Little Nightmares: The Damned Child

Chapter IV - The Hunter

The paper bag boy pulled a drawer out using it as a step to get over like they did with the suitcase. They went back to the ladder. The boy misstepped and dropped to the floor below. The impact didn't make a sound and his coat and bag sunk like they'd deflated before rising back up to stand. The girl climbed down the ladder properly as the boy shoved the key into the lock. 

It dropped to the floor and the door opened to reveal the outside. Cold air bit at their feet as they descended down the small set of stairs. Clothes were pegged to a line, drying. A selection of tools lent up against an outdoor toilet. They ventured into a shed finding the path to proceed was too high. They punched a tall box up towards the far wall. Using it to climb up to the ledge. Dropping to the other side atop of a pile of animal skins. A gross tearing sound bounced around the space. It sounded similar to when the woman's arm tore off. 

They crept along the floor hiding in the shadows. A large man stood at a bench, tearing into something. He didn't appear to notice anything around them. The paper bag boy and the girl came to the door on the other side of the room. There was a little door. Likely for a dog. It was slightly jammed. The two of them pushed against the door, it creaked loudly and they tumbled outside into a pile of leaves. Within moments the large door swung open. 

The Hunter with his shotgun and lantern. The two of them ran and hid behind a crate as the hunter loaded his gun and fired. Shattering the crate to splinters. They ran to the right hiding behind another crate which met the same fate. The two kids continued to do this at every crate they came near. Narrowly missing the bullets They eventually came across a shallow hole to slide into and hide amongst the rocks. The hunter looked around for the two childerent. It was at this point they could get a proper look at him. He wore a large pair of boots. A brown coat that was tightened around his middle. The arms of the coat was slightly bunched up. His right arm sagged in the shoulder showing some cotton stuffing from the cabin. It begged the question whether he was actually human. His face was obscured by a brown potato sack with a hole in the middle so he could see. A brown hat set atop of it, keeping the sack from moving too much. 

The paper bag boy took the girl's hand and snuck along the ground as quietly as they could. They ducked down amongst the tall grass. The Hunter was looking the opposite direction. A crow near them got startled and flew away. The Hunter shone his lantern in their direction and they both froze. He looked around the grass for a few moments before moving on. After a few paces he stopped and searched the area again. The Hunters breath sounded muffled. Not in the sense that it was the bag over his head, but rather like something was clogging his throat or lungs. 

The children waited until he was looking away when they ran out of the grass to a hole below a tree. They dropped down and the hunter shone his lantern into the hole. The boy grabbed the girls hand again and ran in deeper as the hunter let off a round into the hole. The ground trembled from the shot. The end of the hole soon appeared and the two children squeezed out between the roots that shielded the hole. They followed a path to another broken bridge. The Paper bag boy grabbed a rope that was part of the railing and pulled it back. Lifting a segment of the bridge so the girl could jump across. As soon as the boy let go, the bridge fell again. He wasn't sure how to go about getting over.

"Hey." He called. The girl came to the edge on her side, reaching out her hand as far as she could go. "Are you sure?" The boy asked. She nodded.

He stepped back a bit and ran, jumping at the edge of the available bridge. The girl caught his hand and pulled him up to safety. There were more cages on this side of the bridge. The girl looked up at one of the suspended cages as they passed. A yellow light shone through the trees and they crouched behind the grass as he stalked through the woods. 

The girl slid down the small slope running ahead. The boy went to follow, startling a crow the hunter spotted him and swiftly aimed his shotgun. Firing and shredding the crate the boy hid behind. The girl climbed the side of a wooden shed. The boy hid behind the crate at the bottom. The Hunter shot the crate and reloaded the gun. The boy climbed after the girl while he reloaded. Stopping to use a T.V that hung from a window for some reason as a shield. The T'V was blasted in half and fell to the ground. The boy quickly sclead the rest of the wall getting into the roof of the shed. 

The girl held out her hand for him as he crossed a wooden plank. It snapped as he grabbed her hand. She pulled him up with her as the hunter burst through the door. They ran through the roof avoiding being shot by the rando fires from the Hunter. The girl lead the way jumping through an open window. They slid down the roof of the shed porch landing in the disgusting goopy green water below...