A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Sitting in the lounge, (f/n) sipped at her small cup of coffee. Her hands were wrapped around the Styrofoam container, and the beverage inside warmed her skin. The cold from outside lingered on in even with the heat on. She figured that her parents would have to buy new entrance doors soon to their business. There was a small gap at the base of the doors and above the floor. (F/n) wouldn't be surprised if she saw small wisps of the winter's breath travel on in.

Off to her left, another funeral service was being held. It happened to be from another incident in the woods around Cankerfell Tunnels, the deceased having been found two weeks ago. The family had their loved one cremated and had selected one of the glass niches in one of the mausoleums. (F/n) let out a heavy sigh. It was rough having to sit through so many services every month. Not all of them were related to the tunnels; some were from old age, disease, etc. Her parents, however, wanted her to learn the family trade and understand that she had to be a supportive individual for the families.

She comprehended that well, and she intended to become the funeral director for their family funeral home, Carnation Hills, but she wished that so many wouldn't wander off into the woods or tunnels. Yes, the money was tempting, but money was useless to the individual if they were dead. It didn't help that her friend, Laura, had decided to enter the tunnels with her paranormal enthusiastic friends.

Today, she asked to not be present for the service, but her parents insisted on her attending. The younger sister of the deceased had taken a liking to her and looked up to her like an older sibling. (F/n) didn't mind the company of the young girl, but her mind was elsewhere. She wanted to call Laura and check on her. No news had come yet, but there was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Why had she let her friend go?

No, that wasn't right. She had tried to stop her; she had even followed them to the outskirts of the woods, attempting to convince her friend not to go in there. None of her efforts worked, and Laura only grew annoyed at her. She had shoved (f/n) away before she had given her one last reassurance that she would be alright and to have some faith in her. When she had tried to go after her again, Brent had stepped in and had told her to shoo.

If she had tried any more, she would've most likely been knocked out by the male regardless of Laura being there. When Laura set her mind to something paranormally related, she seemed to not care about those outside of her small circle of fellow investigators. It was vexing and worrying, but she was still a childhood friend, who had supported (f/n) when the funeral business's burden had laid too heavily on her.

The service ended, and the sister came over to her. (F/n) put on a reassuring smile and walked out of the funeral home with her. She listened partially to what the girl was telling her, but she couldn't help her gaze from drifting over to the direction that the woods were in. If Laura didn't contact her or she couldn't reach her, she would have to take other measures into consideration, insanely foolish ones at that.

Pacing around her room, (f/n) waited for Laura to pick up. It was nine in the evening, and she had to be back at her home by now. Already, she had tried several times in calling her, but no one picked up. If she was still in those tunnels and alive, calling her probably wasn't the smartest of moves, but she had to do something. Laura only had her phone, and she had tried texting already. That ended in a dead end as well.

Ready to hang up the phone for what seemed like the fiftieth time, the line clicked on the other end. In a quiet, near inaudible voice, she heard, "Hello? (F/n), is that you?"

Instantly, she responded, "Laura! Thank goodness, you're alive! Where are you?!"

"In ... the tunnels." Before her (h/c)-haired friend could respond, she added quickly, "I need you to come here quickly. Bring something to pick a lock or break one. I'm trapped in the tunnels ..." The sound of running reached (f/n)'s right ear as did heavy breathing. "The ... creature took ... Nick's lock picking gear ... please just get ... here." Laura ended the call afterwards.

Staring the phone in her hand, (f/n) tried to take all of the information in. Laura had mentioned a creature. So, they had identified the killer, and Laura would never lie if she actually saw something paranormal. If her friend was safe, she would be celebrating at the discovery, but this news was far from exciting. Laura was trapped, and she needed help. How the h*ll was she supposed to aid her? She didn't know a d*mn thing about lock picking.

Laura couldn't be left to die. Something had to be done. Cursing, she grabbed her dark grey jacket and shoved her phone into the right pocket. She stuffed a handful of bobby pins and paper clips into the left one since those might be useful. If worse came to worse, she could use a rock in the woods and bash the lock.

Car keys in hand, she raced down the stairs and left the funeral home. Her parents were asleep, and she didn't want to worry them. Hopefully, she would be back in the morning with Laura and possibly Laura's friends. If not, then she would be another unfortunate victim to the woods or tunnels. What she was doing was incredibly reckless and idiotic. Had she chose to follow reason rather than emotion, she would be sitting in her room still. It was Laura's fault for ending up in that position, and she had tried her best to persuade her friend not to go in there.

As the drive to the woods continued, (f/n) found herself growing angrier by the moment at her friend, but that rage kept the increasing terror at bay. It gave her the motivation to get there as quickly as possible and finish this whole ordeal in a few minutes. That version of things was far too idealistic, but she might be lucky for once; it might come true.

In the distance, she could see the dead trees all huddled together. Snow began to fall, and she could see the piled amounts on the ground. She had her snow boots, but running through that wouldn't exactly be an option. Even though Laura had mentioned to hurry, she could only move so fast in the present weather.

Pulling the car to a stop, she exited the vehicle and closed the door behind her. She turned on her flashlight and wrapped her black scarf around her neck more. For once, these woods weren't as terrifying as they usually were. Laura had said that they were trapped in the tunnels with the creature, which meant the woods were relatively safe at the moment. It was a horrible thought to have, but it was true, and she couldn't rescue her friend if she died at the hands of some creature. (F/n) just hoped that Laura would be alive when she reached the tunnels, or that the creature wouldn't be the one waiting for her.

Once the tunnels' entrance finally came into view, she moved the light away from the gate. If the creature were nearby, she didn't need it seeing her. With it already knowing about Laura, that was trouble enough. Reaching it, she moved along the wall and kept her distance from the gate. Hushed, she called out, "Laura? Laura, are you there?!"

Running footsteps greeted her ears, and she saw hands wrap around the gate. She recognized the pale pink nail paint, and she faced the gate. "Did you bring anything? We don't have much time. It's probably going to be here soon," she voiced in rapid succession.

"Yes," (f/n) answered just as swiftly. She pulled out the bobby pins and paper clips before she passed them to her friend. Laura instantly started to fiddle with the lock. (F/n) turned the light off since Laura had her own and the less light the better, but she did still notice the amount of red decorating her friend. It looked as though she had bathed in a tub of blood or close to it.

Fear pricked at her skin and tugged at her internals. She wanted to run and believe that Laura was right behind her, but the lock wouldn't budge. "Come on, come on already," Laura continued to mutter in a hurried tone. Her hands were shaky, but (f/n) knew that she wouldn't be much better. "Uhh! This isn't working. Is there something out there that we can use?"

Getting very nervous herself, (f/n) glanced around. With all of the snow, it was hard to spot anything besides broken off tree branches. "Give me a second," she responded as she went onto her hands and knees. She started to push snow aside, but the snowfall was beginning to pick up and replace it. Swear words left her mouth in a constant stream, but she managed to hit something.

Grasping it, she lifted out a rock, but footsteps sounded once more. The soft, slow steps caused both of them to freeze. "Sh*t!" Laura shouted. She didn't give (f/n) any time to react before she took off. Her friend was no longer in sight, and (f/n) took up her flashlight once more while the rock remained in her left hand. Darkness remained on the other side of the gate, but she could slowly start to see a form coming closer. Their incredibly pale skin made them slightly more visible in the faint light of night, but (f/n) didn't remain sitting. She got to her feet and began to back away from the gate. They pulled out a key ring and selected one before it fit into the lock. Not waiting around, (f/n) turned and darted for it, but the snow had other plans.