Chapter Text
“Josh! Holy shit, man!” Mike yelled, pushing through the broken wooden door, running towards him. Josh is mumbling to himself, words of “you can’t control me anymore,” and “okay, okay. I trust you.” You, Sam, and Mike reached him in the middle of the cave, what you assumed to be the heart of its nest, Hannah’s nest. That must be why she didn’t kill Josh when she had the chance.
Mike and Sam try to speak to Josh, you chimed in a bit too, trying to ask, “Josh, can you hear us?” Just trying to get him to come back to you. He couldn’t stop mumbling about what he was seeing, his eyes were glossed over and you could see his pupils dilating and contracting rapidly. He had tears pooling in the corners of his eyes, refusing to fall. “The fuck is going on?” Mike asked, snapping his fingers in front of Josh’s eyes. “He's gotta be going through a breakdown or something, we don't even know what Hannah did when she took him.” You responded. “Come on, Josh, we gotta get out of here.” Sam said, trying to shake his shoulders.
“Nah, we have to get a move on.” Mike said, pulling his hand back and then swinging it forward to slap Josh. Josh lost his balance and stumbled forward, but still kept to his feet. He still hadn’t said anything to address the three of you, and you don’t think that he realized Mike had slapped him at all. Mike raised his hand back to go for a second time, met with protests from you and Sam trying to say he was going too far, but it didn’t stop him. His hand met the side of Josh’s face in another hard slap, this time it seemed to work.
Josh began breathing heavily, gripping the side of his cheek, making eye contact with Mike finally. He stutters out Mike’s name, “Holy shit man, we thought we lost you.” Mike says, gripping onto Josh’s shoulders. “Don’t hit me. Please.” Josh says back in a slurred and stuttering voice, still in shock for what he was seeing. You partially wished you knew what he was imagining, but you knew it would probably hurt you to know at all.
“You were deep in it man, full mental jacket.” Mike said, letting Josh go, “we’re just glad we got you back.” Sam added, Josh’s eyes were switching between all three of you. “Are you alright? How did you get down here?” You asked. “I…I was in the shed. Then I just… was here. I don’t know, I don’t know.” He said, you put your hand on his back. He looked like he was still on the verge of another breakdown, you hoped this would ground him, at least. It didn’t seem to work that well.
“Josh… Hannah was down here for weeks, maybe a month! She dug Beth up-” Sam started, Mike interrupted her to try to stop where the conversation was going, “Sam, we need to just get the fuck outta here.” Sam sucked in a breath and shook her head, “Josh, do you have the key to the cable car?” She changed the conversation. Josh nodded and pulled the key from his pocket. Sam grabbed the key and looked around the part of the mines that you all were in. It looked like there was skylight coming in from above. “Do you see that? It means there is a clear way out of here.” She says, pointing to the heavy slope of the rock wall up towards the exit to the mine.
“We won’t be able to get up there, especially with Josh in this state.” Mike said, “If you get me up there, I can let the others know we're okay, and you all can take the way back through the door where we met up with Mike.” Sam said, pointing towards you, Mike, and Josh, “then the rangers should be here at dawn, then we can get off this mountain.” She finished. Mike nodded, “Yeah, alright, just stay safe.” You added. She nodded back at you.
“Boost me up?” Sam asked, getting herself angled to climb the wall. You and Mike offered hands for her to step in, as she did, you both pushed her upwards to the rock wall. As she stabilized, you both backed up, letting her start the climb up.
“Alright, lets go you fucked up son of a bitch.” Mike pats Josh on the back and leads the three of you forward. You stayed in back with Josh in the middle to make sure there was no risk of him getting lost in the mines that you had grown familiar with. He’s walking with a slowness in his step and a hunch in his back, you can’t tell what is running through his mind, but you wished you could help him.
“You didn’t… you didn’t have to hit me so much, man.” Josh said, still stumbling his way behind Mike, putting a hand on his cheek. You were making your way out of the broken down wooden door and back to the water at the bottom of the mines. “Ah. Yeah, man. I’m sorry… I thought you killed Jess. I was wrong. I’ve been in the wrong a lot tonight.” Mike responded, “makes two of us.” Josh tries to finish, but lets a gasp come out of his mouth as he sees the body of the stranger we met. He never even spoke to the man, the body, hanging above him, but you know he thinks this is his fault “No…no.” He says. Mike looks back, but he can’t say anything. “This isn’t because of you, Josh, we need t’keep going.” You didn’t want to rush him, but you didn’t know if Hannah was still down here, or any of the other Wendigo from the mining accident. His eyes were still widened, but pointed towards the ground. You finally reached the water once again.
Mike dropped in first and helped Josh into the water, you followed after them. The water was still bitterly cold, but at this point in the night, the chill was stuck to your jeans. It didn’t feel as bad as the first time you sunk into the pool. You got through the majority of the water with Mike muttering curses along the way, until he suddenly stopped, letting out a yelp. “Somethings got me!” He began, being pulled all the way under the water. You yelled out, Josh looked frozen. You gripped his arm and tried to pull him to the side, trying to get back on land. There was a bubbling sound coming from in front of you again, and then something emerged from the water.
One of the Wendigo screamed as the water around it sprayed you and Josh, the force of its rise causing you to get soaked. Josh was shaking his head, “No… no, you’re not real!” He yelled, maybe trying to convince himself, but it was real. You felt your legs turn to mush as the Wendigo screamed again and reached for Josh, with another one of its clawed hands coming towards your chest, pushing you back into the water. Your body was fully submerged in the water, and you felt the leftover sensation of its claws scratch open the jacket you had zipped on, making your chest burn at the bleeding wounds. You fought your way back to the surface of the water, gripping the cuts, luckily, they didn’t seem deep. You saw that the Wendigo still had a grip on Josh, who was trying to fight it off, until he screamed something.
“Hannah?” He asked, in pain and scared. You don’t know what he saw. Your eyes were still filled with the murky water that you just got submerged in, but it would make sense. This entire area would be her nest, not just the dry patch where she left Josh. It’s this entire level of the mines, and you stepped into it like it was a fresh mouse trap.
The Wendigo, Hannah, pulled Josh up to her face. She screamed again, but as you blinked away the water and tried to stay as still as possible, you thought she might have recognized him. Her eyes widened more than you thought they ever could, and it looked like she shoved herself backwards at his voice. It looked like she was trying to fight herself.
She threw Josh backwards into the water, and just as quickly, she then ran off and into another tunnel of the cave. You saw Mike emerge from a corner in the water. For once, you were glad to see him, but Josh still hasn’t risen from when Hannah threw him. “Fuck, he’s still down here somewhere!” You yelled, reaching your hands deep into the water, ignoring the pain from your chest. You were trying anything to try to feel for Josh, you couldn’t find him. Mike started trying to grab him too, but it felt like the water was completely empty.
“We're running out of time!” Mike yelled, thrashing in the water and trying to push his hands deeper. “I fucking know, I’m trying!” You yelled back. Tears were starting to accumulate in your eyes, both from the feeling of losing Josh and the pain of the cuts on your chest. The water kept making them burn.
You were moving your arms so fast, until you finally gripped onto what felt like a hand.
God, I hope this is Josh and not-
You pulled up with all of your strength. Luckily enough, it actually was him, but he seemed completely unresponsive. “Mike, help! We need to get him out of the water, I don’t know if he’s breathing.” Mike rushed to your side and you both shuffled through the water. It felt like you were going slower than ever, but you finally got him over the ledge and onto the dry land of the pathway back outside. You both pushed yourself up out of the water following him.
You crawled to his side, trying to listen and see if there were any signs of life. You heard the sigh of his breathing. It was shallow and low, but it meant that he didn’t need mouth-to-mouth. His heartbeat was fast but quiet. You just needed to wake him up and knock some of this water out of his lungs. You didn’t want to hit him, he already dealt with that from Mike, so you started shaking his shoulders.
“Come on. You gotta wake up, we have to get out of this.” You said, shaking his body gently. You grew firmer in the shakes as his eyes were still yet to open. “Do you know how to do CPR?” Mike asked, his eyes were shaking, you didn't think he would be able to do it if you didn't know how.
You were guessing how to do this, to be honest with yourself. As you gripped your left fist with your right hand and put your hand right at the base of his breast bone, you hoped your training from the health class you took in your freshman year of highschool would finally be put to use successfully. You started pushing down on Josh’s chest in rhythmic beats, trying to get his heartbeat to strengthen so he could finally cough up the leftover water in his lungs. “Fuck, I don’t know if this is working!” You were panicking, but you kept pumping on his chest. Mike looked paralyzed at watching you do this, with blood pouring from your own slash marks, trying desperately to save your friend.
Josh sucked in a breath of air almost painfully as his eyes opened. He turned to his side and let out a series of painful and wet coughs, letting the water that settled in his lungs escape onto the dirt path. You pushed yourself backwards so that you were sitting on your knees. Your hands hurt from the pressure, you could only imagine how much Josh’s chest was feeling. He was panting on his back, one of his fists came to rub his chest at the point you were pushing in on, “it was Hannah.” He said, looking up towards the ceiling of the mine shaft. “I’m so sorry, Josh.” You dropped your head. You couldn’t think of the girl you knew as that creature. The girl who you cried to when you confessed you had a crush on Josh, she laughed at you, but never held it over your head. The girl who wanted to spoil her friends even when they didn't deserve it. The girl who loved so hard, to the point of her own suffering.
“No, I mean… she beat it. She was there. Fuck, she was in there!” He said. His breathing was still rugged and raw, like his lungs were still calming down from the intrusion of the water. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked around the tunnels that surrounded the area of the nest, blinking away water and tears that were bubbling up. Mike finally seemed to breathe again too, “we need to get up to the lodge, Sam should be up the rock wall by now.” He stood up and looked towards the path to the exit outside, the same door that you and Sam found him at.
“Can you stand?” You asked Josh, he nodded, but still needed some aid in getting up. You placed one of his arms around your shoulder so you could help him walk, while your other hand came to grip your chest, small trickles of blood still pouring out of it. Mike was in front of both of you, trying to walk fast but a limp slowed him down, Hannah must have clawed him when she pulled him underwater.
You eventually got to the exit outside, thanking whatever god was out there that you were finally getting out of the mines. Mike pulled open the door and let in the harsh and snowy air, you helped Josh stagger outside while trying to also maintain your own balance. The snow beneath your feet was becoming solid, less of a powder and more icy. Your boots crunched with every step, making you nervous after finding out how many Wendigo were still on the mountain. The lodge was maybe a ten minute walk away at the pace you were going.
All you had to do was make it and hide until dawn.
You began to think the blood loss from your chest wound was getting to you. With the way your eyes blurred and your breathing deepened, you started to feel progressively worse, but you had to make it. Mike and Josh were both looking towards you with worry, you didn’t realize your lungs were letting out struggling noises, a mix of wheezes and groans. Your mind was focused on making it to the lodge. You couldn’t give up now.
Mike said your name loudly, “holy fuck, you’re losing too much blood.” He said, Josh seemed to notice the blood pooling around your fingers that were still clutching your chest. With one arm gripping around your shoulders for his own stability, he took his other arm and covered your wound with his hand, pushing down. “We need to keep moving.” His voice was still unstable, and his eyes were still shifting around the forest surrounding you, but it looked like he had that one goal in mind. Get to the lodge.
Mike took his eyes away from the blood at your chest and kept moving forward. The lodge was in sight, along with a figure standing at the front door, banging on it and looking behind themselves. Mike rushed up while you and Josh were going at a slower pace. “Sam, shit, I was scared I wouldn’t see you again.” He says, causing Sam to jump, she definitely thought he was something else. “Mike!” She started, then looked behind at you and Josh finally got up to them, “oh, gosh, you all look terrible.” She finished. “Gonna look worse if we don't get inside soon.” Mike said back, nudging at the state of all four of you. Sam nodded and looked through the glass of the door. She looked around and then made the decision to use her elbow to break one of the glass panels to reach around to lock, finally letting us into the lodge.
“What do you think we should do?” Sam asked, “we need to check the basement, see if anyone else is still down there.” Mike said, going towards the stairs. It was obvious that his legs were still in pain. “You guys wait up here, we’re just gonna check and then come back up.” He finished.
Although you were groggy and dizzy, you nodded. Josh unwrapped his arm from around your shoulder, it looked like he had gained some stability on the walk here, and his breathing had evened out. You both leaned on the stair railing to try and collect yourselves as Mike and Sam descended the stairs.
“I… I’m so sorry for what I’ve put you through tonight.” Josh said, putting his head between his hands. You blinked lazily and tried to form your thoughts better, the bleeding on your chest became more evident, but help should be there soon. “You didn’t know about the Wendigo, Josh, that’s not your fault.” Was the best you came up with, “just… you need to learn from this.” You finished. It was poorly thought out, but you were bleeding out. You hoped he wouldn’t blame you for your bluntness.
He nodded, hands still covering the sides of his head, but it looked like he was understanding the consequences of his actions tonight. You looked at him and smiled, if you really do make it out of here at dawn, and you both find help in healing, you might just get over yourself and shoot your shot. Probably a bad time to think about this though, as you heard yelling voices and footsteps rushing back up the stairs. Josh gripped onto your wrist, you rotated it around so that you were gripping his hand. You both backed up, then heard a loud crash from the front door. It was Hannah.
The Wendigo rushed into the lodge, familiar with the location and just having an instinctual urge to come here. Chris, Ashley, and Emily were the first up the stairs, followed by Mike and then Sam. “ Stay fucking still .” Mike whisper-shouted towards us as Hannah jumped from the fireplace to the round chandelier at the center of the lodge. Two more Wendigo came from downstairs, which was probably what everyone was running from.
The Wendigo in the room seemed to notice each other, and in Hannah’s first battle with the smallest Wendigo in the room, knocking it into the fireplace and destroying the gas line, Chris and Ashley were able to escape to the outside of the lodge. Hannah took the Wendigo by the head and killed it. It looked like Sam and Mike were planning something to finish off all of the Wendigo in the lodge, as Sam distracted them so Mike could crack an incandescent lightbulb on the side of the room. You couldn’t help but feel guilty that one of the creatures was Hannah, but it was the only way to end this. Josh was pulling you away from the living room slowly. In all honesty, you didn't think that you would be able to run out of the lodge fast enough. You were just happy that he didn’t seem like he wanted to take another chance on communicating with Han again.
Emily was the next one out as Hannah started to fight the other Wendigo, but it got distracted by the movement of you and Josh. Mike yelled this time to distract it, leaving Josh with enough time to forcefully pull you outside, you were surprised at the speed at which you finally landed in the snow, Josh was still standing, you had fallen to your knees as they had gotten more wobbly with blood loss. Mike was the next out, meaning that Sam was the last one inside the lodge. Matt and Jess were still yet to be seen.
You heard the sprinting of footsteps hitting wood, along with the scream of Sam, then all you could see was orange. A bright fire surrounded the entire lodge as it exploded, the gas from the fireplace must have begun to leak fast for it to cause this kind of reaction. Hannah could finally rest. You hoped that she was finally with Beth again after a year apart, wherever they were in the universe.
As you slowly got up, you heard the sound of helicopter blades in the air, and you were greeted with the bright orange light of daybreak. The rangers actually came. The storm was over.