Nick woke to the smell of something cooking. He rubbed his eyes and saw Bat crouched near a small fire, quietly tending it.
Nick: "Oh… it's you, Bat… just cooking, huh?"
Bat: "Yeah. Just cooking. We won't be staying here too long."
Nick stretched, still groggy.
Nick: "First thing first… how did you even find me last night?"
Bat: "What do you mean?"
Nick: "I was careful. Left no tracks, nothing… how did you get to me so fast?"
Bat: "I followed you. I heard you."
Nick blinked.
Nick: "Followed me? But I could have sworn no one was following me."
Bat: "Well… I did."
Nick: "That makes no sense."
Bat: "Forget about it for now. Just… how did you end up in the cryopods?"
Nick scratched his head, his memory foggy.
Nick: "Oh… yeah. If I remember… some guy came up to me, said it was an experiment. Told me it'd pay off my school fees, and maybe I could keep a little extra… I was excited. I didn't know what I was getting into until…"
He paused, frowning.
Nick: "…until they brought me into this white room. Yeah, white. Everything… white. Then the doctor… he injected me with something, and alarms started blaring all over the place. The lights turned red, but I couldn't hear anything. And then… I just passed out."
Bat: "Okay… can you remember anything else?"
Nick: "Nah… just blank."
Bat: "…Alright. That'll do for now."
A low, unnatural roar drifted through the forest. Both froze.
Bat's muscles tensed instantly.
Before either could react further, a massive, disfigured human-like creature burst from the forest, claws extended. Bat reacted instantly, grabbing Nick and rolling them both to the ground. Trees splintered under the creature's swipe.
Bat: "Hold on!"
He sprang to his feet, sprinting through the dense forest. Leaves whipped past, branches tore under his feet, and the creature followed relentlessly.
Nick clung tightly, heart hammering.
Nick: (wide-eyed) "How… how can he move this fast?!"
Through his wide eyes, Nick watched the creature gain on them, its claws lashing through the undergrowth, grotesque form moving with terrifying speed.
Bat's muscles coiled and flexed as he ran, every motion precise, every movement calculated, carrying them both further from the immediate threat.
Nick didn't speak again—he couldn't. His thoughts scrambled, awe and fear colliding as they disappeared into the forest, with the creature hot on their trail.