P r e y

quietude

You'd opened your eyes to the fire burning in front of you. Silenced filled as each and  every last survivor refused to look in your direction due to guilt and sadness. They'd noticed your condition, the new scar across your throat made them realize you'd faced your first death alone.

First death.

That's by far the last thing you'd ever seen yourself think. Your hands rose and you'd held yourself as you sat up. So this really wasn't a dream, or a drug trip. You weren't kidnapped and hid away in some..abandoned factory. You were really here. Sitting in front of a fire that constantly burned. Your eyes felt heavy, and your chest empty. With a few more minutes of silence on all ends, you finally pushed yourself to your feet. You looked to each and everyone of them, and they'd returned the glance.

"So that's it?"

None of them responded. They'd only waited for you to speak.

"You Just..let your teammates get raped and killed? You just sit around and survive?" Your words came out bitter and cold

Again, no response. But some god looked away when you'd called them out..another empty wave of guilt on their faces. This made you angry, and in your moment your kicked a log from the fire and sent it flying at one of them. Dwight narrowly missed the flaming piece of wood with a gasp and a nervous stare in your way.

"Answer me dammit!"

You'd yell at the top of your lungs. By now the tears were more anger then pain. Laurie, the one who was suppose to be the one helping you had now stared with disbelief on what you'd done. "We had too—" Dwight said, staring at the fire for a moment. "You had too?" You'd say a quizzical rage as your tone. "No, you didn't. You didn't have to do anything but help me figure out a fucking god damn generator!" You yelled at the top of your lungs. "You're all pieces of shit! You're worthless and sick human beings!" You'd continued on. "You all deserve to die. You all don't deserve to fucking breathe!" You'd nearly lashes out, of it weren't for a strong set of arms wrapping around your waist and pulling you back. This caused you to flail, scream and kick. Whoever the fuck thought they could touch you was wrong. You'd yelled for them to let you go. But they'd brought you to the ground and kept a grip hard on you. "Calm down-" He'd say, "You aren't achieving anything here." He was right. He was so right.

But you were just so angry. You'd died alone just time back. You couldn't quite believe this. By the time you'd given up your struggle, you'd now just sat exhausted. You'd come to realize that the man holding you was Detective David Tapp. You'd never seen him before, and the fact he'd materialized from no where only made you more the wary. For an hour, her spoken to you, and done everything in his years of work to ease you up. He didn't carry on physical contact after and simply stood you up, tapped your shoulder, and ushered you to sit down with him.

That's when they'd finally spoke up.

"..None of us voted on letting this happen." Laurie said, not able to look at you. "We said no. We used any offering we thought would help you, but nothing..it didn't work."

Now you'd felt the need to look at her as she spoke, everyone else too. They all looked as if they'd been regretting it, but it was there. The guilt from allowing this still to happen.

"But she...Lex, we think she's..stealing the offerings and replacing them." Laurie shrugged, clasping her hands together. While eyeing the fire. A woman on her right spoke up as well. "I used my last jar of lips for you, because None of us wanted that to happen." Detective Tapp had nodded, raising his hand to the offering as well. "So did I, David used lithe as well." When it became obvious that the group had indeed done what they could in their power to help..your began to feel a sliver of guilt in your chest.

"So where is she now?"

"Who?"

"Lex."
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Covered in shrouds or darkness, the woman sat idly on a decrepit chair, thick tendrils formed around the base of each leg, snaking their branching arms upwards and towards the visitor. She had not said a word while the Entity continued to case her in a burning darkness. It wasn't long before the shell had cracked and revealed she had been within an abandoned trailer that extended the size of two put together. The moss-covered home was hidden behind a thick growth. Warm, orange lights could be seen from the windows. She'd sighed as the Entity's generals slipped away and back into the shadows that surrounded, a small hissing click could be heard all around and the stench of blood and rotting flesh was obvious.

A sigh surpassed her lips as she headed for the metal door, but was stopped when her hand collided against something that wasn't the door knob. "Do you have to do that here?" She'd asked with an impatient and cold tone. Bright shimmers only showed the invisible force was the Wraith. Her stared at Lex with the same cold eyes before turning his gaze and stepping down the stairs to let her through. "Thank you.." She'd caught a whiff and shifted back towards the Wraith, who'd moved towards her instinctively. "You smell like shit." She'd remarked, earning a snarl from the man as he followed her inside. The door closed behind the two immediately after.

"You're absolutely disgusting. How do you play both sides?" A man questions, his voice deep. Lex has dropped down on an old sofa with a grunt, in her hands was a beaten up flask full of whatever the hell could be found here. "With ease, MacMillan." She'd stated, "It gets you what you need, and you get me what I need. So quit bitching-" she'd remarked, whipping the flask at the man, who'd caught it promptly after. His glare was colder then the night air, the scars over his scalp and face were deep..some self inflicted. "You should be counting your blessings twice. I haven't decided to kill you yet."

"You can't. Big guy won't let you- Now Shut the hell up and get over here." She'd say, unzipping the jeans she'd worn and throwing them to the side.