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Cheryl ran with quick steps towards the window in front of her. She was sure she would make it, however, her pursuer followed right behind. Determined, she put her hands on the frame and lifted herself up, jumping. She knew she was the last survivor. That didn't upset her, however, it's basically what she had done all her life; Surviving. Besides, she knew where the hatch was. But so did Danny.
The man known as Jed Olsen, or Ghostface was hot on the blonde's heels. Being just as experienced as his opponent, better his prey, he knew she would jump out the window. That's why he had already made his way downstairs, prepared to catch her right after her fall. But as soon as he arrived at the door, he saw the girl running straight for the street. For the hatch. He had to beat her to it. He couldn't let her get away this time. Even if he hated it, he had to admit that the girl matched him in terms of intelligence. In fact, she had often managed to trick him. No matter how long he watched her and tried to learn her patterns, she always found new ways to fool him.
However, that exactly piqued his interest. Who was this girl?
Now, the end of the trial was only a few meters away from them: the hatch, from which the typical black smoke was pouring, was wide open. Both picked up their pace one last time. That's when Cheryl felt a painful stab to her left side. Ghostface had managed to wound her once more, but the adrenaline in her veins only made her rush faster to the hatch.
"Damn!"
Danny snorted as he realized he wouldn't be able to catch up with the girl, but he still kept running. Now standing directly in front of the pitch black abyss of the hatch, she turned around once more. For a moment, his eyes looked directly into hers before she now finally disappeared into the mist.
The blonde-haired's body hit the ground with a heavy thud that made her open her eyes. She found herself back at the fireplace, around which some of the other survivors were already milling about.
"Oh, Heather! That was a really tough trial... But I'm really glad you made it out!"
Jake offered her a hand to stand up, which she gratefully accepted. Still, she was sorry that she couln't help the black haired escape this time. It could be said that the two had become friends, in a way. Cheryl didn't have a deep relationship with any of the survivors, but got along well with all of them. She was much appreciated for her loving and caring nature, even if she occasionally clashed with other strong personalities. And despite everything, she had never told anyone her real name. The name her father had given her. Somehow, she felt vulnerable when she revealed too much about herself. Especially since she had only been here for a short time. Or at least that's how it felt.
Cheryl had always had an inexplicable fear of mirrors. She felt her reflection was an imitation of herself. Not really her, but a way to look directly into her soul. But now she was in a world where there were no mirrors. The small stream near the campfire, which she had now retreated to, probably came closest to that. Therefore she avoided looking into it and preferred to look into the dark forest.
On the other side, Danny also looked into the deep black. He had taken time out just like Cheryl to take off his mask for once. While he was among the other killers, he usually left it on. Only with people he had come to trust, he took it off. Without it, he was no longer Ghostface, but just Jed Olsen. In the rarest of cases, really Danny Johnson.
The dark-skinned boy took a deep breath before putting his mask back on and taking a step forward onto the mossy forest floor. That day, in fact, he had come to the forest with a purpose: As he had done on some days before, he wanted to leave the killer's side today and observe the survivors. Just as he had done in his previous life, it was important to him to find out every detail about his victims. He analyzed their movements, their mannerisms, and habits to make use of them in trials. But on this day it was a particular survivor who had piqued his interest: the blonde girl from before. Since she was new, he didn't know her name, or anything else. She was a mystery.
It took him only a few minutes to make his way to the other end of the forest. He had been to this spot many times, as survivors often came here alone or in smaller groups. It was their resting place. And it was almost fate that he discovered the blond mop of hair on this particular day. When he crept closer to the small clearing and looked behind him, he noticed that she was looking directly in his direction. Had she noticed him? When she didn't move even a moment later, he was sure that she hadn't discovered him. He let out a soft, satisfied sigh.
As he continued to watch her, he realized that something was bothering her. She was thinking. Maybe about the trial? Maybe about her past? He couldn't tell, but he was sure to find out soon enough. He also noticed how she seemed to avoid looking into the water. Another thing he would have to remember.
Unaware of how similar the two of them were after all, they stood there looking practically straight at each other. And even if Danny didn't realize it, Cheryl sensed he was there. She was too observant to miss it. So it wasn't long before she felt uneasy and decided to go back to the campfire. But the unsettling presence did not disappear. Still, she tried to ignore it. It didn't matter now anyway, since a higher, greater power in the form of the Entity was watching her every move. So she tried to distract herself by sitting around the campfire with Jake, Steve and Claudette and chat.
Danny took that moment to listen carefully to their conversation. Her name seemed to be Heather, but something about her behavior made him skeptical. He himself knew what it was like to hide his true identity and therefore noticed it when someone else was hiding something.
The girl didn't talk much about herself at the time, only saying that she liked to go shopping and that she occasionally clashed with her work colleagues. So typical things for a person her age. In fact, Danny was not much older than her. However, his interests had always been a little different. Still, it bugged him not to be able to find out much about her this time. Maybe he would have to change his strategy...
A few days later, Cheryl was again out in the woods. Alone, as most of the time. Since most other survivors have been taken by the Entity to compete in another trial, she had no one to talk to anyways. So why not explore this place some more? There had to be a way out.
The others had warned her about the dangers that might be waiting for her in the darkness, but Cheryl was sure that she could take care of herself, she had certainly experienced and survived a lot. Maybe even the most out of all suvivors residing in the realm.
But this time, as so often, she felt that odd gaze on her. She didn't know where it came from and no matter how closely she looked around, she couldn't recognize anyone watching her. Even though she was sure by now that it was merely the eye of the Entity itself, she was unusually nervous. At every little rustle ot leaves she heard, she startled and looked around. Even though Cheryl was strong, she was still in a vulnerable position in this world.
Her fear, nevertheless, subsided with time and turned to purpose. She wanted to figure out how to escape this strange realm.
-"Hey."
The blonde flinched when she heard the unfamiliar voice. Still, she turned around composedly to see who it came from. Her heart gave a small jump as she stared directly into the black eyes of the white mask. It was the killer she had once faced a few days ago, Ghostface. Out of reflex, Cheryl pulled out of her pocket the switchblade she always carried, except for trials of course, and pointed it at the man in front of her. Her movements were so quick and purposeful that even Danny was thrown off by it, but he didn't let it show.
"Oh come on, chill. I won't do anything" He sighed, leaning back casually against the large tree behind him. In fact, he hadn't planned to hurt her but had expected a similar reaction. He was now a known murderer, after all, just the opposite of his previous life.
Cheryl gave him a skeptical look at first, before deciding to put the knife down, but not completely away yet.
"What do you want?" She asked with the same skepticism that could be found in her eyes. Logically, she didn't quite trust this situation yet: it was, after all, the first time she encountered a killer outside of a trial. Ghostface, however, seemed very calm, as if this had happened to him many times before. Or as if he was underestimating her beyond measure.
"Asking you if you're lost. You know, not many survivors dare to go that deep into the woods." He replied with a smirk on his lips that was hidden by his mask. However, Cheryl could guess from his voice what his emotions were like under the mask.
Danny was very confident in his choice of words: He knew, after all, how to articulate himself, in order to have the influence he wished for. But Cheryl realized that he was lying: he hadn't met her just like that, she was sure. Still, she decided not to confront him directly with this feeling. For her own protection, but also because she was strangely interested in having a "normal" conversation with a killer. "No, I know the way back. Why are you here?"
Danny felt strangely caught off guard by her response. She didn't seem unsettled by him, which was what he really wanted, but she still maintained her suspicion, which wasn't his goal. He wanted to know more about her and for that, he had to make it so he trusted her.
"Oh you know, I just needed to get away from everything for a bit and stretch my legs." He explained, trying to seem as sympathetic as possible. "And then I saw you." That made Cheryl laugh unexpectedly, "Let me guess, love at first sight?" Her voice just dripped with bitter irony, which made Ghostface giggle as well. "How did you know?" he asked, equally sarcastic. "I'm Jed, by the way," he introduced himself using his alias, with the assumption that Heather would do the same.
Finally, an actual opponent. Maybe even a worthy one.
She never thought it would come to this.
In the last few days, Cheryl ran into Jed on an almost daily basis. Far too often for it to be a coincidence. In fact, it should have been a warning to her. A red flag, yet somehow she almost enjoyed his presence. He did too.
The two of them were alike, no matter how much they wanted to deny it. Cheryl found it strange, precisely because she also sensed that he held as many secrets as she did. Sometimes when she looked at him, she felt as if she were looking into a mirror. But not one that distorted her image, no, one that really looked like her. And in some moments she felt something similar to affection for him. Well, maybe not quite affection but something unusually positive.
Danny felt the same, or already even stronger and it pissed him off. He had never planned to be so taken with the blonde. He had no clue where these emotions came from, since he hadn't experienced anything alike. Maybe he was just amused by her knowing how to stand up to him. But no... there was certainly more to it.
Still, he met with Heather over and over again, trying to get her to spill some information about her he could use. Meanwhile he tried to stay as secretive about his true identity as possible, only feeding her the lies he had told everyone. But he was certain she suspected something. She was digging for information aswell. The only question was who would get there first.
This time they ended up in a trial together again. This time it was Coldwind Farm. A soft laugh escaped Danny's lips as he hauled Nea onto the hook. Now, once again, it was just him and his final girl left. And this time he wasn't going to lose.
Still, he maintained his usual nonchalance as he went in search of Heather.
He combed first the old farmhouse and then the small walls on the edges of the area, but there was no sign of the blonde. With each passing moment, he became more and more nervous, unsure if she hadn't already found the hatch, until suddenly he stumbled.
He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't even noticed the hatch opening right next to him. With a confident grin on his lips, he kicked the metal door shut and returned to his search. He roamed back and forth between the exit doors over and over again, but Heather didn't seem to have tried to open one. As he moved again from one to the other, he suddenly saw the grain of the field move. It was only a small movement, but Danny recognized it immediately. So he ran towards the spot, whereupon he soon recognized Heather. She had also noticed him and ran as fast as she could towards the barn: there were enough windows and pallets to keep him busy for a bit and plan properly. But when she ran towards a spot where there had been a solid wooden pallet before, she only found splinters. She kept running and glanced back: Ghostface was close. Too close.
Danny himself was pleased by the shocked look in her eyes. He was more and more sure that he would catch her soon. After all, he had a strategy this time. Wisely, he had previously burned an offering, that would enable him to kill the last survivor by his own hand.
Cheryl, yet unaware of her impending fate, tried her best to reach the trailing window, but as she was about to leap, a hand suddenly grabbed her by the back of the neck and threw her over his shoulder.
"Gotcha" Ghostface's laugh rang like an alarm through Cheryl's head, making her stomach sink. Still, she hemmed and hawed against the killer's back, but to no avail. She prepared to feel the hook's skewer to pierce her chest any given moment, but it did not come. Instead, the next thing she felt was the hard, dusty floor of the farm. Was he about to let her go? No, Cheryl realized, as she suddenly grabbed a hand and turned her on her back. Now she was looking directly at Jed. His mask still covered his face, but the blonde-haired woman was sure she could see a smug smile on it.
Less panicked, but more sure, she crawled back a few inches before Jed first held her, but then pinned her to the ground with his own body weight. He gave a soft "Tsk" before holding his knife to her throat. And Danny felt so damn good at that moment: He was in his element. He held the power. He was finally in control. Heather still gave him a defiant look, but that didn't dissuade him from his plan.
"Let's make a little deal, I don't like killing friends..." He began, leaving Cheryl guessing if he meant it ironically or seriously. That was the moment he leaned over her and their faces were inches apart.
"Tell me something no one here knows about you and I'll let you go."
Danny was sure now that he would finally get what he had wanted for a long time: more information about the girl. Her secrets. But then all his hopes were dashed as Cheryl spat:
"One death more or less, I don't care. Fuck you, Jed."
Danny felt frustration boil within him. He thought he had her by the balls, yet she still crossed his plan. Any other survivor would've begged for mercy. But her...
He could've tried to argue, but it would't have led anywhere. She was right, in a world where you would be brought back to live over and over again, death had no meaning.
Defeated, Danny plunged the knife into her chest with force, killing her outright. Somehow, it had never occured to him, that he could've tortured her for information. Maybe he didn't want to... No, he just couldn't stand to see her suffer. Now the brown-haired man also felt a twinge in his chest. Without a knife at all. He hated these newfound feelings, something like this never happened to him usually. It was just frustrating, especially because she didn't return it. He even didn't feel like taking a picture of her dead body.
After the trial, Cheryl didn't go to the woods for quite some time, actively trying to avoid talking to the masked killer again. She now felt stupid for even doing so before. What was she thinking? He was the enemy. He was the monster she had to escape. But she wasn't just mad for wasting her time with him. No. She felt threathened. Why did he think she was keeping secrets? How was he supposed to know that she never told the complete truth about herself? But then she thought about how she felt towards him... She had noticed since their first meeting that something was not quite right with the masked figure. Maybe he had sensed the exact same thing about her?
Now, even without having seen him for a while, he still occupied her mind more often than she would've liked. She wanted to know who hid under the mask, literally and metaphorically. And even though he most likely was just a brutal and gruesome killer, she felt as if there was more to him. They were a lot alike, after all.
Cheryls gaze was fixated on the flickering campfire, lighting the neverending night. There were no other survivors around in this moment, most likely in trials again. The Entity sure knew how to keep everyone busy. Even if it was more of an excuse, the blonde couldn't help but wonder if having a killer as an ally may be an asset to help her end all of this. She would never admit that, but she kind of missed him. Hell, Cheryl Mason wasn't some dumb lovesick schoolgirl. And yet her mind kept wandering to him over and over again. She had to put an end to this. Somehow, she couldn't even focus on her goal without thinking about-
"Fucking shit!"
Cheryl was torn from her thoughts as she heared a familiar voice cuss in the distance. Without thinking much further, set off in the direction from which she had perceived the noise. She struggled through brush and grasses until she saw a black figure sitting on the ground. Jed. She had known it when she heard the scream.
"Hey, you need help?"
Danny turned with a jerk and looked into the girl's brown eyes. His face was contorted in pain and this time Heather could see it, which he noticed far too late. His mask lay a few inches next to his foot, on whose ankle was a bleeding wound. He had gotten caught in the grasses and thorns of the surrounding plants when he had left the small trail. Fortunately, he had managed to free himself from the undergrowth with the help of his knife, but still, the deep wound remained.
"Yeah." He said a little hesitantly when he realized that Heather was probably looking into his eyes as well. And he couldn't help but think about how beautiful she looked at that moment, despite the concern in her eyes.
As Cheryl's gaze now fell on the wound, she couldn't help but take a closer look at it. Her kind heart just wanted to help him. But the stab wound from their trial still stung. It was only fair she'd get some form of payback. So she pulled out her switchblade.
Danny couldn't help but feel a tad bit of fear creeping up his back. What was she planning to do? Does she seek revenge? Is she out for blood? Without his mask, the Ghostface felt more vulnerable. He would've loved to have a mirror to check, which feelings Heather would be able to see in his face.
When she leaned down, the blade still glistening in the moonlight, the threat seemed as clear as day to him. However, still being lost in her peanut brown eyes, he almost accepted his defeat. She indeed had been a worthy opponent.
This time, it was him who was expecting a piercing pain in his chest.
-"I will help you. But you have to tell me your name. Your real name."
Hestating, Danny swallowed, but soon an honest smile formed on his face. She was clever. Maybe even more so than him. Plus, the pain in his ankle was getting more unbearable by the second.
"It's Danny. Danny Johnson."
Satisfied and confident, Cheryl cut off a small piece of Ghostface's robe, knowing that the Entity would surely provide him with a new one.
Danny couldn't help but watch her almost in awe as she dressed the wound with the temporary bandage. This girl really had the experience when it came to survival.
"Thank you, Heather," he said honestly as their eyes crossed again. Cheryl didn't expect him to give in that quickly, but that he did made her feel safer around him. Maybe he indeed, wasn't that bad. Slowly but surely, she let her walls down aswell. She wasn't thinking anymore, she was feeling.
- "Cheryl."
That was the first moment Cheryl looked into Danny's eyes and smiled. Like two sides of a coin, two images of a mirror.