Chapter 5: Escape and Blood

The air was thick with the pungent scent of blood and sweat, the oppressive weight of the night closing in on Alex and Sally as they sprinted toward the van. The chainsaw's roar echoed in the distance, a constant reminder that Leatherface was on their trail. They had barely escaped the Sawyers' clutches—barely. Sally was bleeding, her body bruised from the earlier shotgun blast, but she was still moving with a desperate kind of purpose.

Alex didn't dare look back. The moment they stopped running, the Sawyers would be on them in an instant. Their only hope was to reach the van and get the hell out of there before the family could regroup.

The engine sputtered as Alex scrambled to the driver's seat, his hands shaking with adrenaline as he tried to start the van. The keys, cold in his fingers, seemed like they were slipping out of his grip. For a moment, it felt like time had slowed. But then, with a coughing roar, the engine came to life. He slammed the gear into drive, and they shot off, tires screeching against the gravel.

The headlights carved through the night, illuminating the road ahead, but Alex couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't out of danger yet. The Sawyers weren't like ordinary people. They'd been bred in madness, and even if they managed to escape now, they would not rest.

Side Quest: Survive the Chase

Task: Evade the Sawyer family for 30 minutes.

Reward: +10 Stamina

As the van rumbled down the narrow, dirt road, Alex heard the unmistakable sound of a chainsaw again. This time, it was closer. The van's headlights barely illuminated the path ahead, and the forest around them seemed to close in like some dark, living thing. Leatherface and the rest of the family wouldn't let them escape that easily.

"Faster!" Sally screamed, her voice laced with panic as she clutched the seat for dear life.

Alex slammed the pedal to the floor, the van jerking forward as they raced through the wilderness. The wind whipped through the cracked windows, and Alex could hear Leatherface's chainsaw growing louder in the distance.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of movement. A shadow.

His breath caught in his throat. The shadow had widened, and suddenly, it was right there—a figure emerging from the trees.

Nubbins.

The Hitchhiker.

"Not again!" Alex cursed, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. He didn't have time to waste.

Without warning, Nubbins lunged toward the van, his crazed face visible through the side mirror. He was carrying a bladed weapon, ready to swing it at the vehicle.

"Hold on!" Alex shouted, jerking the wheel to the left, narrowly avoiding Nubbins' wild swing. But that wasn't the end of it. The van fishtailed as it slid across the dirt road, and for a moment, Alex thought they were going to crash into a nearby tree.

Sally screamed, but Alex willed the van to stay straight. He could feel the sweat pouring down his back as the wheels found their grip again. The last thing he needed was a crash with the Sawyers hot on their heels.

But the chase was far from over.

Side Quest: Lose Nubbins

Task: Get rid of Nubbins.

Reward: +5 Speed

"He's crazy!" Sally yelled, looking back as she saw Nubbins chasing them, his maniacal laugh ringing in the night air. His eyes were wide with feverish excitement, and every step he took seemed to be closer than the last.

"You don't have to tell me that!" Alex replied, swerving to avoid the trees that seemed to be closing in.

Nubbins was relentless, following them as they sped down the road, his crazed laughter echoing. Every now and then, Alex would hear the sound of something scraping the side of the van, making his stomach churn. Nubbins was right there, keeping pace with them.

But then Alex spotted it—a branch hanging from an overgrown tree ahead. The branches were tangled, just waiting for something to get caught. If he could time it right, he could use the environment to his advantage. He only had one chance.

"Sally, get ready!" Alex shouted. He didn't give her a chance to respond before he yanked the wheel hard to the left. The van veered toward the trees, and the tires dug into the loose dirt, sending the vehicle into a sideways skid. Alex's heart raced as the branch came closer, and in the next instant, the van suddenly collided with it.

The branch whipped down, slapping the side mirror of the van, just as Nubbins tried to leap onto the hood. With a sickening crash, the branch knocked him off course, sending him tumbling head over heels into the underbrush.

Alex didn't look back. He floored the gas pedal, pushing the van forward with all his might.

They were in the clear—at least for now.

Sally's Condition

The forest around them seemed to darken, the light from the headlights barely making a dent in the oppressive shadows. Alex looked over at Sally, who had gone quiet in the passenger seat. She was clutching her side, the bloodstains on her shirt spreading further.

"Sally?" Alex asked, his voice laced with worry.

"I'm fine," she replied, her voice weak but steady. Her breathing was uneven, and she winced with every movement. "Just keep going, Alex. We need to keep moving."

He could hear the fear in her voice, despite her brave words. He knew she wasn't fine—not by a long shot. But there was no time to argue. He had to get them away from the Sawyers—and fast.

Alex pressed the gas pedal harder, forcing the van to move faster. The road was getting rougher, and the van's suspension creaked with every bump.

Suddenly, the road ahead narrowed, and Alex could hear the sound of water splashing. It was a river. The path led to a small bridge that would take them across. But the bridge was old, barely holding together. It didn't look stable enough for the van to cross.

"We need to cross!" Sally shouted, her voice panicked.

"There's no way we're crossing that!" Alex said, his eyes fixed on the dilapidated bridge. It didn't look safe.

But as the sound of the chainsaw roared closer, Alex knew that the Sawyer family wasn't going to stop. They'd followed them this far, and now they had no choice but to risk it.

Side Quest: Cross the Bridge

Task: Cross the unstable bridge safely.

Reward: +10 Willpower

"Hold on!" Alex yelled as he gritted his teeth and slammed the van into gear. He gunned the engine, the tires spinning on the loose gravel. With a loud screech, the van began its run toward the bridge.

The planks of the bridge creaked and groaned under the weight of the vehicle as it started to cross. Alex could hear the sound of rotten wood snapping as the van moved further across. Every second felt like an eternity.

A loud crack echoed as a large section of the bridge gave way, and Alex barely managed to steer the van clear of it. The vehicle lurched, its back tires nearly going over the edge.

With a surge of adrenaline, Alex wrenched the steering wheel to the right, narrowly avoiding a disastrous fall. The van jolted forward, crossing the bridge just as it collapsed behind them, taking a chunk of the road with it.

"Holy hell, we made it!" Alex muttered, exhaling a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

Sally, who had been holding her breath, let out a relieved laugh. But Alex didn't have time to celebrate. He slammed the gas pedal down and sped forward, fleeing from the nightmare that had just nearly claimed them.

The van sped further down the narrow, winding road, the forest pressing in on either side, the sounds of Leatherface's chainsaw still faintly audible in the distance. Alex and Sally didn't slow down, even when they felt they had gained some distance. They knew the Sawyers would not rest.

Alex kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, every muscle in his body tense, ready for the next threat. It didn't matter that they had just crossed an unstable bridge. It didn't matter that they had escaped Nubbins. Leatherface and the others would keep coming. They would always keep coming.

To Be Continued…