

But Selena hadn't even got over what was happening. She was dwelling on too much sentimentality that eventually would take depressive turns if she didn't focus on the happenings around her now. Her mistake was stopping to take the surroundings in.

Jason turning out to be a killer was something you read about, something you see in a series and you scream in frustration because the signs were in plain sight and no one managed to figure it out. That entire I should be Sherlock Holmes persona comes out during those moments but now this was the opposite. It made her think of all her own signs, her own red flags that were hopelessly waving afar that she chose to ignore because someone with such a tender touch would never do such despicable actions.

She fell for everything and it made her world come crashing down.

"Selena?" Faith was leading but she couldn't help but notice Selena wasn't responding in urgency. She was breathing heavy as she couldn't catch a breath fully. She was pulling back as she slowed them both down. "As much as I want to make things better, we have to keep moving, okay? Every time we stop means he is closing in on us. Okay?"

She tightened her grip on her hand and it made Selena's head slowly turn towards her. Despite the darkness, she could still make out Faith's worried expression and glassy eyes. She was also trembling in her grip, scared for her life. Selena knew that even if she couldn't focus for herself, she could at least do it for Faith, the one person she needed.

Selena quickly grabbed her inhaler, always packed for emergencies, from her pocket and took two deep inhaled after pressing down on the device in two quick spritz. Her lungs were compressing and tight. Painfully, she took in big inhale, ensuring it was all in her respiratory system. She knew she had to keep moving but she needed this quick moment to regain as much lung capacity she could.

"I'll get you out of this, I promise." Faith squeezes Selena's hand that Selena still refused to let go. She watched Selena take in several more deep breathes to ensure the substance could work it's magic. "Are you good?"

"Okay, I just needed that. I'm sorry." She whispers, barely lifting for a smile as they carry on.

"Don't apologise, but we have to keep moving now. We are close."

•••

Selena and Faith finally pulled themselves to their usual spot in the quarry. They didn't walk too out of the pier because they would be seen, but kept well in the weeds that still hadn't received any caring treatments since their latest attendance and left overgrown, dying even.

"Ring the cops." Faith directs Selena. "Then we'll make a run for it." Town was so close, yet remained another fifteen minute casual walk. Faith felt ringing the police as soon as possible was the best action, so once the pier entrance was in sight, running to town seemed risky.

The police could come before reaching in the safety of street light. And those few minutes could be between life and death. It was crucial they called the police now to get a head start for themselves.

Selena doesn't question Faith, in fact she had her full trust in her and didn't even feel the need to start questioning all alternatives. Selena doesn't think twice before dialling the three digit number, her head moving side to side to see any movement among the wind that suddenly picked itself up.

The signal bars mixed with the emergency services answering was the spark of hope they needed to hear. It was probably the first time the girls managed to smile out of genuine happiness, not out of pity or sympathy that they were stuck in this mess. "Thank god." Faith says.

Selena dials and the response is extremely quick. "I need the police please."

Selena carried on talking, getting straight to the point while Faith kept up a strong guard to see if anyone was coming. It was terribly quiet outside of nature's bounds. Nothing detailing that they were being watched or somebody was near.

Selena carried on to slightly above a whisper. "We don't know where he is."

"Where are you now exactly?" The woman operating the phone speaks.

"The quarry on the edge of town. I can't remember what it's actually called but we need help. It's about 15 minute walk from the town square."

She speaks. "We will send a team to your location."

"What should we do? We are just on the pier and I don't know how safe we are here."

"The safest bet is to stay where you are and keep hidden as much as you can. I'll stay on the line until police are at your location and you and your friend are safe. They will be informed you are at the pier so they will find you."

"Okay. Thank you."

"They are on there way now to you now, okay?" Knowing help was on the way made her desperation for safety increase. Help was on the way which meant it was only moments until this living nightmare would be over.

Selena lifts the phone away from her ear and into her chest. "She said to stay here."

"What? We are not safe here." Faith spits. "Look around us. We only came here for reception but we need to keep moving."

"The police are on their way to us now."

"We are still practically in the open. If he walks past here, he'll see us."

"He'll see us if we move. Everything is overgrown here. Please Faith, the police will be here in 10, 15 minutes most. We can wait."

"I'm not waiting to be slaughtered." Her fear began to take over. She instantly stands up from her crouch position and Selena grabs her hand to pull her back down but she doesn't budge. Instead she pulls her hand away and walks towards the open walk space.

"Don't leave, Faith." She stands up now with a desperate plea as Faith stops still. Although she doesn't move any more forward, she turns on her heels to face Selena, who was ready to cry her case "Like you said, we will get out of this. We need to stay together until the very end so don't you dare walk away from me. We need each other, more than I ever thought we would so please, do not walk away from me like this. Don't walk away from us like this."

"Selena, we will both survive this and I meant that pro-" Before could finish off her sentence, she is suddenly caught short by a metal object being forced into the side of her stomach, blood suddenly coming out of the gash as it is forced out in a quick motion, almost like it has never even happened. Her face fell lifeless instantly as her hand weakly presses onto the side. She gasped onto the air, the pain she felt intensifying and manifesting her entire body like a frenzy.

"Faith!" Selena screams before Faith falls to the ground without another sound or word. Selena drops the phone that was still in her hand, not knowing what to do as the tears no longer held on.

Jason comes out of the shadows as Selena steps back but doesn't take her eyes off Faith, looking for a sign of life. Her chest was amplified more from the dread, her heart being ripped out right in front of her.

"Wow, you two definitely made this much harder than this had to be." He moves slowly forward, his crowbar covered in blood that shouldn't be there.

"Jason, what do you want from us? We never asked for any of this." She cries to him, hoping her negotiations will be her way out of this.

"You asked for it the second you chose not to trust me over that bitch. It's a shame, really. You really were my favourite out of all of those girls."

"You don't need to hurt more people to get your point across. Okay, I hurt you and I'm sorry for that but you don't need to keep shedding blood to make it better."

"Tell me something Selena, did you ever really love me?"

"Why does that matter?"

"It's a very easy question. It's not a trick question or anything, my love. Did you love me? Yes or no?"

She doesn't respond at first, purely because the thought had finally sunk it and began to disgust her. But the longer she spoke, it meant time until the police arrived and her survival chances being higher and his capture rate being solidly stronger. She reluctantly answered the truth to him. "Yes, I did." She gritted her teeth in disgust but he doesn't focus on that.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it? Now, tell me this." He suddenly stops in his tracks and his sarcastic demeanour vanished so instantly, it actually made her fear intensify. "Did you love me, solely?"

"What?"

"Again, not very hard. For a smart girl, you know how to play dumb very well." He chuckles to himself. "When you say you loved me, did you only love me or did you have someone else on your mind too? Just for an example, let's say the beautiful girl behind me bleeding to death?"

"No." She says too instantly.

"I know when you lie baby." He responds. "This is a safe space between the two of us. Did you have feelings for someone else?"

"I didn't." Her eyes began to sting.

"Don't fucking lie to me, Selena."

"I'm not lying." She began to feel the frustration of him not letting it go.

"Did you fucking love her, yes or no?"

"Yes!" She shouts back as Jason's face stares back blankly. "Okay? I have never gotten over Faith despite the flings and meaningless sex, despite that fact she was in relationships moving on with her life and I was trying to do the same, despite you coming into my life and making me feel like I could do the exact same thing and love someone else fully and unconditionally and actually mean it. I never stopped loving her from the second I knew who I was, no matter how much I tried. There was always something there. Yes, you made it the smallest it had ever been because I did fucking love you but regardless, I still had feelings for her. Is that what you want to hear? Does that make you feel better? Does that take away your homocidal urges, huh? Is that exactly what you needed to hear from me?" She takes several breaths of air after ranting away, the tears streaming harder knowing they Faith hadn't even moved since this and she was barely in sight now as the darkness wrapped around her.

But within her rant, she had completely forgot she was entertaining a killer who had a flicker in his eyes that didn't flicker potentially good things. She regretted her words instantly and she couldn't take anything back.

The pain in her words, her voice. All she wanted to do was run to Faith lifeless body and hold her until help arrived, try to save her from the brink of death.

"You really needed to get that off your chest." He didn't even act phased by her outburst, in fact he managed to contain every single emotion. It was a challenge to guess his motives, his next move and Selena's small outburst had her frightened even more as she heavily breathed as quietly as she could to herself.

"Is that what you wanted to hear?" She felt weak now, she knew that her chances of winning him over was diminished. "Are you happy?"

"Not really." He blankly says. "But it does make killing you that much easier."

He doesn't even look onto the wooden pier before using the crowbar to smash Selena's phone and making unrepeatable damage to it. "It doesn't matter, the police are on their way. You will be arrested before you can do anything to me."

"Despite these little negotiations of ours, I still have time to make an escape." His cunning smile faded as he drags the crowbar against the wood. "Don't worry babe, I'll make it quick just for you."

Selena had no plan for her escape. She feared for her life as he closed in so much space. This was it. Was this the end?

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