The battle for survival in Dead by Daylight is tough enough when faced with tenacious and bloodthirsty Killers day after day, but a Solo Queue Survivor must also deal with an enemy closer to home: her own teammates. As the chilling embrace of The Entity looms over, one brave and lonely Survivor shares her story.

Day One: Abandoned Again

Dear Diary, I’ve never been one for bemoaning Mondays, you know? I always thought, ‘You don’t hate Mondays — you hate your job!’ Well, maybe it’s both. After today, I can swear Mondays are cursed. Or maybe I am. Either way — fuck Mondays. I haven’t had a good one in forever. Today has been what seems like one in a long line of disastrous Mondays. I just hope this isn’t an omen for what the rest of the week will bring.

The day started out normal enough. We all lined up ready, and everyone was kitted out with toolboxes, flashies and med kits. If you were just to look at us you’d assume we were a cohesive team. But how wrong you’d be.

As we entered Shelter Woods, most of us walked slowly to scope out where the generators were nearby. One brave (read: reckless) Meg sprinted halfway across the map and out of sight. You don’t have to be psychic to predict what happened next. The Entity’s excited little claws twitched as the Skull Merchant was on Meg’s trail. An early chase and an early sacrifice is not the end of the world, usually we can regroup and snatch victory from the Entity claws of defeat, but as soon as the others spotted those god damned Skull Merchant drones, all was lost.

Each of the team abandoned me one by one. Meg allowed herself to be taken by The Entity, while the other two just left without a word, leaving behind a soulless husk who could do nothing more than perform the most basic of duties. We were supposed to be a team, watching each other’s backs. So much for that. I remained in the woods, kept to the shadows, silently waiting for the Skull Merchant to hunt down the soulless. I had enough luck on my side to grant me a safe escape through a rusty hatch I discovered by an old wooden shack. But it was a hollow victory. An adventure empty of excitement and camaraderie is no adventure at all.

Day Two: Self-Care Can Suck It

Dear Diary, I woke today feeling determined to have a good day in the realm. Whatever the day would bring, I was poised for action and ready to prove myself. And look, sometimes a week can start off rough but things can turn around, right? All I needed this week to make life a little brighter are some smart and altruistic teammates. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

Some days are truly surprising. One moment everything is going well, to the point of being predictable. Then suddenly the metaphorical rug gets pulled from beneath you and you find yourself with a hook through your shoulder, wondering where it all went wrong. To be honest, I know where it went wrong. It was one misjudged moment. One mistimed leap through a window, and I got snatched up by a grimy clown coughing a foul stench in my face as he carried me to his sacrificial hook.

As I hung there, reflecting on how I could have handled that situation better, I looked around for what I assumed would be my imminent rescuer. We had already lost two teammates, surely Claudette wouldn’t let me be the third? I peered to my left, towards the generator we had both been working on, but she wasn’t there. As I looked around once more I saw her slowly creep out from a nearby locker. Oh joy! She was just staying out of harm’s way until it was safe to rescue me. That’s understandable, really, she was injured so it is best to be cautious. But she really seemed to be taking her sweet time getting to me.

As quick as the hope filled my heart, it dissipated as Claudette crouched in the corner and slowly began to heal her wounds. By this time I knew all was lost. The Entity is too powerful, and I can only struggle for so long. The claws are not only sharp and strong, but they radiate this intense energy-sapping despair. As much as I admire a woman for taking time for a bit of self-care, there is a time and place, Claudette. Right in the midst of my demise just isn’t it.

Day Three: A Little Too Quiet

Dear Diary, today I was in a determined mood. Generators will be rushed, Survivors will be saved, and Killers will be left to face a displeased Entity. I had put on my best outfit, polished my flashlight, and was so eager to step into the fog.

I got to work immediately repairing the generator with Jake at the top of the saloon, tinkering with the machinery and making wires spark. After a while, as we drew close to completing the repairs, I noticed how unusually quiet it was. Usually, by this time, at least one of my teammates would be being chased across the map by some murderous maniac, but everyone seemed busy, so I thought I would just take a moment and enjoy the view atop Dead Dawg Saloon.

The sun was setting in the distance, and the mountains to the east looked spectacular. If I wasn’t constantly fearing for my life, I might have had time to think how lucky we were to be in such a beautiful place. The tumbleweeds skipped across the dusty ground, and vultures circled overhead, still expecting a feast at any moment. My eyes scanned the area and rested on a tall figure in the distance. It couldn’t be David King, he was towards the gallows with Nea… There is only one person this could be.

Jake and I ran behind the creaking wooden structures and then, as we got closer to the formidable figure, crept slowly towards him. Michael Myers stood staring into the distance. I could hear his heavy breathing behind his sickly white mask. Why wasn’t he moving? Crouching nearby, we watched him, waiting for him to shift his weight or flex his hand, but there was nothing. Across the map, generators were quickly being completed; soon, the final one would be done, and the gate would be powered, ready for our escape.

I still don’t understand why Jake would get all up in Myers’ face like he did. Confronting a killer, even one you think is in a trance or somehow asleep, is so dangerous. As soon as the last generator popped and the gates were powered on, Myers reached out, grabbing Jake by the throat and plunging a long knife into his chest.

Panicked, I sprinted towards an exit gate, hoping Nea or David were there, unlocking it for us. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw the gate ahead of me. Looking over my shoulder, I could see Myers was not far behind, his knife raised and ready. I hoped with all my might that someone would be there to open the gate in time. No one was there. I was at the wrong gate. David and Nea opened the gate to the south as Myers closed the gap between us. His laboured breathing and heavy footsteps were all I heard before Myers’ knife met my frantic heart.

Day Four (Halloween): Tragic Betrayal

Dear Diary, days like these tend to shine a harsh light on my loneliness. As much as I enjoy the peace of my own company, sometimes I ache for the reassurance one gets from having loved ones around me. Each day, I enter these realms fraught with danger and try my best to survive the trials against all the odds. And each day I am reminded that it is difficult to put your life in the hands of those you never fully trust.

Today’s adversary was a tall and intimidating woman in a strangely cute rabbit mask. An eerie lullaby seemed to creep through the fog and stiffen our hands, making it almost impossible to carry out the essential repairs. Despite having three others with me, people I should be able to call my allies, our time in this realm soon turned sour.

It didn’t seem to matter where I was or what I was doing, that haunting melody was all around. It was clearly making the girl repairing the generator next to me very nervous as every time the song got louder, she would run off and crouch behind a rock. Determined to get this over with, I stuck with the repairs. Soon enough, Sable ran straight into the path of the hatch-wielding huntress. You’d assume she would lead the killer off, away from where I was working, but… no. So fearful of being hooked, Sable made a beeline for me, essentially dumping the masked murderer at my doorstep like a sandbag.

Look, if this happened just once it could be seen as an accident, but this girl purposefully ran the killer past me as I was working THREE TIMES. By the third attempt, I’d had enough. As the huntress pursued me, I saw Sable jump quickly into a locker ahead. Approaching the locker with the killer hot on my heels, I stopped and opened it. Sable pulled it shut in surprise, but it was too late. The huntress carried her, kicking and screaming to the hook, and I followed behind. Sable wrestled with the serrated claw as it threatened to pierce her heart, and I just stood, watching, nodding slowly at her until the sacrifice was complete.

I guess it’s true what they say — there is another killer in the realm, and it could be any one of your teammates.