Chaos and Corruption (Jeff the Killer Fanfic)

56. Despair

Nina

I lurched to the side, just barely dodging Kate's grab while I panicked like a mother fucker. This woman wasn't the one we'd come in with and suddenly all I could hear were her protests at the kitchen table. This wasn't Kate, this was The Chaser.

"Kate, listen to me!" I shouted, "this isn't you! We're friends, it's Nina, remember?!"

"Nina—!" She screeched, clutching at her head like she was fighting it, "fucking run!"

I bailed, taking off further down the track and leaping over fallen logs and overgrown trails. The entire time I was trying to figure out what to do while she was in hot pursuit, pulling my radio off and screeching with all the fury I had.

"Someone, anyone please! Come in! Something happened, we're outmatched and—"

"Nina where are you?!" Jeff shouted instantly.

"We're still at the school, please help it's Kate—!"

Something knocked into my side and I rolled, getting back up in time to kick her over my head and into the bushes. I didn't want to fight her but she didn't have a weapon, at least I didn't think until she lunged again and I saw gloves a lot like Rouge's mere inches from my eyes while I held her back. Something warm hit me though and when I looked up I could see the tears through her mask as she sobbed.

"Kate you don't want to do this!" I begged, "this isn't you, it's Operator!"

"I can't control it!" She cried, "please, for the love of God, kill me!"

I shook my head, kicking her off again and trying to figure out another way. The trail continued on in the darkness and I scrambled over every root and log there was, my one saving grace being the light at the end of a not-so-metaphorical tunnel as I saw the end of the trail. The streetlight in the parking lot should be enough to stop her—!

"Gotcha."

I screamed as my foot was pulled from beneath me, her maniacal cackles echoing as she dragged me further into the forest and away from safety. No matter how hard I struggled her claws dug deeper into my ankle and blood seeped down my leg; surely I'd be incapacitated at minimum from the tendon damage before she tossed me into a clearing. A scream tore from my lungs as she dug her gloves into my stomach, deep enough to get past the nerves and into the muscle. I lunged for my knife but she was quicker, taking it in her own hands and swinging it so hard it lodged three inches deep into the ground beside my head.

"I'm so sorry!" She heaved, "please forgive me Nina—!"

"No—!"

A heavy weight out of nowhere slammed into Kate, taking her off me and giving me space to breathe. Pain shot up my leg the moment I tried to put weight on it but I still managed to get into a kneeling pose, watching as someone I hadn't been expecting tried to pin Kate to the forest floor.

"Rouge!" I shouted, her arms wrapped around the smaller woman but she dug her gloves into Rouge's arm, tearing the flesh while she screamed.

"Come to save the baby after all?!" She cackled, turning the tables with an ease she shouldn't have had as she whipped her head back. Rouge stumbled and Kate knocked her back completely, slashing at the woman with maddened swipes. I tried to come to the rescue but the moment I tried to move my whole body collapsed.

"Kate...!" I screeched, getting her attention off of Rouge for the moment, "we aren't fucking finished!"

"Oh, you want to play?!"

She grabbed for my knife again and I rolled to the side, lunging to Rouge with full knowledge that she had a knife hidden in the pocket on her pants but panicking when my ankle was grabbed again. Kate rolled me onto my back and I caught her wrist as she tried to sink my own knife into my skull, both of us putting all our weight into the fight before I heard a distinct gurgle from beside me.