"Did you know him?" A voice from behind made her jump - she could've sworn she was the only person in this part of Viana. She turned back to him with a soft smile.
"No." She took her focus back to the cabin, eyes drifting over the dead flowers. "I've heard stories though - of the Hunters, of what Rue did. I was young when it all happened." She shrugged. "I heard some of the cabins remained somewhat standing and decided to come and see them while I was in the area."
The man moved to stand by her side, his eyes stuck to the cabin. "Stories?" There's a slight huff of a laugh. "And what do you think of them? What do you think of what Rue did?" He turned to face her, watching her hesitate for a moment.
"Brave?" He laughed - and only then did she notice the birds surrounding them in the trees as they mimicked his amusement. He sighs. "I think he was pathetic." The sudden deadpan comment pulled her back to their conversation; he smirked as he felt her eyes on him - her shock burning into his skull. "Do they say much about what happened to him after he tried to kill her?"
She paused, eyebrows furrowed. "He died." She frowned. "The President's guards caught him and he was killed for the attempted assassination."
The birds above them seemed to grow more interested in their conversation - beady eyes switching between the two as they listened, comfortably perched.
He smiled. "Correct." His focus moved to the Tower. "As he deserved."
Suddenly he's in front of her, his eyebrow raised. "Don't be rude, I'm still talking." She freezes - only moving to take a step back when he moves towards her. "He only did what he did because he was pushed out of his community and thought that might've made him special. A *saviour.*" He tilted his head as he backed her into a tree. "You can see why I'd say he was pathetic now, right? Runt of the litter just desperate to be liked by the rest."
A pause before he backed off slightly, arms spread to gesture to the clearing. "All of them deserved to die." His voice was dangerously calm. "Which is why I made sure they did." His mouth twisted into a grin - one of a feral animal.
There was silence between them both. He stared her down as she slowly moved around the tree - a predator waiting on his prey to bolt.
"Oh-" She finally cut through the silence. "Oh god, you-" Her breathing became more shallow, her eyes started to water. "... Please don't kill me." Her gaze now followed his hand to his thigh, watching as he slipped out a knife.
"God, you're trembling. Don't worry," He stepped closer once again - eyes still not leaving her face. "I don't plan on killing you." A pause. The cogs in his head turned; predicting her next move. "Not right now, anyway. I owe someone a gift first." That's when he lunged, laughing as the knife caught her arm - a small pool of blood beginning to stain the sleeve of her shirt.
She started to run, an attempt to find her way out of the labyrinth of a forest. She's started to think she's close to an exit but her vision has now doubled; the trees around her bent over her and stared her down. They made her stumble back - her legs only just keeping her up.
It's quiet for a moment; ominous - even the birds that surround her stay silent and just watch, almost as if they were waiting for something to happen.
A gasp broke the tension as something cold wrapped around her throat and started to drag her backwards - her legs finally giving way as her back collided with the dirt. All she caught was a laugh from behind before her vision finally cut.
