Crumbling Dreams Part One

Glass Particles

Suddenly, thunder was heard, followed by a brutal collision that came from the "entrance" that made all shouting stop. Alice turns around, now dead serious, gun in her hand, aiming for whatever was behind her.

She saw it, the Beast, she could now see him closer than ever, the slight blue tint lighting the whole forest, it wore a mask, the fact that frightened the group was that the mask was made primarily of a skull.

The bone, polished in an unsettling sheen, hugged the creature's face with an uncanny resemblance to a human visage, albeit one twisted into a macabre display. The skull's hollowed eye sockets, devoid of any life or light, gave the impression of an eternal void. Its jawbone formed a grotesque, frozen grimace, pointy teeth enhancing the sadistic smile of the Beast, the sight sending a chill through the group as the figure moved closer.

Each step amplified the eerie aura, the skull's features illuminated faintly by a ghostly blue hue, casting haunting shadows across the surrounding forest.

Alice pulled the trigger. A single metallic click echoed in the silence followed by gasping of Juliet and Edith. Alice couldn't run away and thrown the empty gun to her group before trying to buy time, fighting with the killer, in hope that her friends could escape, as she began to run, the Beast grabbed her by her throat, lifting Alice in the air. Edith didn't know what to do and decide to hide behind shelves. Juliet attempted to run for the exit.

She jumped out of the hole but injured her leg in the process, Edith saw Alice hitting repeatedly the Beast's arm holding her in the air, and slowly squeezing her throat. Edith felt a spike of courage before throwing at the Beast, a toolbox at hands that they used earlier to heal Juliet just like Alice did to help Katrina.

But the killer learned and threw Alice at the concrete wall next to the exit before standing in front of her, preventing her friends from saving her without risk. Alice wasn't out but nodded in Edith's direction to ensure Edith that it was going to be okay and mouthed the word "Run."

In the hope, that her friend understands and escapes this deadly structure.

Edith with a weepy face ran for the exit as the Beast tried to avoid Edith's imminent escape by lunging with its cleaver towards Edith but she managed to avoid getting hit. Edith looked back at Alice before helping Juliet get up. Both turn to the warehouse hoping for the best. Inside, Alice grunted and cried in pain, the Beast chuckled before getting ready to end Alice in the most painful way known.

He continued his work and lifted her in the air. As she was choking, Alice's hair shimmered with an unusual shine, a result of the glass dust that clung to its strands, reflecting an eerie glimmer under the faint light. It was beautiful, the Beast stared at her hair to admire the beauty of her soon death. And then, a sharp pain struck in its shoulder, forcing it to let Alice, free from its hand.

Earlier as Edith escaped, Alice used that distraction to pick up a shard of glass that was near the window that Edith broke to enter the warehouse. Alice used her decisive strike and sank the jagged fragment into the Beast's shoulder, she aimed for the neck, but it resulted in the same result, just less damage.

Alice dropped onto the ground, her left hand first on another shard of glass, Alice groaned in pain echoing through the room, filled with anguish. She got up and she vaulted through the window before joining her friends, she doesn't have adrenaline, she has a survival instinct.

The three ran towards the woods rain was still heavy, Alice couldn't hear anything and was out of breath, Juliet still had little adrenaline left in her, and Edith was reassured having both of her friends alive and somewhat well, giving her morale to run faster. Alice had to keep it up to escape that chase with that psychopath. No words were exchanged during that.