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

Cold, they were both so cold. Lionel believed that several hours had passed since they had left the cabin, and they had found no building in sight. His arms were growing weak, and his teeth were chattering. Ellice was shivering constantly and gripped his shirt to get as much warmth as possible. She had offered to walk on her own, but he had declined since she had no shoes on.

It didn't help that his once okay pace had progressed into an incredibly slow one. He was ready to collapse into the snow. Thankfully, there was no snowfall or wind. The sky remained clear, but he could see the early signs of frostbite on Ellice's toes. Lionel wouldn't be surprised if his ears had it too. They needed to reach somewhere quickly, but all he could see was more trees.

Taking a few more steps forward, Lionel stopped and heard something nearby. It had sounded like running at first, but it changed into soft footfalls. Eyes widening, he looked behind him and saw the creature. The hood was well over its eyes, and its hands were in its pockets again. "Sh*t." Lionel turned around and ran off.

He could hear the slow steps of the creature, and the thing was clearly mocking them. Ellice peered around his right arm, and she tensed. "Lionel, drop me. You can run faster and get out. I won't be able to make it far like this, and one of us should at least live."

"No, I'm not leaving you behind. The creature would probably still come after me. It did say that it intended to catch us both again." A heavy frown formed on her lips, but she rested her head against his chest again. He could tell that she was terrified, and he was too. Even though he kept racing forward, he couldn't help feel that it was pointless.

Not being able to resist, he glanced behind him once more. His heart froze in fear. The creature was gone, but he did hear something to his left. He looked in that direction and saw the creature right behind them and speeding for them. Lionel caught sight of the grin on its lips. Before he could create anymore distance between them, the creature darted out from the trees and collided against the two of them.

Ellice and he went rolling, and he held onto her protectively. Snow surrounded their forms, and they both slowly sat up. Their eyes went wide, however. Right in front of them, the creature crouched. Its eyes trailed down to Ellice's toes, and he shook his head. "Well, that doesn't look too good." The creature's gaze locked onto hers. "I can fix that." It giggled and extended out its left hand.

Its nails ran through her black hair. Before his hold could increase, Lionel reached out and gripped its wrist. "Get off of her," he practically growled out as he went to pull the two of them back. The creature giggled and didn't comply. Instead, it whacked the male's hand off of it with its other hand. Its grip on Ellice strengthened.

"I wouldn't do that." The creature shook its head in a scolding manner. "Otherwise, my nails might scrape across her head." Its grin turned into a smirk. "That would certainly be a cruel death to give your partner. Just imagine her screams." Lionel grew still, and Ellice shook not only from the cold.

"You're sick," the male officer managed to say. His blue eyes displayed both fear and hate, but there was also authority in them as though he could gain control of the situation. The creature retracted its hand before it stood up and gazed down at them. Lionel pulled Ellice up and lifted her back into his arms as he stood up. He took several steps back from the creature.

"I'm sick? That's funny. I'm not the one bringing their partner to their death." Indicating with its head, the creature pointed straight ahead. "Keep going this way, and you won't make it to another town until tomorrow morning. I don't think that you two will last long. The sky isn't going to remain clear forever." Its teeth revealed themselves in a grin. "If I remember correctly, clouds are supposed to come in late this evening. Snow will be coming early morning."

"You already brought your partner, or helper, to their death."

Remaining silent, the creature shrugged. "If that's what you think." It took a few steps closer. "But, you two will die if you don't come with me."

Growling out, Lionel responded, "We'll die either way. We'll take our chances out here."

"Really? Well, that's great and all, but ..." The creature moved closer, and its grin somehow widened. "I don't intend on losing you two. I have other plans in mind." Lionel stepped back before he turned around and ran. Giggling, the creature shook its head. They really didn't know when to give up.

~~~~~~~~~~

Groaning, Ellice opened her eyes steadily. Something warm was nearby, and she could feel her toes again. They still felt somewhat stiff, but they were recovering. She saw the lit fireplace in front of her and noticed that her feet were in warm water. Her hands were tied to the chair, however, and her feet were bound together.

A worn out blanket was wrapped around her form, but she didn't hear anyone else in the cabin with her. She remembered that the creature had knocked them out again. They hadn't been able to go far. Her eyes turned to the window. It was dark outside, and she knew that leaving would be impossible unless she found all of her gear, but she doubted that it was close. If anything, it was probably in the forest next to the cemetery.

Glancing around her, she tried to see if she could spot Lionel or the creature. The door to the bedroom was wide open, but she couldn't hear anything in there. She couldn't see either since it was near to being pitch black. Her ears caught hold of soft footfalls, though. Ellice tried to turn around in her chair, but she had no luck, and she didn't want to knock over the bowl of water.

Even if it had been the creature's work, she did want her toes to get better. She might not make it to see them back to normal, but she would keep a hopeful mindset or try to. Things were looking grim, and she wished that they had never caused the creature to flee the tunnels. The creature was supposed to be caught by all of the lights, but it knew that place too well. A better plan should've been executed. Ellice didn't know what that would look like, but she knew that one should've existed.

Opening the front door, the creature walked in and closed it. The thing came over to the nearby table and stretched some. "So, is he up?" it asked casually. Its tone surprised her, and she didn't answer. She was too terrified, and she wanted to move the chair away from it. "I guess that's a no. Well, I'll go bring him out, then. I do want to get started on some questions."

"We won't answer them," she responded firmly. She wouldn't betray her chief. Their future plans to capture the thing had to be kept secret. There were several in place. If one failed, they could immediately start the next. The next one was probably already being put into action.

Gliding its human-like fingers across the table, it made its way over to the bedroom. "That's a shame, but I might be able to change your mind." It headed into the darkness before she heard something being dragged. Her hands gripped the chair tightly, and she wanted to look away. She didn't wish to see what condition her partner was in.

Firelight spread across the floor and illuminated Lionel. Relief washed over her. The creature hadn't done anything to him yet, but another form of terror entered her. What would the creature do to him? Lifting him up, the creature tied him to a beam. Thankfully, the rope wasn't around his neck but wrapped around his whole body. It formed a cocoon shape around him, and him being next to the creature made him really look like a piece of meat. Her stomach turned at the thought, but it became even worse. She knew what he was planning, and an awful thought invaded her head. Things would be easier if he was dead already. He had put his life on the line to keep her safe, yet she wanted him dead. Ellice didn't want to have to make the choices that would follow. Never did she think that she would ever have to be in a situation like the present one.

Patting Lionel on the back, the creature caused him to swing back and forth lightly. She could tell that the rope was strong, and it was most likely different from the rope that Lionel had told her about previously. Her partner wouldn't be able to break out of that easily, nor would the rope break from the beam. "So, you know how this goes," the creature remarked with a grin.

"I'm not telling you."

"I expected as much, but I wonder if you'll break. Or, I could make you an offer."

"I don't want it."

"You so easily shut me down." He shook his head and giggled. "It's so unlike my little helper. She knows how to make deals."

Confusion crossed Ellice's countenance. "But, she's dead. What do you mean?"

Grinning widely, the creature clarified, "That's what your partner had thought, but she's very much alive." The creature could tell that she was trying to put pieces together. It seemed like she had an answer. Before she could ask, the creature slapped Lionel harder on the back. He went swinging some more. "But don't worry about her. Worry about this man because I'll be giving him some special treatment."