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

Her hand intertwined tightly with Vincent's after the call. Vincent asked if she wanted to talk about what had occurred, but she shook her head and remained quiet. He didn't mention it again, though; she knew that he would listen if she requested it of him.

Their paces increased, however, since (f/n) started to walk faster ever since the call. Her feet pressed forward swiftly, but her mind was somewhere else. She wondered if everything that Nick had told her related to the creature. (F/n) hoped that Jiselle and the strange man had been the creature's parents, but she dreaded the thought of the myth being true.

Did the creature known about that myth, and did he know what would happen to her if he ever had a child with her, which he wouldn't? Her free hand traveled to her lower abdomen, and a horrid chill snaked its way up her spine. Part of her wished to collapse and empty her stomach, but she needed her energy to make the descent.

Vincent and she had planned not to take any breaks. They had decided to make one straight shot and hike the twenty-four hours all at once since the creature could be on their tails at any moment. Both of them had known that they'd be exhausted by the end of it, but they had determined easily that it would be worth it.

She caught a worried glance being directed at her. Reluctantly, she met his eyes. His gaze was that of a worried father, and that only made her more determined to leave the mountains. He probably was an amazing father for his family, and she could imagine the pain that would be left if he died. If she had hallucinations of him if he died, she might lose it.

"I'll be fine for right now. We just need to keep creating distance," she reassured, smiling to him lightly.

Hesitation met his eyes, but he nodded his head and stared forward again. "Right. That thing's speed is utterly terrifying." His hand squeezed hers, and she squeezed back. It was as though she had her own father with her, and that thought comforted her some. Then again, she wouldn't want her father to be escaping from the creature's wrath.

"If we do get caught, what'll happen?"

The question caught her off guard. She didn't desire to think about it, and her body tensed in fear. Her eyes stared down, and she envisioned a miniature creature tearing out of her. Almost, she stopped, but she forced her legs to maintain their swiftness. (F/n) shifted her eyes to ahead of her and gulped quietly, and she told herself that he wasn't going to rush anything. That only reassured her a little bit since it only bought her time, not her life.

"Since you're helping me escape, it won't end well."

"I'll be tortured, right? I'm not going to die immediately."

"If he can't control his anger, you might receive a quick death. If he can ..."

"I understand." A pained laugh left him. "At least, that only motivates me more to reach the end of these woods." Silence filled the air between them, but he parted his lips again. "What has he done to his victims in the past?" (F/n) glanced up to him, and he was terrified. There was a smile on his lips, but his lips quivered too. "I've heard and read things, but when it comes to his killing method, I've only really heard about the five puncture wounds."

"Vincent, don't focus on that. You don't need your head to be filled with those troubling images." He peered down to her as she averted her eyes forward again. "Both of us shouldn't have to view them."

"I suppose that you're right. Nightmares already will plague my sleep for a few days, yet you've had to ... had to live with him." He shook his head. "I can't imagine."

"You don't want to, and no one should have to. I'm just happy that you had arrived when you had. I don't know how long I had been asleep before you had come, but any sooner and you might've encountered the creature."

"Yes, that would've been ..." He shivered. "Dreadful." Vincent helped her down some rocks. "I'm wondering, though, what had started his interest in you. It must've happened in the tunnels."

"It had. It all had started with him finding a knife on me. He had thought it to be a sign that I had wanted to offer myself up to him as a snack." They jumped down the next rocks, and he helped to steady her balance on the landing before they continued. "His obsession had grown from there, and I had made the mistake of giving away his weakness, which he has resolved now to a degree."

"This creature, though, must be very intelligent from the sounds of it. He would've known why you had that knife truly on you."

"I'm sure that he had, but he twists situations to his own liking and benefit. It doesn't do any good to argue with him on the matter; he'll only bend your words more and ensnare you in a tighter hold. At the same time, he realizes his wrongs and admits to them, but he simply doesn't care or feel guilty."

"And, you had been telling that person on the other line that he would be happy even if you never returned his feelings. Is that really the case?"

"Yes, he understands where I'm coming from. He even told me that I better kill if he's causing me so much grief. He comprehends things at an alarmingly level, yet he still manages to tighten his hold. The creature is disturbingly rational."

Releasing a nervous chuckle, Vincent remarked, "I kind of always hoped that his intellect was a lie and that he was disguising himself as such, but your details ... Well, I'm very worried now." They both slid down a rock carefully and made a safe landing onto the next point. He helped her up and smiled kindly to her. "How you've made it this far with that thing is admirable, kid. I think that most would've succumbed to their fear by now."

(F/n) returned the smile, and they pressed forward. "Thank you." Her smile fell. "There have been moments where I simply want to fall, though. I'm weak against him, but I have to keep fighting. Otherwise, I'll lose and truly break. I'm risking everything to beat him."

"That's quite a gamble, kid, but you can pull it off. You've managed to keep your head this far, and I believe in you if that's any consolation."

Diverting her gaze down, she smiled faintly. "It is," she muttered, glad that someone was reassuring her. She was happy to have caring company that wasn't the creature, but her smile fell. Vincent didn't know all of the details of her time with the creature. If he did, he'd probably leave her behind and make a dash for it. (F/n) would keep those hidden, but it hurt. Again, the creature proved at that point to be the only one to accept everything that she had committed.

~~~~~~~~~~

All around, the atmosphere was peaceful. Fear remained, but it wasn't dominating. If anything, it only consisted of common daily fears that he had witnessed with his many observations of humans. He had explored most of the town in secret over the course of the day and had listened to conversations that had piqued his interest.

No one had even bothered to check the shadows, trees or secluded areas of the town. They had given him easy access. If he had desired, he could've snatched one or two individuals, and no one would've noticed. The three weeks and his helper's disappearance had lowered their guards to a laughable level.

Some had talked about her capture, but all of them mainly had discussed how sorry they had felt for Haley's family. Those comments had made him want to kill those people then and there. How they had been able to sympathize with such trash had been beyond him. If the remarks had concerned his partner, they had been negative towards her.

Individuals had mentioned how her kidnapping had served the town a better purpose and how it had caused the creature not to attack again. They had blamed her for letting the creature out of the tunnels and had commented how she had been responsible for Haley's capture too. It had angered and sickened the creature immensely.

Discussions on her parents, though, had sparked his curiosity. He had learned that they still were operating the funeral home, but some had mentioned that they were behaving oddly and that their behavior went beyond grief. That had caused him to leave the main part of town and head towards his pink flower's home.

Presently, the creature was making his way through the woods where the tunnels were. He kept a safe distance from them in case traps remained in place there; however, his nose caught a whiff of something interesting. His feet paused. It was blood and lots of it. A dead human was nearby.

Straightening himself, he smirked. He doubted that any enforcement agency would use such a method, but he proceeded with caution. Maybe, the town hadn't given up entirely on killing him.