"Keep yelling, idiot," Feng muttered, crouched in a dark room. The words hurt her pride, but she was too experienced with trash talk to let it get to her. Instead, it was just another reminder that this was a different Hillbilly than she was used to: more controlled, more strategic, and much less predictable. Still, the shouting told her where he was, similar to the sing-song lullaby of the masked woman Feng had faced before, and told her to go the other way.
She did her best to stay out of the hallways, but of course, she had to pass through them to get from one room to another. She counted the seconds, waiting for Dwight to give up the fight and be taken by the Entity. She could sit and wait for his strength to run out, but the thing that ran this place was impatient, and would signal her location to the Hillbilly if she wasn't giving a good show. She hoped this cat-and-mouse was tension enough, but it certainly put her nerves on edge - her muscles quivered with anticipation and raw energy, waiting to explode out of her. She put a hand on a doorframe as she peeked around the corner and was surprised to see it shaking as she lifted it. Every second could mean her demise or her salvation.
Finally, she felt something change. She imagined she could hear the far-off sound of Dwight's finally cry of pain, or the soundless roar of the Entity taking him into its clutches, but really, it was something she simply knew - Dwight had finally died, and the hatch was open for her. She hadn't seen it yet, but there were only so many places it could be. The room she was in had nothing, nor did the next one. But in the next, she heard something - an otherworldly sound, indescribable but unmistakable. She also heard the familiar pounding of her heart in her ears, first subtly, then stronger. If he reached the hatch first, it was over.
It was all or nothing now; she had to act. Breaking into a run, she hit the next window and vaulted over. She was lithe and agile, and converted the momentum of her leap into an extra boost of speed, launching herself towards the hatch. It was right there in the middle of the hall, nothing but empty floor between her and it, just five steps away, then four, three, two, one, and with one final jump -
She did her best to stay out of the hallways, but of course, she had to pass through them to get from one room to another. She counted the seconds, waiting for Dwight to give up the fight and be taken by the Entity. She could sit and wait for his strength to run out, but the thing that ran this place was impatient, and would signal her location to the Hillbilly if she wasn't giving a good show. She hoped this cat-and-mouse was tension enough, but it certainly put her nerves on edge - her muscles quivered with anticipation and raw energy, waiting to explode out of her. She put a hand on a doorframe as she peeked around the corner and was surprised to see it shaking as she lifted it. Every second could mean her demise or her salvation.
Finally, she felt something change. She imagined she could hear the far-off sound of Dwight's finally cry of pain, or the soundless roar of the Entity taking him into its clutches, but really, it was something she simply knew - Dwight had finally died, and the hatch was open for her. She hadn't seen it yet, but there were only so many places it could be. The room she was in had nothing, nor did the next one. But in the next, she heard something - an otherworldly sound, indescribable but unmistakable. She also heard the familiar pounding of her heart in her ears, first subtly, then stronger. If he reached the hatch first, it was over.
It was all or nothing now; she had to act. Breaking into a run, she hit the next window and vaulted over. She was lithe and agile, and converted the momentum of her leap into an extra boost of speed, launching herself towards the hatch. It was right there in the middle of the hall, nothing but empty floor between her and it, just five steps away, then four, three, two, one, and with one final jump -