Chapter 1

Sorry for the long wait, had to do some research. Remember, English isn't my first language, so any spelling errors found and commented, are seen as helpful. I'll go back and fix them.

Anyway, let it begin.

A part of him knew that he wasn't in the real world. The lack of colorful strings donned on his hand and the void among the walls surrounding the dark, brooding landscape supported his theory and doubts. It was frightening and concerning to say the least. Well, for Dwight it was.

This all seemed like a terribly real and vivid nightmare. Besides, he only had three soulmates left, two friends and his fated significant other. There was no way the rest had died on such a short notice. The landscape also seemed surreal...Almost like videogame graphics, realistic, but not quite.

Trees stood tall, practically disappearing into the sky above. Bushes, rocks and what appeared to be generators stood below. Thick fog hovered above the forest ground, drifting eerily in a dance, twisting around the seemingly random built brick walls. Two building stood in the distance, one larger then the other. Everything was covered in a dark blue hue, except for the moonlight that reached out to it. It was spooky but had a sense of beauty and mystery in a way.

Dwight still wore his work entire, nothing was out of place except for his missing phone, most likely stolen. The three strings on his hand seemed to brighten up the dark atmosphere, not effected by the dark, still shining bright. The yellow ones seemed to tie together in one direction, while the rose colored string twisted beyond the trees behind the nervous man.

Dwight shivered, a unrecognizable sound echoing across the landscape. Biting his lip, the charcoal black haired man walked carefully towards the nearest generator. The sound of whistling wind and strange inhuman moans and groans reached the nervous man's ears, making his coal black eyes dart around frantically. Taking a moment to compose and calm down, Dwight knelt down besides the machinery to examine it.

The generator seemed to be in terrible condition. Screws and gears were in the wrong place, and plenty of the wires looked like they were forcibly torn apart. Black oil oozed from deep within the complex machine, coating loose parts and wires. A chill ran down Dwight's spine, biting his lip harder. Someone purposely didn't want the generator to work.

With tense muscles and focused eyes, Dwight lifted his shaky hands to the broken generator, placing a few parts in what he guessed where the right spots. A light flinch shook his body as the generator gave a low hum and one of the pistons above moved lightly. Hesitating, Dwight contuined to work on the slowly working machine, determined to fix it.

He wasn't quite sure why, but the generators seemed important, perhaps they would do something once one or two were fixed and powered? Besides, why would someone break the machine? It was designed to produce electricity and light

Dwight wished he'd found out that he was good at machinery before, maybe he would've gotten a degree, or a better job. Frowning, he contuined to work, occasionally reaching up to adjust his crooked glasses or brush oil from his fingers.

It may have been a minute or two, or perhaps eight, when the loud ka-ching of a sound rang out. Looking up quickly from his progress, Dwight glanced in the general direction of the sound, seeing a bright light shine through the darkness. With a puzzled look, Dwight stood, watching for any signs of movement in his vision. There was definitely someone or something else here. This wasn't a dream. Dreams weren't this realistic.

Crouching back down, the dark haired man went back to repairing the generator. He felt too frightened to even try going towards the sign of humanity. It could be anyone, a deranged psychopath, or perhaps the one who brought him here. Dwight's arms shook lightly, eyes widening as he nearly messed up a couple of wires. The humming had grown louder, the generator working more then it did previously.

"Oh gosh..."

The nervous man whispered softly to himself, jumping back in shock, hands coming up to protect his face as the generator lit up like a beacon, making the same sound as before. With a loud gasp, Dwight quickly shuffled away from the generator. With how loud that noice was someone or something would come to investigate.

Creeping away from the machine, ducking behind trees and walls, Dwight walked, watching for movement. It was dead silent. Nothing humanly shaped moved in the distance. Only the birds perched on rocks seem to tilt their heads. Watching, with red eyes. The nervous man shivered, taking a deep breathe and continued forward, following the direction of the beautiful yellow strings, looking behind himself often.

It was a stupid move in his case. After the few horror movies he had seen this was a mistake that could've easily be a good one. Don't ever look behind yourself for too long, for someone or something could be infront of you.

Dwight turned his head back around just to be face to face with a rusted, bloodied, meat hook. Yelping in fear and toppling over, Dwight began to crawl backwards to place some distance between himself and the metal contraption. He breathed heavily, standing up slowly with wobbly legs after a few seconds.

"Holy shit..."

Dwight muttered, squinting lightly at it, observing. The hook seemed to be held up with a plank of wood that was tied to the metal over hang. While the main part was screwed down to the stand. Rust and dried blood covered the thing.

Cringing, nose scrunched up in disgust, Dwight turned away, heading off in the direction of the yellow strings once again that guided him to the next generator.

Dust and leaf covered crates surrounded the machine in a circle, only leaving a small amout of space to walk through the gaps between them, which had a pallet leaned up against it. The dark haired man stepped closer, eyes widening, a hand coming up to let him chew his already messed up nails.

The generator was already humming, working, but not powered completely. Someone else had been, repairing it. Dwight backed away slowly, the hair on the back of his neck standing tall.

A curse left his mouth as a sharp object smacked the back of his heal, making him trip backwards and fall to the ground. Dwights eyes closed shut, brasing himself for any pain, which sparked in the back of his head as it hit the dirt below, leaving him dazed. Instinctively, his hands reached up to gently touch the source of pain.

Wincing slightly, Dwight sat up and opened his eyes, leting out a girly shriek which was cut short as a teal, fingerless, gloved hand was placed over it. A angry but quiet voice rang out from the owner of the hand.

"Shut the fuck up!!! He'll hear you, then we're all gonna die!!!"

A girl stood crouched before Dwight, her bright and intense teal eyes narrowed with what appeared to be anger and fear. The girl turned her head side to side, her orange braids shifting lightly in tune, she was looking around for something. Dwight could only guess it was who she was talking about. Behind the orange haired girl stood a dark skinned girl with blue glasses.

"Meg, calm down. He didn't mean to yell, he's just as scared and confused as we are."

The blue glasses wearing girl stated softly, her brown eyes smooth as chocolate. She had dark brown hair that was pulled into a low pony tail which peeked out beneath the bluish-grey beret on her head.

Who, Dwight assumed was Meg, rolled her eyes, removing her hand from his mouth. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Meg adjusted the purple and teal hat on her head. He then took the time to observe the two in front of him, (non-sexually of course.)

The girl with the glasses and beret was wearing a brown leather jacket and a tan puffy turtle neck sweater, blue skinny jeans hugged her legs while brown boots protected her feet.

In her right hand she held a red medkit. She looked just as scared as the other girl, but appeared to be non-threatening or rude. Just concern, empathy and fear were visible in her brown eyes.

The orange haired girl, Meg, on the other hand seemed the opposite. She wore a pink hoodie with a sort of ocean themed shirt underneath. A white bandage tinted pink was wrapped around her right arm. A hat sat on her head, while teal gloves protected her hands. Light freckles painted her tan face along with dirt. She also was wearing plum colord leggings with white and pink running shoes. Meg appeared to be scared and angry.

The most important thing that caught Dwights eye, was that his yellow strings were attached to their thumbs. He had finally found them. He finally found two of his life long friends! Both of them had their own yellow string attached to one another, while one more led off into the trees, in the direction of Dwight's soulmate. If they are here, perhaps his soulmate was also here.

"-ey four eyes! I asked you a question."

"W-what?"

Dwight stuttered out, snapping out of his thoughts, eyes wide. Meg frowned at him, before asking,

"Do you know whats going on or how to leave this hell hole?"

The nervous man quickly shook his head in response, standing up with the help of Meg and the other girl.

"N-no, I'm g-guessing you guys powered that first generator, huh?"

Dwight replied with a awkward smile, fidgeting with the bands on his wrist.

"Yes, me and Claudette here, finished it, Then we got attacked by this big fellow with a fucked up skull mask and a meat cleaver! He slashed opened my arm!"

Meg explained, pointing to the quiet girl behind her, who waved with a small smile, then to the bandage on her arm.

"We barely got away if it weren't for him loosing us when your generator went off and distracted him long enough for us to get away. So I guess I owe you a apology for scaring the crap out of you, and a thank you for helping me."

Meg muttered, sheepishly glancing at the generator, voice going soft at the end..

Dwight nodded, a smile spreading across his face. At least he did something right.

"I think we should start working on the generator, before that, whats your name?"

Claudette asked, holding a hand out to Dwight who blinked in surprise.

"Oh! It's Dwight, and your Claudette I'm guessing.."

Dwight replied with a light stutter, shaking Claudette's hand. Meg rolled her eyes with a impatient smile.

"And I'm Meg, nice to meet you Dwight, but, I'm afraid we gotta cut our chit chat and fix the gen to get out of here."

The red head snarked, pointing a thumb behind her, where the generator sat, humming lightly.

Dwights smile faltered, letting go of Claudette's hand and approached the machine with the two girls. The three stayed silent except for Meg, who hummed lightly as they worked, oil painting the tips of their fingers.

Thump.

Dwight glanced up, pausing his work. In the distance something moved. Something big, human shaped.

"G-guys?"

Thump. Thump.

Claudette looked up then, her eyes widening behind her lenses. The figure had grown closer, the shade of red glowing from it's eyes visible.

"Oh no...We have to go."

Claudette whispered, stepping away from the generator, Dwight followed suit. Meg looked at them, eyebrow raised.

"What? What's going on-! Oh fucking shit, he's back!!!"

Meg hissed, seeing the approaching figure, the sound of a heartbeat growing faster. Jumping off the generator, Meg shared a look with the two survivors.

"We have to split up. He can't go after all three of us."

The red head girl stated, ready to bolt as the figure seemed to be only a few meters away. Dwight could see that it was a tall and buff man, wearing overalls, a wierd mask.

(perhaps made out of skull or iron.) More importantly, he held a giant cleaver in his right hand. The dark haired man nodded his head quickly to the two girls, eyes wide, confirming the decision quietly for all of them.

"We'll meet up again."

Claudette shared her last words, sprinting off in a different direction then the other two. Meg to the left, Claudette to the front and Dwight to the right of the monster. Dwight himself, following the direction of the red thread. As the three ran they all had the same unspoken thought.

If we ever see each other again.

The frightened man peeked over his shoulder to see Meg being chased by the monster. A wave of sadness and fear drowned over him.

This wasn't how he imagined he would meet his friends...

C

hased by some freak with a large cleaver meant for butchering animals, but apparently people now...

Running around a tree, Dwight spotted the largest building, heading towards it.

The building was made of wood and metal, and seemed to have two stories, a ledge visible from the top. Taking a deep breath, slowing down, he walked inside, closing his eyes for a second.

The heartbeat was gone. He was safe for now. It was most likely a warning for them that the monster was near. It was helpful, but scary.

The dark haired man sighed softly, approaching the staircase to the second floor after he observed the first. To one side of the house there were two wooden lockers, painted red. On the other side was a window while on the opposite was a opening with a pallet, where his soulmates string had wrapped around. Below the staircase was a hollowed out space, as if something was suppose to be there but wasn't.

Walking up the stairs, Dwight glanced behind himself, looking for something that he didn't even know. He didn't see anything but the slight waver in a yellow string and the calm sway of the red.

Again, there was the typical mistake. Never look behind yourself for too long.

Pain erupted in his right calf, sharp needle like spikes being shoved into it. Screaming in pain and falling to his knees, Dwight gripped the metal enclosed on his leg.

"Oh god, oh fuck, what the hell?! Oh no oh no oh no!!!"

Cursing frantically, the man tried to pull the spikes away from his bloodied leg, the crimson liquid spilling from the wound and onto the wooden floor. Tears spilled from his coal eyes, blurring his vision and making the situation ten times worse.

Sobbing in pain and fingers slicked with blood, Dwight cried, staying still to prevent more pain. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls or clouds, the only thoughts repeating in head.

Stay still. Don't move. It will hurt if you move. Wait for help. It hurts. Why? Why?! Why me?! Too much pain. What did I do to deserve this? Why. Why. Why. Wh-

Light footsteps came walking from behind Dwight, but he was too distracted to notice that there wasn't a heartbeat. Dwights breathing quickened as dark gloved hands gently covered his own, warm air tickling the back of his neck.

"Stay still."

The person behind Dwight whispered, gripping the metal jaws of the bear trap, pulling them apart. Letting out a cry of joy and disbelief, Dwight removed his leg from the trap, the hands letting go of the trap once Dwight was freed. The trap snapped shut, unarmed and no longer a threat.

Blinking away his tears, the injured man sat down on the floor, looking at his rather blurry savior. His black glasses were coated in tears and fog. Whispering a quiet thank you, Dwight took his glasses off, cleaning them quickly with the front of his shirt before putting them back on. As he did this, the stranger sat down, lifting Dwights injured leg, and setting it across their lap, examining the wound.

With a cleared vision, Dwight studied the person in front of him. The person was a guy with dark, brown, most likely, soft, fluffy hair and dim hazel eyes. He wore a dark green coat, brown cargo pants and brown boots An lastly, a white puffy scarf wrapped around his neck.

He seemed calm, relaxed, serious, and kinda...Cute?

Dwight furrowed his eyebrows lightly in confusion, face turning a light pink. It all clicked the moment he saw the

red string wrapped around the man's pinkie. It was connected to Dwights own. This was his soulmate. HIS actual soulmate!

Dwight could feel his face burn, eyes wide as he stared at his fated partner. It suddenly felt way too warm.

"You okay? I've stopped the bleeding. It will be sore, but you'll live."

The man said, tilting his head lightly, as if he were studying Dwight.

Feeling quite vulnerable, Dwight answered with a quick nod, wiping the tears from his cheeks. The nervous man's eyes looked anywhere but his soulmates, landing on his once bleeding leg and his surroundings.

It seemed to be fine, slightly stained in dry blood, but fine. The room they were in had a bunch of boxes placed in the middle, while a generator sat against one wall, lightly humming.

"Y-y-yeah! I'm f-feeling b-better...Thank you..."

The fluffy haired man gave a satisfied nod, before gently pushing Dwights leg off his lap. The two both then standed up, one of them calm while the other remained a nervous wreck.

"S-so, uh...Do you k-know what's going on?"

Dwight asked slowly, trying but failing to keep cool, his hands fidgeting with the bands on his wrist.

The man shook his head lightly, a small frown molded onto his face.

"No."

"O-oh... I'm not one hundred percent sure either...W-we're suppose to repair t-the generators. They do s-omething once repaired, I'm not sure what... T-there's a murderer out here! He was chasing a-after one of the t-two girls I met up with."

Dwight explained frantically, not even attempting to mask his fear. His soulmate raised a eyebrow, eyes widening only a bit, frown deepening.

"Oh. Maybe that's why he placed a trap here. To prevent us from fixing this generator."

The man replied, looking behind himself at the machine, taking a step towards it. Dwight gulped lightly, eyes flickering to the blood stained trap, before landing on the machine.

"W-we should fix it...I-I'm Dwight by the way..."

Dwight commented, walking towards the generator, offering a smile to his soulmate. The man glanced at him, hesitating, eyes glancing at the floor, before giving a small, nervous, smile back.

"Jake, and yeah..."

The man, Jake, responded quietly, crouching on the opposite side of the generator from Dwight. With both of them repairing the machine in a comfortable silence, Dwight could feel his heart beating fast. Not from the monster, but from finally finding his soulmate.

He didn't know what to do next.

An: Hey I did it! Chapter one is finished! Any comments and error point outs are accepted.

Thanks for reading the first chapter, I hoped you enjoyed it and that your day is going great.

-WhenYouHaveLemonade

P.s: Word count - 3,265