HOUNDS IN THE FOREST

Olive hurriedly walked out, feeling determined to get back at Elise for hurting her brother. She walked with full confidence until she came to the stairs and saw Elise and Maria. Maria was saying something to Elise standing with her back to Olive. Olive hid behind the wall and Elise who was facing that direction saw her. Her eyes flickered a little then before Maria could catch on, she looked down. Oliver and Markus tiptoed behind Olive after seeing that she was hiding from someone. They made no noise and tried to listen to the best of their abilities.

"...I told them what the punisher had done and guess what?" Maria whispered menacingly,"You're out next year. Very eligible with three offences already."

"Is this about you liking Oliver?" Elise asked gritting her teeth.

"It's about you. I can't watch you spare them when I begged for the same chance so many times."

The air turned heavy and almost seemed visible. Olive, the one who was physically the weakest was the first to be affected. She felt like she was being choked by the the visible red air. Markus noticed something was wrong so before she could faint and blow their cover, he caught her and Oliver helped him pull her further down the corridor.

The shuffling of their feet was heard by Elise and Maria. Maria smiled and then grinned.

"Next time, tell them I can smell them."

Elise fisted her hands and ascended up the stairs, waving her hands through the air to cancel out the effects of Maria's power. Maria also descended the stairs and the air cleared immediately. Elise paused before entering the room. She had endangered them even though she was only trying to protect them. She fell to the ground and curled up into a ball before starting to cry. The door opened and she buried her head even further into her knees because she knew it was Oliver. He didn't say anything and just walked out the room before sitting beside her.

He pulled her onto his lap and she cried even more. He was going to tell her that they could sleep together in Olive's room since Markus had insisted but then they heard some footsteps coming up the stairs. They both scrambled to their feet and silently run to Olive's room, diving into the bed like little children. Realizing he would be seen if the door opened, Oliver was about to go under the bed but Elise stopped him and shoved him under the sheets. She covered him nicely as she stood beside the bed and the door opened.

Elise didn't flinch as the person approached her.

"What is your business here Elise?" Sr Drevin asked.

"She had a fever. I was checking on her."

"You have grown close. You can't be trusted to deliver what you exist for, can you?"

Elise was quiet and then Sr Drevin chuckled, a chuckle like a man's and it cause Oliver to fold up under the sheets.

 The eyes of the nun narrowed as she looked at the folded up figure under the sheets. She sighed and then turned around to walk out the room but she made no effort to actually start walking. Elise sat down on Olives bed where Oliver now lay still like a statue.

"It's almost your memorial, isn't it?" Sr Drevin asked turning only slightly so that her eyes fell on Elise's shadowed profile,"Will you go to your grave?" 

 Under the sheets Oliver was sweating like crazy; out of fear and the heat generated under the blankets. His breathing was almost simply wheezing.

"You seem to forget something; I didn't die." Elise responded quietly.

"Been a century old isn't been alive either." Sr Drevin scoffed and walked away.

 Elise listen for the steps to leave then she uncovered Oliver. He blinked several times as he looked at her. He smiled weakly and sat up awkwardly.

"You're old enough to be Sr Patronelle's grandmother." he joked but he got no response from Elise.

 He looked away and then sighed. She did the same and they remained in silence for about a minute. Elise them got up and left the room. Oliver didn't follow her because he really didn't know what to say to reassure about them; if that was even her worry at all. He lay back down on the bed, noting that he would have to wake up very early so he could switch rooms with Olive when she woke up. He slowly closed his eyes and slowly drifted to sleep. Elise headed out to the forest, to the place she nearly died. She stopped walking while she remembered the events of that night.

 She didn't want to die. She was afraid; afraid for herself and the boy she loved. Somehow after been taken to the sewing room she and Oliver had managed to leave the place thinking they wouldn't be followed. They were somewhat relieved that there were no more floating heads or spaghetti hand spirits chasing them. They stopped running to take a rest and then they would continue until they made it out of the school's premises.

"Are you alright?" he asked her and she smiled when she saw how worried he seemed.

 She didn't respond and walked towards him to give him a hug. She froze when she touched him because she felt some warm liquid there. She pulled away a little and looked down at his abdomen where he had a large cut, so large his intestines were sticking out. She gasped in shock and looked him in the eyes. He smiled and then hugged her again. She started to cry quietly with her head buried in his shoulder.

"I'll get you to the exit. I can't die before making sure you are safe."

 He patted her back and then told her to start running again. She didn't move immediately so he frowned and gave her a little push. she started running but when she turned too see if he was behind, he was standing still with a smile on his face. Emerging from the shadows behind him was some large creature that she couldn't even see properly.

"Oliver run!" she screamed coming to a halt,"Run! Please!"

"I can't make it! Just go! Live for us both." he replied as the creature stood directly overhead him,"I'll return for you!"

 As soon as the words left his mouth the creature split him in half; one head eating his upper body and the other taking his lower half. A two headed giant hound, the most uncanny she'd ever had the chance to lay her eyes on. She couldn't even cry and just started to run. He was dead, gone...As she run quickly and dodged branches of low trees, her eyes begun to water. She screamed in grief and wailed uncontrollably. The hound sent a pounding in the earth as it chased after her, even causing some of the small trees to fall down, leaving a semi wide path through the thick forest. Elise looked around the area and and saw that she had actually run in a circle. She picked up a tree branch and run even faster. 

 She came to a halt and held out the branch. The hound didn't stop in time and the branch she held out got lodged into it's chest cavity. It let out a screeching sound that caused a ringing sound in her ears. It lifted it's paw and flew it at her, leaving deep cuts on her shoulder. She screamed loudly but then continued running.