You wake up to the soft cracking of the campfire and the deafening hubbub of the killers around you. The entity inside you is agitated and they must have felt it as they all keep their distance from you. Even Michael doesn't move.
You soon shrink back to your human form, and watch your appendages fall off your back, disappearing in a cloud of dark smoke. The stretching is way more painful than the shrinkage and you feel, overall, relieved to be you again.
You're about to take a deep breath but someone pats your back vividly.
"How many kills?"
Guess who it is. Of course, Ghostface has to try befriending you again. You briefly answer:
"Two."
"Ouch! That's why the entity was mad. What punishment did you get?"
Punishment?
"I didn't get punished. The entity just scolded me a bit but that's all."
Some pairs of eyes suddenly turn around.
"What do you mean 'it just scolded you'? Entity always does the same shit. Kill four, you're rewarded. Three, pass. Two, get punished. One or less, you'll feed it instead of the survivors. Are you sure you only killed two? No one passed out from bleeding? Or stayed too long after the gates got opened?"
By the look of everyone, Frank just spoke what they're all thinking. You can not admit that you got under the entity's skin by resisting its control over you. You gotta find an excuse, and quick.
"It was definitely two, but I made them suffer and I was close to getting a third one. Maybe the entity felt it was just enough. But from the way it had threatened me, it was an exception."
Your answer is followed by a bunch of growls and sighs. They believe you, but they are pissed that you got a preferential treatment. Some of them might start to understand your 'special link' with the entity and you'll have to think of any potential question they may ask to find the best reply possible.
All the stress you were escaping from the survivor's camp is now settling down on the killer's side. You're drowning lie after lie, and know that one day, they'll find out. Your idea wasn't bad, but you have to find a better plan if you want to keep your friends in the long run.
But first, you want to rest for a bit. Easier to think when nobody's around.
You sit on an isolated part of the ruins and stay there for an hour. Killers got called multiple times but you remained there. A part of you feels grateful that you don't have to go for another match yet but deeply inside, you know it must be a bad omen for you.
Talbot comes to ask more questions about your world and you accept to give him a bit of your time, but point out you can't stay for too long. He doesn't mind and starts questioning, mostly about geopolitics and a little about cultural events of your country.
You get cut off by the doctor approaching you:
"W'anna ta'lk. 'Rivate."
The Blight nods to him and salutes at you before leaving. You don't want to be alone with that freak, but denying his demand will sound suspicious and you want to keep a low profile. You make sure to maintain some distance from him but the man gets very close to you and whispers:
"I 'now your shecret, 'lil sh'ider."
You stay calm and listen carefully to his every word, hoping he's wrong and you can get away with it.
"I 'now a 'urderer w'hen I shee one..."
He grabs your chin and makes you face his dry eyes:
"You're innoshent."
He knows. What should you do now? Quick, improvise!
You snap his hand off of you and keep your eye contact, showing him that you're not impressed:
"So what? The entity chose me to be here with you all. Innocent or not, I am now a monster too."
He swiftly grabs your hand, the one you chased him off with, and squeezes it:
"Don't p'lay w'ith me! I can tell e'eryone how w'eak you are."
You try to pull your wrist off his grasp but he is too strong. You feel your anger rising:
"Tell them! I ain't scared! Remember what I did to Myers !"
You try to punch him but he dodges it and grabs your other hand. You're boiling. He's not scary anymore. You grit between your teeth:
"I know that some of you never killed before getting abducted. And I know you fought against the entity too. That's why you can't talk now."
You see a sparkle in his eyes, showing how much he's enjoying this conversation. Your voice is so full of rage that your very last words are struggling to leave your throat:
"I have been chosen for a reason. Gotta show you why I belong here."
You give him a headbutt, hurting yourself on his mouth device. The man falls on his back, releasing your hands to put them on his face. You should stop here but your anger is telling you 'You're not done yet'.
You jump on him and start punching his face. Right, left, right, left... he tries to catch your arms, to make you stop. You saw it and put your knees over his shoulders, blocking his limbs and leaving him at your mercy.
Your hands are bleeding from beating those metal scraps on his skull. You must have broken some bones. You smile for yourself. Gotta use your elbows then. You hit him more and more, creating dents all over his face.
Until you begin to levitate and get pulled off of him. Then, the entity spikes pierce you all over your body. It hurts so bad that you snap back to your normal behavior.
The doctor is standing up, limping from the commotion. His wounds are getting healed and he gives you a weird glare. One you can't put words on.
"Can't w'ait to catch you on n'ext trial."
He steps back, slowly melting into the crowd. All the killers have been attracted by the sounds of your fight. Most leave once the entity puts an end to it. Others stay around, discussing about your aggressiveness. It's the second time you've let your anger burst out with violence. On one hand, most of the killers believe you're one of them. But the counterpart is that some might get reluctant to become your ally, as they might consider you too unstable for this.
You want to sigh but only blood bubbles leave your mouth. What a mess...
Frank and his crew come to you:
"Well. I thought you were working for the entity but guess I was wrong."
He leans over your body, pressing both of his arms on your chest like on a table. Clearly taking advantage of your inability to move or answer.
"It should last for less than an hour. Thirty minutes if you're lucky."
You can't see him but you know it was Joey who tried to reassure you. Sweet boy. The girls are oddly quiet but you won't be able to ask them why. You can't even look at them. Only Frank had come close enough for you to see his masked face.
"I'll be honest, I was pissed when you made fun of me the first time we met. It was very humiliating, you know."
You nod slightly, your chin bumping into the spike through your neck.
He gets his arms away and rubs your hair.
"But now I've seen what you're capable of, I'm glad we're friends. I'm not going to avenge myself if we get into a match again. Though, I understand you gotta make the survivors trust you..."
He pulls hard on your hair, making you hiss as the spike moves inside your throat.
"... Don't toy with me again. No more bantering and weird moves when we meet. I can be an angry dog too, you know."
He lets go of you and waves while leaving the area.
You are released about forty minutes later, after getting visited by Michael who stared at you for a while, and Pyramid Head who tried... something. Whatever he wanted to do, the entity stopped him. As soon as your wounds are healed, you join everybody at the barrel, stretching your tense muscles. You give a deadly glare at Herman and sit next to Frank with a smile. A very uncanny smile.
He scoffs and avoids eye contact. He got the message but you want to make sure it's crystal clear.
You put your hand on his back and let your fingers crawl up like a spider before pinching the back of his neck like you'd do to scold a kitty.
"If you do that again, one day, when I'll come back from a hunt, just before turning back to human, I won't miss your head."
The young man tries to keep the appearance but you hear his breathing getting deeper and louder. You squeeze his neck a little more.
"Understood, friend?"
He nods, and you let him go.
He leaves with his mates, Julie gives you a thumbs up, impressed how you tamed their boss, and leaves too.
You're starting to understand what type of relationship you have to build with them. Julie, Susie, and Joey are acting normal toward you but Frank can be either nice or rude. He is scared that you'll steal his role in the group. After all, besides being their boss, he's also their friend. That must be why he tried to intimidate you, showing who's the dominant one.
Gotta talk to him in private and tell him that you won't steal his crew but for now, you'll let your threat settle in his mind to gain his respect.
Those long minutes being impaled had made you think of your actual situation. The survivors are bein more and more worried about your kidnapping and some might feel suspicious about you. Especially after that 'little' betrayal of your when you faced the Deathslinger.
You don't think you'll obtain more information on the killer's side. Or at least, not without telling your intentions. And you haven't chosen what to do yet. For now, you just want to understand the entity and its realm and check which theories were right or not.
But there is one thing that bothers you more than the rest...
Your recent behavior.
You've always thought you were a good person and that the entity had chosen you only for your knowledge but... you aren't sure anymore. You know when the entity is controlling you and the killers said that they felt when the entity was influencing their bloodlust.
That time you rushed on Huntress... That bite in the neck of Michael... That fight with the Doctor... It was all you. You could have run away, every time, but decided to seek for their blood. You... might be a monster too.
You shake your head. No, you don't want to believe you're like them. It must be because you've gotten a bit too hard into role-playing as a psychopath. Or maybe it's the constant threat of all those killers around you that pushes you through your limits.
Yes. That must be it.
You never acted violently toward the survivors and never felt angry with them. It's just a side effect of staying too long with the killers. It's time for you to go back with your real friends. You'll come back here once you've got a plan.
You glance over the crowd, stand up, and start walking to the forest.
"Where ya going mate?"
Krueger calls you out, making everyone look at you. You remain calm and face them with a smirk:
"Told you, the preys are getting worried for me. If I want to keep their trust, I've to go back there. Don't worry pals, I'll be back sooner or later."
You turn back, watching the pitch-black shadows between the trees, and give one last advice:
"If you meet me on a trial, act like I'm your enemy."
You walk into the woods in one straight line, leaving the heavy atmosphere of the predators and feeling the symptoms rising in your head. You feel them lighter than usual but can't tell if you got used to it or if they are really becoming milder. This upturn of your condition makes your travel faster and you soon hear soft voices and laughs coated by some guitar notes.
Finally, you're back home.
Wait. Don't rush it. You can't just appear from the woods like nothing happened. You run your fingers in your hair, making them look messy. Then, you pull on the back of your shirt until the fabric cracks around the collar. Finally, you find some tears to bring up your vision and pant loudly like you've just run for your life.
Perfect.
You jump off the wood, and stay still for a bit while looking at everyone before crying:
"Oh my god, it's you! I thought I ran in a circle."
You kneel down and let that fake distress flow from your eyes while explaining:
"I did it! Guys, I did it! I escaped!"
You've become too good at this...
Your friends rush at you, giving all the comfort they can to cheer you up. At least, most of them are. Some stay distant, watching you with a mix of relief and mistrust.
As soon as your eyes run dry, questions start to fuse out of their mouths. 'Did they hurt you? What does their camp look like? How did you escape?' And many others focusing on the killers and their habits. You try to answer to everyone until David stands out from the crowd.
"Why did you abandon us?"
You flinch. You had hoped they'd forgotten about this. You swiftly glance over Thalita and Felix who are staring at you with both bitterness and forgiveness. You feel awful when you recall that moment you left them to die on hook but it's too late to regret it. You've prepared your speech before and it should be enough to regain their trust.
"I'm sorry. It was my first escape plan, but it failed..."
"Escape plan?"
You nod:
"My first idea was to simply escape from a trial. From the gates or the hatch, both could have worked. I had hoped that I would have gotten teleported back to the campfire like usual. But instead, I got back with the killers. When I saw you were all downed and I managed to unhook myself, I panicked. I really wanted to leave and decided to give up on you to maybe get a chance to have the hatch."
You lower your head and pitifully mumble:
"I'm so sorry. I should have helped..."
"Oh no, no, no sweetheart! You did well. Sorry for misjudging you."
You must have looked miserable enough for Felix and Thalita, who are cheering you up and petting your back, but David doesn't seem fully convinced:
"There were only two gens left, we were all first or second hook and we had a pretty decent map. We could have escaped by the gates if you'd saved us. And don't act like it was impossible, you are experienced enough and would have saved that match if you really wanted it."
Those are facts, but you can't prove him right.
"We did have a chance to make it out by the gates but it was uncertain and I didn't want to take that risk. I was lucky enough to self-unhook, and I sincerely wanted to come back to the campfire, whatever the cost. I felt bad the whole time I searched for that damn hatch and even worse when I realised it didn't work. I'm not asking you to accept my apologies, but don't call me a liar."
He frowns at you but doesn't say more, probably too upset and disappointed to continue arguing. He turns his back and sits on a log, far from the crowd.
You feel sad but also relieved that you got away with that and finish answering everyone's questions about the killer's camp. Of course, you've strategically selected which information you'll give them or not. To summarise, you told them that they hadn't any weapons to avoid fights and the entity was preventing them from hurting you too badly but nothing could stop them from restraining your movements. You've tried to escape multiple times either by running away in the woods or fighting against the killers, hoping that the entity will teleport you back to the survivor's side. You said that, in the end, you made it out by gossiping and turning those monsters against themselves, which led to a big fight and gave you an opportunity to flee.
Your story sounded logical and nobody asked you to justify anything. But they were interested in gossip.
Time passes and people get teleported in and out regularly, increasing your anguish to reveal your inner monster. The stress reached its peak when you got selected yourself, glady as a survivor. You've faced the Trickster and the match was pretty normal until the K-pop star tried to talk to you. You couldn't understand what he was saying and were surprised that he hadn't learned any other language since he'd been captured by the fog. You feel grateful that Yun-jin wasn't paired with you, fearing that this freak could tell her everything. End of the match, you and two of your mates had died on the hook while the last one nearly escaped by the gates.
Once back a the campfire, you isolate yourself on a tree stump close to the forest and stay there, anxiously shivering. When someone touches your shoulder, probably to cheer you up, you jolt vividly, falling from the stump. Ace is looking at you with a concerned face and points his thumb on the side, indicating the way to the 'shelter of secrets', as he calls it.
He is not ordering you to follow him, the man is just worried for you and suggests having a heart-to-heart discussion. You're hesitant. You really want it as it would greatly help with your current mental distress. But you can't risk to say too much. You can't risk him, your friend, to know that you play both sides.
Noticing your lack of response, he kneels and whispers:
"It's okay, buddy. You will be alrigh, I promise."
Those words soak into your heart, comforting you and warming up your courage. You shily nod and follow him to the cabin.
Once inside, he locks the door and sits next to you. Like the first time, both of you remain silent for a while. You're unable to look him in the eyes, your legs are trembling and your hands fidgeting.
The gambler gently grabs your hands, putting a stop to your never-ending shaking.
"I am not here to judge or inquire on you. You must have seen a lot down there and it shows. I just want to help you vent out whatever is stressing you up. Tell me as much as you feel like. And remember, we are in the shelter of secrets."
He finishes that last sentence by gesturing a zip on his mouth, and stays quiet, waiting for you to feel ready.
You finally rise up your chin, plunging your eyes into his and seeing nothing but sincerity.
"I'm scared Ace...I'm so fucking scared."
Your eyelids are giving up holding your tears back and you are now crying abundantly. Your words are frequently cut off by hiccups and sobs, which make you feel like a child about to be scolded.
"What scares you so much? And don't say that it's stupid because no fears are stupid."
"I'm... scared that you would hate me... That everyone would hate me. I know y'all don't trust me yet."
He laughs and pats the top of your head:
"If you're talking about Nea, David, or Nancy; don't worry. They don't hate you, they are just a little confused now they know about the killer camp and all. Just give them time."
"It is worse than you think, Ace."
There we go. As you expected, the more you speak, the closer you get to a breakdown. Once you've started to say the truth, it's hard to shut up.
You're not looking at him anymore, but the tone of his voice has changed to a serious one:
"What is 'worse', friend? Tell me."
You shake your head, refusing to say more. Little you know is that Ace hasn't played all of his cards:
"Is that about your killer?"
He waits. You remain silent.
"Is it because of what your killer did during my match?"
You jolt but keep your head down and your eyes closed. You knew that failed pounce would have awoken suspicions.
Ace doesn't wait any longer and tells it all:
"I saw that smile, you know."
You are a little confused and rewind that moment in your memory until you get it. Just after falling to the ground, after realizing you were in control of your body, after saving the gambler and the entertainer from you... you smiled. You fucking smile and he saw it.
Ace may be a jackass but he ain't stupid. He must have understood your link with that monstrosity. You can't hide anymore and have to face the consequences.
But when you were expecting anger and disgust on his face, you're met with a smirk and playful eyes.
"Damn it. If only I'd put a bet on this."
He laughs. You're flabbergasted.
"Ace, I'm not sure you fully understand what happened."
"Understand what? That you're the Avatar? I'll be honest, it took me a while to put two and two together but that trial gave it all to me."
Unbelievable.
"You're not mad? Or scared? I am that fucking spider killer everyone hates. And I've spent a good amount of time with the other killers. Anyone would have freaked out by now!"
"To be fair, that creeps me out a little. But I know you're not responsible for this. Right?"
"...You're right."
"So tell me. What happened? How did you become the Avatar?"
You take a deep breath and give him the whole story. From when you'd created that killer on the wikifan to when you traveled to the killer camp. Explaining each choice you've made and all the theories you've come up with until now. Ace never showed any form of judgment toward you and even gave you compliments when you said that you've kicked some butt on the killer side.
"You've handled this pretty well, mate. I'm sincerely impressed. No doubt this must have been stressful for you."
"Thank you" you shyly answer. "But you've found out the truth and it's only a matter of time before someone else knows."
You curl up on yourself, tugging your mouth behind your knees, and murmur to yourself:
"I don't think they will be as understanding as you."
He hops next to you, bumps your shoulder with his elbow, and enfolds his arm around your back:
"That's why I brought you here instead of confronting you in public. I will help you keep that secret until we find a solution or you feel ready to tell everyone."
You return him a hug:
"Thank you. I always considered you as a true friend."
"I'm the one that should be thanking you. You saved me from your killer form and fought against the Entity."
"I wasn't expecting to regain control. I still need to figure out how I did that. But I don't believe I will be able to do it again, as the Entity had threatened to punish me if I dare opposing myself to its will."
"I see... We will find a solution to that later. For now, let's try to understand when you're transforming."
"When? Kindda simple. When the Entity calls me as killer. Works the same whatever camp I'm in."
"Sorry, I wasn't clear enough. Do you have any cue that tells you're going to be transformed?"
You take a bit of time to remember all your transformations and can't find anything. You shake your head.
"I start transforming as the mark shows under my feet."
"Shit. You don't even... feel different?"
"Now you're saying this. Whenever I get called, as survivor or killer, I do feel oppressed. Like the entity is watching on me or something. A bit later, the mark appears. Remember, killers can feel the entity. Might be why I feel its presence just before getting selected."
"Ok! We got something to work with."
He gets a poker coin out of his jacket and gives it to you.
"Toss it as soon as you get that feeling. Even if you ain't sure. I'll distract the others while you move away from the pitfire. We will work like this until we find something else. Try to focus more on your feelings so we can have more cues to help us."
You agree with him and put the coin in one of your pockets. Then, the man stands up and brings his hand to the door. You catch the back of his shirt and pull him away from the handle.
"Nah mate, you ain't going anywhere. We ain't finish."
You tap the floor, signaling him to sit down. He raises a brow, confused, but follows your instruction and sits. You rush next to him and roll your arm around his shoulder:
"Since we're in the shelter of secrets and that I already shared mine, you got to tell me about..."
You get closer to his ear and whisper:
"Vitty."
His face turns red as he puts his sunglasses back on and sniggers:
"I thought you had forgotten about this."
"Nope. Now tell me. You guys are in
couple?"
He shakes his head but doesn't say anything.
"So... you got a crush on him?"
Your friend remains silent but he is not denying your insinuation. You wiggle with excitement and want to know more.
"Why aren't you asking him out?"
"What for? Who in their right mind would build a romance in such a place?"
Touché.
"And I don't even know if he likes men or not."
You take a few seconds to recall all your Dead By Daylight knowledge before saying:
"I don't think Vittorio is gay... or at least, it never had been said. But I know for sure that David is."
Ace first seems surprised but quickly gets frustrated:
"Fuck! It sounds logical now you say it. Why haven't I seen it before?!"
You couldn't help but giggle a little and pass the next fifteen minutes discussing about his love interest and what he should do. You pointed out that being in the Entity realm isn't a reason to not have fun with each other and that it should be encouraged as it could help everyone be less moody and angry all the time.
It's just after saying all of this that you realize how silent the cabin is. You take a look at your friend and meet the weirdest facial expression you've ever seen. A mix of curiosity, malice, complicity, and excitement. And from that distorted face, only one word comes out:
"Who?"
The table has turned and you're the one blushing.
"Enough secrets for today! Let's join the others before they start questioning what took us so long."
You open the wooden door promptly and walk back to the campfire followed by Ace who is mumbling:
"Till next time, buddy."
And he passes along while sneering away as he's thinking of a way to make you talk for your next discussion.
You're not even mad. You're just happy to have him as a reliable friend and feel grateful for it.
You sit on a log and start talking with a group of survivors, fidgeting with the coin in your pocket.