Where Time Stands Still

Finders Keepers- 3

Content Warning: This chapter contains some stuff that is most definitely not rated E for Everyone.

Throughout the entire chapter, we have:
-The girls hallucinating eyes
-Blood
-Graphic descriptions of injuries/violence
-Temporary character death

So stay safe y'all, and feel free to skip the chapter if this isn't your cup of tea. You won't be missing anything insanely lore relevant!

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A/N: Shoutouts to Elden Ring for inspiring this act!

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Bow didn't dare move. She could hear, faintly, the staggered steps of the Flower Man as he entered the forest. His laugh was soft but chilling.

The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortably similar it was to a certain manor.

At least it was just hiding and not having to get a bunch of keys and travel all the way through a spooky house. Though the dark forest wasn't much of an improvement.

"Bow," Mu whispered. Bow Kid jumped a mile. "Bow, you're shaking. You okay?"

Mu herself looked pale, but Bow didn't mention it. She nodded. "Spooked."

"Yeah. What do we do now?"

"Well, we have to find the timepiece shard, right? And then we can escape."

"And it's in this forest?"

"That's what the Flower Man said."

Mu looked over her shoulder, then carefully leaned out from behind the tree. "I don't see it anywh-"

She suddenly straightened up, her back to the tree, eyes wide. A moment later, Bow felt the hairs on her back rise, followed by the sensation of someone staring at her. Bow held her breath and went as still as she could. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Flower Man creep by, breathing raggedly.

"Wheeeere aaare youuuu..." He hissed. Bow's heart was pounding so hard she was terrified he could hear it. He looked around, then continued on. Bow felt the eyes brush over her, then turn to look at something else. They were safe.

For now.

The two were silent until he was out of sight. Bow released the breath she was holding. "We have to look for the shard."

Mu looked at her, a mix of disbelief and fear in her eyes. "We have to move!? What if he catches us?!"

"Shhhh. I don't know. But we'll have our timepieces." Provided that they work in the Horizon. Bow refused to say it out loud. Both kids were terrified enough as it is, and acknowledging that this could actually permanently kill them was not going to help. "Besides, we have to get that shard. It's the only way to make sure he doesn't kill us."

Mu sighed and nodded. "So, slowly or do we run for it?"

"Slowly."

Bow leaned forward, and after a moment's pause, switched to her Time Stop hat. Just in case.

Wait, would that hat even work here?

She didn't want to risk it. Bow swapped to her sprint hat. She steadied her breath, looked for another tree thick enough to hide both of them, and before her panic could get the better of her, she moved.

Her footsteps sounded too loud and her breathing too heavy and her heart was pounding as she crept over to the tree. Every slight chill were the thousand eyes staring her down and every noise was the Flower Man ready to catch her.