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

Carefully, she stepped forward and towards the phone. Even if she couldn't escape the cabin, she could make an important phone call. She hoped that Nick had continued to search for information on the creature even after her capture since she had no other plan in mind. Over time, she probably could think up another, but she was tired of waiting for the creature to be absent from her life physically.

The hiker didn't move. He curled up more against the wall. She reached the phone and lifted it into her hands, but his eyes shot towards her. Fear ensnared them. "Wh-what ..."

"I need to make a call. It's vital that I do." He gave her a skeptical look. She sighed in frustration. "Look, I don't know how much time we have before the creature comes back. You've figured that out too, but I at least need to make a call. Then, you can run out of here if you want."

His mouth opened but no words left. Instead, a bitter, hopeless chuckle escaped him. Slowly, he stood back up, and she took some steps back. He removed his hat and set it on the table before he leaned forward. Smoothed back strands of dark brown and grey hair fell loose. "I can't believe it," he muttered and shook his head.

Looking up and locking his gaze with hers, he already appeared defeated. "It's no use. I've heard the stories about that thing and its gruesome body count, yet somehow you're still alive after being captured." He glanced around the space. "And, the other girl? She's dead, right?"

(F/n) simply wanted to contact Nick, but the man was starting to calm down, which hopefully would improve the situation. Hesitantly, she nodded. He gave a rough sigh and clenched the table. His hands clenched the wood more. "Yet, you're alive and free to roam around. You seem to have no injuries on you either."

"They're covered, but I do have them. I'm ..."

"You're his favorite toy."

Her mouth remained open before she closed it. That was one harsh way of looking at it, but it was even worse than that. She shook her head and gave a saddened laugh. "No, he considers me his partner. He's in love with me." (F/n) only disclosed such information to the stranger because he, in reality, already purchased his ticket to board the train of death. It didn't help that the man was wearing cologne.

"Sh*t." His head hung down. He laughed since he didn't know what else to do in the present, awful situation. There was the option to panic like before, but that would only bring him death quicker. "You really met an awful fate. No wonder that town of yours ..."

"Are they glad to have me gone?" She managed to restrain the emotion in her voice, but her heart tightened. The man met her eyes, and she didn't require anymore of an answer. "Then, calling them won't do me any good." Her grip tightened around the phone. "So, it's good that I have someone else. Do you mind?"

Pushing himself off of the table, he plopped onto the chair and dragged his hands through his hair. He leaned forward again. "Sure, kid. That's fine. My life is over already. At least, it's here rather than in those tunnels." His hands covered his face. "I'm glad that they stayed home," he muttered to himself. She presumed that he was referring to his family.

She lowered the phone a bit from her. It was urgent that she called Nick, but it was hard not to feel sympathetic for the man in front of her. He had sounded so joyful before he had entered the cabin. Now, he appeared as though he had already boarded Charon's boat to the underworld. "This place ..." (F/n) seated herself across from him. "You mentioned that it had belonged to your grandfather."

A small smile touched his lips. He leaned back in his chair and grabbed his hat. The man ran his fingers over it. "Yeah, it had. No one had wanted to move in after he had passed. The family had divided up the important pieces of furniture and items, and this place had been left to fall apart. I never have had the money to bring this small cabin back to its original state, and I never had seen the purpose in investing in it. It's not a short hike out here."

Lips morphing into a frown, he clutched at his hat more. "No wonder, that thing came here. It's a whole day's hike from the nearest town. And, no one suspects anything to be all the way out here since there's no direct path to it."

"Why come here, then?" she asked, moving the phone to her lap. Her hands remained over it, though, in a protective manner.

"Even if I couldn't restore my grandfather's cabin, this had been my way of paying my respects to him. I've never stepped foot into a cemetery, and I don't intend to until my death." He chuckled, and he sounded like he would reenter a state of panic. "That's going to be close now ... D*mn." The man loosened his scarf as if it was choking him.

"But, I had been close with him, and I had loved coming out here as a kid. I usually stay a few hours and have some hot chocolate like back in the day." His thumb pointed to his pack. "I pour him a cup too." He moved to take off his pack, but she stopped him.

"It's a day out to the next town?"

"Yes, but to your town, it's a bit longer. Maybe, by a few more hours."

"That's fine. We can head to the closer one." She stood up from her chair. "I can make my call on the way there. Are you okay with taking me to this town? If we leave now, we might make it there before the creature returns. It's a long shot, but it's worth a try." He gave her an unreadable look, and she grew more pleading. "Please, I don't want to stay here any longer. I know that I'm asking a lot, but I can better execute my plan to kill him if I'm not here."

Uncertainty crossed his countenance. "I know that it'll increase your chances of being killed in the short run if I come with you. You'd be better off letting me contact the person and leaving me here, but he might still come after you. You understand that too. Your cologne will give you away when he returns, and I can't hold off his questions for long.

"Once you leave, I'm stuck here, and the creature can easily go after you. If I come with you and we reach the town, we can split paths. The creature will be forced to go after only one of us. In the long run, it's the better option, but I'll leave it up to you."

Laughing, he shook his head again. "You're pretty smart and calm despite the situation. I must look like a coward to you." He chuckled again, but she still could spot the overwhelming nervousness in his eyes. The man crossed his arms. "But, you forgot something, kid. You could decide to follow me, or you could keep my phone and find your way back to your town. The creature would find me in both of those cases too. You could screw me over more once I've left."

"I won't. If you decide to leave me after the call, I won't do either of those."

Raising an eyebrow, he sat up straighter himself. His eyes narrowed a bit at her. "Is that right?" She nodded firmly. "You're in a dire position. That's somewhat hard to believe."

"We both have family. I grew deeper into this mess because of mine so that I could protect them from the creature. You have family it sounds like too. You're probably considering what the best option while keeping them in mind is. I respect that. I've already ruined your time with your grandfather. I won't ruin it with your other family members. Besides, a phone call will be enough for me if that's what you decide. I'll figure something out on my own."

"Your parents?" He received a nod, and his doubtful eyes turned warm. A smile stretched on his lips. "They're lucky to have such a devoted daughter, then." The man placed his hat on his head and stood up. "I doubt that they share the feelings of the rest of your town. If they've raised such a caring daughter, they couldn't be that way." Her heart felt a little lighter at that. "And, they're probably doing their best to get you back."

Walking around the table, he held out his right hand to her. "That's a parent's job after all. We're supposed to protect our children, not the other way around." She stared to his hand before she met his eyes. "And, I think that helping you will protect my children the best. I'll leave you, though, as soon as we reach the end of the woods. That's the best that I can do."

Ignoring his hand, she wrapped her arms around him. "That's more than enough. Thank you."

"You're welcome, kid." He returned the gesture shortly before he pulled away. "We need to get moving. Once that thing comes running, we'll have little time. And, I'll let you make your call still, but you need to keep up. If it slows you down too much, I'll have you hang up." The man headed towards the door and opened it. "Death is still knocking at my door, and part of me's still tempted to let him in."