Time has no meaning. Death is a constant, but not a finality. Those with power fight in a game of cat and mouse. And the Campfire is the only refuge in the fog.
These were the rules Izuku had to take to heart. It was hard enough to accept that heroes wouldn't be able to help. Ash Williams retold his stories about fighting armies of demons and deadites, as a knight, a hero in shining armor, but most of the other survivors aren't like him. They don't fight the killers head on, but instead use trickery, deception, diversions, and bait to force the killers to hunt on their terms.
It wasn't easy, but he did pick up a few tips. Laurie Strode taught a few things about self defense, standing up against them by making them believe you are vulnerable. Steve Harrington taught some tricks about standing against them in defense of those who were just saved, although he did say this at the start: "I know you don't really need the help with this, but I figured I'd give you a few extra tips."
The greenette accepted all they were willing to teach him, although there were certain things that they couldn't. Not because they didn't want to, but because they're a core part of themselves. For instance, Boon magic. Most survivors didn't have the capacity, due to its strength being rooted in faith. Mikaela, Jonah Vasquez, and Yoichi Asakawa couldn't teach their boons, because their faith couldn't be transferred over. At least, not yet. I had no faith yet, as it wasn't something that could be created on a whim.
However, he wasn't discouraged. Perks developed from personality, and they were confident that he'd get some good ones. After all, very few have perks that stun the killers directly, and they seemed to believe that my attack on Ghostface was a perk. Only Jane Romero, Jill Valentine, and Laurie were capable of doing so, and two of them were traps set up ahead of time.
David King, to his surprise, didn't use his Dead Hard perk to tackle and wind the killer, but to either gain distance or avoid a hit. When asking him why, he replied gruffly: "You 'aint want'ing to fi'ght all them monsters out there 'ead on. Tha'd be schtewpid, innit?"
Izuku was confused... so far, he'd only seen people. "Monsters?"
"Yeah... there 'aint just men an' women out there..."
That concerned him, as he was lucky that Ghostface was a smaller, human killer. I had no idea what the next could bring...
In time, the other survivors, always 4 at a time, were taken for a trial. Some returned like he had, many had been sacrificed, while many returned through the trees, as if they escaped.
Izuku was forced to admit, that over time, his curiosity surrounding the wood around the campfire grew. He'd seen shapes wandering between the trees, but no threat from them. However, what interested him the most was the path heading away from the campfire. It wasn't in the direction of any of the trials, as people would arrive from different directions, but never from the main path. He decided he was going to wait for everyone to stay distracted. The other survivors, with all of their good intentions, often got in the way. They wanted to keep each other safe, and the only guaranteed area was wherever the campfire's light touched. But Izuku was getting restless.
However, he wouldn't get the chance to explore it quite yet, as another trial was about to begin.
This time, the first sensation he felt was the cold. Snow fell gracefully from the sky as he awoke on the ground. Shivering, he got up. The sharp wind chilled him even further. There is nothing I can use to protect myself, as I'm only wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Rushing to a structure, in order to shelter himself from the wind. It was wooden with a stone base, looking like a small shack. There was a window, and two open doors, one of which had stairs leading up into it. Walking up the stairs, Izuku rubbed his hands together used the shelter to heat himself up... when he noticed a small totem that was lit... wait, a totem was lit with orange fire? That means it is a hex!
He let himself warm up from the small candles before gently taking the bones apart. When he finished with that, a crack of thunder sounded in front of him, and, the candles explosively fizzle out. Well, I guess the hex is broken now...
It was then that he heard music. Unlike the last two trials, he didn't hear the killer coming. This time, he could hear a phenomenon spoken about around the campfire. The Terror Radius. It was an area around the killers that had music. Themed around them, it was a warning to the survivors to be careful. However, some killers had the ability to surpress or make survivors incapable of hearing it at times... making them extra dangerous.
The music he heard was a punk/metal/rock mixture, although muffled by distance and the walls. It quickly got louder, with low beats made from what I assumed were synthetic instruments. It then all came to a head when I saw them. They wore a black leather hooded jacket to match their dark colored jeans, with a lock of blond hair covering the left half of her mask. The mask itself was plain, with a circle surrounding the roughly cut eyeholes, with a smile drawn on. Blood splotches covered the mask. As she went around the building, I could see that the half mask under the hair was completely red. It was completely covered in blood. When she saw him, she immediately started to bolt faster. Since when do killers rush like that?! I vaulted the window before seeing her vault at the same speed. It was then that she lunged with her knife, striking me. Crying out, I ran further, but she seemed to notice something else, and went for them, quickly disappearing from view. Running to this place's killer shack, I found Jeff Johanson working on a gen. It popped just as I arrived. "Wow, you really had a number done on you..." He looked over the injuries. "These are much deeper wounds than normal... which killer did this?"
"They wore a hoodie with a smiling mask."
He nodded immediately. "Legion. Got it. It's best if we stay split up after I patch you up."
"Ok. How does their power work?"
"They go into a frenzy. After hitting a person, it applies deep wounds to the target, and highlights anyone not affected by deeper wounds. If they get a chain of 5, then the last hit will down. No matter what. You have to mend the wounds before they become too much for you to handle."
"That's... Oh god..." They both heard a scream, and saw the aura of Laurie Strode. Another gen popped right after.
"Well... we'll just have to work around that. What did they look like?"
"She had long blond hair..."
Jeff stroked his impressive beard as he thought aloud. "Jules... Right... she's a straight psycho."
"There are different ones?"
The punk artist explained calmly. "Frank's the manipulative leader. Jules is the second in command. Suzie is the artistic dreamer, while Joey is the brooding straight man. I went to school with them when I was your age. That's a story for later. You go. I'll see what she's up to."
"Right. I look forward to hearing your guitar practice later."
He laughed slightly before ruffling my hair.
"Will do." We went our separate ways.
Laurie Strode was called many things. Especially by those who knew of the events, often called the "Scream Queen". While she used to be shy and kind, she was not that way forever. The fog made sure of that. And her reputation pissed her off to no end. Apparently the horrific Halloween night was known to those outside her world, having been a horror movie for their entertainment. A movie! One where she's known for being the sole survivor, barely escaping the dreaded Shape... but not for her resilience as he hunted her down. She was remembered for being a victim, and that made her cold, short tempered, and callous with other survivors who referred to her as such.
She developed many survival skills after that night, with this place where her skills can shine, within the fog! She was capable of luring the killer to her, and striking them when they are most vulnerable. A true master of deception and distraction for everyone else to do their job.
But when the new kid arrived, he didn't know of her. It was nice to not have your reputation precede you. He just wanted to help people, and had sacrificed himself for the others twice. Well, with one, he got away, but the Ghostface... he was more than willing to die for others. That was amazing in her eyes, but it was a habit he would have to break if he was going to survive here. She could see him running towards her. The green head of hair was something she couldn't get used to. Even though he claimed it was natural, she just couldn't believe it. And now, he was helping her off the hook. "Thanks, although we can't stay here."
He agreed with me, asking, "Where to, to heal you up?"
"The Main Lodge. I have a way to defend myself if that bitch catches up to me."
"Alright."
Izuku followed her carefully. Inside the main building were a bunch of sofas and chairs all stacked up. There was a bar on one side, and a massive fire pit in the middle. Laurie led him up the main staircase to upstairs, where there were a few side rooms. "Unless she's in frenzy, the bitch won't know we're up here."
"Alright." He looked over her injuries, the main being massive cut on her back. Taking some of the nearby cloth and tearing into temporary bandages, he wrapped it around the wounds tightly in order to help heal them.
"Thanks."
"It's not the best I can do, but it'll work... I think."
This was what the scream queen appreciated, the genuine concern he had for everyone, not just because of how "famous" she appeared to be, but because it was who he was. Most of the still existing survivors were similar, but a few still lingered.
However, her thoughts were interrupted as the music was getting louder. "Time to scatter. We'll chat after this."
"Right!"