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We have the finale to this year's Halloween series! Can the two remaining survivors continue to survive and escape? \n...no, c'mon, this is me. But maybe the two women that arrive a few weeks later to investigate will have better luck. Probably, considering who they are...\n\n- - - - -\n\nA massive thank you to my top tier subscribers:\nSedyna | [fa]jafferroshak[/fa] | RoleplayCentral | [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": "Happy Halloween, everyone! We have the finale to this year's Halloween series! Can the two remaining survivors continue to survive and escape?
...no, c'mon, this is me. But maybe the two women that arrive a few weeks later  to investigate will have better luck. Probably, considering who they are...

- - - - -

A massive thank you to my top tier subscribers:
Sedyna | \n\t\t\t\t\tjafferroshak | RoleplayCentral | \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": "[center][b][u]Mountain Getaway Massacre[/u][/b][/center]\n[center][b]Chapter 5: Know the Darkness[/b][/center]\n[center]By XP Author[/center]\n\nWill panted as he jogged down the path. He had been pacing himself for most of the trip back from where he had left Willow and Alex, but now that he was getting closer to the resort, he moved faster. He had clipped his flashlight onto the underside of his shotgun, using it to illuminate the path ahead of him. What worried him was that he should be able to see the lights from the resort by now, but it was just darkness in front of him. That made him rush a little more. As he finally got past the line of trees and into the clear stretch to the resort, he could only just make out the building. There were no lights coming from it at all, even the external ones that should have turned on automatically. There should have been enough fuel in the generator to run for another two days without needing to be refilled.\n\nAs he finally approached the building, he swept his light around, and saw the tall ladder laying on the ground. His heart sank the moment he saw that. It was the only way to the roof, and that was where the signal booster device would have to be hooked up. \"Oh no... no no no!\" He ran around the side of the building, preparing himself for the worst. Or what he thought was the worst. What he saw was somehow so much worse. His wife's body lay on the ground, completely naked. Her limbs were at odd angles, her body broken by the fall. But it was obvious that was not what killed her, since her head was not attached, removed in a clean cut. He fought the sudden urge to vomit and steeled himself. A brief search and he found her head. It was slightly dented on one side, a splash of blood on the walkway the reason. Whoever killed her must have thrown both it and her body off of the roof after killing her.\n\nHe looked at her body again, then closed his eyes. \"I'm sorry, Val. I never should have left you alone here...\" He didn't want to check to see if anything more had been done to her. He couldn't bring himself to want to know. He fought back tears, using his anger to focus himself. He would grieve for her once he put a load of buckshot into whoever this sick fucker was. He looked up and out past the resort, in the direction of the generator shed. He should check that. Fighting someone in the dark wouldn't help him, so he should get the power back on.\n\nAfter a quick jog, he knew there was no getting the power back on. \"Fuck me...\" The fire inside the shed had burnt out, but it still smelled of burnt ash and rubber... and charred meat and fur. He saw the body of Drake, the wolf laying on the ground, wrapped up in the wires still, his body and clothing blackened from electrical burns. The generator was also quite dead. It looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it, leaving several large dents in it, and completely smashing the controls. Diesel was leaking out from parts of the machine, pooling all around the shed.\n\nWill turned away, his jaw clenched. He had never seen so many dead at one time. There were only two that were unaccounted for. The two foxes who had booked this whole trip to begin with. He wasn't sure either one of them would have been capable of taking down Val, but if they had set up a little murder getaway party and hired some psycho killer... That was his working theory, anyway. Until he was proven wrong, he was going to assume they were somehow in on all of this. He let his anger bubble to the surface as he stormed back down the path to the resort. He was going to get his answers.\n\nShoving the front doors open, the panther's nose was immediately assaulted by the stench of blood and something even more foul. He swept his flashlight around the darkened lobby. The light shined off of something, and when he got closer he saw it was a large splash of blood on one of the sofas. It did not take him long to see the trail leading away. He followed it, shotgun at the ready. It led up the stairs to the second floor, and right into his office. As he looked inside, his eyes went wide. \"By all that is holy...\"\n\nJayden's body was strung up like some kind of macabre decoration using his own intestines. His stomach had been split open, his organs ripped free and used as rope to leave him dangling in the middle of the room, tied to the disabled lights above. His lower jaw was simply not there, ripped free by some force. Of course, the boy was naked, left on display like a grizzly trophy. So it seems either Jayden wasn't in on all of this, or there had been a falling out. He had yet to find the last one, Lily. And from what he had seen, she seemed to have been the brains behind the group before. It wouldn't surprise him if she was the brains behind this, either.\n\nTurning away from the poor man hanging in his office, he looked around, but didn't see any more signs of a fight. He moved up to the third floor where the guest rooms were, cautiously looking around the landing as he got there. As he listened, he heard something from one of the rooms down the hall. He made his way in that direction, glancing into the rooms as he passed but finding them empty. The last room he got to was the one that Jayden and Lily had chosen. The door was closed, and he had a feeling he knew what he would find on the other side.\n\nWithout any warning, he kicked his leg out, slamming his foot into the door knocking it open violently. It slammed into the wall with a loud bang. And there was a short, startled scream. \"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!\"\n\nWill pointed his shotgun in the direction of the voice, his flashlight suddenly illuminating the vixen. Lily was crouched on the floor, curled up against the wall and looking terrified. Will growled. \"Alright, missy. What the fuck is going on here!?\"\n\nShe shook her head, trembling with fear. \"E-Everyone's... dead! Something... i-it... it killed...\" She was sobbing, her words hard to understand.\n\nThe panther growled, thrusting the shotgun forward threateningly. \"TALK! First that rabbit slut, then those two in the woods, and now... everyone... Val...\" He tensed up. \"Who the fuck killed my wife!?\"\n\n\"I DON'T KNOW!\" Lily shouted back just as forcefully, though from terror and not anger.\n\nHe still didn't believe it. \"You're the only one left alive! Did you hire some fucking psychopath to off all your friends for some sick prank!?\"\n\nLily lifted her head to look at him with shock and disbelief. \"W-what!? NO! I swear, I had nothing to do with this! Please! You have to believe me!\"\n\n\"I don't have to believe a godsdamned thing you say right no-\" His words were cut off as there was a flash of movement behind him. Lily saw him staring straight at her, his shotgun wavering slightly. Then his body fell... in two directions, split straight up his middle. Blood and organs spilled free as two haves of the burly man toppled to the floor in a pile of gore. His shotgun bounced off of the hard floor, skidding into the room and spinning slightly, casting odd shadows along the walls as the flashlight's beam turned.\n\nAnd then she heard a voice speak. The most horrific voice she had ever heard, like something out of her worst nightmares. \"And then there was one.\" She let out a terrified shriek, suddenly on her feet and looking all around in a panic. The voice was from somewhere in the room, but she couldn't see anything.\n\n\"Who's there!? What do you want!? Why are you doing this!?\"\n\nThe voice chuckled. \"Oh, you're giving me everything I want. But he wasn't. His anger was bitter. Distasteful. But your fear!\" It moaned. \"It's the best so far. The perfect end to this feast.\"\n\nShe whimpered. \"Oh gods no... p-please, d-don't... Don't eat me...\"\n\nThe voice laughed again. \"Then you had better run, little girl. Run like your very life depends on it!\"\n\nShe did exactly what the voice said she should do. Though some part of her was aware enough to grab the shotgun off of the floor first. But she didn't try to fight, she grabbed it for the flashlight. And she ran. She ran right out of the doorway, scrambling to turn and bolt down the hall as fast as her feet could take her. The... thing... it was behind her. She could hear it. She could [i]feel[/i] it chasing her. As she got to the stairs, she saw movement at the corner of her eye. Sweeping the flashlight around, she saw a figure outlined in the light. In a panic, she fired the shotgun.\n\nThat was a mistake. She had never fired one before, and the recoil and noise caught her completely off guard. She dropped the shotgun at the same time as it jerked in her hands, making her stumble back a step... right off of the stairs. She lost her footing and let out a scream of fear, only for it to turn into a series of grunts and shouts as she tumbled down not just one, but both flights. At the bottom, she struck the floor hard, something in her leg making a crunch. She'd heard and felt a few on the way down. She slid across the floor a little, only halted as she finally skidded into one of the sofas. She lay there, panting and groaning in pain. Her right arm and shoulder ached something bad, her left leg somehow both cold and on fire at the same time.\n\nBut she felt the presence. It was closing in. She reached up and grabbed the sofa, forcing herself to her feet, only to cry out as she tried to put pressure on her left leg. It was definitely broken. Or at the very least badly sprained. But she couldn't stop. Adrenaline let her push on, despite the pain. She took several limping steps to the front door. She just had to get out of this place. Even if she didn't know where she was going to go, or if she could make the half-day hike back down the mountain. She just had to leave. Had to get out.\n\nShe let out a shriek as cold bands of shadow latched around her arms like shackles. \"NO!\" She screamed, trying to pull away from the grip.\n\nThe voice laughed. \"So close. But no one escapes.\" She tried to force forward, but something started to drag her back away from the door. She vanished into the darkness with one final, blood curdling scream of pure terror. Then there was silence as the killer claimed his final victim, granting her the small mercy of a swift, but no less painful death as a spike of darkness pierced her heart.\n\n[center]* * *[/center]\n\nTwo figures walked up the mountain path, both women. One was walking with more pep than the other. \"C'mon, lazy ass.\"\n\nVicky gave a glare to her friend. \"I'm not lazy, I'm tired...\"\n\nIaisa laughed slightly. \"You need to work on your cardio.\"\n\nThe doe frowned. \"We've been walking for like, 14 hours. Cardio is not the problem.\" She looked around the darkened path. \"We've got to be close. Or did you lead me all the way up the mountain to be attacked by wild wolves?\"\n\nThe white tigress smiled at her friend. \"Fun as that might be, no. I told you. We're going to a mountain resort.\" She looked forward again. \"Though there's still the chance of being attacked by something. According to the report Vance sent my way, there was supposed to be a group of people that came up here. Bunch of college kids and the older couple that own the place.\" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Despite the darkness, she could see it perfectly clearly enough to read it. \"On July 12, 2015, the group of hikers left the base camp at approximately 6:45 in the morning, just as the sun was rising. They set out along the mountain trail to head for St. Lauraine's Retreat mountain resort. Owned by one William and Vallory Vikarson, who accompanied the group. They were not seen or heard from since.\" She put the note back. \"So there you go. Three weeks ago, a bunch of people went missing up here. Vance says his contacts in The Collective think there's something supernatural involved. So we're out looking before any of those dumbasses do something.\"\n\nVicky tilted her head. \"Vance. The rich guy, right? Is this for that new site you've been helping out with? D something?\"\n\n\"D-Gen. Yeah. And yes, Vance is the 'rich guy' as you put it.\" She pointed. \"Anyway, the resort is just up ahead.\"\n\nThe doe let out a sigh. \"Good. I hope there's a sofa. My ankles and thighs are killing me...\" The two picked up their pace as they approached the darkened building. The front doors to the place sat wide open. \"Sure hope some wild animals didn't get in.\"\n\nIaisa shook her head. \"No... this place is eerily quiet. The wild animals are avoiding it...\" As the two walked inside, they were hit with the overwhelming stench of rot and decay. It did not take long to find the source. A young fox in her 20's was splayed out along the staircase. Her arms and legs were spread wide open, as if she had been held by chains. Something had split her open from her belly up to her chest, spilling her guts free. She had been left like that, rotting in the few weeks since her death. \"Just a hunch, but I think this is our place.\" She looked around. \"There's more, too. Another two upstairs.\"\n\nVicky groaned, moving to lean against one of the sofas. \"Ugh. Haven't smelled that in a long time.\" She sighed. \"Alright. I'm going to rest for a minute. You go see if you can find your ki-\" Her words ended as something behind her flashed, and she felt a pain in her neck. The next thing she knew, her head was tumbling forward, and she saw her own body, blood spraying from the severed neck as it started to convulse. Just before she struck the ground, her last thought was 'oh fuck, not again.'\n\nIaisa looked over as her friend's head tumbled to the ground. \"Look, I know you're tired, but you don't need to go losing your head over it.\" Vicky's body twitched and slumped over, splashing blood everywhere. \"Yeah, you have a nice lie down.\" She then looked down as something dark stuck out through her own chest. \"Oh, would you look at that. Huh. I've never seen a blade like that. Looks magical.\"\n\nThe killer behind her was a little thrown off by her flippant attitude. There was no fear at all from her. In fact, he was not getting anything from her. \"What?\"\n\nShe smiled. \"Oh, he speaks.\" She took a step forward to get the blade out of herself, then turned. Though the killer saw there was not only no blood from the wound that should have pierced her heart, there was not even any mark. \"Oh, you are an interesting thing. Is this a kind of magical cloaking spell, or is that you're form?\" The being in front of her flinched backwards away, suddenly on edge. For the first time in its existence, it was the one who felt some level of fear. Iaisa tilted her head. \"Oh, you're probably wondering how I'm alive after that stab. Good hit, by the way. Right through the heart. Very clean. But unfortunately I'm kind of already dead.\" She was a phantom, though long ago learned to manifest a physical form, but could choose to simply not allow anything to effect her, save certain very specific magics.\n\nVicky groaned beside her, the doe's head having reattached at some point. \"Fuck...\" The immortal deer slowly rose up, looking down at herself, seeing her blood soaked into her shirt. \"I knew I should have brought another pair of clothes.\"\n\n\"What?\" The being flinched back again.\n\nVicky blinked as she heard the thick, oily voice. \"Huh? Oh. There's something you don't see everyday. A tenebrean actually revealing itself.\"\n\nIaisa quirked an eyebrow. \"Tenebrean?\"\n\nThe doe nodded. \"Yeah. Shadow people, though that's kind of a reductive term. They're technically all over the place, but never like to show themselves to... what is it you call people? Solids?\" The being just remained there silently. \"Yeah, so they feed on residual emotional energy. So they like to hang out around things like theaters and public areas where a lot of people are. Though they've got some rule about never revealing themselves or causing it. Mages used to use them back in the day, and certain 'holy orders' would hunt them down as demons.\" She tilted her head. \"Guessing you're one of the ones that got exiled for causing trouble?\"\n\nThe being moved slowly, almost like sliding in the air as it shifted to the side. \"How do you know all this?\"\n\nShe shrugged. \"I've been around for something close to 7000 years. I've picked up a few things here and there.\" She glanced at Iaisa. \"This is why you brought me, isn't it?\"\n\nThe phantom shrugged. \"Partially. Also, I figured you needed to get out of the city for a while.\" She smiled. \"And I know you. Being attacked like that? You've probably soaked your panties.\" Vicky just grunted, but didn't deny it. Iaisa turned to the shadow being. \"So. You like to feed on the emotions of people. Got a taste for the bad ones? Fear and pain and the like?\" It did not response. \"But you're out here in the middle of nowhere, which means you probably can't go back to normal society on your own...\"\n\nVicky narrowed her eyes. \"What are you planning?\" She knew her friend too well.\n\n\"I think I have a solution.\" Turning to face the darkness, she gave it a big smile. \"I represent a very particular group of people. Rapists, murderers, sadists and masochists to the extreme, things like that. We're going to need to make a team to clean and fix certain security issues that might rise up from time to time. Meaning, kill anyone trying to inform on us.\" She shrugged.\n\nThe being was silent for a long time. \"Why should I except. It sounds like enslavement.\"\n\nIaisa laughed. \"Yeah, a job can sound like that. But you can do your thing, kill people all violent. Hell, you can scare the literal piss out of them first if that gets your rocks off. It'll just be very specific people we'll want you to silence in secret. Make them disappear.\" She put her hands on her hips. \"Or you can stay here, but I can promise that in a few days, a bunch of mages from Cadegua or agents from Noxumbra will be coming up that trail. And they won't be so friendly.\"\n\n\"You're threatening me?\"\n\nShe shook her head. \"No. Warning you. We got the message first and beat them here, but they are coming. So do you risk staying, flee into the woods, or come with us and get to go after people of our choosing?\"\n\nIt was silent again. After a long time, it finally spoke. \"Fine. I shall follow with you.\" It vanished into the darkness, but when it spoke again, it was much closer to Iaisa. \"But I will find some way to harm you if you try to cage me.\"\n\nThe tigress looked around. \"Neat trick.\"\n\nVicky nodded. \"They are incorporeal beings. It's probably hiding somewhere in your shadow. They live in the darkness, and are weakened by light, though it does not actually hurt them.\"\n\n\"Neat! You got any more powers, dark boy?\"\n\nThe thing remained silent, but both women could feel a level of annoyance coming from it. Vicky continued. \"They can affect things physically, like the blade thing it did earlier. Kinda like how you can shift between intangible and tangible. They've also got a low-level psychic ability that can leave someone in a dazed, almost hypnotic state. Though... kinda surprised you haven't tried that on us...\"\n\nIaisa nodded. \"He did. I was wondering what that was.\"\n\nVicky looked at her friend. \"You know, the things you can just say no to are a little scary.\"\n\nShe shrugged. \"Being dead has its perks.\" She looked out at the door. \"Alright, you ready to head back down?\"\n\nThe doe gave her a frown. \"What? But we just got here! And it took all day!\"\n\nIaisa nodded. \"Yeah. But you died and revived, so you're back to full, right?\"\n\nVicky frowned. Then she just sighed. \"Yeah, fine. But you owe me for lugging me out here just to be your personal bestiary.\"\n\nThe tigress laughed softly. \"I'll make it up to you later. I'll see about sicking one of the d-gen guys on you later. Make sure it's one of the ones that likes to fuck real hard. Sound good?\" The doe just pouted, but still nodded. \"Alright. Let's go, Dark.\"\n\nThe being spoke. \"Dark?\"\n\nShe nodded as she started out of the building and back to the trail. \"Yeah. Gotta call you something. Maybe we'll spell it all weird. Dharc. With like, and h and a c.\" It did not respond, and Vicky just groaned at how cheesy her friend could be. The three left the building just after midnight. Whoever came next could worry about cleaning up the massacre left behind. Though with the unsettling presence of the killer now also leaving, the wild animals would likely move in soon and have their fill of the free meat before then.\n\n[center]* * *[/center]", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "
Mountain Getaway Massacre

Chapter 5: Know the Darkness

By XP Author


Will panted as he jogged down the path. He had been pacing himself for most of the trip back from where he had left Willow and Alex, but now that he was getting closer to the resort, he moved faster. He had clipped his flashlight onto the underside of his shotgun, using it to illuminate the path ahead of him. What worried him was that he should be able to see the lights from the resort by now, but it was just darkness in front of him. That made him rush a little more. As he finally got past the line of trees and into the clear stretch to the resort, he could only just make out the building. There were no lights coming from it at all, even the external ones that should have turned on automatically. There should have been enough fuel in the generator to run for another two days without needing to be refilled.

As he finally approached the building, he swept his light around, and saw the tall ladder laying on the ground. His heart sank the moment he saw that. It was the only way to the roof, and that was where the signal booster device would have to be hooked up. "Oh no... no no no!" He ran around the side of the building, preparing himself for the worst. Or what he thought was the worst. What he saw was somehow so much worse. His wife's body lay on the ground, completely naked. Her limbs were at odd angles, her body broken by the fall. But it was obvious that was not what killed her, since her head was not attached, removed in a clean cut. He fought the sudden urge to vomit and steeled himself. A brief search and he found her head. It was slightly dented on one side, a splash of blood on the walkway the reason. Whoever killed her must have thrown both it and her body off of the roof after killing her.

He looked at her body again, then closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Val. I never should have left you alone here..." He didn't want to check to see if anything more had been done to her. He couldn't bring himself to want to know. He fought back tears, using his anger to focus himself. He would grieve for her once he put a load of buckshot into whoever this sick fucker was. He looked up and out past the resort, in the direction of the generator shed. He should check that. Fighting someone in the dark wouldn't help him, so he should get the power back on.

After a quick jog, he knew there was no getting the power back on. "Fuck me..." The fire inside the shed had burnt out, but it still smelled of burnt ash and rubber... and charred meat and fur. He saw the body of Drake, the wolf laying on the ground, wrapped up in the wires still, his body and clothing blackened from electrical burns. The generator was also quite dead. It looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it, leaving several large dents in it, and completely smashing the controls. Diesel was leaking out from parts of the machine, pooling all around the shed.

Will turned away, his jaw clenched. He had never seen so many dead at one time. There were only two that were unaccounted for. The two foxes who had booked this whole trip to begin with. He wasn't sure either one of them would have been capable of taking down Val, but if they had set up a little murder getaway party and hired some psycho killer... That was his working theory, anyway. Until he was proven wrong, he was going to assume they were somehow in on all of this. He let his anger bubble to the surface as he stormed back down the path to the resort. He was going to get his answers.

Shoving the front doors open, the panther's nose was immediately assaulted by the stench of blood and something even more foul. He swept his flashlight around the darkened lobby. The light shined off of something, and when he got closer he saw it was a large splash of blood on one of the sofas. It did not take him long to see the trail leading away. He followed it, shotgun at the ready. It led up the stairs to the second floor, and right into his office. As he looked inside, his eyes went wide. "By all that is holy..."

Jayden's body was strung up like some kind of macabre decoration using his own intestines. His stomach had been split open, his organs ripped free and used as rope to leave him dangling in the middle of the room, tied to the disabled lights above. His lower jaw was simply not there, ripped free by some force. Of course, the boy was naked, left on display like a grizzly trophy. So it seems either Jayden wasn't in on all of this, or there had been a falling out. He had yet to find the last one, Lily. And from what he had seen, she seemed to have been the brains behind the group before. It wouldn't surprise him if she was the brains behind this, either.

Turning away from the poor man hanging in his office, he looked around, but didn't see any more signs of a fight. He moved up to the third floor where the guest rooms were, cautiously looking around the landing as he got there. As he listened, he heard something from one of the rooms down the hall. He made his way in that direction, glancing into the rooms as he passed but finding them empty. The last room he got to was the one that Jayden and Lily had chosen. The door was closed, and he had a feeling he knew what he would find on the other side.

Without any warning, he kicked his leg out, slamming his foot into the door knocking it open violently. It slammed into the wall with a loud bang. And there was a short, startled scream. "PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"

Will pointed his shotgun in the direction of the voice, his flashlight suddenly illuminating the vixen. Lily was crouched on the floor, curled up against the wall and looking terrified. Will growled. "Alright, missy. What the fuck is going on here!?"

She shook her head, trembling with fear. "E-Everyone's... dead! Something... i-it... it killed..." She was sobbing, her words hard to understand.

The panther growled, thrusting the shotgun forward threateningly. "TALK! First that rabbit slut, then those two in the woods, and now... everyone... Val..." He tensed up. "Who the fuck killed my wife!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Lily shouted back just as forcefully, though from terror and not anger.

He still didn't believe it. "You're the only one left alive! Did you hire some fucking psychopath to off all your friends for some sick prank!?"

Lily lifted her head to look at him with shock and disbelief. "W-what!? NO! I swear, I had nothing to do with this! Please! You have to believe me!"

"I don't have to believe a godsdamned thing you say right no-" His words were cut off as there was a flash of movement behind him. Lily saw him staring straight at her, his shotgun wavering slightly. Then his body fell... in two directions, split straight up his middle. Blood and organs spilled free as two haves of the burly man toppled to the floor in a pile of gore. His shotgun bounced off of the hard floor, skidding into the room and spinning slightly, casting odd shadows along the walls as the flashlight's beam turned.

And then she heard a voice speak. The most horrific voice she had ever heard, like something out of her worst nightmares. "And then there was one." She let out a terrified shriek, suddenly on her feet and looking all around in a panic. The voice was from somewhere in the room, but she couldn't see anything.

"Who's there!? What do you want!? Why are you doing this!?"

The voice chuckled. "Oh, you're giving me everything I want. But he wasn't. His anger was bitter. Distasteful. But your fear!" It moaned. "It's the best so far. The perfect end to this feast."

She whimpered. "Oh gods no... p-please, d-don't... Don't eat me..."

The voice laughed again. "Then you had better run, little girl. Run like your very life depends on it!"

She did exactly what the voice said she should do. Though some part of her was aware enough to grab the shotgun off of the floor first. But she didn't try to fight, she grabbed it for the flashlight. And she ran. She ran right out of the doorway, scrambling to turn and bolt down the hall as fast as her feet could take her. The... thing... it was behind her. She could hear it. She could feel it chasing her. As she got to the stairs, she saw movement at the corner of her eye. Sweeping the flashlight around, she saw a figure outlined in the light. In a panic, she fired the shotgun.

That was a mistake. She had never fired one before, and the recoil and noise caught her completely off guard. She dropped the shotgun at the same time as it jerked in her hands, making her stumble back a step... right off of the stairs. She lost her footing and let out a scream of fear, only for it to turn into a series of grunts and shouts as she tumbled down not just one, but both flights. At the bottom, she struck the floor hard, something in her leg making a crunch. She'd heard and felt a few on the way down. She slid across the floor a little, only halted as she finally skidded into one of the sofas. She lay there, panting and groaning in pain. Her right arm and shoulder ached something bad, her left leg somehow both cold and on fire at the same time.

But she felt the presence. It was closing in. She reached up and grabbed the sofa, forcing herself to her feet, only to cry out as she tried to put pressure on her left leg. It was definitely broken. Or at the very least badly sprained. But she couldn't stop. Adrenaline let her push on, despite the pain. She took several limping steps to the front door. She just had to get out of this place. Even if she didn't know where she was going to go, or if she could make the half-day hike back down the mountain. She just had to leave. Had to get out.

She let out a shriek as cold bands of shadow latched around her arms like shackles. "NO!" She screamed, trying to pull away from the grip.

The voice laughed. "So close. But no one escapes." She tried to force forward, but something started to drag her back away from the door. She vanished into the darkness with one final, blood curdling scream of pure terror. Then there was silence as the killer claimed his final victim, granting her the small mercy of a swift, but no less painful death as a spike of darkness pierced her heart.

*     *     *


Two figures walked up the mountain path, both women. One was walking with more pep than the other. "C'mon, lazy ass."

Vicky gave a glare to her friend. "I'm not lazy, I'm tired..."

Iaisa laughed slightly. "You need to work on your cardio."

The doe frowned. "We've been walking for like, 14 hours. Cardio is not the problem." She looked around the darkened path. "We've got to be close. Or did you lead me all the way up the mountain to be attacked by wild wolves?"

The white tigress smiled at her friend. "Fun as that might be, no. I told you. We're going to a mountain resort." She looked forward again. "Though there's still the chance of being attacked by something. According to the report Vance sent my way, there was supposed to be a group of people that came up here. Bunch of college kids and the older couple that own the place." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Despite the darkness, she could see it perfectly clearly enough to read it. "On July 12, 2015, the group of hikers left the base camp at approximately 6:45 in the morning, just as the sun was rising. They set out along the mountain trail to head for St. Lauraine's Retreat mountain resort. Owned by one  William and Vallory Vikarson, who accompanied the group. They were not seen or heard from since." She put the note back. "So there you go. Three weeks ago, a bunch of people went missing up here. Vance says his contacts in The Collective think there's something supernatural involved. So we're out looking before any of those dumbasses do something."

Vicky tilted her head. "Vance. The rich guy, right? Is this for that new site you've been helping out with? D something?"

"D-Gen. Yeah. And yes, Vance is the 'rich guy' as you put it." She pointed. "Anyway, the resort is just up ahead."

The doe let out a sigh. "Good. I hope there's a sofa. My ankles and thighs are killing me..." The two picked up their pace as they approached the darkened building. The front doors to the place sat wide open. "Sure hope some wild animals didn't get in."

Iaisa shook her head. "No... this place is eerily quiet. The wild animals are avoiding it..." As the two walked inside, they were hit with the overwhelming stench of rot and decay. It did not take long to find the source. A young fox in her 20's was splayed out along the staircase. Her arms and legs were spread wide open, as if she had been held by chains. Something had split her open from her belly up to her chest, spilling her guts free. She had been left like that, rotting in the few weeks since her death. "Just a hunch, but I think this is our place." She looked around. "There's more, too. Another two upstairs."

Vicky groaned, moving to lean against one of the sofas. "Ugh. Haven't smelled that in a long time." She sighed. "Alright. I'm going to rest for a minute. You go see if you can find your ki-" Her words ended as something behind her flashed, and she felt a pain in her neck. The next thing she knew, her head was tumbling forward, and she saw her own body, blood spraying from the severed neck as it started to convulse. Just before she struck the ground, her last thought was 'oh fuck, not again.'

Iaisa looked over as her friend's head tumbled to the ground. "Look, I know you're tired, but you don't need to go losing your head over it." Vicky's body twitched and slumped over, splashing blood everywhere. "Yeah, you have a nice lie down." She then looked down as something dark stuck out through her own chest. "Oh, would you look at that. Huh. I've never seen a blade like that. Looks magical."

The killer behind her was a little thrown off by her flippant attitude. There was no fear at all from her. In fact, he was not getting anything from her. "What?"

She smiled. "Oh, he speaks." She took a step forward to get the blade out of herself, then turned. Though the killer saw there was not only no blood from the wound that should have pierced her heart, there was not even any mark. "Oh, you are an interesting thing. Is this a kind of magical cloaking spell, or is that you're form?" The being in front of her flinched backwards away, suddenly on edge. For the first time in its existence, it was the one who felt some level of fear. Iaisa tilted her head. "Oh, you're probably wondering how I'm alive after that stab. Good hit, by the way. Right through the heart. Very clean. But unfortunately I'm kind of already dead." She was a phantom, though long ago learned to manifest a physical form, but could choose to simply not allow anything to effect her, save certain very specific magics.

Vicky groaned beside her, the doe's head having reattached at some point. "Fuck..." The immortal deer slowly rose up, looking down at herself, seeing her blood soaked into her shirt. "I knew I should have brought another pair of clothes."

"What?" The being flinched back again.

Vicky blinked as she heard the thick, oily voice. "Huh? Oh. There's something you don't see everyday. A tenebrean actually revealing itself."

Iaisa quirked an eyebrow. "Tenebrean?"

The doe nodded. "Yeah. Shadow people, though that's kind of a reductive term. They're technically all over the place, but never like to show themselves to... what is it you call people? Solids?" The being just remained there silently. "Yeah, so they feed on residual emotional energy. So they like to hang out around things like theaters and public areas where a lot of people are. Though they've got some rule about never revealing themselves or causing it. Mages used to use them back in the day, and certain 'holy orders' would hunt them down as demons." She tilted her head. "Guessing you're one of the ones that got exiled for causing trouble?"

The being moved slowly, almost like sliding in the air as it shifted to the side. "How do you know all this?"

She shrugged. "I've been around for something close to 7000 years. I've picked up a few things here and there." She glanced at Iaisa. "This is why you brought me, isn't it?"

The phantom shrugged. "Partially. Also, I figured you needed to get out of the city for a while." She smiled. "And I know you. Being attacked like that? You've probably soaked your panties." Vicky just grunted, but didn't deny it. Iaisa turned to the shadow being. "So. You like to feed on the emotions of people. Got a taste for the bad ones? Fear and pain and the like?" It did not response. "But you're out here in the middle of nowhere, which means you probably can't go back to normal society on your own..."

Vicky narrowed her eyes. "What are you planning?" She knew her friend too well.

"I think I have a solution." Turning to face the darkness, she gave it a big smile. "I represent a very particular group of people. Rapists, murderers, sadists and masochists to the extreme, things like that. We're going to need to make a team to clean and fix certain security issues that might rise up from time to time. Meaning, kill anyone trying to inform on us." She shrugged.

The being was silent for a long time. "Why should I except. It sounds like enslavement."

Iaisa laughed. "Yeah, a job can sound like that. But you can do your thing, kill people all violent. Hell, you can scare the literal piss out of them first if that gets your rocks off. It'll just be very specific people we'll want you to silence in secret. Make them disappear." She put her hands on her hips. "Or you can stay here, but I can promise that in a few days, a bunch of mages from Cadegua or agents from Noxumbra will be coming up that trail. And they won't be so friendly."

"You're threatening me?"

She shook her head. "No. Warning you. We got the message first and beat them here, but they are coming. So do you risk staying, flee into the woods, or come with us and get to go after people of our choosing?"

It was silent again. After a long time, it finally spoke. "Fine. I shall follow with you." It vanished into the darkness, but when it spoke again, it was much closer to Iaisa. "But I will find some way to harm you if you try to cage me."

The tigress looked around. "Neat trick."

Vicky nodded. "They are incorporeal beings. It's probably hiding somewhere in your shadow. They live in the darkness, and are weakened by light, though it does not actually hurt them."

"Neat! You got any more powers, dark boy?"

The thing remained silent, but both women could feel a level of annoyance coming from it. Vicky continued. "They can affect things physically, like the blade thing it did earlier. Kinda like how you can shift between intangible and tangible. They've also got a low-level psychic ability that can leave someone in a dazed, almost hypnotic state. Though... kinda surprised you haven't tried that on us..."

Iaisa nodded. "He did. I was wondering what that was."

Vicky looked at her friend. "You know, the things you can just say no to are a little scary."

She shrugged. "Being dead has its perks." She looked out at the door. "Alright, you ready to head back down?"

The doe gave her a frown. "What? But we just got here! And it took all day!"

Iaisa nodded. "Yeah. But you died and revived, so you're back to full, right?"

Vicky frowned. Then she just sighed. "Yeah, fine. But you owe me for lugging me out here just to be your personal bestiary."

The tigress laughed softly. "I'll make it up to you later. I'll see about sicking one of the d-gen guys on you later. Make sure it's one of the ones that likes to fuck real hard. Sound good?" The doe just pouted, but still nodded. "Alright. Let's go, Dark."

The being spoke. "Dark?"

She nodded as she started out of the building and back to the trail. "Yeah. Gotta call you something. Maybe we'll spell it all weird. Dharc. With like, and h and a c." It did not respond, and Vicky just groaned at how cheesy her friend could be. The three left the building just after midnight. Whoever came next could worry about cleaning up the massacre left behind. Though with the unsettling presence of the killer now also leaving, the wild animals would likely move in soon and have their fill of the free meat before then.

*     *     *
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