A sigh left the masked woman's lips as she held the side of her head with her right hand, her figure crouched low beside a few trees and hidden behind the foliage. The shadowed sight of the old building before her was surprisingly relieving, but at the same time, it brought back unsettling memories.
"Tired already?" A teasing voice asked as they approached from behind. Jane didn't move her head to see who it was as she already knew who had joined her on this mission.
"Of course not," Jane stood, brushing off the front and back of her short dress, "I was waiting for the two of you to catch up."
Jane wasn't too pleased to hear that Masky had assigned her a resonance mission with her former rival and his psychotic mutt. She had protested a case against going until she had heard about their current situation. Jane could tell that the proxy didn't want this information to spread among the group until the time was right, that's why he was sending the three of them out here... in disguise of this being a patrol.
Smile let out a snort, lifting his head to scent the air.
The three of them stared at the building for a few moments, watching the various openings for any sign of movement. Due to it being so dark, Jeff and Jane could only see so much, but Smile had a variety of strengths during the night...and because he was a canine with otherworldy abilities. The dog let out a rumble and approached the side of the building. The two humans looked at each other and then followed along slowly.
The One Killer Maze facility wasn't the same as they had left it. Of course, time had worn the walls and many protestors (or fans) had destroyed the interior, taking all the valuables they could before fleeing before the police could arrive. Jane was certainly glad that she and the others had gotten out of there as quickly as they could; she had vowed to never enter this building again but...
"Unlocked," the male commented, pushing one of the back doors with his foot. It creaked quietly at his touch, rust, and soot decorating the hinges and other surfaces. Smile huffed and pushed the door open a bit more with his nose, slipping inside. The two of them could hear the mutt's sharp claws clicking against the tiled floor; maybe Masky should've thought a bit ahead about sending the dog on this mission.
The room was cold, obviously due to the wear and tear of the building, most walls covered in dust, dirt, and other earthly things that had gotten inside the once sleek structure. There was no light illuminating from the florescent bulbs above them, but the trio didn't exactly have to worry about such things as they were very familiar with the interior of this place, that, and that they would know if someone was approaching.
Accompanying the ruined building were many scattered items littering the ground. Papers, once belonging to the many employees here, were skewed across the tile. The female was sure that some people might've taken a look at them in case there was any relevant information about the contestants or the killer themselves, but now they were tossed aside as it wasn't what the finder was looking for. The three continued in silence, surveying the place with a close eye, making sure to scan for any working cameras within the place. The two humans had Smile take the lead as a dog would at least be a bit more regular walking around the abandoned building rather than a group of seemingly gothic teenagers.
Smile stopped in his tracks, causing Jane and Jeff to stop not a second later. They could see the dog's shadowed figure twist its head in confusion, its ears twisting to listen for any sound around them.
"What is it?" Jane spoke softly, her voice barely echoing within the dark hall. Smile trotted over near a corner, a right turn, and peeked carefully around it. After standing defensively for a few moments, not allowing Jane nor Jeff to pass, Smile walked backward, growling lowly. Jane turned to look at Jeff who frowned, "well?"
The male pushed his hands into the pockets of his hood and stepped closer to the wall so he could lean against it, "well, Smile found something... But I don't think he wants us to continue." His eyes trained down at the demonic husky who sat patiently near the corner, the fur on the end of his neck raised. Jane's eyes flicked over to the corner, noticing that directly after the turn, there was a wall, almost like a dead end, so there was probably a door out of her sight. She cast her gaze back on the two.
"You speak dog now, Woods?" She couldn't help but take a jab at the male who sent her a look.
"You would know, bitch," he sneered, pushing off the wall.
Right before Jeff was about to turn to leave, he froze. Smile did as well and both their gazes held the hall that turned off to the left, right next to where Jane stood. Just by their reaction, Jane could tell; they were noticed.
"Sick 'em."
At Jeffery's words, Smile lept from the place he sat. A shout came from down the hall as the dog sprinted at whatever poor soul dared lay eyes on him. Jane turned her head, watching as the redness of Smile's fur disappeared from view. The chase wouldn't last long, that's for sure, but the two of them needed to leave before they attracted any more attention.
"This way," Jane motioned quickly, darting back the way the two of them came. Even in the dark, they maneuvered swiftly through the halls, faint moonlight finally sneaking its way in between the cracks and openings that tore the cement apart on the walls. It was easy to tell even at this length that Smile had pounced upon the victim and was currently tearing the person's flesh apart.
The air was cold, but fresh, as they made it back outside. Even though they had seen very little, there was indefinite proof that something was still happening within the building; but what Jane couldn't figure out was why.
Why create something that had so miserably failed in the end?
Well, it hadn't been properly outed until the tenth season. That meant they had gone through about eight months of capture, kept in cages or confined spaces. Those people were prepared for all of it...but not the current masterminds behind the newest killing show. Jane doubted that they had any real malicious characters on the show, other than Dr. Smiley who had been captured, but the doctor wasn't a toy, this time he was regarded as a contestant.
Jane lifted her head, the dark sky dotted with pin-pricks of white. After escaping capture, Jane often wondered what would have happened if they hadn't escaped. What would happen to Y/n, and what would happen to them?
The two killers entered the forest once again, their figures moving expertly through the foilage and shaded cover without a sound; Smile had made his way back to the two of them, his jaw dripping wet with blood, viscera clinging to his sharp teeth.
"We've seen enough here," Jane murmured, her eyes narrowing as they started heading back toward the camp they had come from. They'd tell Masky what they've seen, tell him that BEN was right in thinking that the people currently streaming the rip-off show were using the space underneath the old building as their base of operations.
"What a stupid fucking decision." She could already hear BEN say, a wide grin spread across his face.
________
Y/n and Ann had nonverbally agreed to pair up together as Ann's words had already hinted at the fact they made a good team.
"This stuff is ours," Y/n eyed the multiple, used weapons that they had taken, moving quietly into different rooms. Ann had trusted her to hold the gun and the two, small knives while the other held the axe and the kitchen knife. They had left the other objects, more so hiding them the best they could so that whoever went looking for anything in the room would have trouble finding them.
"We'll need to find a medical box or at least some bandages," Ann finally spoke. She was right. The wounds they had received over the course of the game were flimsily tied together by ripped cloth from the curtains in the King's room. It was enough to clot the bleeding for now, but they'd need to find something to disinfect them with.
A reminder clicked in the back of her mind and Y/n lifted her head. Dr. Smiley! When she had gone to visit him at the house, the female hadn't seen him anywhere around the burning building, and if the someone who had brought her here was at the burning building...then Dr. Smiley would've been brought here as well... Right?
The brown-haired woman that took the lead turned her head back to look at Y/n with a curious glance, "you hear me?" Y/n finched, a small smile creeping up on her lips as she nodded.
"Yea, sorry. Just lost in thought." She replied with a sigh. Ann placed a hand on her hip as she turned back to the door they had made their way over to.
"...Wanna talk about it?" She asked, pressing the side of her head against the door to listen closely. Ann kept this position for a few seconds before she leaned away and spoke again, "usually talking about things on my mind helps, but you don't have to."
Ann opened the door to the next room and the two frowned at the sight of a dimly lit area. A foul odor met their nose and they could clearly see the cause of it.
There was a body lying near the far side of the room in front of the door on the opposite end; it was burned and charred, barely recognizable. Y/n's nose scrunched up in disgust and she could feel her eyes growing glossy, not just from the smell. Ann had a hand covering her nose and mouth and leaned her head into the room to get a better view.
With only limited vision, Y/n scanned the near top of the room from where they stood at the door. It was cemented, and the floors and walls were a dark grey, obviously scorched, just like the body. The female also noticed the outline of a few faint tiles on the roof, lighter than the cement walls and ceiling.
"Ann," Y/n returned her gaze back to the girl in front of her, "I don't think we should go in there."
There were obviously a few reasons that Y/n didn't want to enter that room, but the suspicious layout of it was a major problem. It looked like an easy and inviting (without the body) way to travel through without taking a detour, but if you look closer, there were obvious signs of the room being a trap, of course, someone wouldn't know this without the room being used prior before them, or they had a good eye about these things.
"If you're sure. I don't think it's a good idea either." She closed the door slowly. It shut, clicking behind them. Even though the door was closed, the smell of burnt flesh stained their nostrils. The quaint room they stood in now was engulfed in a brief silence.
"Should we...make our way around? I don't exactly have a plan here," Ann shifted her weight onto one leg, exhaling through her nose, "honestly, I'm more or less just trying to keep out of trouble. We aren't the only ones in this maze."
Of course, Ann wouldn't know her way around this place, but she held the sense that she knew where she was going. Y/n agreed, and they made their way to the right side of the room. Though, maybe the two of them thought this was going to be a bit too easy.
Upon opening the door, Ann and Y/n were met with a grassy field. This field looked...vaguely familiar. It was a small struggle for Ann to open it due to the tall grass pushing against the swing of the door, but they managed to open it halfway, the overgrown grass keeping the door ajar. They were silent, taking in the scenery. The h/c-haired female's view of this place indicated that they were clearly not outside. The sky was fake, and the back of the door was clearly painted to look like a distant valley; so the walls were just as illusionary.
"So much for a detour," Ann muttered, hitting the door they had come through with the back of her shoe, successfully closing it. Despite the odd scenery, it was quite vast and a tad bit melancholy. Y/n turned her head to the right, noticing that the vast field did indeed end somewhere as there was a treeline not too far away, to her left was a treeline as well, but it was farther.
This place brought back some disturbing memories.
"We should head that way," Ann pointed to the left, towards the far treeline, "if we want to travel around that other room, we'll most likely find a door there."
"How can you be so sure?" Y/n asked, not exactly denying her request as they began walking in the direction she had pointed at before. The other woman hummed.
"I guess...it'll be kind of obvious when we end up at a dead-end. I'm pretty sure this place is formed in a box-like maze. I'm assuming you also fell from the ceiling into a room?" Ann began explaining her theory, her right hand resting on the hilt of the axe that was attached to her right hip, "well, I fell into a room that only had three doors... And I'm pretty sure someone was in the room on my right, but I didn't hear any cage from the wall that had no door...so..."
She trailed off and shrugged, "well, it's not really an issue on how this place is shaped. The only thing I'm worried about is the message on the TVs and the people in this psychopathic maze."
The e/c-eyed girl blinked. The message on the TVs was probably all the same.
"Y/n, I can only assume that you joined One Killer Maze because of its popularity, right?"
The question caught Y/n off-guard as she wasn't exactly expecting the victor of season four to ask such a bold thing. Y/n hadn't exactly decided on reminiscing much about her life before the maze, as all it brought back were bittersweet images.
"Sure, I guess," she couldn't think of any other reason why only that she felt a strange sense of Deja Vu when she watched the show.
"Well, counting you and me, there are two previous winners of OKM. But the third..." Ann lifted her head in a thoughtful manner, "I'm pretty sure the third is Armen O'Riley. You recognize that name, right?"
Of course, Y/n did, well, not as she knew of the name personally, but being a post-fan of OKM, she knew of all the victor's names; including victor of season three. Armen had not returned to the show because of medical reasons, at least that's what information was out to the public; if he had... He'd either have died or won a second time, which meant Ann wouldn't be here.
"Yea..." Y/n narrowed her eyes, frowning, "that means we have the biggest target, huh?"
"Exactly." Ann let out a short laugh, "the best idea is to find Armen and team up together. I have a small feeling that he'd think the same.."
Just as she was talking, a beep echoed in the room. The signal indicated someone had died.
"Oh, and there's that." Ann clicked her tongue while waving a hand in the air, "it's a fight for survival. Anyone whose will is strong enough to kill someone in order to leave will do that...even if it means backstabbing their teammate in the process."
The sound of that caused Y/n's blood to run cold. She had been in step with Ann's movements but slowed only a bit so she followed an arm's length behind. Her words were true, no doubt about it, but Y/n had experienced backstabbing and heartache throughout her time already. She could only hope that Ann was different...but there still was that tiny bit of doubt that had been sewn in the back of her head.
"Would you ever do that?" She asked hesitantly, almost immediately regretting her inquiry, "backstab me, I mean."
There was a moment of silence again which didn't help ease Y/n's worries. Ann could kill her now and get away with leaving without worry; would she do that?
"I wouldn't kill someone who has the same goal as me." She said curtly, not a single step swayed by Y/n's question. Y/n then increased her pace to fall back into step with Ann once more, a sign that the h/c-haired girl truly believed what Ann had said.
The trip across the field was shorter than Y/n had thought. Their chat had gotten them to the halfway point, and sometimes, the two of them would lay on their stomachs in the grass for short periods of time just in case another was watching them from any direction. In their current position, Ann made a noise, which caught Y/n's attention.
"What is it?" She asked, her voice hushed over the sound of the shifting grass they lay on. The scratchy surface of the field wasn't soft to lay on, but it wasn't entirely unbearable either, so it was odd to hear the other woman make a noise.
"There's blood."
The comment caused Y/n's blood to run cold for the second time today. She crawled to Ann's side. Y/n could see it before she fully made her way over. It was blood, that much was clear, but...
"It's dry," Y/n blurted, her eyes narrowing at the flecks that dotted other blades of grass nearby. There was a somewhat large spill of it in front of where they lay, but it was obviously old due to the faded color. Ann reached out and touched the area where the splatter was thicker and Y/n scrunched up her nose at the action. Ann shifted upwards, rising to her feet.
"Way too dry for it to be from someone within the time period. We should move anyways."
Y/n copied Ann's movements and the two of them hurried their pace to the treeline that was growing larger by the minute.
"There's an arrow here."
Ann didn't touch it, but she motioned with her head. It was embedded into a tree they were passing. Y/n frowned and they continued deeper into the forest. It was nice to finally feel some shade rather than the false, illuminated sky above.
Soon, they met with the wall of the large space and began following along the area, heading right while sliding their hand across their surface so the two wouldn't get lost. It wasn't long until they found a door that was painted to match the surroundings within the room. Ann, as before, pressed her ear to the side and the two stood silent. She furrowed her brows together, then closed her eyes. That wasn't a good sign.
Y/n didn't dare say a word, only watched, until Ann finally stepped away from the door and motioned Y/n away from it. They stepped a bit deeper into the woods, making sure to stay out of sight behind a tree, but to also have a good view of it when not hidden.
"I definitely heard people in there," Ann's voice was hushed as she eyed the area where the door was, "can't tell what they were talking about, but there were most definitely two of them."
Y/n nodded slowly. It would be okay if there were two, maybe an issue if there were three, but four would serve as a problem. Y/n had very limited ammo, probably only five or six shots left with her gun, so she wanted to preserve them. Y/n knew very little about Ann's combat capabilities, but looking back on the brawl she had with the King, Y/n could only assume she could hold her own for at least three minutes before succumbing to a limit.
"We should wait it out then," Y/n replied quietly, pressing her side against the tree. She winced at the feeling of soreness as it coursed through her body. There was most likely a massive bruise underneath her hoodie and shirt. Ann nodded and stood up.
"I'll take the first watch, get some sleep, alright?"
Y/n really didn't want to, but due to all their walking and the quick surge of adrenaline she had received during the fight, her exhaustion was wearing down on her body. The female nodded in response and shifted herself closer to the tree, making sure she was hidden between the large trunk and some foilage in case of an attack. Ann watched her get comfortable for a few moments before turning her head away, eyes trained on the door.
Watching. Waiting.
_________________
One Killing Maze Live Chat
Weekendnite36: wtfffffff
SVNATE: wait, mods pls go back to TJ cam!!!
GhostyMIRA👀: YOOO THAT WAS SO SICK
DarkIrene: ohhhhkay im going to take a break after that 1 folks 😅😅
🕸RuNhIdE🕸: will there be vods?
Ryukuyi (mod): @🕸RuNhIdE🕸 No. Clips are allowed, but all streams will be deleted after.
ToTheBrig: D:
CrispyPop: (ㄒoㄒ) Can't believe the mans dead bro
Oranananage: this is sick,,, not in a good way
SenZendark: @Oranananage who asked
J0inforest: just open the door ;)
Pebs🌸Cee: ann and y/n teaming upp?? rippppp wanted to see which one would be better in a fight
Royaly: ann, no contest
CLily: sorry,,, goingn with y/n on this one. shed win with her good luck imo