Little Red

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    After thinking about your choices, you decide to stay in your spot. You figured that you wouldn't be able to outrun the three men and even if you did, it's the middle of winter. With the snow, it would be all too hard to run away and all too easy to be killed by the elements. The town is a good half-hour drive away on a clear day with no traffic, walking, or most likely running considering you would be chased by the three men, which would take half an hour. It might even take an hour and a half hours with all the snow. The house is surrounded by forest in every direction, making it easier to get lost. On top of that, there are plenty of dangerous animals. Based on the way the three men came from the forest, you assume they know the area well. You knew they were good at what they do, which you assumed was murder, from the conversation they had before they entered. This only made it seemingly impossible to escape, especially considering they seem quite skilled in what they do. You had nowhere to go.

     Once all three men get downstairs, you hear them spread out, footsteps going to the main points on the first floor. Light footsteps walk towards the back door. Heavier footsteps go to the front. The heaviest footsteps, which were still relatively quiet, go to the middle. You assumed they did it to do a quick scan, checking to see if you were still out in the open or at least to be able to see the whole first floor for any signs of movement. Once in place, there were no more sounds. For a moment, it was eerily silent. No footsteps. No cars outside. Not even the sounds of nature. It was as if everything in the area knew that there was something dangerous nearby. The only thing you could hear is the sound of your own shaky breathing and your heart pounding in your chest.  After a few moments, a loud voice interrupts the quiet, making your heart skip a beat from the sudden fright.

     "Dammit Toby. How the hell did you lose them?!" Their tone is aggressive and gruff as usual.

     "They ran, Masky. I didn't let them get away" who you presume to be Toby replies in an annoyed tone. He sounds frustrated as if he has had to deal with Masky many times. He stutters slightly  as another popping sound echoes. You can practically feel his frustration as you listen to him walk past the cabinet you're in. He heads to somewhere in the center of the room before stopping. You hear the sound of the large table in the center, that came with the house along with a few other spare pieces of furniture, being moved around. 

     "Fuckin dumbass," Masky replies. He walks to the closet under the stairs, opening it up and looking inside.

     The last man, who you presume is Hoodie since that's the only one that wasn't mentioned, silently walks to the basement door and goes down.

     After Hoodie goes to the basement, you hear Masky's voice starting to fade as he goes into the kitchen. Another pair of footsteps, which you assume belongs to Toby, go over to the opposite side of the room.

     Even as he leaves to the kitchen, Masky continues to try to bicker as Toby attempts to ignore him. 

     You sit in the cramped cabinet, your knees pressed to your chest as you're hunched over. You cover your mouth to muffle your breath that's slightly louder from it being hard to breath in such a tight spot. You silently wait there as you listen to the sounds of the men haphazardly searching the house. Cabinet doors are being thrown open as furniture is being moved. The men look in every place possible from behind the curtains over the back door to the cabinets in the kitchen.

     As you sit there, you remember that your phone is in your pocket. After slowly and carefully grabbing your phone, you turn it on. The first thing you do is check the battery. To your relief, it's at thirty percent. You unlock you phone and text both your parents and friends, giving them a short message describing your situation and your location, asking for help. You text your friends first, with one of them leaving you on read. Next, you text your parents the same message. With a sigh, you turn off your phone and keep waiting.

     The more time that passes, the more hostile the three men seem. You can only assume that they're annoyed that they can't find you. You hear the crashing of furniture being thrown around, cursing (mainly, if not only from masky) and the front and  back doors being thrown open as they move their search to outside. As the three move outside, the house turns eerily silent. 

     There's a yell of frustration from Masky, before he kicks the cabinet you are in, the wood splintering. You let out a grunt of pain as the splintered wood stabs your back. There's a sudden silence, before Masky speaks in a cold, harsh tone. It's obvious that he's pissed off.

     "You son of a bitch. You were in here the whole fucking time?!" He nearly yells before throwing the cabinet doors open. You dart out, ignoring the pain of the wood splinters in your back. You run past Masky's legs and towards the front door. The second you stand straight as you run, a hatchet swings at you, aimed at your neck. You duck past it at the last second and throw open the front door. You close it behind you and sprint towards the road.

      You hear the distant sounds of yelling, but you ignore it, choosing to keep on running instead. 

     You get down the driveway and turn onto the road, running towards the town. It leaves you exposed, but you don't want to risk getting lost in the forest. 

      You keep running despite the snow. The road is clear, but slippery. 

     One. Two. Three loud bangs, one after the other. A searing pain hits your leg, causing it to buckle. Before you could fall, you feel that same pain in your chest and shoulder. You fall to the floor as the snow under you is stained red. You're breathing gets heavy as the pain become unbearable. 

      Three pairs of footsteps walk towards you, crunching in the snow. You turn yourself over, barely managing through the pain. You look up at the three men.

     A black mask with a red frown. A yellow hoodie. The barrel of a gun. The last things you see before a gunshot echoes out and everything goes black.

      The three men look down at your body before turning and walking back to the house. 

This was your final ending. If only you could go back and make another choice.