It all started with the old cars hidden in the woods.

"SERIOUSLY?" Natt's voice echoed through the trees, "_This_ is what you bring me at 2 AM for?"

Hunter smirked, "Relax. It's just a little adventure." he spread his hands as if to show a cinematic panorama, "You and me against the unknown."

"I personally think you're a complete idiot to deliberately walk into a cursed place like that!" She crossed her arms.

Hunter shot her a look over his shoulder, his smile still lingering, "Don't say that, Natt. You know you like it too."

"I do not! The last time I checked, we nearly died!"

"Ahh, my fondest memory..."

"Oh, I'll tell you what a fond memory looks like!" Natt gritted her teeth as she followed behind him.

Hunter didn't need to look back. He knew she was already fuming. Besides, there were good chances she might smack him with her fancy relic weaponry right in his face. He glanced down at his gun, which she insisted he must carry. Its Intricate silver engraved swirls shone under the moonlight.

Truth was- he needed her there. Not only for her fancy toys, but also to keep him grounded. Just in case...

He shook his head, letting his thought die before it could take shape. His power was strongly connected to his emotions. Which, once lost control of, would be unforgiving.

The deeper they ventured, the thicker the silence got. Silence so deafening it swallowed the sound of crunching leaves beneath their boots. Moonlight shone overhead but was soon engulfed by shifting clouds.

The woods cleared into an opening. Old, abandoned cars revealed themselves as if in an era frozen in time. The glass from shattered windshields glinted across the grass. Thick vines grew along the doors and pushed their way inside.

Hunter let out a low whistle. "Now this is what I call a horror movie set!"

"To me, it looks like our soon-to-be graveyard," Natt said, unimpressed.

Hunter climbed onto the hood of a broken Sedan. "Ay, Natalie. Don't be such a spoilsp--"

His head shot in the direction of the trees.

That's when he felt it. Something had shifted. Something subtle, but it was there.

The air suddenly felt thick. It felt wrong. The temperature dropped almost immediately. A chill ran up his spine. Natt's hand flew to her dagger, ready to unsheath.

"Hey, Natt?" Hunter spoke way too casually for someone who's very alert. "What if I said, Oh, I don't know...... _run?_"

"What did you hear?" Her voice rose in alarm.

"Hmm, Nothing." He swayed his arms coolly as he strolled on his Sedan-roof Stage. "Nothing yet."

"Hunter, _don't-_"

His eyes already glowed green. Power surged through him like a burst of electricity, flooding his senses, reaching far into the woods, grasping for the unknown.

Then he heard it..... and nearly fell off the sedan. Natt skid a step back.

a whisper.

_*DeEaThHhHh.... iT'S cOmiNg FoR yOu...._*

Hunter exhaled, tramping down his spike of fear. He couldn't afford to lose control over his emotions.

_*HuNtEr..._*

His breathing hitched. His hand instinctively gripped his gun.

"You- You heard something, didn't you?" Natt's voice rose another octave.

Realization smacked him in the face. He was letting his emotions too obvious.

"Yikes!" He jumped off the car, raising his hands in surrender. "Good news, bad news." He laughed nervously.

"_Hunter?_"

"The _good news is_ I heard something." He grinned.

"Hun-"

"The _bad news is_, if we don't run, we might as well turn into midnight ghost snacks. Doesn't sound very appetizing, does it?"

"Hunter."

He paused. The smile fell off his face the moment his eyes fell on Natt. She wasn't teasing him anymore.

He turned back, following her gaze.

That's when he saw it.

A figure in the driver's seat. Long legs and arms. The head stretched a little too back.

"If there is a next time..." Natt unsheathed her dagger. "_I_ get to choose how we die."

Hunter smiled despite himself. "Roger that."

The figure twitched.

And then:

It sprang up and ran forward.