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Following the previous death, the remaining survivors decide to to split up and look for weapons, as the killer SHOULD be trapped on the roof... as far as they know. Unfortunately, it is not, and decides to follow the wolf Drake to the shed with the power generator. But sometimes Drake is more clever than most give him credit for... and sometimes he isn't.\n\n- - - - -\n\nA massive thank you to my top tier subscribers:\nSedyna | [fa]jafferroshak[/fa] | RoleplayCentral | [fa]Tierr[/fa] | [fa]akinkyyfox[/fa]\n\nIf you would like early access to my stories, weekly previews and updates, access to my private discord, chance to have your character become part of the lore, and other bonus content, please consider subscribing to my [url=https://subscribestar.adult/xp_author]SubscribeStar[/url]", "description_bbcode_parsed": "The penultimate chapter (I just like saying penultimate). Following the previous death, the remaining survivors decide to to split up and look for weapons, as the killer SHOULD be trapped on the roof... as far as they know. Unfortunately, it is not, and decides to follow the wolf Drake to the shed with the power generator. But sometimes Drake is more clever than most give him credit for... and sometimes he isn't.

- - - - -

A massive thank you to my top tier subscribers:
Sedyna | \n\t\t\t\t\tjafferroshak | RoleplayCentral | \n\t\t\t\t\tTierr | \n\t\t\t\t\takinkyyfox

If you would like early access to my stories, weekly previews and updates, access to my private discord, chance to have your character become part of the lore, and other bonus content, please consider subscribing to my SubscribeStar", "writing": "\n[center][b][u]Mountain Getaway Massacre[/u][/b][/center]\n[center][b]Chapter 4: Powerless Fear[/b][/center]\n[center]By XP Author[/center]\n\nDrake clenched his fists as he stared at the naked, headless body of Val. The leopard's body was still drooling blood from the stump of the neck, her limbs laying at odd angles after having been thrown from the roof. Her head was a short distance away, laying in the grass. It was facing away, so no one could see her final expression... and none of the three wanted to go look. \"What... the actual FUCK!?\"\n\nLily had her face buried in her boyfriend's chest, tears streaming from her eyes and soaking into his shirt. He had his arms around her, holding her trembling form tight. \"This... is fucked up. We need to get the the fuck out of here!\"\n\nLily gripped his shirt. \"N-no. We need to wait for Will to come back with Willow and Alex. I don't want to leave with them still out there! They could come back to... this...\" The vixen didn't dare turn to look at Val. The older woman had been so nice to them all. She didn't deserve this.\n\nDrake turned. \"She's right. We should wait. Besides.\" The wolf pointed to the ladder, which still lay on the ground where it had fallen. \"Val said that there isn't any easy access to the roof without a ladder, so whoever is doing this is trapped up there right now!\"\n\nJayden shook his head. \"They could still find a way to climb down...\"\n\n\"Yeah, they might. And hopefully they'll slip and fall and crack their fucking skull open. But right now, they are stuck.\" Drake clenched his fists again, and his jaw. \"So we have some time to arm ourselves.\"\n\n\"Arm ourselves!?\" Lily finally lifted her head away from Jayden's shirt to look at the buff wolf. \"You want to fight someone that can do this!? Are you insane!?\"\n\nThe wolf shook his head. \"Would you rather sit around and wait for this sick fucker to attack you? I say we get ourselves some weapons. Just in case.\"\n\nIt was Jayden's turn to speak up. \"He's right... we should at least find something to defend ourselves, in case whoever this is finds a way down.\" Lily looked like she wanted to protest. Sure, Drake could probably fight someone, but she and Jayden were hardly the muscular type, and none of them had any kind of experience in a fight. But it was still better than doing nothing.\n\nShe eventually relented. \"Okay... fine.\"\n\nDrake nodded, pointing the way the came. \"You two go back inside, look around. Will might have stashed a gun or something somewhere. Other than the shotgun he took with him, I mean. And there was a bunch of random shit in all those boxes Val and I were going through. Might be something you can use as a club in there.\"\n\n\"What about you?\" Jayden asked.\n\nThe wolf pointed in a different direction. \"I'm going to go check the power shack. Seems like a pretty good place to stash some weapons or tools or something. If I were a betting man, I'd say there's something in there I can use. If not, I'll come back and help you guys look inside. Just... don't go shooting me if you find a gun, okay?\"\n\nJayden smirked. \"No promises. You do look threatening.\" Both he and the wolf let out a laugh, even if it was an awkward one from the gallows humor.\n\nLily sighed. \"That's not funny.\" She hit her boyfriend's arm slightly, then started walking back towards the main entrance. \"C'mon... let's go find a bat or something before this asshole finds a way down from the roof...\"\n\nThe other fox nodded. \"Yeah.\" He looked to his friend. \"Hey... don't go doing something stupid like trying to climb up there and go after this guy, yeah?\"\n\nDrake nodded slowly. \"Yeah... I thought about it, but that would just give him a shot at getting down easy. No, I'll wait for him to come, then beat whoever this fucker is to a godsdamned bloody pulp!\" The trio nodded, and all headed their separate ways. Lily and Jayden heading back into the resort to look for a weapon, Drake going to the power shack to hopefully find something useful.\n\nThe thing in the shadows had a choice to make.\n\n[center]* * *[/center]\n\nDrake could hear the motor running away as he got closer to the shack. It was some distance away from the resort itself because of that noise. Though not too far, only a few minutes walk. He could probably sprint from here to the front door in around a minute if he really had to. It was less of a shack, and more of a small bunker. A block of concrete, with a single window on one side, and a heavy wooden door at the front. Thankfully, the door wasn't locked in any way, so he could just pull it open. The moment he did, the noise from the large generator got much louder. The box did a surprisingly good job muffling the thing. He was also hit with the overwhelming smell of diesel, not quite as pungent as gasoline, but pretty strong. Not enough to get him lightheaded, thankfully.\n\nHe found a light switch right inside the door and flicked it on. A light overhead clicked on, illuminating the interior. The generator sat front and center, chugging away. It looked like a large version of a Mac truck's engine. He was pretty sure Will had mentioned it ran on Diesel, so that was probably exactly what it was. Several thick cables spread out from the sides of the generator, attaching to the wall on either side. The power lines to the resort were probably buried, since he hadn't seen any outside. It looked a little jury-rigged, but effective enough. To the side, there were several large, olive green portable gas cans. They each looked like they held about 10 gallons. Probably weighed a ton when full. There were also a few cans of oil beside the gas cans, most still closed. To the other side, he found a bunch of gardening tools. Hedge trimmers, a weedwacker, a set of garden gloves... and exactly what he was hoping to find.\n\nDrake grinned. \"Nice!\" He reached over and picked up the machete sitting next to the hedge trimmers. He slid it out of the leather sheath, seeing the blade shine. \"Damn. This thing ever even get used?\" He carefully prodded the edge with a finger. It wasn't the sharpest thing, but it wasn't dull or blunt. It would certainly do some damage to the sick bastard hunting them. \"Yeah, this'll do.\"\n\nHe was just about to put the thing back into the sheath when he heard a voice from outside. \"Do you think so?\" Drake froze. While the voice sounded male, it was not Jayden, or Will, or anyone he knew. It was far deeper, but somehow sounded... thick and wet. Like the oil in the cans was talking to him rather than a person. And yet somehow, it cut right through the noise of the generator.\n\nHe gripped the machete tight, then charged right out through the door, looking around. \"Yeah! I do!\" He brandished the weapon as he turned and looked all around. He saw nothing but the darkened path back to the resort in front of him, the lightly wooded area behind him that led higher up the mountain. There was no person. \"Show yourself, you motherfucker! Or are you too used to killing women? Too scared to go after a real man!\"\n\nThe response was a dark, oily chuckle. \"Scared? No.\" The voice seemed like it was coming from all around him. \"You, though. You put on a brave face. You stand there with anger. But you are afraid.\"\n\nDrake growled. \"Shut the fuck up! Get your chicken shit ass out here so I can beat the fuck out of you!\"\n\n\"So very afraid. Terrified. It is... [i]DELICIOUS[/i]!\"\n\nThe wolf grit his teeth, baring fangs as he growled louder. \"Delicious? The fuck, you some kinda fucked up chef now?\" When he turned to one side, he froze as he saw... something. A formless... form, for lack of a better term. It was vaguely person shaped, but looked like it was made out of shadows. There were no defining features. No fur, no ears, no tail, and no face.\n\nYet it stared at him. \"No. Just hungry.\"\n\nDrake decided not to ask the burning question on his mind, that being what the fuck he was even looking at. Instead, he gripped the machete tight and lunged forward. \"Then fucking starve in hell!\" He swiped the blade in a wide, sloppy, but powerful chop. The... thing... didn't even attempt to dodge out of the way. The blade simply passed right through it. There was no resistance at all, like he swung at air. He stumbled forward from how much he leaned into the swing, ending up passing right through the thing's form. He felt momentarily cold, but that was it. Looking down, he saw... it left nothing on him. No sludge, no ghost slime, nothing. He growled again. \"Neat illusion, asshole, now get your real ass out here!\"\n\nThe thing did not turn, yet its gaze somehow still shifted to stare at him again. \"No illusion. This is me.\" It moved with impossible speed, vanishing down on the ground and popping back up in front of him before he could even blink. \"Proof.\" Drake cried out as something struck him in the chest. And it struck hard, sending him flying backwards clear off of his feet. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, his back bumped up against the wall of the power shack. He groaned, rubbing his chest. It felt like he just got hit by a car. At least nothing felt broken.\n\nHe put one hand on the wall and got himself back up to his feet, the blade still in his other hand. \"Alright, you alien fuck. You gotta have a weakness. Everything has a weakness.\"\n\nThe thing let out a dark chuckle again. \"Of course.\" It moved again, once more right beside him. \"But you will never know!\" It struck the wolf again, sending him flying away once more. He struck the door of the shack this time, sliding down inside.\n\nThe wolf scrambled back up to his feet as fast as he could, wincing as his ribs ached... as did his back. And arms. And legs. But his heart was pounding in his chest. \"Shadow man... bet you don't like light, huh? C'mon inside this well lit room! Bet you can't!\"\n\nDrake gasped as the thing was suddenly in the doorway. \"Willing to bet your life on it?\" It did seem slightly less... solid. Or less dark, but it was still there, staring at him with its eyeless gaze. Now looking at the thing, Drake noticed its legs seemed to fade into the ground, like it was growing out of the darkness around it.\n\nThe wolf sneered. \"Yeah. You're at the door. C'mon inside! Stand under the light!\" It didn't move. \"You can't, can you?\"\n\nThe thing stared, but something about it shifted, like it was contemplating him. \"You are more clever than you seem.\"\n\nDrake smirked. \"Sure, thanks. So I can't kill you, but you can't get in here to kill me. So how about I just wait here until dawn and see how well you stick around in the sun?\"\n\n\"Can your friends wait that long?\" Panic struck Drake. He might have figured this... thing... out, but Jayden and Lily wouldn't have any clue. And Will could come back at any time with Willow and Alex, and he'd be right out there in the darkness of night. \"I'll just hunt them instead.\" With that, it suddenly vanished into the darkness again, leaving the doorway completely empty.\n\n\"No wait!\" Drake dashed outside in a panic, looking in the direction of the resort.\n\n\"Not that clever after all.\" The wolf gasped, turning around as he heard the voice behind him, only to be struck in the chest again. He was sent flying backwards once more, right through the open door of the shack. His back slammed against the edge of the generator, making him cry out as his spine impacted the metal, altering how he tumbled through the air. He ended up rolling over the side of the thing, right into the thick power cables coming out from it. The force of him hitting them was enough to rip several out of the walls.\n\nThe whole building was suddenly a wash of sparks and arcs of electricity. Drake let out a shriek he didn't know he was capable of as electricity coursed through him from the live cables he found himself tangled within. His fur singed and blackened, his clothing starting to smoke as his flesh cooked from the inside. The light inside the shack flickered, dim to brighter than normal, as the power surged inside the generator. The sound it made grew louder as the engine had gotten kicked into higher gear somehow, either from the surge, or from him hitting it.\n\nThe generator growled like a wild beast as the whole shack was filled with blinding sparks and arcs of electrical power, jumping from the screaming wolf to the metal tools to the metal cans holding the diesel. The fuel started to boil under the sudden heat, pressure. Diesel did not burn the way gasoline did, but pressure still built up within the enclosed cans. The cap of two of them suddenly popped open, spraying the fuel all over the room, adding more pathways for the sparking energy to travel across. Especially along the generator itself, arcing across the machine and making it spark and sputter even more.\n\nWith a final shuddering rumble, the machine let out a pained grumble, and finally fell still. The electricity died along with it, the light inside the shack going out. All that was left was the sound of the boiling diesel slowly cooling within the cans, the slight crackling of something smoldering, and the smell of burnt fur and flesh. Drake lay on the floor, no longer moving, his mouth and eyes wide open. His body was charred, his clothing burn nearly to ash. The killer, finally allowed into the building, stood over him. It could hear the heartbeat, slowed to a crawl, and soon, grow still and silent. Another dead. Less satisfying than the last few, but the panic and anger had been a nice change. A spice to its meal.\n\nBefore doing anything else, it struck out at the generator, cutting through the remaining cables. One solid blow dented the controls at the front, and another to the middle somewhere would hopefully disable the thing permanently. The remaining two inside the building would be in the dark now. Just as it liked it.\n\n[center]* * *[/center]\n\nInside, Jayden was looking through the boxes and bins to find something useful to use as a weapon while Lily looked upstairs to see if Will had a gun or something stashed somewhere. Just as he was looking through a bin, the lights all around started to flicker and flash. \"Wha-\" With a click, everything shut off all at once, the power dying throughout the whole building. Jayden let out a heavy sigh as he started to make his way over the suddenly dark obstacle course of a room he was in the middle of. \"I swear to the gods, that man is an idiot.\" He finally managed to get himself out of the room, using his hands to feel around for the wall in the dark.\n\nAs he got to the main lobby, he heard Lily calling from somewhere upstairs. \"What the hell!\"\n\nJayden shook his head. \"I know. Just what the hell is Drake doing out there?\"\n\n\"Dying.\" Jayden froze as he heard the oily voice right behind him. He spun around, but it was impossible to see anything in the darkened room. He hastily took several steps backwards, only for his leg to bump against one of the sofa chairs, sending him tumbling right over the back and landing on the cushion, only to roll off onto the floor. He quickly scrambled back to his feet, looking around frantically. \"Who's there!?\"\n\nHe got no response. Instead, he heard Lily call from upstairs. \"Jayden!? What's going on?\"\n\nPanic gripped at his heart. Worse than it already was. The killer was here. It had to be. There was no one else. In in the darkness, there was absolutely no way he could see where it was. It could be going right after his girlfriend. \"LILY! RUN!\"\n\n\"What!?\" She called out, with no small amount of fear in her voice.\n\n\"[b]HE'S HERE![/b] [b][i]RUN![/i][/b]\" That was the last word he ever spoke, something hitting the back of his head... and ending up coming right out of his still opened mouth, ending the screamed word with an abrupt suddenness. He tasted... he wasn't sure what it was. But along with it, he tasted blood, and something foul. He couldn't figure out anything that followed after that. Sights, sounds, smells, and tastes were all jumbled together and mixed up as something pushed deeper into the back of his head, slowly shredding through his brain.\n\n\"She can run. She can hide. But she will die.\" The thing chuckled darkly. \"But you die first.\" The killer moved whatever had speared through Jayden's head straight upwards, splitting his skull completely in half. His body jerked, hands twitching. A moment later, he fell to the ground, jerking and spasming on the ground as the suddenly separated halves of his brain slid free from the split skull. \"Mmm, a little fast for my tastes. But you've all been such a meal, I'm almost sated.\" It looked to the stairs, then to the door. \"Only two left. Let's get ready for the final course.\"\n\n[center]* * *[/center]", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "
Mountain Getaway Massacre

Chapter 4: Powerless Fear

By XP Author


Drake clenched his fists as he stared at the naked, headless body of Val. The leopard's body was still drooling blood from the stump of the neck, her limbs laying at odd angles after having been thrown from the roof. Her head was a short distance away, laying in the grass. It was facing away, so no one could see her final expression... and none of the three wanted to go look. "What... the actual FUCK!?"

Lily had her face buried in her boyfriend's chest, tears streaming from her eyes and soaking into his shirt. He had his arms around her, holding her trembling form tight. "This... is fucked up. We need to get the the fuck out of here!"

Lily gripped his shirt. "N-no. We need to wait for Will to come back with Willow and Alex. I don't want to leave with them still out there! They could come back to... this..." The vixen didn't dare turn to look at Val. The older woman had been so nice to them all. She didn't deserve this.

Drake turned. "She's right. We should wait. Besides." The wolf pointed to the ladder, which still lay on the ground where it had fallen. "Val said that there isn't any easy access to the roof without a ladder, so whoever is doing this is trapped up there right now!"

Jayden shook his head. "They could still find a way to climb down..."

"Yeah, they might. And hopefully they'll slip and fall and crack their fucking skull open. But right now, they are stuck." Drake clenched his fists again, and his jaw. "So we have some time to arm ourselves."

"Arm ourselves!?" Lily finally lifted her head away from Jayden's shirt to look at the buff wolf. "You want to fight someone that can do this!? Are you insane!?"

The wolf shook his head. "Would you rather sit around and wait for this sick fucker to attack you? I say we get ourselves some weapons. Just in case."

It was Jayden's turn to speak up. "He's right... we should at least find something to defend ourselves, in case whoever this is finds a way down." Lily looked like she wanted to protest. Sure, Drake could probably fight someone, but she and Jayden were hardly the muscular type, and none of them had any kind of experience in a fight. But it was still better than doing nothing.

She eventually relented. "Okay... fine."

Drake nodded, pointing the way the came. "You two go back inside, look around. Will might have stashed a gun or something somewhere. Other than the shotgun he took with him, I mean. And there was a bunch of random shit in all those boxes Val and I were going through. Might be something you can use as a club in there."

"What about you?" Jayden asked.

The wolf pointed in a different direction. "I'm going to go check the power shack. Seems like a pretty good place to stash some weapons or tools or something. If I were a betting man, I'd say there's something in there I can use. If not, I'll come back and help you guys look inside. Just... don't go shooting me if you find a gun, okay?"

Jayden smirked. "No promises. You do look threatening." Both he and the wolf let out a laugh, even if it was an awkward one from the gallows humor.

Lily sighed. "That's not funny." She hit her boyfriend's arm slightly, then started walking back towards the main entrance. "C'mon... let's go find a bat or something before this asshole finds a way down from the roof..."

The other fox nodded. "Yeah." He looked to his friend. "Hey... don't go doing something stupid like trying to climb up there and go after this guy, yeah?"

Drake nodded slowly. "Yeah... I thought about it, but that would just give him a shot at getting down easy. No, I'll wait for him to come, then beat whoever this fucker is to a godsdamned bloody pulp!" The trio nodded, and all headed their separate ways. Lily and Jayden heading back into the resort to look for a weapon, Drake going to the power shack to hopefully find something useful.

The thing in the shadows had a choice to make.

*     *     *


Drake could hear the motor running away as he got closer to the shack. It was some distance away from the resort itself because of that noise. Though not too far, only a few minutes walk. He could probably sprint from here to the front door in around a minute if he really had to. It was less of a shack, and more of a small bunker. A block of concrete, with a single window on one side, and a heavy wooden door at the front. Thankfully, the door wasn't locked in any way, so he could just pull it open. The moment he did, the noise from the large generator got much louder. The box did a surprisingly good job muffling the thing. He was also hit with the overwhelming smell of diesel, not quite as pungent as gasoline, but pretty strong. Not enough to get him lightheaded, thankfully.

He found a light switch right inside the door and flicked it on. A light overhead clicked on, illuminating the interior. The generator sat front and center, chugging away. It looked like a large version of a Mac truck's engine. He was pretty sure Will had mentioned it ran on Diesel, so that was probably exactly what it was. Several thick cables spread out from the sides of the generator, attaching to the wall on either side. The power lines to the resort were probably buried, since he hadn't seen any outside. It looked a little jury-rigged, but effective enough. To the side, there were several large, olive green portable gas cans. They each looked like they held about 10 gallons. Probably weighed a ton when full. There were also a few cans of oil beside the gas cans, most still closed. To the other side, he found a bunch of gardening tools. Hedge trimmers, a weedwacker, a set of garden gloves... and exactly what he was hoping to find.

Drake grinned. "Nice!" He reached over and picked up the machete sitting next to the hedge trimmers. He slid it out of the leather sheath, seeing the blade shine. "Damn. This thing ever even get used?" He carefully prodded the edge with a finger. It wasn't the sharpest thing, but it wasn't dull or blunt. It would certainly do some damage to the sick bastard hunting them. "Yeah, this'll do."

He was just about to put the thing back into the sheath when he heard a voice from outside. "Do you think so?" Drake froze. While the voice sounded male, it was not Jayden, or Will, or anyone he knew. It was far deeper, but somehow sounded... thick and wet. Like the oil in the cans was talking to him rather than a person. And yet somehow, it cut right through the noise of the generator.

He gripped the machete tight, then charged right out through the door, looking around. "Yeah! I do!" He brandished the weapon as he turned and looked all around. He saw nothing but the darkened path back to the resort in front of him, the lightly wooded area behind him that led higher up the mountain. There was no person. "Show yourself, you motherfucker! Or are you too used to killing women? Too scared to go after a real man!"

The response was a dark, oily chuckle. "Scared? No." The voice seemed like it was coming from all around him. "You, though. You put on a brave face. You stand there with anger. But you are afraid."

Drake growled. "Shut the fuck up! Get your chicken shit ass out here so I can beat the fuck out of you!"

"So very afraid. Terrified. It is... DELICIOUS!"

The wolf grit his teeth, baring fangs as he growled louder. "Delicious? The fuck, you some kinda fucked up chef now?" When he turned to one side, he froze as he saw... something. A formless... form, for lack of a better term. It was vaguely person shaped, but looked like it was made out of shadows. There were no defining features. No fur, no ears, no tail, and no face.

Yet it stared at him. "No. Just hungry."

Drake decided not to ask the burning question on his mind, that being what the fuck he was even looking at. Instead, he gripped the machete tight and lunged forward. "Then fucking starve in hell!" He swiped the blade in a wide, sloppy, but powerful chop. The... thing... didn't even attempt to dodge out of the way. The blade simply passed right through it. There was no resistance at all, like he swung at air. He stumbled forward from how much he leaned into the swing, ending up passing right through the thing's form. He felt momentarily cold, but that was it. Looking down, he saw... it left nothing on him. No sludge, no ghost slime, nothing. He growled again. "Neat illusion, asshole, now get your real ass out here!"

The thing did not turn, yet its gaze somehow still shifted to stare at him again. "No illusion. This is me." It moved with impossible speed, vanishing down on the ground and popping back up in front of him before he could even blink. "Proof." Drake cried out as something struck him in the chest. And it struck hard, sending him flying backwards clear off of his feet. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, his back bumped up against the wall of the power shack. He groaned, rubbing his chest. It felt like he just got hit by a car. At least nothing felt broken.

He put one hand on the wall and got himself back up to his feet, the blade still in his other hand. "Alright, you alien fuck. You gotta have a weakness. Everything has a weakness."

The thing let out a dark chuckle again. "Of course." It moved again, once more right beside him. "But you will never know!" It struck the wolf again, sending him flying away once more. He struck the door of the shack this time, sliding down inside.

The wolf scrambled back up to his feet as fast as he could, wincing as his ribs ached... as did his back. And arms. And legs. But his heart was pounding in his chest. "Shadow man... bet you don't like light, huh? C'mon inside this well lit room! Bet you can't!"

Drake gasped as the thing was suddenly in the doorway. "Willing to bet your life on it?" It did seem slightly less... solid. Or less dark, but it was still there, staring at him with its eyeless gaze. Now looking at the thing, Drake noticed its legs seemed to fade into the ground, like it was growing out of the darkness around it.

The wolf sneered. "Yeah. You're at the door. C'mon inside! Stand under the light!" It didn't move. "You can't, can you?"

The thing stared, but something about it shifted, like it was contemplating him. "You are more clever than you seem."

Drake smirked. "Sure, thanks. So I can't kill you, but you can't get in here to kill me. So how about I just wait here until dawn and see how well you stick around in the sun?"

"Can your friends wait that long?" Panic struck Drake. He might have figured this... thing... out, but Jayden and Lily wouldn't have any clue. And Will could come back at any time with Willow and Alex, and he'd be right out there in the darkness of night. "I'll just hunt them instead." With that, it suddenly vanished into the darkness again, leaving the doorway completely empty.

"No wait!" Drake dashed outside in a panic, looking in the direction of the resort.

"Not that clever after all." The wolf gasped, turning around as he heard the voice behind him, only to be struck in the chest again. He was sent flying backwards once more, right through the open door of the shack. His back slammed against the edge of the generator, making him cry out as his spine impacted the metal, altering how he tumbled through the air. He ended up rolling over the side of the thing, right into the thick power cables coming out from it. The force of him hitting them was enough to rip several out of the walls.

The whole building was suddenly a wash of sparks and arcs of electricity. Drake let out a shriek he didn't know he was capable of as electricity coursed through him from the live cables he found himself tangled within. His fur singed and blackened, his clothing starting to smoke as his flesh cooked from the inside. The light inside the shack flickered, dim to brighter than normal, as the power surged inside the generator. The sound it made grew louder as the engine had gotten kicked into higher gear somehow, either from the surge, or from him hitting it.

The generator growled like a wild beast as the whole shack was filled with blinding sparks and arcs of electrical power, jumping from the screaming wolf to the metal tools to the metal cans holding the diesel. The fuel started to boil under the sudden heat, pressure. Diesel did not burn the way gasoline did, but pressure still built up within the enclosed cans. The cap of two of them suddenly popped open, spraying the fuel all over the room, adding more pathways for the sparking energy to travel across. Especially along the generator itself, arcing across the machine and making it spark and sputter even more.

With a final shuddering rumble, the machine let out a pained grumble, and finally fell still. The electricity died along with it, the light inside the shack going out. All that was left was the sound of the boiling diesel slowly cooling within the cans, the slight crackling of something smoldering, and the smell of burnt fur and flesh. Drake lay on the floor, no longer moving, his mouth and eyes wide open. His body was charred, his clothing burn nearly to ash. The killer, finally allowed into the building, stood over him. It could hear the heartbeat, slowed to a crawl, and soon, grow still and silent. Another dead. Less satisfying than the last few, but the panic and anger had been a nice change. A spice to its meal.

Before doing anything else, it struck out at the generator, cutting through the remaining cables. One solid blow dented the controls at the front, and another to the middle somewhere would hopefully disable the thing permanently. The remaining two inside the building would be in the dark now. Just as it liked it.

*     *     *


Inside, Jayden was looking through the boxes and bins to find something useful to use as a weapon while Lily looked upstairs to see if Will had a gun or something stashed somewhere. Just as he was looking through a bin, the lights all around started to flicker and flash. "Wha-" With a click, everything shut off all at once, the power dying throughout the whole building. Jayden let out a heavy sigh as he started to make his way over the suddenly dark obstacle course of a room he was in the middle of. "I swear to the gods, that man is an idiot." He finally managed to get himself out of the room, using his hands to feel around for the wall in the dark.

As he got to the main lobby, he heard Lily calling from somewhere upstairs. "What the hell!"

Jayden shook his head. "I know. Just what the hell is Drake doing out there?"

"Dying." Jayden froze as he heard the oily voice right behind him. He spun around, but it was impossible to see anything in the darkened room. He hastily took several steps backwards, only for his leg to bump against one of the sofa chairs, sending him tumbling right over the back and landing on the cushion, only to roll off onto the floor. He quickly scrambled back to his feet, looking around frantically. "Who's there!?"

He got no response. Instead, he heard Lily call from upstairs. "Jayden!? What's going on?"

Panic gripped at his heart. Worse than it already was. The killer was here. It had to be. There was no one else. In in the darkness, there was absolutely no way he could see where it was. It could be going right after his girlfriend. "LILY! RUN!"

"What!?" She called out, with no small amount of fear in her voice.

"HE'S HERE! RUN!" That was the last word he ever spoke, something hitting the back of his head... and ending up coming right out of his still opened mouth, ending the screamed word with an abrupt suddenness. He tasted... he wasn't sure what it was. But along with it, he tasted blood, and something foul. He couldn't figure out anything that followed after that. Sights, sounds, smells, and tastes were all jumbled together and mixed up as something pushed deeper into the back of his head, slowly shredding through his brain.

"She can run. She can hide. But she will die." The thing chuckled darkly. "But you die first." The killer moved whatever had speared through Jayden's head straight upwards, splitting his skull completely in half. His body jerked, hands twitching. A moment later, he fell to the ground, jerking and spasming on the ground as the suddenly separated halves of his brain slid free from the split skull. "Mmm, a little fast for my tastes. But you've all been such a meal, I'm almost sated." It looked to the stairs, then to the door. "Only two left. Let's get ready for the final course."

*     *     *
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