Slawter Woods

Shelter

They ran through the forest as fast as their tired legs would let them, desperately stumbling forward to escape the deranged lunatic chasing them. A foul stench hung in the air, and they could see body parts hanging from the trees. Remains of mutilated corpses littered the ground, blood dyeing the soil red. The dark cackling behind them fueled the fear growing in their minds, and neither of them dared to look back. At least now they knew why this place was called Slawter Woods. Vanoss could feel dizziness creeping through him, forcing him to slow down. Delirious noticed, matching his pace long enough to throw Vanoss' arm over his shoulders and practically drag him onward.

"Hey, hey, hey! I know it hurts, man, but you've gotta keep running." Delirious was breathing heavily beneath his mask, but tried his best to hide the panic in his voice. He knew very well that it wasn't the running that had Vanoss nearly collapsing. He was fit, athletic, and Delirious was sure that this would normally be like a walk in the park for him. But they had been stupid. When they first encountered the crazy individual that was currently stalking them, they should have followed their instincts, but they wanted answers, and so they decided to fight. It turned out to be a very bad idea. Fighting a meat cleaver with nothing but their fists and bad words had made them instantly regret their decision. Vanoss had covered for him, pushed him out of the way as their foe swung at them, and the foul blade had caught his arm just above the elbow. The memory had Delirious' heart sinking. They stopped momentarily to examine the gash, and he ripped the lower part of his t-shirt to create a makeshift bandage. He did his best to wrap the wound, but they had to move on when they heard an angry shout rumbling through the air.

"Come on, Vanoss. I'm right here with you, just run with me, okay?" Delirious feared for his friend, but he had to push them to their limits if they were going to survive. Vanoss could barely keep himself on his feet. The loss of blood blurred his vision and he was too tired to answer Delirious, but his voice filled him with enough determination to keep going. It had always been like that. If he was feeling down or stressed out, he could always count on Delirious to brighten his day, whether it was with a stupid joke, a weird song that was sung horribly out of tune, or just a crazy idea for a random skit in a game, which he would later mess up in one way or another. They had quickly become friends, and over the years that bond grew stronger. They were brothers in arms when playing games, constantly making life difficult for their group of friends. They also messed with each other, pulling pranks and spouting curses left, right and center. But in the end, they were laughing together and would always leave the recording session with a sense of joy in their hearts.

Despite the pain, a small smile showed itself on Vanoss' face. The happiness in the memories revitalized him, helped him focus enough to see clearly again. They were nearing the edge of the forest, a huge area opening up in front of them. It was an old meadow, covered in dry, yellow grass. Delirious slowed their pace, giving them both a chance to catch their breath. The sky turned dark as heavy clouds rolled in, threatening to drown them in rain.

"How you feelin'? You still alive?" He looked at his friend.

"Yeah, but where do we go from here?" Vanoss' voice was strained, but there was a surprising amount of energy behind the words. It almost caught Delirious off guard. He quickly scanned the area for anything that could serve as shelter.

"Uh, how about over there?" He pointed at a run-down building in the distance.

"Looks like an old farmhouse. Seems big though. Maybe we could find something to defend ourselves with, or something to treat your arm," he continued, nodding to the bloodsoaked wraps.

"You mean the house that's partly hanging over the edge of a ravine?"

Delirious looked closer. Vanoss was right. There was a ravine splitting the earth in the field just behind the house, and the ground beneath the building had collapsed on one side.