Infectious Intent (M. Yandere x F. Reader)

The Hardest Continuation

A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Three pairs of feet stopped. Nick was the first to halt his movement. Tara and Brent were a little ahead of him. Impatiently, Brent asked, "What is it, Nick? We need to run. That thing is probably going to catch up soon. What's the deal?" Tara's concern was quite evident as well. Her right foot tapped incessantly, and she appeared ready to dart ahead without the two.

"It sounded like there was another pair of footsteps behind us." Brent was about to groan and remark on the comment, but Nick held up his left hand to keep him quiet. "Not the creature's ... You stated that you were with (f/n) when you found Laura. That might be her."

"Your point? We barely know the girl." Brent started to walk again, and Tara followed his lead. "She was a pain too. With Laura gone, we shouldn't care even a shred. We need to focus on us. We already lost one team member; we don't need to lose another."

Agreeing, Tara mentioned, "Besides, Nick, we can't hear any footsteps except our own. The creature most likely caught her if she was behind us. There's little we can do for her, and you know that none of us can fight that thing." A shiver ran up her spine, and she clutched her upper arms. "And, I don't want to end up like Laura." She looked sick for a moment while another chill traveled up her back.

Hesitant, Nick turned towards his friends and continued onward. "I suppose that you're right, Tara. She'll have to fend for herself. She's escaped before. She might be able to do so again." The other two agreed in a heartbeat, and they didn't discuss the topic further.

It didn't sit well with Nick's conscience, though. He felt somewhat responsible for (f/n). She had come to rescue Laura after she had warned them not to enter the tunnels. They hadn't listened, which resulted in her being dragged into this mess. Her concern for her now deceased friend was admirable.

He felt like he owed Laura. She was his good friend, and he had allowed the creature to kill her. Right now, he couldn't mourn her death, but he could repay her by getting her childhood friend out of this horrific place. Nick raked his left fingers through his locks. His mind couldn't take the situation for much longer. If (f/n) was alive and joined their group again, he would attempt to make sure that she didn't get separated from them another time.

Pulling out the map, Nick pinpointed where they were. From the looks of it, there weren't too many rooms up ahead. If there were, they looked to be quite small. Most likely, they were closets or half bathrooms. They were getting closer to the center and probably had another forty minutes before they reached it if they didn't stop. The sound of grumbling stomachs caught his attention.

Tara chuckled in embarrassment and apologized while Brent groaned in irritation. "There better be some food in this creature's stock room and not its kind of food," he muttered, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"I hope so," Tara commented as her head drooped. "We should've brought food with us and water. I've never felt this weak before." Her arms dangled by her side, but she forced her right arm back up so that the flashlight would illuminate what was ahead. They had designated one person to have their flashlight on so that they could conserve their precious light sources better.

Catching up to walk beside Tara, Nick examined the map better. He held it out so that she could look at it. Brent came up on his left side and peered down at the paper too. "One of these rooms might be a bathroom. There might be clean water in one." Both Tara and Brent shot him disgusted looks. "I know. I don't want to drink water from a sink here either, but we might not have a choice. All of our throats are parched, and we're running out of stamina. As for food, we might have to wait until we get out. It's more important that we search for some way to open that gate."