Ethan Wilson-Keene – central figure (the survivor)
Talia Walker ( @vipersunion ) – central figure (the survivor)
Terry Silver ( @opponentcompel / @valleykarate ) – phantom adversary (the orchestrator)
Ezra Nephus ( @immortal1ty ) – phantom adversary (the manipulator)
Allison Argent ( @taughtwrath ) – phantom adversary (the executioner)
Robby Keene – a ghost of fear & grief, serving as a haunting reminder of what Ethan is terrified of losing (the dead)
synopsis: ethan & talia have been missing for weeks, hunted like animals through the endless stretch of woods after barely escaping their captors. tortured, broken, & running on nothing but sheer willpower, they have no choice but to keep moving—because the hunters tracking them are real, their bullets are real, & the next mistake they make could be their last.
but the nightmare isn’t just in the chase. somewhere along the way, a hex was placed on them, tangling their minds together in a cruel, shared hallucination that blurs the line between reality & delusion. exhaustion makes it impossible to fight against, leaving them trapped in a waking dream where familiar ghosts whisper from the trees, their voices dripping with malice.
talia sees ezra—her ex-boyfriend, the warlock who once had her addicted to his blood, who wormed his way into her life & tore it apart from the inside. he moves through the forest like a shadow, taunting her, his presence as suffocating as it was when she was under his spell.
ethan sees allison, her bow raised, her aim perfect. the ghost of a girl who once stood for something righteous now lurks in the dark, her arrows pointed at the people ethan loves. but the worst part isn’t the way she smirks when she looses her shot—it’s who she’s aiming at.
then there’s silver, the voice behind it all. the puppeteer pulling the strings of their delusions, whispering commands like they’re still his to control.
they stumble through the undergrowth, trying to tell themselves none of it is real, but it’s getting harder to believe when the hallucinations keep bleeding into reality.
talia: (hollow, distant) "what if the pack doesn’t find us?"ethan: (gritted teeth) "stop. don’t think about that."talia: (flat) "maybe they’re not even looking."ethan: (sharper than he means to be) "they’re looking."talia: (voice wavering) "if they were looking, they would’ve found us by now."ethan: (firmly) "we’re gonna be fine."talia: (disbelieving) "yeah? you sure? ‘cause last time i checked, it’s been weeks, ethan. weeks."ethan: (shaking, desperate to hold on) "we just have to keep going. they’ll find us soon."talia: (quietly) "what about silver & allison?"ethan: (tensely, icily) "i can fucking handle them both."talia: (pressing) "can you?"ethan: (jaw clenched) "i’ve made it this goddamn far, haven’t i? what about you with ezra?"
a voice cuts through the trees, cold & commanding.
allison: (from nearby) "targets are in range."ezra: (mocking, smug) "sir, permission to fire?"silver: (calm, cruel) "granted, soldiers. fire at will."
talia turns her head, & there they are—ezra, allison, & silver, standing just beyond the trees, watching. waiting. her heart pounds in her chest, panic rising in her throat. she sees them—sees ezra lift his gun, sees allison nock an arrow, sees silver’s cold eyes watching from the shadows.
talia: (whispering, fearful) "ethan..."
the impact sends ethan crashing to the forest floor, blood blooming across his chest like a spreading wound of fire. his breathing falters. his fingers twitch. his gaze locks onto talia’s—confused, desperate, like he’s trying to understand what just happened.
then his body stills, blood staining his shirt, his eyes wide open & unseeing.
but the hallucinations don’t stop there.
bonus: ethan’s hallucination of robby dying in front of him, killed by allison, a nightmare born from his deepest fears
across the clearing, ethan watches in horror as allison turns, bow drawn, & this time, the arrow isn’t aimed at him—it’s aimed at robby.
robby crumples to the ground.
satisfied with her kill, allison smiles.
ethan stumbles forward, the world twisting, the hallucination wrapping its hands around his throat, & his voice breaks as he barely chokes out the only name that matters.
ethan: (softly, shattered) "...robby?"
