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Chapter Text

'She'll never let you leave...'

A man struggles to catch his breath and wildly glances around the woods. His flannel shirt was bloodied and tattered to shreds, his left arm slashed open by what looked to be claw marks. He was breathing heavily as he stops to lean against a tall tree. 

He appeared to be running from someone or something as, after a short time of resting, he pushes himself off the tree and continues down the path. He could no longer hear the trees swaying movements with the breeze, they were replaced by the snapping sound of twigs and leaves being crunched behind him.

They were closer than before. Frightened by his surroundings, he begins to sprint back to safety, back to his campsite. The eerie, dark woods passed in a blur beside him. He felt betrayed, like the once normal, welcoming woods tricked him into feeling safe, lured him into this hellish nightmare that he was desperately trying to escape from. 

He stupidly peeks over his shoulder to see whatever it was that was following behind him and never noticed the branch on the ground in front of him. His foot catches on the branch and prevents him from taking another step. He stumbles and falls forward, his body landing in a pile of twigs and leaves.

The man rolls over and screams when he gets a good look at what was following him. Looming over the man was a tall woman, at least six or seven feet, dressed in all black, eyes dark and angry as she lifts a hand and reaches out to grab his head.

"No, no, please," The man pleads with the strange woman.

Quick as a flash, the woman's mouth opens to reveal her sharp, rotten teeth, and the man tries to scramble away, but it was too late.

4...

--

"Judy! Hurry up inside, it's about to rain." Lorraine calls to her daughter and glimpses at the gloomy sky once more.

"Okay," Judy answers and stands from the ground where she was playing with a baby bunny she found in the yard a week ago and soon thereafter adopted the fluffy animal as her own.

"And put Willow in her cage," Lorraine adds, nodding in the direction of the rabbit's cage.

"Oh, mom, Willow will be all scared being out here all by herself in the rain. Can't we bring her inside just until the storm stops?"

Lorraine smiles at Judy, then the bunny, as the two head over to her, "You know how your father feels about that."

"Daddy wouldn't want poor Willow to be scared in the rain, all cold and shivering."

"Neither would I, but look at Mr. Winston. He's outside."

"He has a house."

"Honey," Lorraine starts, knowing very well that Judy wasn't giving up, "If Willow comes inside with us, you have to promise me that you'll keep her in her cage, deal?"

"Deal," Judy exclaims, happily running to get Willow's cage in the yard, "Thanks, mom!"

"Come on, inside you two." She says while ushering Judy and her rabbit into the house before it rains.

--

An hour or so later, Lorraine was in the kitchen washing dishes, as the storm outside raged on, blowing tree branches roughly as rain pummeled the windows she stood in front of.

She was just finishing up when out of nowhere... "Lorraine!"

Dishes are quickly forgotten when she hears Ed yelling her name. "Lorraine."

She hurries to find what exactly Ed was upset about but stops when a thought hits her. "Oh no."

Willow.

"Lorraine," Ed says when he enters the kitchen, Willow lying comfortably in his arms, "Why is the rabbit in the house?"

"Because it was raining outside." Comes her simple response.

"Okay, let me try that again. Why is the rabbit not in her cage?"

Lorraine sighs and carefully extracts the animal out of Ed's arms, "Judy promised to keep Willow in her cage."

"Well, I think she got confused and thought my office was her playpen."

"I'm sorry. Judy didn't want Willow outside in the storm."

"Eh, it's okay. I'm just glad I noticed this little fluffy thing on my chair before I sat down." He smiles, giving Willow a head pat.

"Willow, there you are!" Judy exclaims while rushing into the kitchen, "I thought I lost you."

Lorraine hands the rabbit over to Judy's waiting arms, "Didn't you and I make a deal?" She asks, and Judy pauses, a guilty look crossing her face. "You promised me that Willow would stay put in her cage, right?"

"Yes. I just wanted to play with Willow outside her cage in my room and when I went to get something to drink, I accidentally left my door open and she escaped. I'm sorry."

"Let's try to keep her inside her cage this time around, okay?"

"Okay, mom," Judy says and hurries back upstairs with Willow.

Lorraine chuckles and heads back to the sink to finish putting away the rest of the dishes, as the phone starts to ring.

"I'll get it," Ed says, and picks it up, "Hello?"

"Ed? It's Father Gordon."

"Oh, Father, how are you?"

Lorraine turns to stare at him, towel in hand, "I'm alright. Listen, I've got something I want to discuss with you and Lorraine if you're not busy."

"No, not at all, come on over."

"Good. I'll be there soon."

"See you then. Bye."

"What did Father Gordon say?" Lorraine asks when he ends the conversation, and hangs the phone back up.

"He's got something he wants to talk to us about."

--

"This is the first photo they took." Father Gordon explains and hands over a crime scene photo to Ed and Lorraine, "As you can see, this is what they found when they investigated the park, in Fairview, New Hampshire."

They examine the photo with great concern, as they see what looked to be a bloody shirt hung up by some trees. Around it looked to be scattered pieces of various items. A wallet, a bag, and a sneaker that was covered in mud.

"Do they know what happened?" Is the first thing Lorraine asks as she looks away from the worrisome image.

"They presume this man, Jerome Alvez, was attacked while taking a walk in the woods. They're not sure if that's what happened though, seeing as this is the third instance of someone going missing in the woods this year."

"There's been more like this?"

"Two teenagers went missing about two months back. They're the first reported case of someone going missing in those woods."

"This is alarming, yes, but I'm not sure I understand what you want us to do with this, Father," Ed interjects into the conversation.

"This missing Jerome Alvez. A friend of his mother's got her in contact with the church and with me. She was hysterical, and she just wants answers as to what happened to her son."

"But how can we help?" Ed asks again, "This isn't exactly supernatural."

"Mrs. Alvez heard about what you two do. About Lorraine's psychic abilities. And, she wondered if it would be possible for Lorraine to maybe see if she could tune into what happened that night her son went missing."

Ed's eyes glance over to Lorraine who was sitting beside him quietly, staring at the photo with a frown. "Hon? What'd you think?"

"I think we're going to Fairview, New Hampshire. These people need our help."

Chapter Text

'Now entering Fairview.'

Lorraine regards the welcoming sign with a sigh, knowing very well that this visit was anything but welcoming. She and Ed had been asked to assist with a local police department to help find four missing people who've disappeared after spending time in the woods in this town. "You wanna stop and get something to eat before we head over to meet Sergeant Henderson?" Ed asks, eyes darting at her for a second then turning back to the road.

"Sure, if we have time."

So, that's how they found themselves sitting in a booth at a small diner, two cups of coffee between them as they sat across from one another. There were only about six or seven other people in the diner, not counting the employees, and about half of them looked oddly... anxious. An older couple sitting in the booth ahead of theirs was eating lunch, making idle conversation with one another, but it was reserved. Quiet even. Like they were trying to whisper, so they didn't bother anyone.

Strange, seeing as everyone else was loudly going about their day."What can I get for you?"

The raspy voice makes Lorraine jump, startled by the way this waitress snuck up on her without notice. "What'd you want, hon?"

"Whatever you choose is fine." She answers, knowing that her appetite wasn't really up for eating anything big.

"Alright then, we'll just take two of the specials," Ed says and hands the menus back to the waitress with a smile.

"Coming right up."

Ed waits until the waitress is gone before leaning towards Lorraine, eyes filled with concern for her, "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just.." She pauses, eyes locked onto something behind him, "Does anything seem off to you about this place?"

"Well, now that you mentioned it," He makes a point of scanning the diner, "The '50s decor does seem a little out of place for being in 1980."

"Funny. No, I mean, everyone here seems almost nervous about something or someone."

"Four people have gone missing. A small town like this, I'm sure it's got a lot of people on edge. Especially parents."

"...Yeah, I guess you're right." She agrees, still not convinced, but decides to drop the subject as she takes a sip of her coffee. "What's the lunch special?" She hadn't even asked that a few minutes ago when Ed ordered it for them, her mind being elsewhere.

"Some type of sandwich with fries. I hope that's okay with y-"

"Ellie! Ellie, you ain't gonna god damn believe what I saw!" This older man shouts as he enters the previously peaceful diner, cutting off Ed and hollering for some lady named Ellie. The man looked to be in his early sixties, with sandy, balding hair, eyes wide and crazy, and an assortment of fishing gear on him. "Ellie, get your ass out here right now, woman!"

Other patrons start wearily eyeing the man, unsure what his problem was or why he was shouting for this woman. Lorraine and Ed share a look as they both turn to stare at this disruptive man and this burgeoning conversation.

"Earl, I'm busy!" Lo and behold, Ellie turned out to be their waitress. And she was also carrying their lunch, well trying to at least.

She makes it to their booth with a muttered 'sorry' and places their respective lunches down on the table. "Ellie, I finally got proof! I got a picture of this thing!"

...That gets their attention. Ed pauses, french fry halfway to his lips, interest piqued by this strange conversation. "Excuse me," He starts, causing Earl, the old shouting man, to stop as he takes a few steps over to their booth, "What is it that you're talking about?"

"Why, the witch, of course!"

"Witch?" Lorraine interjects, brows furrowed.

"Yes, ma'am. One of the scariest things you'll ever lay your pretty eyes on."

"You've seen what you think to believe is a witch?"

"I don't think, I know! I was out in the deep woods, got a special creek out there, y'know, for my fishing and stuff, and after an hour or two, I see this damn woman about thirty yards ahead of me, just watching. I wouldn't have thought much of it if I didn't know any better. You see, we've got this urban legend about this witch that haunts our woods."

The man was spewing information after information at them, and his ramblings weren't getting any better. "Here," Earl says, jerking a picture into Ed's face with a proud smile, "Took that this morning."

In clear frame, a woman stood far out in the path of the woods, dressed in all black, just standing there.

...Which Lorraine did not like one bit. She looks away from the picture with a frown, "Where was this taken?" Ed asks, not as concerned about the photo as Lorraine was. Yes, the photo was unnerving, but it could still have just been a woman wandering through the woods. "About thirty minutes from here, at Fairview Park. But, this thing has been spotted all over the woodsy areas in this town."

'Lovely,' Lorraine thinks to herself dryly and makes a face at Ed. "Come on, Earl, let this nice couple eat their lunch," Ellie says, pushing the man away from their booth, taking the photo back as Ed handed it over. 

"What do you take from that?" Ed asks after a few minutes, and Lorraine shrugs.

"Well, the photo was unusual. But, it could've been a woman that was taking a walk."

"In all black?"

Okay, she had to admit, that was strange. "Anything's possible. Do you believe that's a witch?"

"It's not the first time we've seen something like this.' He says, popping another french fry into his mouth.

"Do you think there's a chance that this 'witch' is connected to these missing people?"

"Anything's possible." He repeats her earlier statement.

--

After lunch, their next stop was to the police station to meet with an officer to discuss the missing person cases the local police were having trouble solving. A few cops sat at their desk in the bullpen, some reading files, the others talking on the phone, one was even reading a newspaper. "Excuse me," Ed starts to talk to a cop that was standing by the coffee maker, "We're supposed to meet with a Sergeant Henderson?"

"What's your name, sir?"

"Ed Warren, this is my wife, Lorraine."

The man glances back at Lorraine in a funny way, "Oh, yeah, you're the ghost hunters he told us about." He starts to chuckle, "And you must be the psychic sent to help out."

Lorraine wasn't new to this, to being laughed at or accused of being a fraud. It stuck with her for her whole life, and by now, she just brushed it off. People had a right to believe whatever they decided to.

On the other hand, Ed didn't like when people assumed she was faking or using her gift for a quick fifteen minutes of fame, and that's when his protectiveness kicked in. "That's right. So, can we see Sergeant Henderson, or do we have to sit around here waiting with you while you shovel a few more doughnuts down your throat?"

"Ed," Lorraine whispers and grabs his hand as the officer sets his second doughnut back onto the table, "We're sorry, officer, it's just been a long drive, and we'd like to get to helping you and your fellow officers find these people."

"I'll go get him for you." The officer mutters and heads off in the direction of an office.

"Could you please calm down?" Lorraine asks after a few seconds, and Ed scoffs.

"I'm not going to be polite to someone who's making fun of you."

"I've heard worse, we both know that."

"You shouldn't have to." He says with a smile, "Especially not from someone you're trying to help."

"Mr. And Mrs. Warren?" They're interrupted by a man walking over to them, "Hello, I'm Sergeant Henderson."

"Hi, I'm Ed, this is Lorraine."

They shake hands before Sergeant Henderson sends the other officer away and gestures to an interrogation room, "Well, let's get to it. Can I get either of you a cup of coffee? It's not great, but it'll do," Henderson says while opening the door for them and leads them inside.

"No, we're good."

"So, I take it, Mrs. Alvez is the reason why you're here, right?"

"She contacted someone familiar with a local priest at our church, yes. And from there, we were given all the facts of your case."

Henderson takes a seat across from them with narrowed eyes, "And what facts are that, Mr. Warren?"

"Well, for starters, you've got four missing people, and I assume that's a concern for you. Though your officers don't seem to be too worried, seeing as they're just sitting around out there, doing nothing about it."

"Ed-"

"And what do you expect to do when you and your wife get into those woods? Hope a ghost will give you the clues?"

Before Ed could say another word, Lorraine jumps into the conversation, "We can help you, Sergeant Henderson, if you'd give us the chance."

"I'd like to know how, Mrs. Warren. I've heard about you two and what you do, but I'm not saying that I believe in that sort of thing."

"And that's fine. But, if you allow us to prove ourselves to you, maybe we can solve what happened to these people and figure out why they went missing."

Henderson leans back in his seat, giving Lorraine a long, hard stare, then finally... "Okay, I'll give you two a chance to do whatever it is you do so well, but if we still don't have the answers we need, I'm cutting your part in this investigation short."

"Thank you." 

--

"So, how long have you been 'psychic'?" The way Sergeant Henderson said it came off very disbelieving, clearly still not convinced that she had this ability.

"My whole life," Lorraine answers from the backseat, catching his gaze through the mirror.

"Really? That must've been pretty cool growing up.

"There's a pause, then, "Not really. It's hard to make friends when everyone thinks you're different."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you or anything." Henderson apologizes after a second or two when he sees Lorraine looking out the window with a frown.

"How about we focus on the case, yeah?" Ed interjects, feeling Lorraine's gaze switching back to him, and he wished he sat in the back so he could've comforted her.

"Yes, of course. Uh, Mrs. Warren, there's a folder beside you that has all four missing person reports, along with some evidence we documented our first time out there."

Lorraine opens the folder, handing a typed-out report to Ed while she grabs another one to read.

Jerry Sinclair. Missing since the beginning of June. Cause of his disappearance unknown. 'He went camping in the outskirts of Fairview Park, never heard from after that. His co-workers became concerned when he didn't show up for work after the weekend.'

"This Jerry Sinclair has been missing for over two weeks," Lorraine says after a few minutes of reading the report, eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah, he's our latest one."

"His family didn't come forward sooner?"

Henderson frowns, "His coworker informed me that he had no family. Parents died in a car crash a few years back, and he never married or had kids."

"He was all alone." She murmurs, and even though he wasn't convinced about her abilities, Henderson could tell they weren't out to use anyone for fame or money.

"Jerome Alvez, this is Mrs. Alvez's son that went missing a month ago. This report says one of your officers found a bloody shirt in the woods outside of Fairview Park." Ed says, handing the report back to Lorraine so she could read it.

"Isn't that strange to you?"

"Should it be?"

"Well, Ed just said it. Jerome Alvez went for a walk after work that night he went missing, and you found a bloody shirt outside of the park, presumably Jerome's shirt. Then this Jerry Sinclair, he went camping in the outskirts of Fairview Park."

Ed's brow raises, "You think they're connected?"

"It's strange that the last place these two men were, was in the outskirts of Fairview Park. Where were the other two?"

Henderson pauses, a worried expression coming over his face, "...It was two teens, they were, uh, spending time together late at night because their parents didn't approve of the relationship. They decided to hang out in Fairview Park."

"It says on this report that there was a witness when those two teens went missing." She says while looking at the file.

"Rick Sorensen. He's the town drunk." Henderson spats, earning a look from Ed and Lorraine.

"You don't sound too fond of him."

"Well, I could've put it in better terms, but there's a lady present."

--
'Fairview Park'

"Seems so... peaceful."

It did. The sun shined through the swaying tree branches, the birds chirped, and if you didn't know any better, you'd never assume that these beautiful woods harbored a dark secret.

"One of our most treasured places in town. Families come here in the summer for picnics, sledding in the winter; it's not usually considered a dangerous area." Henderson explains to them as they head forward.

"Well, something's changing that."

"Something? Don't you mean someone?"

"No, not necessarily." Lorraine says while falling into step beside Ed, "What we're looking for could very well be nonhuman."

"Has anything like this happened before?"

Henderson thinks for a moment, then shakes his head, "Not that I can recall."

They start down a path filled with twigs and leaves, a nearby creek that was swishing water around being the only noise they could hear inside these woods at the moment.

"How far do these woods go?"

"All through town. Almost every backyard has an entrance to it."

"That's a lot of ground to cover, no pun intended."

Henderson chuckles, "Let's start here for now. I wanna see what your wife can do."

As the men keep on ahead, Lorraine hangs back, their conversation becoming fuzzy as she stops. There was a strange buzzing noise coming from about twenty yards across from where she stood, and she knew it wasn't a bee or fly.

She risks a glance towards the area the noise was coming from, and her eyes widen when she finds an older woman standing behind a tall tree, a crooked, rotten smile on her face. One boney finger was holding onto something covered in blood and ripped to shreds, while one hand lifted to point at her.

'You won't leave.'

The hairs on the back of Lorraine's neck stand up as the unsettling words are whispered to her. "Ed!" Her scream of terror has Ed rushing back to where she was standing, with Henderson close behind.

"Hon, are you okay? What is it?" He asks her, concern evident in his eyes.

"There's something over there."

Henderson turns to where Lorraine was pointing to, finding nothing but trees and woodland creatures with furrowed brows. "I don't see anyone."

"Just go check." Ed snaps while he pulls her closer, "Please."

Henderson nods and hurries over to the tall tree, but stops when an overpowering smell stops him dead in his tracks. "Oh man."

It was almost like a skunk died and sprayed all over the place at the same time, he'd never smelled anything that bad before.

"Anything?"

Ed calls to him and he lets out a cough, "There's this smell, but that's about it. I don't se-" He stops, head tilting when he spots something under a pile of twigs and leaves.

He reaches out a shaky hand with an uneasy stare and brushes the pile away, jumping back with a yell when he finds something he never expected to.

"What is it?" Ed asks while running over to help Henderson, "What'd you find?"

All Henderson can do is the point at something behind the tree.

Ed takes a few steps forward, not noticing the smell that Henderson noted, but does find something unsettling behind the tree. "Oh, God."

It was a long sleeve shirt, cut up and bloodied, along with a bloody handprint on the side of the tree.

"Ed?"

"Stay with Henderson, Lorraine." He didn't want her to have to see this. Even he didn't want to look at it.

"Why? What did you find?"

"There's a bloody shirt. And a bloody handprint on this tree."

Henderson stands from the ground at that, eyes narrowed, "That's not what I saw."

"What did you see?" Ed asks and steps out from behind the tree.

"There was a dismembered hand rolled in a shirt. And there was this rotten smell in the air, but now it's gone."

Lorraine shares a long look with Ed, then finally takes a step forward, "There's something here in these woods."

"What? What is this thing?"

A low guttural growl is heard farther into the woods, and all three turn to stare in the direction of it. "I don't know."

Chapter Text

After they got back from exploring the woods with Henderson, Lorraine and Ed checked into a motel room and dumped their luggage onto the floor beside the bed.

"What do you think that was in the woods?" She asks and flips the bathroom light on.

"Could've been a bear."

"Do you really believe that?"

"No, but that explanation makes me feel better about this entire situation."

He perches himself on the bed with a sigh, and she watches him by the bathroom door, "We both heard that... noise. And, I don't have a lot of experience with bears, but I'm pretty sure that's not how they sound."

"You know, I've been thinking about what you said earlier to Henderson in the car, about how it's strange that every single victim was in the vicinity of Fairview Park. I think you're on to something there."

"The first two that went missing, they were hanging in the park before they disappeared, and you remember what Henderson told us? There was a witness that they disregarded. Why?"

Ed shrugs, "Because he's a drunk."

"Reputation or not, he still saw something that night that could lead us to figure out what happened to those teens."

"Well," He peeks at his watch, "It's quarter after six. If his reputation proceeds him, he's bound to be at a bar. Let's go see if we can find Mr. Sorensen."

--

"One more, Mark, then I'll go."

The bartender, Mark, decked out in all black leather, nods and pours another beer for the man; and slides it over to him. "That's it, Rick. No more."

Rick Sorensen, a man who looked worse for wear, mutters something under his breath and starts working on his fourth beer... or maybe it was fifth, he wasn't sure; he'd lost count after the second one.

'Oh well,' He thinks to himself and grabs a handful of peanuts from the bar, 'Mark will tell me tomorrow.'

Across the bar, Ed and Lorraine enter, garnering the attention of a few people near the door, their eyes taking them in. They did look a little out of place here in the way they dressed.

His brown slacks and button-up shirt, along with her silk blouse and long blue skirt didn't exactly match everyone else's jeans and t-shirts.

But they're quickly forgotten after a few seconds, and the regulars go back to their drinks and talking amongst themselves.

"How're we going to find him?" Lorraine yells over the loud music blaring through the bar, and Ed bends his head to whisper in her ear.

She looks to where he said, and, sure enough, the man sitting there fits the description of Rick Sorensen. "Let's go." She starts to head forward but stops when Ed grabs her hand, stalling her."Stick close to me, okay?"

His request makes her brows raise. Sure, she was a little out of her element here, but she could handle herself perfectly fine. "You don't need to worry."

He begged to differ. She was a beautiful woman standing in a room filled with drunk men that were just waiting for the opportunity to pounce on her. Yeah, he wasn't letting her out of his sight.

They make their way through the smoke-filled room, bumping into drunk men who, expectantly, eyed Lorraine like she was prey. Finally, they reach the bar and find Rick Sorensen, who was just finishing up his last beer, "Excuse me? Are you Rick Sorensen?" Lorraine asks, taking a step forward, and Rick looks up from his glass, a sly smile tugging at his lips.

"Well, it's been a while since a pretty lady like yourself came looking for little old me. What can I do for you, sweetheart?"

Ed takes a step forward, arm snaking around her waist, "My wife and I need to ask you some questions." 

The smile falls from Rick's face at that. "Buy me a beer and maybe I'll consider answering 'em." 

With a begrudging sigh, Ed gets him another beer and hands it to him, "There. Now, can we get on with it?" 

"Hey, buddy, I don't owe you anything, so don't come up to me with this attitude." 

"I think that we got off on the wrong foot," Lorraine smiles sweetly and takes the seat beside Rick, "I'm Lorraine, that's Ed." 

Rick drinks her in. She was far prettier than anyone else in the bar, that was for sure. She didn't belong in a place like this with drunk, greasy men eyeballing her like a piece of meat. "I'm Rick," He says after a minute of staring at her, "Though you already know that." 

"Yes, we do."

The 'we' reminds Rick that she wasn't alone, and his eyes flit up to the silent Ed, who had a protective hand on the back of Lorraine's chair. "Well, what do you wanna ask me?"

"Two months back, two teenagers went missing. Do you remember that?" 

The look on Rick's face changes, and after a long sip of his beer, he leans towards her, "How did you know that?"

"We've been asked to assist the police on these cases." 

"You cops or something?" 

"Or something," Ed adds, making her smile to herself. 

"So, they told you? About what I saw that night those two teens went missing?"

"...No. We asked about your statement, and Sergeant Henderson told us not to worry about it." 

Rick laughs, sloshing his drink around, "Henderson's a joke. He doesn't want to hear the facts about why those people went missing." 

"What facts are that?" 

"That night in Fairview Park, that night those two went missing? Something was following them, watching them through the trees. I saw it." 

"Saw what?" 

"That witch... or whatever the hell she is. She's been stalking everyone who enters those woods for decades." 

Lorraine glances at Ed over her shoulder, both thinking the same thing. "Did you see this witch attack these two?" 

"No, but I'm damn sure she's the reason why they're gone. Same thing with those other two. She doesn't like no one entering her territory." 

Ed's hand drifts down to her arm, signaling her it's time to go, and she stands from the chair, ready to get out of here as much as he wanted to. "Aww, I didn't scare you off now, did I?" 

"No, it's just been a long day. Thank you for answering our questions." 

"Anytime, sweetheart," Rick says and gives her a little too wide of a smile.

With a hand on the small of her back, Ed leads her back through the crowd of people. They were almost at the door when out of nowhere, a sweaty hand clamps down on Lorraine's wrist from behind them, jerking her to a stop. 

"Where're you going, honey?" An older, pot-bellied man slurs out the question, eyes openly staring down her body. 

Ed spins on his heel to glare at the drunk, who thought he could just grab any woman he wanted, and takes a step forward, "Home. With me." 

The man laughs, fingers tightening around her wrist, making her wince at the pain, "Why don't you stay and have a drink with me instead, sweetheart?" 

"No thanks." She declines his invitation and tries to pull out of his grasp, causing more pain to her wrist, "Let go of me."

"My wife asked you nicely. Now, I suggest you do as she says before I do something not nice." 

The man drunkenly laughs and uses his hold on her wrist to pull Lorraine back towards him, latching his arm around her waist.

That did it. In a flash, Ed pulls Lorraine out of the man's grasp and levels a punch into his jawline, causing the drunk to fly backward, hitting the floor with a loud thump. 

"Are you okay?" Ed asks after a few seconds and turns to face a shocked Lorraine. 

"Let's get out of here." Is all she says, and he agrees, gently taking her hand as they exit the bar.

--

"Are you okay?" Ed asks Lorraine an hour later while laying in their motel bed, his arm around her waist while she curled up into his side.

"I'm fine, hon. What about you?"

Their run-in with that drunk at the bar was still fresh in both of their minds, as were the red marks on her wrist from where the man had grabbed her.

"I'm okay I guess. How's your wrist?"

"A little sore but it's not bothering me." She watches him, finding that his eyes were locked on her wrist, "Hon, I'm okay, really I am."

"It just infuriates me how that drunk thought he could grab you like that and hurt you. Look at your wrist, it's red and starting to bruise."

"And I'm sure that man learned his lesson after tonight. He'll probably wake up with a worse bruise than me tomorrow morning."

"Good." At her surprised look, he adds with a sigh, "I'm not going to apologize for defending my wife."

"That man was drunk, and I'm sure by morning, he'll realize how wrong he behaved tonight. But for now," She says with a smile, "Let's try and get some sleep." 

"Okay." He agrees and turns the lamp off beside the bed, "Night, hon."

"Goodnight." She stifles a yawn and cuddles further into his warm side, pushing all thoughts of tonight out of her mind.

--

'Nowhere to go...'

"Leave me alone!"

The woods were pitch-black and anxiety-inducing, every noise setting off another chill down your spine if you played into it. 

'You can't hide...'

"I'm sorry, God, I'm so sorry!" A man slurs out as he tries to keep his balance as he stumbles through the dark woods.

'It'll find you...'

The chilling singsong voice causes the man to fall forward, tripping over an unseen tree branch. "Argh, shit." He grumbles when he smacks his forehead on the ground.

...Quiet.

That was the first thing the man notes as he lifts his head, scanning the wilderness with a renewed sense of awareness of the danger he was in. "...Hello?" 

A few minutes pass, then, "...Look behind you..."

Feeling a rush of bravery, the man stands, glimpsing over his shoulder... coming face to face with a terrifying sight.

Standing about fifty feet away was a dark figure near a tall tree, eyes boring at the man with a chilling smile, lips moving slowly as the figure spoke... "Don't be afraid..."

The man couldn't move, it was like he was paralyzed as the figure slowly started to make its way towards him. "Help! Anybody, help me!" 

'You should've stayed away...'