Smoldering Corpse

Rookie Mistakes

The tall grass barely crunched beneath her feet, the dew off it dampening the hem and knees of her jeans while the constant drizzle of rain did the same to her hair. Remaining crouched, she made her way behind a rock quickly and pressed her back against it, holding her breath as her heart began to pound. He was close. Too close.

The attempt to glance around the rock in order to see him proved useless, and it wasn't until she suddenly heard footsteps stop right next to her that she finally realized just how close he was. She whipped her head to stare up at what the others called Leatherface, just long enough for him to lift his chainsaw and squeal, almost like a pig. With a sharp gasp she turned and bolted in the other direction, nearly slipping in the initial launch. She could hear him rushing towards her, swinging his chainsaw wildly and causing her panic to spike. He was getting closer, how was he so fast? The buzzing and squealing was nearly deafening and in a last ditch effort, she made a sharp right. Passing a rock in time to hear the blades hit it instead, bits of pebble striking her cheek harshly and making her let out a short shout of fear but her speed never stopping.

The sound he made after that. Frustrated. Angry. Inhuman. She didn't bother looking back, knowing he was still after her. She passed another survivor, David she briefly recalled. Her sudden appearance caused him to slip up in his repairs, the generator before him blowing up in his face, “Shit!” He shouted as she leapt through a window nearby. Leatherface immediately abandoned his chase, going after David instead and downing him in one hit. His screams ripped through her, instant guilt filling her conscious right before she slipped and fell hard enough to bounce when her hip hit the ground. The pain didn't register with her as she immediately scrambled to be behind a large tree, hyperventilating as she pressed her back against the bark and brought her knees to her chest.

Another scream heard in the distance. David has been hooked.

"I'm sorry." She said, tears welling up, "I'm sorry." Her hands gripped tightly at her ears to try and silence the worsening heart beat that filled them, "I'm sorry." The world seemed to muffle as all she could hear was her heartbeat and her labored breathing.

She never noticed the figure approaching her slowly or how it reached for her shoulder as it grew closer.

"Cassandra.. ?" The figure spoke mere inches from her, but it sounded miles away in her panicked state. They spoke her name again, finally resting a firm, yet gentle hand on her shoulder and shaking just slightly. Cassandra snapped to look at what had touched her, lashing out only for her wrist to be caught by a hand with experienced reflexes. Nothing was spoken, the figure letting her come back to reality enough to recognize who she had attempted to strike.

Her figure relaxed just slightly, yet her eyes remained wide, "Leon?" She whispered, the word coming out breathy as if she had just run a mile. Seeing how he gripped her wrist, she suddenly pulled it back in realization, "S-Sorry, sorry! I didn't hit-"

"Not even close." Leon intercepted, offering his best smile of reassurance. A shaky breath left her as she moved to a crouched position, "He got David, and I don't know where Nea is." Leon's smile fell to a scowl as he went into his thoughts, "I will get David. I doubt Nea has." He stood, "I'm sure we will run into a generator on the way that you can work on."

He saw her hesitation to start moving, which he knew they didn't have time for. He reached, taking her elbow and carefully, yet quickly pulling her to her feet. He kept his grip as they moved, only letting go when he was sure her subconscious had kicked in, making her move with him out of reflex. "I understand your fear." He spoke, never looking at her, but their surroundings as they moved, "And we can talk it out later. For now, we have to survive."

He finally glanced back, the smile from before showing slightly, "And for this being your second trial, your instincts are better than most."

That compliment would mean a lot more if she wasn't distracted by the distant rumbling of a chainsaw. Seems it caught Leon's attention as well when his scowl returned and he looked forward, peeking around some ruins at the sight of David bleeding out on the hook, and Leatherface standing in front of him, staring. "Why?!" Leon snapped under his breath. Was David taunting him again?