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Police Records Tape 1

In all their years of working there, the police had never seen something quite like what was sitting before them now.

It was a young girl, aged 19, with brilliant amber eyes and warm brown skin. Her curly brown hair was matted and falling out of its bun in chunks. There was nothing about this that was unusual, though. What was different about her was her expression. Her eyes were glazed and dull, and her face was unreadable. Blood and dirt were spattered over her cheeks and nose, and a poorly-wrapped bandage covered her left hand. She was 19, but looked much older.

The lead investigator for the case leaned forward in his chair from where he sat across from her, analyzing her face carefully. She was looking at him, but didn’t seem to see him or react to his presence.

“Your name is Clementine Everett, correct?” He asked, and the cop next to him had a notepad in her hand. For a moment, the police from the other side of the one-way glass thought she wasn’t going to respond, but she nodded slowly.

“Yes,” she said, and her voice was as broken as her eyes.

“Can you tell me what happened to your friends, Miss Everett?” The lead investigator said, and Clementine let out a bitter laugh. The sound sent shivers down everyone’s spines.

“You wouldn’t believe me,” she said.

“Try me.”

Clementine sighed and took a drink of the water they’d left out for her. “Okay. Where should I start?”

The investigator exchanged glances with the cop sitting next to him. “The beginning.”

12 Hours Until Dawn

ClementineCable Car Station

“

Today marks the one year anniversary of the disappearance of Minerva and Sophie Bennet, twins. After vacationing with some of their friends, they turned up missing and still have not been found, despite investigators’ best efforts.”

“Has the West family commented on this?”

“Not since a year ago. They stated then that what happened to the girls was a regrettable accident that they were doing their best to fix. Since they have a close relationship with the Bennet family, they knew the two girls very well.”

The noise of the podcast coming through her earbuds muffled the sounds of the bus driving, and Clementine stared out the window at the familiar snowy landscape. She never thought she’d be back. After Minnie and Sophie disappeared, she’d had no desire to make the trip up again. But Louis seemed so eager about getting the group back together, she couldn’t say no.

Clementine glanced down at AJ, a light smile on her face. He was watching some cartoon in his own headphones, and he seemed totally engrossed in it. This was his first time at the cabin, as every year before this one was more of a teen party than anything else. Tenn was coming this time to celebrate his sisters, and Clementine thought he’d like a friend closer to his age to spend some time with.

The bus slowed to a halt, and Clementine put her earbuds in her pocket as AJ put his in his backpack. “We’re here, kiddo,” she said.

AJ looked outside, immediately confused. “I thought you said it was at a cabin. All I see is a bunch of trees.”

Clementine let out a laugh. “There

is

a cabin. We have to take the cable car up, remember? It’s at the top of a mountain.”

“Oh,” AJ said, standing up and walking off the bus, Clementine close behind. She helped him put his gloves on, then put on her own. “I’ve never been in a cable car before. Is it scary?”

“No, not really,” Clementine led him down the path, taking his hand in hers. “It’s kind of like an elevator and a zipline combined. It’s high up, but it’s safe.” They reached the gate and pushed it open, seeing the cable car building’s lights sticking out like a beacon against the dark snowy night.

“I’m excited for this weekend,” AJ said, and Clementine smiled.

“Oh yeah?”

AJ nodded eagerly. “Yeah. I know it’s gonna be kinda sad, but… I think we’ll have some fun too.” He let out a sigh. “I missed everyone. Especially Tenn. I only ever see Louis or Violet anymore.”

Clementine looked away. The group had gotten distant from each other after Sophie and Minnie’s disappearance. The prank had been a group effort, from what she’d heard, but no one was admitting their part in it, other than Louis. He’d approached Clementine and Violet, crying, begging them to forgive him. It had taken some time, but they had.

The rest of the group wasn’t in such good shape. They kept throwing the blame at anyone besides themselves, and had grown apart in the past year. Louis was hoping that by getting everyone back together, things might get back to normal. Not that there was a normal without Minnie or Sophie.

“Hey, you two!” A familiar voice called, and Clementine looked up to see Ruby. Clementine waved, and she waved back. Mitch was standing next to her, his hands shoved in his pockets and an impassive look on his face.

Clementine gave both of them a hug. “Good to see you guys,” she said sincerely, and they both gave her a small smile.

“Thought you’d never make it up here, with all the snow,” Mitch said, and Clementine shrugged.

“You and me both,” she said, and looked over at AJ, who was fiddling with his backpack straps awkwardly. “Are you gonna say hi?”

“Hey Mitch. Hey Ruby,” AJ said, and she nearly snorted. AJ wasn’t the most sociable of people. He was definitely better with people he knew well.

They gave AJ a small wave, and Mitch led them towards the cable car, which was standing open. Clementine lingered for a moment. What if this meeting went about as poorly as it could’ve? She didn’t like when people fought, and if the group was at each other’s throats all weekend, she was going to be miserable.

“Come on, Clem, we ain’t got all night,” Ruby urged. Clementine took a deep breath. She really needed to stop being so pessimistic. It was just one weekend, right?

“I’m coming,” she said, following the others onto the cable car. She sat down next to AJ and across from Ruby, and stared out the window as the cable car started to ascend.

“Whoa…” AJ said, clambering to the window. Clementine watched him with a soft smile on her face. “You’re right, it isn’t scary! It’s so

cool!

” AJ turned to Clementine. “Can we go back down and up again?

Please?”

Clementine let out a laugh. “The only place

we’re

going is in front of a warm fire underneath 10 fuzzy blankets.”

AJ sighed in half-hearted disappointment. “Okay.”

“Hey AJ, do you want a chocolate?” Ruby asked, offering out a box to him. AJ’s eyes went wide, and he looked at Clementine as if asking permission. At her nod, he took a piece and ate it much too fast. Ruby offered one out to Clementine, and she took it, eyes widening.

“This looks super expensive. Where did you get this?” She asked, and Ruby beamed.

“Omar made it! Since he couldn’t make it, he gave me a whole bunch of sweets to give to you guys.” She winked. “I’ll pass the compliment on to the chef.”

“Do you think this is a good idea?” Mitch asked suddenly, jarring everyone from their lighthearted conversation. “Meeting at the cabin after… all of that. All of us took part in the prank except for you and Vi, and no one is about to admit that they’re at fault.”

Clementine sighed. “I don’t know, Mitch. Maybe we can finally leave all of that behind us after a year.” AJ looked at Clementine in slight confusion, and Clementine gave a small shake of her head.

I’ll explain later.

AJ seemed to get the message.

Mitch moved his gaze back out the window. “I hope so.”

They sat in silence for the rest of the ride.

VioletCable Car Station

Violet crossed and uncrossed her legs, rubbing her hands together and breathing into them. She hated the cold. She

hated

the cold. And, like the dumbass she was, she had forgotten her scarf on the bus. The cold was seeping into her neck and down her spine, and she was doing everything she could to stay warm.

A sudden knock on the door of the station startled her. “The hell?” She murmured, moving to look in the small window above the knob. She could see Mitch and Clementine, and Ruby’s face barely tall enough to peek into the glass. Violet grinned. “Having fun in there?”

“It’s locked from the other side, Vi. Can you open it?” Clementine asked, and Violet obliged. The group came through the door, and Violet could see now that AJ was with Clementine.

“Hey there, buddy,” Violet said with a smile, and when AJ ran to hug her, she laughed and hugged him back.

“I missed you, Violet,” AJ said, and she couldn’t stop the grin from spreading on her cheeks.

“I just saw you the other day,” she teased, smiling up at Clementine.

Clementine smiled back, greeting her with a short peck on the lips. Violet was both startled and surprised from how warm she was. “Good to see you,” Clementine said, and Violet had to agree.

Violet waved at Ruby and Mitch. “Hey guys.”

“When did… this happen?” Mitch asked, Ruby next to him looking just as surprised. They’d kept their relationship on the down-low since the start, but Clementine apparently wasn’t feeling shy tonight.

“Ah… three months ago,” Clementine said with a grin.

Ruby opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by a much too loud yell. “Hello, ladies and gents!” Came Louis’ voice at the top of the hill leading up to the cabin. Marlon was right behind him, and Violet could see his eye roll from where she was standing. “Welcome to the annual cabin extravaganza!”

Violet raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing, Louis?”

Louis came skidding down the hill, Marlon walking behind him, and came to a stop in front of his friends. “I am greeting the crowd, my dear Violet,” he said, picking up her hand to kiss her knuckle. She fought the urge to slap him.

“Tenn, Aasim and Brody are already in the cabin, if you guys want to come with,” Marlon said, holding a hand out to take Ruby’s bag. She accepted the help gratefully.

Violet exchanged a glance with Clementine, and she said, “U-um. We’ll be right behind you.”

Marlon raised an eyebrow, and Louis gave a knowing smirk. “You sure?” Marlon asked. “It’s kind of cold to be hanging around outside.”

“I think they’ll be okay, Marlon,” Louis said, shit-eating grin never leaving his face, taking Clementine and Violet’s bags from them. Violet felt her cheeks flush crimson. “Let’s go, gang!”

AJ looked at Clementine with uncertainty, and she gave him an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry, AJ. I’ll catch up. Go say hi to Tenn.”

Tenn’s name was the only convincing AJ needed, and he scurried off after Louis and the others. As soon as they were out of sight, Clementine turned to Violet, and immediately frowned. “You forgot your scarf,” she said, and Violet shrugged.

“Oops.” Clementine rolled her eyes and pulled off her own scarf. “Oh, you don’t have to do that-”

“Hush,” Clementine said, wrapping her scarf tightly around Violet’s neck and tucking it into her coat. She stepped back with a smirk on her face, admiring her scarf-tying handiwork. “Is that better?”

“...yes,” Violet admitted begrudgingly, burrowing into the fabric of Clementine’s scarf. Her girlfriend’s familiar scent was all over it, and there was no way Clementine was getting this thing back now.

Clementine bent down to the ground, and Violet raised a brow. “Uh… what are you doing?”

“Now that you’re properly bundled up…” Before Violet could react, Clementine threw a heap of snow at her face. Violet shrieked, spitting the snow out of her mouth and wiping it from her eyelashes.

“Oh, now you’re gonna get it,” Violet said, and Clementine laughed, ducking behind cover. Violet ran for a large rock, gathering snow in her hands into a ball. She rose her head above cover, and as soon as she saw Clementine’s dark hair, she threw. Based on the scream after the throw, Violet had hit her target. “Gotcha!”

Violet gathered a snowball into her hand, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Clementine moving around, trying to get the angle on her.  Violet went to move, but then freezing cold snow hit her back, and she gasped. Clementine let out a victorious laugh, and Violet threw the snow in her hand at her. She bent down to make another, but before she could, Clementine ran at her and tackled her to the ground.

Violet laughed as Clementine pinned her down to the snowy forest floor, preventing her from moving anywhere. “I win,” she said victoriously, grinning ear to ear. Violet suddenly became very aware of their position with Clementine on top of her, and her face started to grow hot. Clementine seemed to realize it at the same time, and Violet knew she didn’t imagine it when she saw her lean down.

Violet took advantage of the opportunity and gathered snow in her left hand, smashing it in Clementine’s face. Clementine shrieked, brushing the snow off her face and hair. “Who’s the winner now?” Violet bragged, a smirk on her face.

“Oh? Oh, is that how it’s gonna be? Huh?” Clementine’s hands moved down to Violet’s waist, and she squealed as Clementine poked at her ribs.

“Stop! Stop it!” Violet said in between bouts of laughter, shoving Clementine’s hands off of her. Clementine admitted defeat and flopped down in the snow next to her, taking Violet’s hand in her own.

“You know I love you, right?” Clementine asked, and Violet felt her stomach flutter.

“Yeah, I know.” She wasn’t one for romanticism.

They laid in silence for a few more moments, before Clementine released Violet’s hand and pushed herself into a sitting position. “We should probably go before they send a search party looking for us.” She stood up, offering out a hand to help Violet up.

“Do we have to?” She whined, and Clementine laughed.

“No, but sitting by a toasty fire with a pretty lady isn’t an idea I’m opposed to.” Violet relented, and took Clementine’s hand, brushing the snow off her clothes.

“Fine, but only if the pretty lady is me.”

“Mmm, I was thinking Brody, but I guess you’ll do.”

LouisThe Cabin

As soon as the group walked in the cabin, AJ was looking around. “Where’s Tenn?” he asked, and Louis gestured upstairs.

“He’s probably in his guest bedroom. Go upstairs, to the right, the first door at the end of the hallway, then it’s the first door on the left.” AJ scurried off, and Louis shook his head with a smile, setting down Violet and Clementine’s bags near the fireplace.

“Hey Ruby, Mitch,” Brody greeted, walking over to give Ruby a hug. “I was just making drinks in the kitchen. Did you want to help, Mitch?”

“Hell yeah,” he said, treading after her. “Alcoholic?”

“A little. But we’ve gotta stay at least somewhat sober for the little ones.”

Aasim was hovering over the fireplace, trying to get a fire started. Louis crouched down behind him, and he physically saw the other boy bite back a groan. He almost laughed. “Need any help?”

“You got any matches? I couldn’t find any, and I’m out the ones in my backpack,” Aasim said, and Louis stood up to rummage through the drawers.

“Oh, Aasim. Off the top of my head, I cannot name anyone besides you who would carry matches in their traveling backpack. Besides Lara Croft, maybe.” Louis found a box and tossed them to Aasim. “Here you are, Mr. Croft.”

This time, Aasim did groan. “Dude, shut up,” he said irritably, striking a match with much more force than necessary. Louis took the hint, striding over to bother Marlon.

“This isn’t so bad, right?” He said, glancing around the room. “Everyone’s getting along. It’s gonna be great.”

Marlon sighed. “Don’t jinx it, dude.”

Louis looked at his friend, his brows furrowed. Marlon had a look on his face, the one he wore when he was upset about something. Louis knew the look well. “Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong, it’s just…” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Brody.”

Louis nodded immediately getting it. “Ah.” Marlon and Brody had been an on-again off-again thing for

months

. This weekend, apparently, was an off. They butted heads a lot and it certainly wasn’t healthy. When Louis had tried to confront Marlon about it it hadn’t gone well, so he kept his mouth shut.

Ruby was setting up her bluetooth speaker. “We need some music going in here, it’s much too quiet. What do you think, Lou? What should we play?”

Louis opened his mouth, but Marlon cut him off. “If you say classical, I’m throwing you off the balcony. It’s a party, not a Wolfgang Beethoven rave.”

“There were… a lot of things wrong with that sentence I’m gonna choose to ignore.” Louis turned back to Ruby, pondering for a moment. “Hmm… give me some Nirvana.”

Aasim grinned from his place by the now-lit fire. “Now we’re talking.”

“What? I had no idea you liked dad music, Aasim!” Louis exclaimed, and Aasim rolled his eyes. “You continue to surprise me every day.”

Clementine and Violet walked through the doorway as soon as the music started playing, and Louis ran over to greet them, taking Clementine’s hands in his own. “Uh-” she started, but he cut her off.

“

My girl, my girl, don’t lie to me,

” he sang seriously, moving her hands back and forth. She laughed and let him move her as he belted the lyrics loud enough for China to hear. “

Tell me, where did you sleep last night?”

“Careful, Lou,” Marlon said from across the room. “I can see Violet plotting your murder from here.”

Louis glanced over at his friend, who did in fact look slightly homicidal. Still, a good-natured smile was on her face, and he glanced at her hair. “Any reason your hair is damp?”

Violet’s face turned beet red, and Clementine spoke for her. “She took a tumble in the snow.”

Louis released Clementine’s hands, placing his own on his hips. “A tumble? And was this tumble an accident?”

Violet shoved her face into Clementine’s scarf around her neck (no, he did not miss that detail either) and the two girls were saved from further torment by Brody and Mitch carrying trays full of drinks into the room.

“Alright everyone, let’s get this thing started!” Brody said, and wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Ugh, what is this music?”

“Art, Brody,” Louis said in mock offense.

“More like garbage. Got anything better, Ruby?”

Ruby moved over to the speaker. “I do, actually,” she said, and started playing some Queen tracks. Nearly everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“From dad music, to older dad music. You wound me, Brody.”

Clementine called Tenn and AJ from upstairs, and Brody handed them juice pouches while Mitch passed around the drinks to the older kids. The group sat in a circle, which gave Louis an idea. “Hey, we should play a game!”

Brody groaned, and Mitch gave him a look. “What kind of game?” AJ asked, and Louis grinned at the disdain on the others’ faces.

“I’m glad you asked, dear boy!” Louis said, picking up his drink from where he set it on the floor. “Never Have I Ever.”

“Oh, lord,” Violet sighed, and Louis saw Clementine’s brows furrow.

“What is that?” She asked, and Louis gasped in exaggerated surprise.

“It appalls me how uncultured you are, Clem,”  Louis said. “We go around in a circle and say something that we have never done. If you have done it, take a drink. If you haven’t, you do nothing. Whoever’s drink is the last one standing wins.”

“I’ll start,” Marlon said, holding his drink up. “Never have I ever… been in handcuffs.”

Mitch immediately took a drink, and Louis glanced sideways at Marlon. “Does the context of the situation matter?”

“What?!” Violet shrieked, and Aasim choked on air. AJ looked over at Clementine.

“What does that mean?” He asked, and Louis burst out laughing. Clementine shot him a glare, and she shook her head at AJ. “Is it one of those… I’ll understand when I’m older things?”

“No, the context of the situation does not matter,” Marlon said, and grinned when Louis took a drink. Violet gagged. “I’m sparing everyone from asking what Louis’ meant by asking Mitch… what the actual hell, dude.”

Mitch shrugged. “Chemistry experiment gone very wrong. On an abandoned lot. It started a fire.”

“I… don’t even know where to start,” Clementine said. Mitch grinned.

“It’s better that you don’t ask.”

“My turn!” Brody said, pondering for a moment. “Never have I ever… kissed a girl.”

Basically everyone in the room groaned. “Really, Brody?” Violet said as she took a drink. “Playing the straight card is not cool.”

Brody let out a giggle. “Gotta work with the advantages you have, huh?”

“I’ve never kissed a girl, either,” AJ said, and Clementine shot him a grin.

“And you won’t for a couple more years, kiddo,” she chuckled as she took a sip of her own drink. “You’re not allowed to grow up

that

fast.”

“I’m 8 years old!”

“Uh huh.”

“That’s old enough to have a girlfriend, right?” Everyone in the room barked out a laugh, and AJ flushed bright red. “I was just asking.”

“Don’t worry, AJ. You still have a couple of years to worry about that.”

The game went on to the point that many of them finished off their drinks and Mitch and Brody had to go make more. Clementine took AJ and Tenn upstairs to put them to bed, knowing that things were going to get out of hand.

“Never have I ever… been drunk off my ass,” Marlon slurred, and Louis snorted.

“I hate to break it to you Mar, but you are right now.”

Marlon just grinned, flopping down on the floor and laying on his side. “Okay, fine. Never have I ever… broken up with my boyfriend because I didn’t know how to handle my feelings.”

Brody sighed, and Louis glared at his friend. “Marlon.” Mitch let out a whistle, and Ruby was the one to break the silence.

“Maybe we should stop drinking for now-” she said, reaching to take Marlon’s drink, but he snatched it back out of her reach. “Marlon, give me the drink.”

“No, I want to keep playing,” Marlon said, and Louis pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. “Never have I ever participated in a dumb prank that got our friends killed.”

Brody’s jaw dropped, and Aasim spoke up. “Marlon, shove off. You had just as much part in it as anyone else did.” Louis saw Violet look down at the floor and draw her knees closer to her chest, and he took Marlon’s drink from him.

Marlon made a noise of protest, but Louis cut him off. “Aasim’s right, Marlon. It’s time to stop.”

Marlon glared at Louis. “Never have I ever thrown the blame on my friends for something I did. Never have I ever killed two of my friends. Never have I ever-”

“Marlon, shut the

fuck

up!” Violet snapped, looking about two seconds away from walking over and slapping him. “The prank was

your

idea. You were the one to convince the others to put on that stupid fake blood and pretend to be dead.

You

were the one that chased Minnie around holding a knife. Why? Because you thought it would be

funny?

”

“Fuck off, Vi.”

“What the hell is going on?” Clementine said, coming down the stairs.

Marlon let out a bitter laugh. “Your girlfriend is causing trouble, as per usual.”

“Oh, Jesus Christ…” Aasim said, standing up to take his drink in the kitchen. Ruby was close behind him, eager to escape the growing tension in the room.

Clementine crossed her arms. “She doesn’t have a tendency to unless someone gives her good reason. What did you do, Marlon?”

“Oh, nothing,” he said, sitting back up. “Just stated the truth.”

“Like hell you did!” Violet snapped, and Mitch cut in.

“Stop causing trouble, you bitch! Let it go!” He exclaimed, and Violet recoiled.

“Hey!” Clementine barked at the same time Louis said, “Mitch!”

Mitch opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off by the room suddenly going dark. “Shit, I think the power is out,” Louis sighed, pushing himself up. “Maybe you guys should… all go take a breath while I fix it. Clem, can we talk?”

“Sure,” Clementine said, checking in on Violet first to make sure she was okay. She followed Louis to the top of the staircase to the basement, letting out an exhale. “Well, that was… a lot.”

“I think we might’ve gotten a

little

too drunk for our own good,” Louis said with a teasing grin, and Clementine let out a humorless laugh. “Here.” He tossed her a key, and she caught it, giving it a weird look.

“Um… what’s this to?” Clementine asked.

Louis put his hands on his hips and smirked. “Walk up the hiking trail outside the back door and you’ll find out. Figured you might want to get Vi out of here for a little… romantic getaway. And so she doesn’t tear Marlon’s head off.”

Clementine smiled, tucking the key away in her back pocket. She gave Louis a brief hug. “Thanks, Lou. Good luck dealing with the gang.”

Louis gave her a squeeze back. “Oh, don’t worry. Dealing with a very drunk Marlon is unfortunately nothing new for me.”

Clementine shot him a grin, and gestured for Violet to follow her. The girls put on their coats, and then they were out the back door and disappearing into the snowy night, unaware of the figure in the woods watching their every step.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Police Records Tape 2
“I should’ve known…” Clementine said, and the lead investigator and reporter exchanged a glance. The reporter’s notebook page was almost full already.“Should’ve known what, Miss Everett?” The investigator asked, clasping his hands together on the table. “You can’t have possibly predicted the future.”“No, maybe not, but…” Clementine sniffled, rubbing her nose on her sleeve. “I don’t know. Maybe I should’ve known that splitting up was bad. Me running off with Vi like a couple of lovesick puppies… God…” Clementine let out a humorless laugh.The reporter scribbled down something as the investigator looked down at the case file. “By Vi do you mean Violet Clark?” Clementine nodded, and the reporter’s pen scratching against the paper filled the silence of the room. “And she was your girlfriend?”“Is,” Clementine corrected, and the investigator sighed.“You are aware Miss Clark is in critical condition, correct? We don’t know if she’ll survive the night,” he said, and Clementine’s eyes lit up.She opened her mouth to speak, seemed to rethink it, then spoke anyway. “You don’t… you don’t know Violet like I do. Okay? She’ll be fine.” Clementine took a sip of her drink. “She is my girlfriend.”The investigator sighed. “Alright then, Miss Everett. Where did you and Miss Clark go?”“The second cabin. It was much smaller, but… Louis set it up for us. Like, a date.” Clementine smiled down at the ground. “He’s always so thoughtful, isn’t he?”“Louis West?” Clementine nodded. “Where was he when you and Miss Clark were going up to the cabin?”“I think… Louis was in the basement, Aasim and Ruby were in the kitchen, and… AJ and Tenn were asleep.” The reporter was scribbling down words at the speed of light, and Clementine continued. “And before you ask, that’s Aasim Bedi, Ruby Daniels, Alvin Jr. Everett and Tennessee Bennet.”“Where were your other friends?”Clementine shook her head. “I don’t know.”The investigator sighed, twiddling his thumbs. “Alright, let’s get back to you and Miss Clark. Did you see anything on your walk there that was out of the ordinary?”Clementine sighed. “You have no idea.”“Tell me.”
10 and a Half Hours Until Dawn

Clementine Path to the Second Cabin
As soon as they were a good distance away from the cabin, Clementine grabbed Violet’s arm to stop her. “Are you okay?” She asked seriously, and by the look on Violet’s face, she wasn’t.“Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just…” Violet let out an irritated sigh. “Marlon is just such a dick when he’s drunk.”Clementine smiled. “Yeah, you can say that again.” She rubbed her hands up and down Violet’s arms to comfort her. “We can spend the night at this smaller cabin tonight so we don’t have to deal with any other super intoxicated teenagers, okay?”Violet bit her lip. “Are you sure? Since AJ is there and all?”Clementine took Violet’s hand in hers and started walking up the path again. “I trust Lou with him. Besides, he’s a hard sleeper. If Mitch manages to blow something up or Marlon stumbles around and breaks one of Louis’ parents’ expensive vases, he won’t hear a thing.”They walked in silence for a few moments, before Violet said, “What do you s’pose Louis has planned in the cabin up there?”Clementine gave her a sideways glance. “What do you mean?”“Oh, come on, Clem,” Violet chuckled. “It’s Louis we’re talking about here. He wouldn’t send us on a two-mile trek up the mountain unless he had something else up his sleeve. Maybe it’s a booby trap.”Clementine rolled her eyes. “I think he’s learned his lesson with pranks. It’s probably nothing bad, whatever it is.”“Maybe it’s a bear.”“It’s not a bear, Violet.”“It could be!”Clementine laughed, swinging their joined hands as they walked up the trail. They let the quiet of the forest surround them, simply enjoying nature and the other’s company. It was so quiet that they both jumped out of their skin when they heard a twig snap.“What was that?” Violet asked, looking up into the treeline. Clementine turned her phone on, using the flashlight to look into the darkness of the woods. “Was it just a deer?”“Yeah,  probably,” Clementine said, putting her phone back in her pocket. “Or a squirrel… or a moose… or a bear… or a tiger...” Clementine grabbed at Violet’s sides, pretending to be a scary beast eating her. Apparently it wasn’t very convincing, because Violet rolled her eyes.“Oh, stop,” Violet said, gently shoving her. “If something comes out of the woods, I’m letting it eat you first.” Clementine shook her head and chuckled, blowing hot breath into her hands to warm up her icy fingertips.“So, if you don’t mind me asking…” Clementine started, and Violet looked over at her as she walked. “What exactly did Marlon say in the cabin? I only caught the end of it.”Violet sighed, burrowing her hands into her coat pocket. “Him and Brody are having issues, and he basically blamed her for his prank because he’s bitter she dumped him. Again.”Clementine blinked a couple times, and paused before speaking. “I… don’t think he meant it, Vi. What happened to Minnie and Sophie was no one’s fault.” Violet opened her mouth to speak but Clementine cut her off. “I know that’s hard for you to accept, but… it isn’t. They couldn’t have known.”“I know that, but…” Violet sighed again, hunching her shoulders self-consciously. Clementine hated it when she did that. “I wish they’d take responsibility for their actions. Louis did.”“You and me both.” Clementine moved her hands up to Violet’s shoulders, gently guiding them to relax. “Hey, don’t worry. We’ll be two miles away from all that noise tonight, okay?”Violet let out a bitter chuckle. “I’d rather be fifty miles away from Marlon’s drunk ass.” Clementine said nothing, only took her hand in hers.Another twig snapped after a few minutes, and Violet leaped backwards. “It’s nothing to worry about. It’s just a deer,” Clementine reassured her, and Violet ran a hand over her face.“These woods creep me out, is all,” Violet said bashfully. Clementine just shook her head with a smile. The two girls came over a hill, and Clementine let out a gasp.“Vi, don’t look,” she warned, but it was too late. Violet’s eyes went wide, and neither of them could tear their eyes from what was laying on the trail.It was a deer, but its legs were splayed over a log and its throat had three large gashes in it, like another animal had ripped it open. Blood was pouring out onto the snow, staining it a crimson red. It was still alive; twitching in pain and breathing heavily, its breath visible against the chilly winter air.“Oh my god,” Violet breathed, and Clementine could swear she heard something else move in the trees.
Aasim The Cabin
After Louis went downstairs and Violet and Clementine left, the cabin became unsettlingly quiet. Mitch was carrying Marlon upstairs to his room, and who knows where Brody disappeared to. And Aasim was suddenly hyper aware of the fact that he was left alone with the girl he’d been crushing on for weeks.Aasim opened his mouth to say something to Ruby, and nearly dropped the glass he was holding as Brody came storming into the kitchen, looking like she was about to explode.Aasim tried to hide his disappointment as she took a seat at the barstool across from Ruby and Aasim, flopping her head in her arms with a dramatic groan. Aasim and Ruby exchanged a glance. “You okay, darlin’?” Ruby asked.“No, not really,” Brody sighed, propping herself up on her elbow. “I could use another drink,” she added hopefully.Aasim chuckled. “Yeah, I think we’re done drinking for tonight,” he said, and it earned a small smile out of Brody.“Worth a shot,” said Brody, drumming her fingernails on the counter. Mitch came into the kitchen, and Ruby looked over her shoulder at him.“He still alive?” Ruby asked, and Mitch leaned on the counter, still easily towering over all of them.“Barely. Dude was drunk off his ass. Never knew he was such a lightweight,” Mitch said, and Brody let out a laugh, shoving her head back into her hands. “God, I wish Vi would’ve just… taken it for once. She only made things worse.”Brody shot him a glare. “Violet didn’t do anything wrong.”“Besides stir up drama, like always.”Aasim gave Mitch a look. “I think you’re forgetting who started the argument. That being Marlon. Not Violet.”“Maybe he just got the blondes confused,” Brody said with a grin, and Aasim laughed, earning an irritated look from Mitch. “Whatever. Can we just be done talking about it? Marlon’s name is starting to give me a headache.”Ruby nodded. “I second that.” Aasim had to agree. As he put the glasses away, Mitch started to talk again.“Well, we’ve gotta do something to pass the time while Louis gets the electricity working again.” He looked around the room, as if expecting entertainment to jump out of the shadows. Then, a devilish grin split his face, and the look sent shivers down Aasim’s spine. Whenever Mitch got a “good idea,” it usually ended pretty poorly. “Doesn’t Louis have a spirit board laying around here somewhere?”Aasim narrowed his eyes. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he did… why?”“Because… dark lighting… a shit ton of candles… a dark, stormy night…” Mitch drifted around the kitchen as if pretending to be a ghost. Brody smacked his arm. “It’s perfect! We have to communicate with the spirit world.”Aasim, knowing Ruby was terrified of anything to do with the supernatural, glanced at her then at Mitch. “Dude, I don’t think that’s a good idea-”“You scared, Aasim?” Mitch said with a grin and quirk of his brow, and Aasim quickly shook his head.“N-no! But-”“Then it’s settled. Brody, come help me find it.” Mitch was walking out of the kitchen before anyone could protest, and Brody sighed, pushing herself out of her chair and following after him.“I guess something to do is better than nothing, right?” she said with a shrug, and disappeared out the kitchen door behind Mitch.Aasim looked down at Ruby, whose hands were shaking and white knuckling a glass. “You okay?” He asked, gently taking the glass from her and rubbing a thumb against her hand. Any other time, he probably would’ve gone bright pink at the contact.“I’m fine,” Ruby said, giving Aasim a totally unconvincing smile. “It’s just… ghosts give me the heebie jeebies, and I would probably feel safer not taking part, but… there’s always that anxiety that somethin’ will creep up on you when you’re alone.” Aasim nodded in understanding, and she continued. “So I think I’ll watch.”“You sure? I can stay with you-”“No, I’ll watch,” Ruby said more firmly, and Aasim nodded, releasing her hand.“If you say so,” Aasim said, and Ruby avoided his gaze. He helped her clean the kitchen in silence until Mitch walked back into the kitchen, Brody in tow. He held up the spirit board victoriously, and Aasim sighed. Brody was holding a box full of candles that Aasim wasn’t sure why Louis’ parents owned.“Don’t look so glum, you two,” Mitch said with a roll of his eyes. “This stuff isn’t even real anyway. It’s just for fun.”Brody cast Aasim and Ruby an apologetic smile, and Aasim looked away. “I guess I’ll go get this set up,” she said, walking into the dining room with the box of candles. Mitch gestured for Ruby and Aasim to follow him, and they reluctantly did.“So… how does this work?” Ruby asked, taking a seat at the table, Aasim sitting next to her. Mitch set the board on the counter, gesturing to the slider.“That’s the planchette. We all put our fingertips on it, and it’ll slide around on its own when we ask it questions,” Mitch explained, and Aasim raised a brow.“On its own? Bullshit.”Mitch shrugged with a laugh. “Hey, don’t ask me how, dude. I’ve done this before and I swear none of us were intentionally sliding it.”Aasim crossed his arms, still skeptical. “Alright, but if you try to mess with us here, I’ll strangle you faster than any demon.”“Demon?” Ruby nearly squeaked, and Aasim instantly regretted saying it. Mitch cast him a look, and Brody put a hand on Ruby’s arm.“Don’t worry, Ruby. Nothin’ is gonna pop out of the board to get us. We’re fine. It’s just like a board game.”“A board game with the devil,” Mitch snickered, and Aasim glared at him while Brody punched his arm. Hard. Ruby looked like she was going to jump out of her chair at any moment.“Mitch, can you not?” Aasim said, putting a hand on Ruby’s forearm. It startled her so bad she flinched away. “Sorry. But Ruby’s right. It’s just like playing Clue… or Life… or Monopoly… or-”Ruby waved a hand. “It’s fine. I get it. Can we just get this over with?”Aasim and Brody exchanged a glance, and Brody nodded. “Sure.” Mitch and Brody took their seats at the table, and everyone put their hands on the planchett. “Are there any spirits willing to talk to us tonight?”For a second, nothing happened. “Maybe you said the words wrong?” Ruby whispered, but Mitch shushed her. After a moment, without Aasim pushing it at all, the slider moved over to YES.“Did you do that?” Aasim hissed at Mitch, who looked just as shocked as he did. Ruby looked like she had physically seen the ghost.“I swear I did nothing, dude,” Mitch said, looking at Brody. “Ask it something.”Brody thought for a moment. “Who are we speaking to?”The slider was still, then it began to move. “Mitch!” Aasim snapped, but he looked just as clueless. The slider went from T, to W, to I, to N. Everyone went dead silent. Aasim had a million things to say, but all that came out was, “I’m sorry, what? Is this for real?”“It’s gotta be…” Brody started, and Ruby had tears streaming down her face. Aasim wanted to reach out to comfort her, but he was starting to get spooked himself.“Ask it which twin it is,” Mitch said, and Brody took a deep breath.“Who’s there?” She hesitated, then continued. “Sophie?” Everyone watched with baited breath as the slider slowly moved over to YES. “Oh my God,” Brody breathed, and now Ruby was crying.“Jesus, this can’t be real!” She exclaimed, and Aasim’s breath was picking up himself. “God… Sophie, I’m sorry, we’re so so sorry…”Mitch fixed Ruby with a glare. “Calm down, freaking out isn’t going to solve anything,” he said, and looked over at Brody. “Maybe… we can figure out what happened to her and Minnie. Ask her.”“Mitch, I don’t-”“Ask her!” He repeated, louder this time.Brody turned back to the board, staring at the planchette like it had offended her. “Alright, fine. Sophie… who killed you?” The slider started to move again, and Brody muttered an “Oh God.” The slider moved, in order, to B-E-T-R- “Betrayed?” Brody gasped, and it was spelling out another word.“This is insane,” Mitch mumbled, and for once, Aasim agreed with him. The board spelled out M-I-N-E-S. “Mines?”“What does that mean?” Brody asked, glancing at Aasim. As if he’d know. He shrugged his shoulders, and Ruby was two seconds away from losing it. “I think we need to be done now. Goodbye.”The slider began to move over to GOODBYE, but the table shook and the pointer flew off the table. Ruby shrieked and Brody and Aasim jumped up. Mitch fell back in his chair, staring at the planchette in disbelief. “That’s… new.”“What did you do, Mitch?” Ruby yelled, and Mitch held his hands up in surrender. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but she cut him off. “Don’t even. I’m going to bed,” she said, and stormed out of the room.“Ruby!” Aasim called after her, and went to go after her, but Brody grabbed his arm before he could. “Let me go, Brody!”“Don’t,” Brody said, shaking her head gently. “I think she needs some time to cool down. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.”Aasim wrenched his arm from Brody’s grip. “You think?” He said, heading down the staircase after Ruby. “The last thing she should be right now is alone. Especially when spooked by demons or ghosts.”He heard Brody and Mitch say something after he left, but he didn’t care. “Ruby?” He called out, looking for his friend. “Ruby!” She had seemingly disappeared, and it didn’t help that this cabin was about the size of a mansion. Aasim looked all over the place, trying to pinpoint where she would’ve run off to. Just when he thought he lost her, he saw a figure lying on the ground.“Ruby!” Aasim called out, running to her side. She was passed out, her breathing steady as she slept. He shook her gently, and when she didn’t move, he shook her a little more roughly. She was still motionless. “Jesus fuck…” he muttered, opening his mouth to call out to Brody or Mitch, but before he could, he was cut off by something closing around his mouth.Aasim flailed around, trying to fight off his attacker, but as he inhaled, his vision immediately went hazy. Sleeping gas, he realized, then he was unconscious.
Brody The Cabin
Brody watched Aasim and Ruby run off, tapping her foot anxiously. “Should we go after them?” She asked Mitch, who shrugged his shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Helpful as ever, Mitch.”“Well, as you’ve probably seen, comforting people isn’t exactly my strong suit,” Mitch said irritably, and Brody sighed. Men really grated on her nerves sometimes.“Fine, I will,” Brody said, and Mitch grabbed her hand.“Is that a good idea? I mean, Ruby was pretty mad.” Brody rolled her eyes, pulling her hand out of Mitch’s.“You can stay here if you want,” Brody said, walking down the staircase, lingering her pace in case Mitch wanted to follow. She heard a sigh, then footsteps behind her.Brody cast him a mischievous grin, and he flushed. “What?”“You do care,” Brody teased, and Mitch rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Aw, it’s nothing to be ashamed about, Mitch.” She bumped his arm with her shoulder, and Mitch shook his head.“I just didn’t want to be left alone in the room with the spaztic Ouija Board, okay?” Mitch said sheepishly, and Brody laughed. “Stop!”“Sorry, sorry,” she giggled into her hand. “It’s just-” she cut off when she saw a tall, masculine figure in the dark, and she opened her mouth to say Aasim’s name, but Mitch slapped a hand over her mouth.“Wait,” he whispered, and pulled her off to the side to hide behind a wall. Brody shoved his hand away, about to ask what the hell he was doing, but cut short when she saw what Mitch did.The figure wasn’t Aasim, that was for sure. His shoulders were much too broad and he was taller than Aasim, and looked to be carrying an oxygen tank or something on his back. He had a bundle in his arms, and Brody covered her mouth to stifle a gasp as she realized it was Ruby. She was unconscious, her arm dangling loosely from where the figure was holding her. Aasim was nowhere in sight.Brody felt her breathing start to pick up, and Mitch put a hand on her shoulder. She gripped it with so much force she heard him hiss, but she didn’t care much at the moment. As soon as the figure was outside, Mitch and Brody waited a few seconds to speak.“Oh my fucking God, Mitch!” Brody exclaimed, and Mitch held her arms to keep her from freaking out too much. Though he looked pretty spooked himself. “That was… that was-”“I know, Brody! It looked really fucking bad!” Mitch let her go to run a hand through his hair stressfully. “Whatever that guy has planned for Aasim and Ruby, it doesn’t look good.”“We gotta call the police,” Brody breathed, feeling her heart starting to hammer out of her chest. “What if it’s a killer? What if he’s using Aasim and Ruby to lure us in and kill us all? What if…” she cut off with a gasp. “What if that’s who killed Sophie and Minerva?”Mitch stared at her in disbelief. “Brody, don’t even say that.”“What else am I supposed to fucking think?!” she hissed, running her hands over her face. “We have to tell the others and get the hell out of here.”“And just leave Aasim and Ruby behind? That’s not an option.”Brody threw her hands up in frustration. She could feel herself working up into a panic attack, but that was about at the bottom of her list of worries at the moment. “Did you not hear a word I just said, Mitch? He’s using them to lure us in! So he can get the rest of us and oh my God…” she cut off with a gasp for air, feeling her head start to spin.“Brody, breathe,” Mitch said, exaggerating his breath so she could follow along. She did as he said, taking deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth. “For all the psycho knows, we didn’t even see him and he got away unnoticed.”Brody sighed, brushing Mitch’s hands off of her arms. “I guess you’re right.”Mitch put his hands on his hips, giving her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Brody. I’m always right.”Brody’s eyes widened. “Wait, what about AJ and Tenn? And Marlon, and Louis?”Mitch’s brows furrowed. “What about them?”“If there really is a psycho out there trying to murder us all, how are they supposed to know? He could get them while we’re looking for the others!” Brody said, and Mitch crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing in thought. He clearly hadn’t thought of that.After a moment, Mitch spoke. “There’s no reason to cause an uproar. If this guy sees us panicking and hiding, he’ll notice, and we’ll lose our surprise advantage. Best case scenario, we get Aasim and Ruby back, they’re fine, and we’re able to call the police.”“What’s the worst case scenario?”“I’m trying not to think about that,” Mitch sighed. “I’m not usually the glass half-full guy, but… well, here we are.”Brody crossed her arms, looking down at the floor. “I hate it when you’re right.”“Like I said, always am.”“If we’re doing this, we’ve got no time to lose,” Brody said, looking over at the back door. “Let’s go get our friends back, Mitch.”Mitch grinned. “That’s the spirit. We’ll burn this fucker’s house to the ground.” The two opened the door, and were off into the night to go chase a psycho.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Police Records Tape 3

Clementine was starting to look dissociative again, and the investigator snapped his fingers in front of her face. She jolted from her trance, looking at him in confusion. “What?”

“Would you like to take a break, Miss Everett?”

“I…” she certainly looked like she wanted to. She might need to. “No, I’m okay,” she said, settling back in her chair. “What else did you want to know?”

“You told us about the deer on the road on the way to the cabin. What came next?”

Clementine clenched her fists, then released them. A relaxing mechanism? The investigator had seen similar things in trauma patients. Clementine would probably need to see a doctor, and soon. “I… we got to the cabin. Well, more like ran. And… we spent-well, we planned to spend the night there together.”

The investigator narrowed his eyes. “What were you running from?”

“I… we didn’t know at the time.” Clementine gave the investigator a smile that chilled him to his bones. He had a feeling it wasn’t a smile of happiness. “But that’s for later.”

“Why is that for later?”

Clementine shook her head. “It doesn’t… flow well. The story.”

The investigator blinked. “This isn’t a story, Miss Everett. This is me asking you to tell me what you know about what happened to you and your friends.”

“Isn’t it?” Clementine crossed her arms. “You won’t believe a word I say after this point. This will be a story you tell your wife at the dinner table and your kids when they beg for a ghost story. So why shouldn’t I take the creative liberty of telling you things as I saw them?”

The reporter clicked her pen, and the investigator sighed. “Very well, Miss Everett. Though if you tell the full truth, we have no reason not to believe you.”

Clementine uncrossed her arms, drumming her fingernails on the table. The reporter spoke up for the first time since they’d sat her down in the room. “What happened when you got to the cabin, Miss Everett?”

Clementine shrugged. “Nothing, at first. We were just stupid kids in love. Spending the night talking about our friends, kissing, other things…” Clementine sighed and ran a hand over her face. “And then there was the glass… and the blood, and Vi was screaming…”

“Glass? Blood? Screaming?” The investigator asked, meeting her gaze across the table. “What happened to Miss Clark at the cabin?”

Clementine looked away. “This is where things get strange, so listen closely.”

10 Hours Until Dawn

VioletThe Path to the Second Cabin

Violet was frozen stiff, unable to tear her gaze from the deer in front of her. Clementine was looking into the woods, flitting her phone’s flashlight back and forth. “Who’s there?” She called, and Violet quickly shushed her.

“You really want whatever did

that-

” she gestured at the deer, “-to come looking for us? Hard pass, thanks.”

Clementine sighed, approaching the deer slowly. Violet was right behind her, and the two girls knelt down to look at the poor animal. It was alive, but hanging on by a thin thread. Its breathing was labored and it was barely moving at all. Violet didn’t want to say it, but she did anyway. “Do… you have a knife or something?”

Clementine looked over at Violet, clearly hating what she was insinuating. “Yeah,” she sighed after a moment, pulling a pocket knife out of her pocket.

“May as well, you know. So it doesn’t have to suffer,” Violet said, her heart twisting at the sight of seeing an animal in pain. She didn’t want to kill it, but she didn’t want Clementine to have to either. Violet held a hand out for the knife. Clementine opened her mouth to protest, but Violet cut her off. “It’s okay. I can do it.”

Clementine reluctantly handed Violet the knife by the handle, running a hand over the deer’s mane to comfort it. It moved away, clearly scared, but Clementine shushed it. “It’s okay. It’ll all be over soon.” It relaxed under her touch, and Clementine nodded at Violet.

Violet positioned the blade at its throat, her hands shaking. For a moment, she didn’t know if she could summon the strength to do it. Then, gently, she pushed the blade into the deer’s neck, and it twitched for a moment, then went still.

“Poor thing,” Clementine said softly, standing up. She helped Violet up, putting a hand on her back. “Are you okay?”

Before Violet could answer, they heard a loud noise. They both jumped out of their skin, and their eyes barely had time to move down to the deer’s body before it was dragged into the forest almost quicker than their eyes could see.

“Oh my God!” Violet shrieked as Clementine shouted, “Run!”

The two pelted through the forest, Violet constantly looking over her shoulder to see anything following them. She couldn’t, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there. They climbed over a set of rocks, Clementine helping her up. “Go, go!” She urged, and Clementine spotted a porch light in the distance.

“The cabin!” Violet yelled, and the girls sprinted.  Violet nearly stumbled a couple of times in the snow, but the adrenaline kept her moving quickly.

As soon as they reached the porch, Violet dove for the door, Clementine right behind her. As soon as she went to open the door, a plank snapped from beneath her and she screamed, dropping the key. “Fuck!” She yelled. “My foot is stuck!”

Violet moved to help her, but Clementine shook her head. “No, get the key! I’ll be out in a second!” Reluctantly, Violet did as she was told, grabbing the key from the wood floor and shoving it with shaky hands into the lock, pushing the door open.

Clementine had just gotten free, and accepted Violet’s outstretched hand and led her into the cabin. Violet slammed the door behind them and locked it, collapsing against the wood. “Oh my God,” she breathed, looking over at Clementine. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt?”

Other than looking rattled, Clementine seemed fine. “Yeah, I’m-I’m fine.”

Now that the adrenaline was wearing down, Violet became very aware of the cramps in her stomach. “I knew I should’ve done fucking cardio.”

Clementine let out a breathy laugh, straightening herself up. “Whoa,” she said suddenly, and Violet looked up, gasping when she finally got a good look at the cabin for the first time.

Louis had gone all out. There were fairy lights hanging up around the room, and the couch had about four blankets all stacked on top of each other, neatly folded and recently washed. There were logs next to the fireplace, and matches on the table, with a note on top of it.

Enjoy yourselves for the night, you two. You deserve it. xx Louis

P.S. There’s snacks in the cabinets in case you vultures (Violet) gets hungry!;)

“What did we do to deserve him?” Clementine said with a chuckle, and Violet had no answer for her. She loved Louis, she really did, but it was these moments that made her realize she didn’t appreciate him near as much as she should.

Clementine bent down by the fire to get it started, and Violet rummaged through the cabinets. “Going right for the food, eh?” Clementine teased.

“After running a fucking marathon, I think I deserve a snack or two,” Violet said, and Clementine chuckled. She poked through the drawers, grinning when she saw a box full of cheddar goldfish. “Awesome.” Violet took her prize back into the living room, and Clementine glanced over her shoulder and laughed. “What?”

“You’re just… literally a five year old.”

“A five year old that you’re dating,” Violet bit back. Clementine raised a brow. “I admit that sounded better in my head.”

Clementine snorted, and lit the fireplace with the matches Louis had left out for them. The room slowly got warmer, but Violet was still shivering. She pulled a blanket over herself, while Clementine shrugged out of her coat and hung it up on the rack. That would’ve been fine, but Violet nearly went into cardiac arrest as Clementine pulled off the blue henley she was wearing to reveal only the black tank top she was wearing underneath.

“Uh… isn’t that cold?” Violet said, suddenly hyper-aware of the blood rushing to her cheeks. Clementine smiled, and God, that needed to be illegal.

“I don’t want to get warm and comfy then take off the layers later,” Clementine said, and… it wasn’t a half bad idea. Violet took off her coat and draped it over the back of the couch, leaving only her long sleeved army green shirt.

Clementine settled down on the couch next to Violet, and Violet laid her head down on her chest. “Are you gonna share that blanket?” Clementine asked, and even though Violet couldn’t see her face, she knew she was smiling.

“Mm, nope. There are like, 3 left.” Violet closed her eyes and burrowed deeper into Clementine’s chest. Clementine reached the best she could for a blanket, and draped it over the both of them. “Much better, thanks.”

“You have about the thinnest blood ever, you know.”

“I know.”

Clementine’s hand moved up to Violet’s hair, combing through it and gently pulling out the knots. Violet hummed, wrapping her arms around Clementine’s middle. “You’re also a cat,” Clementine said, and Violet lifted her head and rested her chin on Clementine’s chest to look her in the eyes.

“Now you don’t need to get a cat. You have me.” Clementine laughed, and Violet smiled.

“Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky,” Clementine said, and Violet’s eyes widened. “With you.”

“

You

got lucky with

me?

” Violet asked in disbelief, pushing herself up to look at Clementine better. “Come on, Clem, you're like… the total package! Sporty, good looking, can cook, super romantic…” Clementine shook her head, but the smile never left her face. “Wheras me, the most exquisite meal I've made is ramen and I can barely look someone in the eye without getting nervous.”

Clementine laughed, reaching a hand up to brush Violet's fringe out of her eyes. “All things I fell in love with you for.”

“God, you're a sap.”

“You love it.”

Violet leaned down, gently pressing their lips together. Clementine's hand moved up to her cheek, and Violet nearly shuddered at her cold fingers. “Yeah… I think I do,” she said against Clementine's lips, and they were so close Violet could feel her smile.

“You taste like goldfish,” Clementine murmured, and Violet laughed, pecking her on the corner of her mouth.

Clementine pulled her down by the neck for another kiss, and Violet felt her heart swell. “I love you,” she said in between kisses. “So much.”

“I love you too,” Clementine said, and the words came easier to her, but it still made Violet's stomach flutter every time.

They pulled away after a moment, and Violet let her head fall onto Clementine's shoulder, burying her nose into the crook of her neck. Clementine wrapped her arms around her back, moving her hands back into Violet's hair. “At least I have one thing to thank Marlon for,” Clementine said.

Violet hummed. “What is that?”

“I got my wish,” Clementine said. “I'm cuddling with a pretty lady by the fire.”

Violet rolled her eyes, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to Clementine's neck. “You're such a dork,” she murmured right before drifting off.

ClementineThe Second Cabin

Clementine hadn’t even noticed she’d fallen asleep until a sound jolted her awake.

It was a loud noise from outside, and she rubbed her eyes and pushed herself into a sitting position. Violet, still asleep, groaned in protest, wrapping her arms tighter around Clementine’s waist. Clementine chuckled, gently prying Violet’s arms off of her and brushing aside the curtains to look out the window.

The clouds had cleared up, and the moon was casting light on the freshly fallen snow and illuminating it against the night. She could just make out the stars above the treeline, and Clementine smiled, remembering one of hers and Violet’s dates.

They’d been laying in the bed of Lee’s truck, with an air mattress blown up and pillows and blankets spread everywhere. Staring at the stars. Violet had talked Clementine’s ears off about astronomy, the legends and myths behind the constellations, and how to find Polaris. Clementine didn’t remember a single word she’d said that night. It wasn’t that she wasn’t listening, but more enjoying the sound of her voice than anything.

They’d kissed for the first time under those stars.

Clementine felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, and she squeezed Violet’s hands as she burrowed her head in between her shoulder blades. “You okay?” Violet asked, and Clementine nodded.

“Yeah. Just thought I heard something. What are you doing up?”

“Got cold.”

Clementine snorted, leaning back into her touch. “I’ve been up for about two minutes, Vi. And you had more than one blanket on you. And the fire…” she glanced over at the fire, which was just dying embers now. “Okay. Maybe the fire is dead.”

“And I didn’t have my personal heater,” Violet said, and Clementine rolled her eyes.

“Usually I’m called your girlfriend.”

“Same difference.”

Clementine turned around, pressing a soft kiss to Violet’s lips. After she pulled away, she gently led her back to the couch, but jumped after hearing a loud sound outside. Much closer than the first one had been. Her and Violet exchanged a glance, and Violet wandered over to the window to check the disturbance.

“What was that?” Clementine asked, and Violet lingered for a moment before shrugging.

“I dunno. Maybe another de-” She cut off with a scream as the window shattered behind her, and something grabbed her out of the window and dragged her out. Clementine was frozen still as she stared at the broken window, shards covered in Violet’s blood.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Police Records Tape 4

Clementine had been right. The investigator was having a very hard time believing this. “You said she was… dragged? Out the window?” Clementine nodded, and he massaged his temples with his fingertips. “By who?”

“Not who,” Clementine said, avoiding his gaze. “What.”

“It took her to this… this place.” Clementine gestured with her hands as she spoke. “It was… a building, of some sort.”

“What do you think this

thing

wanted with her?”

Clementine wrapped her coat tighter around herself. “I don’t want to think about it.”

The reporter clicked her pen a few times, scribbling something down on her paper. She angled it so the inspector could see.

She’s crazy,

it read in sloppy handwriting written in blue pen. The investigator wanted to believe that she was crazy, but there was no evidence against what she was saying. No evidence for it, either.

An idea popped up in the investigator’s brain. “Do you think it’s possible one of your friends attacked Miss Clark and dragged her through the woods?”

Clementine shook her head. “No. No way. I thought it was human at first, but it was… too fast. I couldn’t keep up with it.”

“None of your friends are fast?”

Clementine fixed him with a glare. “Not

that

fast.”

The investigator went silent for a moment before asking his next question. “Did you attack Miss Clark and drag her through the woods?”

“Wh-no!” Clementine’s eyes widened. “Are you fucking insane?”

“It’s standard procedure, Miss Everett-”

“Bullshit, it’s standard procedure!” She snapped, leaning across the table. “I didn’t attack Violet. None of my friends attacked Violet. Something attacked her, and I won’t stop saying it until you fucking listen.”

“We have no reason to not believe you unless you tell the truth, Miss Everett,” the investigator said, placing his hands on the table. “There’s no need to get upset. There are just some questions I have to ask as a part of my job.” The reporter cleared her throat, shifting awkwardly. “Can you tell me what happened next?”

“I chased her. And I found her.”

The investigator waited for her to speak, but when he didn’t, he prompted her. “And?”

“I thought she was dead.” Clementine wiped tears from her eyes, giving the investigator an unconvincing smile. “I thought Violet was dead.”

9 Hours Until Dawn

MitchThe Forest

Mitch and Brody tracked the footsteps of the psycho through the woods for some time, and Brody was jumping at every slight sound. Mitch had to admit the whole situation had him on edge, too. Seeing your friends get kidnapped wasn’t exactly something you got over at the drop of a hat.

“I think we’re almost there,” Mitch whispered, and Brody shivered.

“God, I hope so. Let’s just get this over with.”

The two came up on a large shed about a quarter mile away from the cabin, and the footsteps lead straight up to it, the boots the psycho was wearing tracking snow inside. Mitch exchanged a glance with Brody. The two crept up on it, slipping through the front door.

Mitch hadn’t even known it was there, but it looked like some sort of hunting shed. There were pelts and a taxidermy deer head on the wall, and what looked like had once been a gun shelf was now empty. It would’ve been nice to have a gun.

Brody crept along the wall, peeking around the corner. She gestured at Mitch to follow.

All clear.

He treaded right behind her,  glancing over his shoulder every so often to predict an ambush. The two reached a door that was hard to see in the dark, but Mitch fumbled for the door handle. It jiggled, but didn’t budge. Locked. “Shit,” Mitch said.

“What now?” Brody whispered, looking around the room. He opened his mouth to answer, but cut off as a light suddenly came on. Brody screamed, and they moved to the window looking into the room behind the locked door. “Oh my God!” She gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth.

Aasim and Ruby were in the room, illuminated by the light shining above them. They were tied to poles, and Aasim seemed to be coming to. Ruby was still unconscious. “Ruby!” Aasim shouted once he was aware, struggling against his restraints. “Help!”

“Aasim!” Brody screamed, running for the window, but Mitch pulled her back. “Let me go, Mitch!”

“And let you get killed? Absolutely not,” Mitch said, looking around. “You gonna show your face anytime, you motherfucker? Or are you too busy hiding behind your toys?”

“Such spunk, Mitch,” came a voice over a speaker, and Brody shrieked. It was a deep male voice, clearly a voice changer. “Though, I’ve always liked that about you.”

“Who the hell are you?” Brody asked, looking at the speaker as if the psycho was already there. “What do you want?”

“I want you and Mitch to make a choice, Brody. I understand it may be difficult, but I know the two of you can do it.” The psycho paused for a moment, and Mitch looked around the shed for any sign of him. “You won’t have much luck by looking, Mitch.”

Mitch sighed in frustration, and Brody put a hand on his arm. “What do you want us to do?” Brody asked, and a low chuckle came from the speaker.

“Two of your friends are sitting in front of you. Scared. Traumatized. Distressed. They need your help. But you can only save one. Say the name of the person you want to die, and the other will live.”

Brody gasped, and Mitch screamed, “That’s fucking insane! We aren’t doing that!”

“Do it or both die. As well as your other friend. The funny one. What’s his name… Louis?”

“What did you do to Louis?” Brody said.

The psycho paused before responding. “Nothing. He’s still safe in the cabin. For now. But I know where he is, and if you don’t decide quickly, him and these two are dead. So choose.”

“Mitch, what do we do?!” Brody turned to him, frantic and shaking, and Mitch ran a hand over his face and through his hair, pacing back and forth. “Mitch, he’s gonna kill them!”

“I’m thinking!” Mitch snapped, and the psycho’s voice sounded over the loudspeaker.

“You don’t have a lot of time to think, Mitch.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Mitch said, stopping his pacing to linger in front of the window. Ruby was awake now, and crying out. Aasim was trying to calm her down, but it was pretty hard when he was panicking himself. “Oh my God… fuck it. Aasim.”

Brody started to cry. “Oh my God, Mitch…” He had nothing to say in response.

“Very well,” said the deep voice, and all the lights shut off again. The shed was eerily silent for a moment, then they heard a scream that sounded eerily like Aasim.

“What did we do…” Brody cried. “What have we done?”

The lights came back on again, and Ruby was alone in the room. Aasim was gone, and a pool of blood was in his spot. The blood trailed into the back of the cabin. Brody gasped, falling to the floor and sobbing into her hands. The locked door swung open, and Mitch ran inside to grab Ruby and untie her.

“Mitch…” she sobbed, and fell into him as soon as she was free. Ruby wrapped his arms around his middle, and Mitch helped carry her out. Brody was still on the floor, curled into a ball. Without a word, Mitch bent down and helped her up by the arm, helping both girls walk.

“Mitch?” Came a voice from outside as soon as they walked out, and Marlon was walking up the trail, looking out of it. “I-What’s going on?” he said as soon as he saw Ruby and Brody on Mitch’s arms, eyes widening. “The fuck?”

“Aasim’s dead,” Brody gasped out, and Marlon stared at her.

“I… Brody, that’s not funny.”

Mitch shook his head, and he could feel his entire body going numb. He’d said Aasim’s name. He was the reason Aasim was dead. “She isn’t joking.”

Brody stumbled forward out of Mitch’s grip into Marlon’s chest, letting out sobs. He wrapped his arms around her, looking over her at Mitch. “What… happened?”

“There’s a fucking psycho on this mountain,” Mitch said, casting a glance back at the shed. “He kidnapped Ruby and Aasim, and told us to choose one of them to die. If we wouldn’t, he would’ve killed Louis and both of them.” Mitch looked down at the ground. “I… I had to, man.”

The four of them were silent, and Mitch suddenly became hyper aware of Ruby, who still had her arms wrapped around his middle like a leech. “We need to call for help,” Brody said, pulling away from Marlon’s chest and wiping the tears from her cheeks.

“I second that,” Marlon said, and Mitch gestured down at Ruby.

“She’s in no state to travel, dude. Besides, AJ and Tenn and Louis are still back there. They have no idea what’s going on, and what if he gets to them before the help does,” Mitch said, and Brody started to pace, muttering under her breath. The shock was getting to her. Her and Mitch both.

“Alright, I’ll take Ruby back to the cabin. You and Brody go to the cable car and see if you can’t get out of here,” Marlon said, and Mitch transferred Ruby over to Marlon’s arms.

“What about Vi and Clem?” Brody said.

Marlon thought for a moment. “Once you guys are down, call the police. They’ll come and hopefully be here before Clementine and Violet know anything’s wrong.”

Mitch nodded, and Brody stepped to his side. “Stay safe, Marlon,” Brody said, waving after him. Marlon gave them a nod, tightening his grip on Ruby.

“You too,” Marlon said, and the two groups parted ways.

ClementineThe Second Cabin

“Violet!” Clementine screamed, grabbing the sniper rifle that sat in a display cabinet by the door. She slammed the door open with her shoulder, screaming into the forest. “Violet!”

There was no response.

Clementine tore through the woods, following the drag marks. It looked like something was dragging Violet through the forest, and her blood was trailing after her. She was hurt. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Clementine swore as she reached a river. There were barrels floating down the middle of it, which gave her an idea. She hopped from barrel to barrel, nearly slipping on the ice coating them. Eventually, she made it to the other side, and found the skid marks with Violet’s blood again.

Clementine ran until she nearly fell off a ravine, barely saving herself. Pebbles fell into the dark abyss below, and she caught her breath for a second before using the scope on the rifle to find Violet.

It took her a moment to find her in the dark of the night, but eventually, she caught a flash of blonde hair. Violet was alive, and crawling away from something. She screamed as something grabbed her foot and dragged her away again. “Clementine!” Violet shouted, kicking at whatever it was that was dragging her.

“Violet!” Clementine screamed back, but got no response. “Fuck,” she muttered, eyeing the ravine. Seeing no other choice, she slung the sniper rifle over her back and started to slide down the cliff’s edge. Quickly she gained too much speed, and scrambled to stop herself. She managed to grab an outlying branch before hitting the ground, cushioning her fall.

Clementine tore through the forest, her footsteps crunching against the snow. She was careful not to slip, but her pace didn’t linger. Clementine came to the top of a hill, and heard a scream. She looked out over the landscape. There was a large building that looked almost like a farm, but certainly wasn’t. The scream had come from there.

“Shit…” Clementine said, eyeing the steep hill heading down to the structure. She got on her back and started to slide, grabbing onto rocks on the way down to slow herself. Clementine missed the last rock, and cried out as she hit the ground, hard. “Oh, God…” she rolled onto her back, pushing herself up despite the aching pain in her body.

“Violet!” She called out, running as fast as she could towards the building. She reached the front door, and clutched the rifle tightly in her hand as she shoved the door open with her shoulder. Clementine looked around the building, but it was almost too dark to see. It was a shabby structure made out of rotting wood and it smelled like dust.

There was a sign that said,

To Elevator,

and a set of stairs leading into the dark. “Please don’t be down there…” Clementine murmured, then she heard a shout again.

“Clementine!” Clementine quickly turned and ran down the stairs, running towards the source of the noise. “Oh God, Clem, please!”

“Violet, I’m here!” Clementine yelled back, looking around. It seemed that the closer she got to Violet’s voice, the further away it sounded. “Violet!”

Clementine wandered over towards the elevator, but there was still no sign of her. The “elevator” was definitely not functional; it was made of pieces of metal that were rusting and decaying. It may have worked about 50 years ago, but it didn’t now. “Violet?” Clementine said more quietly, and looked up the elevator shaft. “Violet!”

Clementine jumped backwards as a figure came falling down the shaft, letting out a scream. As soon as she heard a thud, she looked over, and saw Violet there, lying motionless.

“Violet!” Clementine gasped, moving over to help her. She was covered in cuts and bruises, and blood was running down the side of her temple. For a moment, she thought she was dead, but then she saw the gentle rise and fall of her chest. “Violet,” Clementine urged, shaking her shoulder.

Violet stirred, and Clementine could see that she was hanging onto consciousness by a thread. She reached up a hand, and it seemed to take up all of her strength. “Clem…” she murmured.

Clementiner reached forward to pull Violet to safety, but the elevator quickly went into motion. “What the-” Clementine started, but the elevator jarred and fell into the dark abyss below with Violet still on it.

“Violet!” Clementine could only watch as the shaft fell, and tears streamed down her face. “No… no, please…” She sobbed, shoving her hands into her eyes. “Fuck!” She screamed, collapsing onto the floor. The gun clattered uselessly next to her as she hunched over and cried.

A loud bang startled Clementine out of her stupor, and she looked up for the source. “What the fuck…” she muttered, picking up the rifle and using the scope to look. At first, she saw nothing.

Then, she saw the face looking back at her.

Without thinking, she fired.

Clementine didn’t look to see if she’d hit. She ran up the staircase that looped around the elevator, stopping short when she reached a wall. “I can climb this, I can climb this,” she muttered, climbing up the structure as if it was a rock wall. One of the pieces of metal came loose, and she screamed, but grabbed onto another piece before she hit the ground. The loose piece fell to the ground with a loud clang, and she swore under her breath.

Clementine threw the gun over the side, and pulled herself up with a grunt of pain. Her body still ached from the tumbles down the ravine and hill, and she suspected she was going to wake up sore the next day. And for a few days after.

As Clementine stood up, she could see that there was an opening in the rocks, with a worn down path through it. She nearly gasped as she saw a figure walking down the path. It was a man, broad-shouldered, tall and dark haired, but she couldn’t see his face. He didn’t seem to notice her, and she raised the rifle, lining him up in her scope. She pulled the trigger.

Click.

Empty.

“Fuck,” Clementine muttered in frustration, taking off the gun and throwing it to the side. The man walked through a metal door that seemed to be electrically operated. She walked in the shadows, trying to go unnoticed. He passed through the door, and pulled a lever to close it behind him. “Shit!” Clementine ran at the door as fast as she could, sliding to get through it before it could close.

She barely made it, and had to snap her fingers away so the door didn’t close on them. Clementine looked around for the man, but he was already way ahead of her, walking up the a hill to a different building. This one was much bigger than the elevator, almost triple the size of the cabin. Clementine narrowed her eyes as she realized that it must be the Sanatorium that used to operate on the mountain.

The Sanatorium had shut down almost 70 years prior due to some patients breaking out and killing the staff, sending the workplace into a pandemonium. Clementine didn’t know much other than what Louis told her in an attempt to scare her, but supposedly, the patients that had went crazy were the miners trapped in the cave-in back in the 50’s. The people were trapped down there for so long, they began to attack and eat each other in order to survive. They were unsavable, and killed most of the nurses that were trying to take care of them.

But that was just a ghost story.

The building was abandoned now, and Louis’ parents hadn’t bothered to waste funds to get it bulldozed.

“What the hell are you doing there, psycho?” Clementine said, staring after him. She cast a glance behind her at the door that had just shut, Violet’s fate hitting her like a truck. Clementine shook her head, wiping the unshed tears out of her eyes.

“No time for tears, Clementine. You’ve got a girl that needs avenging,” she murmured, and followed in the man’s footsteps up the hill to the Sanatorium.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Police Records Tape 5

The investigator recapped Clementine on the information he had gathered from her other friends. Clementine looked surprised to hear it, her eyes going wide as she took in every word. “That’s all we know about what happened to your other friends when you and Miss Clark were at the second cabin. Were you aware of any of this? Did they ever tell you?

Clementine shook her head. “I knew bits and pieces. Only what Brody told me when I got back from the Sanatorium.”

Everyone listening stopped dead in their tracks. “I’m sorry, Miss Everett, but did you say the Sanatorium? As in the abandoned building that shut down years ago near the West’s cabin?”

“The very same.”

“What on earth were you doing there?” The investigator asked, and the reporter looked to shellshocked to continue writing. Thank God for the tape recorder. Clementine went suddenly quiet, and the investigator pressed her. “Sightseeing?”

Clementine whipped her head around to glare at him. “I don’t appreciate being patronized, sir.” The investigator raised his hands in surrender, and Clementine sighed. “I was there looking for the guy I thought murdered my girlfriend.”

“You

thought

murdered your girlfriend? Did you think Miss Clark died in the accident falling into the mines?”

Clementine shrugged. “Who wouldn't? She was already in pretty bad shape, and it was a long drop. And I didn't think it was an accident. I'm still not so sure it was.”

The inspector drummed his fingers on the table. “Why didn't you go down to look?”

Clementine stared at him like it was the stupidest question she had ever heard. “Because maybe I thought the sight of my dead girlfriend might traumatize me. Besides, I saw the guy who I thought killed her, so I chased him.”

“Was it? The man who attacked her?”

Clementine looked down at the floor, and the investigator thought it was best not to press her. “What did you find at the Sanatorium?”

“A lot of things I wish I could unsee..” Clementine pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a long sigh. “It's the reason I have this.” She gestured to the bandage on her hand.

“What happened to you in there?”

7 Hours and 45 Minutes Until Dawn

Clementine
The Sanatorium

Clementine crept up the hill as quietly as she could, watching the man slip in through the front door of the super creepy building. Rather than go through the front gate and risk being spotted, she waited for him to move inside before climbing the gate leading in.

She let out a hiss of pain as she landed roughly on her shoulder, pushing herself up and brushing the snow off her arm. Clementine was starting to shiver. She was still only in a tank top, and the temperature was below freezing. She pushed on, finding herself on the front steps of the Sanatorium.

Her hand reached out to push the door open, but it wouldn’t budge. “Of course it’s not that easy,” Clementine murmured, looking around for another way in.

There was a small window leading into a basement of some sort, and she moved over to it, eyeing it curiously. It looked just big enough for her to slip into, but it was frozen shut. Clementine moved on her side, angling her leg towards the window. It took a couple of kicks, but eventually the glass shattered, and Clementine slipped through, hissing as a shard cut her arm.

“I hope no one heard that,” Clementine said to herself, landing much more smoothly on concrete ground. The room was dark, but she spotted a lighter laying on a table. She clicked it on, using it to illuminate the room the best she could.

Other than being dark and creepy, she could see dust particles floating in the air of the room and it had an overpowering musty smell to it. The walls were chipping away and the concrete floor was littered with stains, and it was very obvious that no one was taking care of this place at all and likely hadn’t in years.

Clementine treaded lightly through the basement, using the match to guide her. She tried to ignore the chairs for the psychiatric patients with ripped restraints and blood staining the wood, but it still made her shudder to think about what could’ve happened there.

Eventually, she reached a staircase, which lead her upstairs to a chapel of some sort. What

was

a chapel. The parts of the ceiling had caved in and rubble was on the ground, and she had to be careful not to trip. There was another staircase, but it had caved in and was unuseable.

Clementine walked straight, through an opening that read

Morgue.

“Not creepy at all,” she murmured, glancing over her shoulder every so often to look for the psycho. He wasn’t around, and had seemed to vanish into the never-ending passageways of the Sanatorium. The thought passed through her head that he might already know she was there, but she brushed it off.

On the way, she passed patient’s rooms, all just as overturned as the others. There were shelves falling over and ripped restraint chairs, but a couple of the desks still had papers lying on them. Clementine stepped into one of the rooms and picked up what looked like a newspaper article.

It was dated January 9, 1952. A reporter had  been assaulted after trying to visit the rescued miners and get a story from them, and there was a full scale investigation that had been launched. Clementine wondered if it had ever been finished.

She set the newspaper down and continued on, coming to a large room. Glancing to the right, she saw a machete sitting on the table inside a leather holster. “Nice,” she said, threading the holster through her belt loops. Clementine pushed through the double wooden doors, taking a glance around the room.

The layer of dust everywhere was congesting her and threatening to make her cough, and she covered her mouth until she got adjusted to the smell. There were hospital beds pushed into the corners and blood splattered on the walls, but what caught Clementine’s attention was a waving hand. Not a real one, but some sort of dummy operated by machinery. There was a tag wrapped around the dummy’s wrist that appeared to have writing on it, and she stepped closer, holding a hand out to grab the tag.

Clementine squinted to read the writing, but before she could, the hand and wood splintered away and her hand exploded in pain.

Clementine screamed, glancing down at two of her fingers that were caught in a bear trap. The hand was rigged. “Fuck!” she cried out in pain, clenching her teeth and hunching over to look at the trap. Her eyes were watering, but she couldn’t see a release latch for the trap. Which left her with one option.

She pulled the machete out of her waistband, holding it up above the trap. “Oh shit…” She swung the machete, and let out a cry of agony as the blade made contact. It hadn’t gone all the way through.  Clementine was bleeding profusely, but she could see the white of her bone in all the red. The machete swung again, and she screamed as her fingers came totally free.

Clementine fell on the floor, nursing her bleeding hand and letting out sobs of pain. Her head was light from losing so much blood and she’d never been in more pain in her life. Eventually she was able to drag herself up, wrapping a bandage around her hand in order to stall the bleeding.

“I am

not

dying here,” Clementine muttered, using a table to push herself up. She stored her machete back in its holster, walking with her hand alongside the wall to catch her if she fainted. Clementine eyed the passage into the morgue. If the man was still here, there was no way he hadn’t heard that screaming. He knew she was here.

“Out of the frying pan,” she muttered, nearly falling forward. “Into the fire.”

Louis
The Cabin Basement

“Fucking hell,” Louis swore in frustration, resisting the urge to kick the power box. Louis’ father had taught him a lot of useless lessons, but none of them included how to fix the busted power. He’d been down there for a good two hours or so, and still nothing. He was about to say “fuck it” and leave the power to suffer, but if they didn’t have working heat, he’d be listening to bitching all weekend.

Louis jumped as a loud banging sound echoed through the basement, and he straightened up, looking around. “Whatever you guys are doing up there, please don’t break anything!” Louis yelled up, but no one responded. He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the power.

Another loud boom had Louis standing up and moving towards the staircase, casting his eyes upstairs. “You guys! If anything is broken, you’re paying for it!” When he again got no response, he huffed and stepped out of the basement door, but did a double take when he saw the hallway.

It was illuminated by candlelight from about a million lit candles, on the floors and on the tables. Louis blinked, suddenly feeling very uneasy. “I know you guys may have sight issues but this feels

slightly

like too much, yeah?” Louis moved down the hallway, glancing upstairs for any signs of anyone. “Hello?”

“Hello, Louis.”

Louis jumped as a voice he definitely did not recognize came through a loudspeaker, and he looked around for the source. “Who’s there? Is this some sort of joke?”

“No joke, Louis. More like… a game. I know you like those.” The voice was deep and unnatural, like it was purposely modified to be unrecognizable. “The game is called Tag. Are you familiar?”

Louis’ heart was racing, and he could feel his breath quickening. “Where the fuck are my friends?”

There was a low chuckle heard from the speaker, and Louis shivered. “Don’t worry, Louis. I’ve taken care of them already,” the voice said, and Louis’ eyes widened.

“What the fuck did you do?”

The man ignored him. “I’ll start as It. You run, and I’ll tag you. If I tag you, I win.. If I don’t, you win. If you lose, well… you won’t like the consequence.”

Louis stumbled back against the wall, the flame from one of the candles burning his ankle. He hissed, jumping back and looking for the man speaking to him. “What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck,” he muttered, turning into the basement and hiding in a dark corridor.

A pair of footsteps made Louis’ eyes widen, and his breath hitched as a figure stepped into the basement. He was wearing a mask and carrying a tank full of sleeping gas, and walking with a limp. Louis covered his mouth, trying to control his trembling.

“Here, Louis…” The man said, and Louis could hear his breathing. He seemed to have the voice modifier inside his mask. “Come on out, don’t be shy.” The psycho stepped in front of the corridor Louis was hiding in with his back facing him. If Louis was going to act, it needed to be now. He glanced around, spotting his baseball bat that he had used growing up. As quietly as possible, he picked it up, and the bat trembled in his hand.

Louis treaded quietly, using both hands to grip the bat and when he was close enough, he swung. The bat hit the man across the head, hard, and he fell to the floor, letting out a cry of agony. Louis didn’t stick around to make sure he was okay. He ran, going towards the basement door that lead further in. He rammed the door open with his shoulder, locking it behind him.

“Shit, shit, shit…” Louis muttered, running a hand through his hair and looking around wildly. His heart was hammering out of his chest, and he felt slightly dizzy. He kept moving, getting to another wooden door he’d never seen before. It was locked, but looked pretty poorly made. Louis shoved it in, falling forward and scraping his arm. “Jesus Christ!” He exclaimed, standing up and pulling his hand away from his arm to find it coated in blood.

He walked forward, the darkness and mustiness of the hallway making him uneasy. He’d ended up in some sort of passage, one that looked as though it hadn’t been explored in years. Louis ran his hand along the wall, and once he spotted another opening, he ran.

Suddenly, he felt something clasp around his mouth, and his lungs filled up with sleeping gas. Louis struggled against his attacker, but felt his limbs growing weaker and eyes growing heavier as he was put to sleep. “Tag,” the psycho said as Louis passed out in his arms.

Brody
Path to the Cable Car

Mitch was being uncharacteristically quiet on the walk to the cable car station. Brody

wanted

to say something to him, but she didn't even know where to start. Her body couldn't seem to stop shaking, and she suspected it wasn't because of the cold.

“Mitch?” Brody asked tentatively, and he didn’t respond, just kept walking. “Mitch.”

“What, Brody?”

Brody looked down at her feet, then back up at her friend. “It’s just… maybe we should talk about what just happened-”

“There is

nothing

to talk about!” Mitch said, whirling on Brody. Startled, she took a step back. He kept talking. “Aasim is dead. And it’s my fault.

I’m

the one that said he should be the one to die,

I’m

the one that sat back and did nothing while that fucker actually killed him, and

I’m

the one that stopped you from going after him in the first place.” Brody opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. “I basically pulled the trigger, Brody. And I don’t want to discuss it.”

“It’s not your

fault

, Mitch,” Brody said, brows furrowed. “It’s his fault.” She pointed back in the direction of the shed where they’d come from, then crossed her arms. “He pulled the trigger. Not you. And if you hadn’t spoken up, three of us would be dead instead of one.”

Mitch ran a hand through his hair, and Brody didn’t think she imagined the unshed tears glimmering in his eyes. “Whatever. Let’s just get going.”

“Mitch-” Brody reached a hand out, but he gently shoved it away.

“I’m fine, Brody. Let’s go.” Mitch started to walk away towards the Cable Car station, and she sighed, following in his footsteps.

When they reached it, they immediately knew something was wrong. An axe was lodged in the door, and it was

definitely

not there before. “What the fuck?” Mitch said, walking closer to inspect it.

“Mitch, wait!” Brody said, but he ignored her, gripping the axe with both hands and pulling it out of the door. Brody watched him, eyeing the door nervously. “He must’ve just been here.”

“Looks like it,” Mitch said, turning the doorknob and cursing under his breath. “Fuck, it’s locked.”

“Can you bust it down?” Brody asked, gesturing to the axe he had in his hands. Mitch hesitated before nodding, raising the axe above his head. Brody winced as he brought it down against the door, glancing around behind her shoulder. Maybe this hadn’t been the best idea. Mitch hit the door one more time, and the doorknob fell off, and he shouldered it open.

“After you,” Mitch said, and Brody shook her head.

“Oh, no. You first.”

Mitch rolled his eyes, walking in and holding the door open for Brody. She took one look at the station and let out a gasp.

The station had been totally trashed. The room with the controls in it had papers everywhere, tables overturned, and what looked like blood on the walls. “Jesus Christ, this must’ve just happened…” Mitch mumbled, hand moving to the blood. “It’s dry, but it’s recent.”

“Whose… blood is that?” Brody asked, and Mitch shook his head.

“I’m not sure we want to know the answer.”

Brody moved towards the controls as Mitch hung some sort of large map up on the wall, and glanced at the

Start/Stop

button. There was a keyhole directly underneath it, but no key lying around. “Mitch, there’s no key.”

“Fuck… that asshole must’ve known we’d come down here,” Mitch said. He slammed his fist on a table, startling Brody. “Damn it!”

“Mitch, calm down.” Brody put a hand on his back, looking at the map he’d just hung up. It was of the mountain, and various landmarks all over the place. She could see the cable car station marked with a

You Are Here

label, and the cabin nearby. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a large tower she didn’t recognize. “What is that?” she asked, pointing to it.

Mitch looked up, and his eyes lit up. “That’s a fire tower,” he said, turning to her. “That’ll have something we can call for help on.”

“Will it?”

“Yes! We just have to get there without dying first.” Mitch picked the axe back up from where he’d set it down on the table, glancing at Brody. “You in?”

“Of course, but…” Brody cast a regretful look at the cabin where it was marked on the map. “Louis is still there. And Marlon, and Ruby, and AJ, and Tenn…”

“Marlon will let Louis know what’s going on, and they can keep an eye on the others. Don’t worry, Brody. The sooner we can get out of here, the better.”

Brody glanced at the map one more time and nodded. “Okay. Okay, yeah. Let’s go.”

The two walked out of the station, and Mitch looked over at the door. “We can’t go out that way, the fire tower would mean we had to walk past back the shed.”

“So what do we do?” Brody asked, and Mitch glanced around. Brody spotted a ladder that seemed to lead down to another exit. “There!”

“Good find,” Mitch said, reaching up and pulling the ladder down, holding it steady for Brody to climb down. In order to get to the other side, they had to walk around a very thin strip of wood above a very high drop.

“This… isn’t… terrifying… at all…” Brody said as she climbed down the ladder, holding it for Mitch to climb down.

“Just don’t look down,” Mitch said, and walked behind her. He looked like he was having much more trouble staying balanced, having larger feet. “Go slow.”

“Oh my God, shut up!” Brody bit back, eyeing the ledge beneath her uneasily. It was covered in ice, which made it much more difficult to walk on without falling to her death.

They reached a corner, and Brody went to round it, but her foot slipped on the ice and she fell forward. She let out a cry, but Mitch grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back up on the ledge. “Are you okay?” He asked, and she nodded, her heart leaping into her throat.

“I’m fine. Let’s just get off this damn thing.” Brody turned the corner, keeping both of her hands and her back on the wall as she shimmied along the ledge. As soon as solid ground was within jumping distance, she leaped onto it, putting her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. “Thank God that’s over.”

“Agreed,” Mitch said, then nodded in the direction of the fire tower. “Come on. There’s a trail this way.”

Brody followed closely behind him, rubbing her arms as she started to shiver. The sooner this was over and she was off this freezing mountain, the happier she’d be. “Hey, um… thanks for catching me,” she said awkwardly, and Mitch shrugged.

“I have quick instincts.”

Brody snorted. “Normal people say ‘you’re welcome’ or even ‘no problem.’”

“You’re welcome, Brody. No problem, Brody.”

“Smartass.” Mitch rolled his eyes, then went way too quiet, like he wanted to say something but was too nervous to say it. “Come on, spit it out,” she urged.

Mitch hesitated, before asking, “What’s going on with you and Marlon?”

Brody avoided his gaze, looking down at the ground. “I dunno. We’re… something? Nothing? I don’t know. Things are fine for a while, then we break up, then we get back together, and it’s like this… vicious cycle.”

Mitch nodded, and Brody could feel his eyes on her. “Is that why he was mad at you earlier? Because you broke it off this time?”

“Because I broke it off for good,” Brody said, and she looked up to see Mitch looking surprised. “I said I didn’t want to do it anymore if all he was gonna do is toy with my feelings and blame me for what happened to Minnie and Sophie. So I put an end to it, and he was furious.”

“He blames you?”

Brody let out a bitter chuckle. “Not exactly. I mean, he says he does, but I don’t think he

really

does. He blames himself, but instead of confronting that feeling, he projects it onto someone else. I just happen to be the unlucky candidate.”

Mitch looked like he wanted to say something, but cut off as he spotted something. “Look!” Brody followed his line of sight, and the fire tower was right in front of them. They exchanged a glance, and moved towards it.

Brody shrieked as they got close and a light popped on. “Jesus Christ!” She exclaimed, holding a hand in front of her eyes to shield them from the brightness. “What was that?”

“Motion sensor, probably.”

“Probably?” Mitch didn’t respond.

The two moved up the staircase, completely oblivious to the support cables holding the tower up being torn from the ground.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Police Records Tape 6
“You had to cut off your own fingers?” The reporter asked in disbelief, and when Clementine held up her bandaged hand with two nubs for fingers, the reporter blinked. “Why didn’t you force the trap open?”
Clementine shrugged. “If I had, the machete wouldn’t have lasted. And I wanted a weapon.”

“And not your fingers?”

“Is that what’s important right now?” Clementine asked, looking at the investigator. He held a hand up towards the reporter, telling her to lay off for now. She huffed, leaning back in her chair.

“What did you find in the Sanatorium, Miss Everett? Did you find the man?”

Clementine shook her head. “No. Just… a bunch of shit about what happened to the people that were there. And I found my other friend. Not Violet.”

“Who did you find, Miss Everett?”

“Louis.”

“Louis West?” At Clementine’s nod, the reporter wrote something down, still looking slightly disgruntled. “Mr. West told us he was attacked. Is this true?”

“As far as I know.”

The investigator thought for a moment before asking his next questions. “What was going on with your other friends at this time? Ruby Daniels, Aasim Bedi, Mitch Gray-Russell-”

“I don’t know,” Clementine said, avoiding his gaze. “I only know what they told me later.”

“What did they tell you?”

“I’m getting there.”

The reporter looked like she was about to snap her pen in half, and the investigator couldn’t blame her. “Miss Everett, I’m going to need you to cooperate-”

“I said

I’m getting there,

” Clementine said firmly, and the investigator sighed.

“Alright, Miss Everett. What came next?”

6 Hours Until Dawn

MitchThe Fire Tower

Brody started to climb the ladder up to the top of the tower, and Mitch was right behind her. “What if they don’t have power up here?” Brody asked, and Mitch had to admit he didn’t think about that.

“We’ll figure it out. There should be a way to get it on.” Brody pushed open the trapdoor above her, and held it open for Mitch. There was another ladder, and she groaned.

“I’m so tired of climbing and walking,” she sighed, moving up the second ladder. “The sooner someone is here to get us and I can curl up in bed and not move for 10 days, the better.”

Mitch chuckled, keeping the axe in his hand as he climbed up the ladder. Which was no easy feat, and eventually, he looked up and showed the axe to Brody. “Do you think I still need this?”

Brody looked down and her brows furrowed. “Unless you plan on chopping the radio in half after we’re done with it, I doubt it.” Mitch nodded, and let it fall to the platform beneath him with a loud clatter. There was a third ladder, and then the two of them got to the top of the tower to a small room.

The light was off, and when Mitch flicked the lightswitch, nothing happened. “Well, shit.”

“What do we do?” Brody asked, and Mitch moved around the building. He opened the fuse box, pressing a couple of buttons to get the power working again. “Is this what I think it is?” Brody said, and Mitch looked over to see her holding a flare gun.

“Yeah, if you think it’s a flare gun. Is it loaded?” Brody checked the barrel. It was. “Fire it.”

Brody tilted her head. “Isn’t that a bad idea if there’s a killer on the mountain? Doesn’t it kinda advertise our position?”

Mitch bit his lip, turning his attention back to the fuse box. “Good point. Hold onto it for when help comes.” Brody nodded and tucked the flare gun in her back pocket. Mitch pushed the right button, and the building lit up. “Oh, hell yeah.”

Brody moved inside, powering on the radio. All that came through was static. She looked at Mitch in confusion, and he pointed at the dial. “You have to tune it until it sounds clear.” Brody moved the dial back and forth until the signal was clear, and pressed the button to speak into the speaker.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” For a moment, there was no response, and Brody and Mitch waited with baited breath.

“We read you. Please state your name and your emergency.” Mitch heaved a sigh of relief, and Brody leaned into the microphone.

“My name is Brody Warren, I’m at the West Mountain at the lodge.”

“What’s your business?”

Brody glanced at Mitch, and he nodded encouragingly. She continued. “Me and my friends are up here, and one of our friends was killed. We need help as soon as possible.” She kept her voice steady, and Mitch had to admire how calm she was being despite the gravity of the situation.

“We’ll be there.” Mitch grinned, and Brody leaned closer into the microphone.

“When?”

“Dawn, at the earliest. Not until dawn.”

Brody opened her mouth to respond, but cut off when the fire tower violently lurched. Mitch jumped, grabbing a table for stability. “What now?” He nearly groaned, and the contents of the tower started to lean dangerously towards them.

“Mitch, what’s going on?!” Brody yelled, and let out a scream as something came flying towards her. Mitch pulled her out of the way and it went hurtling out the window.

“The fire tower is collapsing!” Mitch realized. “We need to get out of here!”

Before they could go anywhere, the tower gave a violent lurch, and Brody fell forward, hitting her head against the window. She wasn’t moving. “Brody!” Mitch yelled, letting go of the table and sliding over towards her.

Brody stirred, trying to push herself up on the glass, but it cracked underneath her hand. “Brody, don’t move,” Mitch said, and she looked up. He held out a hand to help her, but before he could, the radio fell forward and shattered the window Brody was on. “Brody!”

She’d managed to grab onto the railing of the fire tower, but she was teetering dangerously. “Oh my God!” Brody said, looking up at Mitch. “Mitch, please!”

Mitch moved forward, but the tower jerked forward and fell into the ground, silencing the pair’s screams.

Mitch stirred to the smell of smoke, and his hand moved to his head as it began to pound. He forced his eyes open, and pushed himself up, looking around wildly.

The building had fallen into a large opening in the ground that seemed to lead into the mines, and Mitch was laying on top of a piece of debris that was tipping dangerously. “Brody?” Mitch called out, looking for his friend. She was nowhere to be seen. “Brody!”

“Mitch!” Came a reply that sounded slightly distant, and Mitch crawled forward, his stomach dropping at at the lurches the debris gave. Mitch pulled himself to look over the edge to see Brody hanging onto what had once been the railing. “Oh my God!”

“Brody, stay there!” Mitch said, and Brody had tears streaming down her face. She cast a glance down beneath her, and Mitch saw her breathing start to accelerate. “Don’t look down!”

“Mitch, please!” Brody cried, reaching up a hand to him. “Help!”

Mitch slowly pushed himself up on his hands, and the tower lurched. Brody screamed and Mitch held his hands up to balance himself. There was a ledge that was within jumping distance of him, but if he jumped, he risked toppling the tower completely. Quickly, he made a decision. Mitch crouched down and laid on his stomach, holding a hand out to Brody. She managed to touch his fingertips, but the tower gave another violent shudder.

Brody slipped and nearly fell, but managed to grab a piece of the railing. Mitch could see her entire body shaking, and her grip on the railing was trembling. “Brody, you gotta get yourself up, I can’t reach you!”

Brody grunted and pulled herself up as much as she could, reaching up to grab Mitch’s hand. She managed to grab a hold of him, but her palms were sweaty and their grip was weak. “I’ve got you!” Mitch said, but the tower shook, and Brody’s hand fell right out of his. She didn’t manage to catch the railing, and she fell into the mines, her screams echoing against the walls.

“Brody!” Mitch yelled, staring down into the mines. “No! Brody!” Mitch’s chest felt heavy, and all he could do was stare into the dark emptiness Brody had just fallen into.

Before long, the tower began to slide and scrape against the walls, falling into the mines completely. “Oh fuck!” Mitch pushed himself up to his feet, looking for an opening. Eventually, he saw one, and managed to jump to safety right before the tower came toppling down with a loud bang.

“Holy fuck…” Mitch’s hand went to his head and came away wet. He’d hit his head in the landing. Mitch groaned and pushed himself to his feet, looking around.

He was in a dark corridor of some sort, barely any light to help him see where he was going. The dizziness from the head injury certainly didn’t help, either. Mitch moved his hands along the wall, trying to look for some sort of way out.

Something wrapped around his neck like a cold tendril, and Mitch moved his hands back to ward it off, but it was too late. He was slammed to the ground, and Mitch let out a yell as he was dragged against the rocky ground. The rough floor was scraping his back and tearing his shirt, and he moved his hands up to fend whoever was dragging him away. “Get… off me!” He screamed. “Brody!”

Suddenly Mitch was released, and he stopped moving. He pushed himself up to his feet quickly, but found himself in pitch blackness. He couldn’t see a thing. “Hello? Brody?”

No reply.

Mitch caught sight of a glint in the corner of the room, and as he narrowed his eyes to get a closer look, pain exploded in his chest. He fell to his knees, suddenly acutely aware of the gaping hole in his torso. “Oh fuck…” he managed to murmur before falling to the ground and never moving again.

ClementineThe Sanatorium

Clementine moved through the Sanatorium as quickly as she could, her dizziness eventually subsiding as the bleeding in her hand stopped. There was still no sign of the man, and Clementine was starting to wonder if he had left.

She passed through the morgue, shuddering as the cold from the room hit her still-bare shoulders. There was a door inside leading deeper into the chapel, and she narrowed her eyes. Whoever had built this place had extremely poor taste.

Clementine shouldered the door open, and was instantly greeted with loud barking. She screamed and jumped backwards as she spotted a dog coming right towards her, teeth bared. Her shoulders started to shake as she held a hand out to stop its approach. She’d been attacked by a dog when she was a kid and had been terrified of them since.

“Good dog… good dog…” Clementine said nervously, and the dog gave a huff and walked into a corner of the chapel, laying its head down on crossed paws.

Clementine turned her back on the dog, eyeing it nervously every so often. The dog didn’t seem bothered by her, but still watched her carefully from where it was laying. Clementine shook her shoulders to ease the trembling and spotted a coat hanging on the wall. She pulled it off the hanger and put it on, brushing off the dust and coughing as she inhaled some of it. The jacket was army green and a little too big for her, but at least now she probably wouldn’t freeze to death.

The jacket had been covering up an opening in the wall, and inside Clementine spotted a handgun. She reached for it, shuddering as the cool metal touched her fingertips. It was a revolver. She’d gone shooting with her dad before he died, and still went to the shooting range occasionally.

Clementine pushed out the cylinder. 5 bullets. “Gotta make them count,” she murmured, tucking it into her jeans pocket and clicking the safety on. She pushed forward, seeing a large box at the front of the chapel. It reminded her of one of those children’s treasure boxes that she played with as a kid. She unlocked it and pushed the lid open, and the inside was filled with bones. It didn’t look like human bones, but probably deer bones. Clementine eyed the dog in the corner, who had perked up at the sound of the lid opening.

Clementine pulled a bone out of the box, carrying it over to the dog. The dog stood up, wagging its nub of a tail and letting its tongue hang out of its mouth. Clementine tossed the bone, tentatively bending down and scratching the dog behind its ears. “Good dog…” Clementine caught sight of the dog’s tag, which said

Rosie.

“Good girl, Rosie.” Rosie gave a content sigh and laid on the floor to enjoy her bone, and Clementine left her to it, a light smile on her face.

Clementine walked over to the exit of the chapel, a padlocked screen door that lead into a dark corridor. She pulled the revolver out of her pocket, pulling the trigger and shooting the lock, wincing at the sound the shot made as it echoed off the walls of the chapel. She pushed the door open and it squeaked on its hinges, obviously from lack of use.

Clementine pulled the lighter out of her pocket and used it to guide herself through the corridor, the revolver in her right hand. Her left hand throbbed and she became acutely aware of her missing fingers. The sooner she was off this mountain, the better.

The hallway had the same musty smell as the Sanatorium did, but worse. She was probably underground, and this place hadn’t been properly used in years. The man probably didn’t live here, but rather used it as some sort of a hideout.

There were barrels of flammable gas that Clementine passed by, and she let out a groan as she stepped in a puddle of it. She brushed her shoe off on the concrete, but the smell lingered. Clementine held the lighter closer to her body to ensure she didn’t accidentally drop it and blow herself up.

The hallway led to two branching paths, one of which was a dead end. She moved to the other path which had another padlocked door. Whoever this guy was, he was paranoid. Maybe for good reason.

Clementine pointed the revolver at the lock, letting out a cry when she pulled the trigger and the sound bounced off the walls. Her ears rang and she moved her hands to them to stifle the noise, the high pitched frequency playing in her brain on a loop.  Suddenly, the hallway lit up, and Clementine looked down at her feet in confusion.

The sparks from the gunpowder had fallen into a puddle of the gas and had quickly caught fire. It was spreading to a group of barrels to the other side, and her eyes widened. “Oh

shit!

” she yelled, running to dive out of the way. The explosion hit her back just before she rounded the corner, and she fell to the floor, barely aware for a moment before falling unconscious.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Police Records Tape 7

“You’re saying the man who murdered Miss Clark-you

thought

murdered Miss Clark-was living there? With a dog?” Clementine shrugged, crossing her arms and shrinking in on herself.

“I know it sounds silly, but I think he was using it as some sort of hideout. To keep supplies and stuff.” Clementine scratched the side of her temple self consciously, caking some of the dried blood on her face underneath her fingernails. “Maybe you should ask him.”

The investigator exchanged a glance with the reporter. She shrugged, and he decided to change the topic. “What happened after the explosion? With the barrels?”

Clementine drummed her hands on the table. “I don’t know how much time passed, but I woke up eventually and just… kept walking. Through more and more hallways. And I found my friend.”

“Which friend?” The investigator asked, and now she was a little more willing to answer.

“Louis,” she said, and the reporter’s pen scribbled behind him.

“Louis We-”

“Yes, Louis West.”

“Mr. West’s family owns the cabin and the mountain, correct?” At Clementine’s nod, he bit his lip in thought. “If Mr. West grew up there, did he not know that the basement connected to the Sanatorium? How could he have gotten caught?”

Clementine shrugged. “Don’t know. I don’t think he was ever a particularly curious kid. Not much of an explorer. If his parents knew about it and told him to stay out, he would’ve.”

The investigator nodded in understanding. He gave a nod to the reporter, who looked a little disgruntled. This was probably one of her harder reports. Still, her pen was at the ready and her eyes were trained on Clementine. “Where exactly did you find Mr. West?”

4 Hours and 30 Minutes Until Dawn

Louis???

Louis woke up to a whisper.

“Louis? Louis!”

Louis forced his eyes open, and forgot where he was for a moment. He wondered when he’d fallen asleep. Then he remembered the psychopath in the basement, and he was wide awake. “Hello?” He called out groggily, looking for the voice. Louis went to move, but found his hands and legs restricted. He was tied to a chair, his arms behind his back and his ankles held together by a piece of tightly-tied rope. “What the fuck…” he muttered, and he heard the voice again.

“Louis! Over here!” Louis looked in the direction of the noise, and he saw Clementine standing there, peeking through some sort of vent in the floor. She looked a little worse for wear; there was blood splattered over her cheeks and dirt all over her skin.

“Clem?” He called back, trying to hear what she was saying. She gestured for him to come closer, and he used his ankles to pull himself forward in the chair, bending down the best he could to hear her. “Clem, what are you-”

“Turn around,” Clementine said, holding up a machete. He got the message and turned his back to her, and she cut his hands free. Louis winced as the blade nicked his skin, and he took the blade from her to cut the bonds on his feet away. He rubbed the blood back into his ankles, and bent down to talk to Clementine.

“Oh, I am so happy to see you,” he breathed, and Clementine offered him a small smile. “Wait, what are you doing down there? Where’s Vi?”

Clementine looked like she’d been punched, and something told Louis he wasn’t going to like the answer. “Violet… Violet’s dead.”

Now Louis

felt

like he’d been punched. His heart clenched as he thought of Violet, one of his closest friends, the toughest and bravest girl he knew, was dead. There was no way. But Clementine wouldn’t lie. “How…”

Clementine wiped tears away from her eyes, and Louis felt his eyes begin to water himself. “She… she was attacked by some fucking psychopath. He dragged her out a window, and… she fell into the mines on an elevator. I tried to save her, I

tried....

” Clementine sniffed, and Louis let the tears run down his cheeks and fall onto the floor. He couldn’t breathe.

“Clem, I…” Louis let out a sigh, and regained his composure. “I was attacked. By that guy you mentioned. I was in the basement, fixing the power and… he grabbed me and knocked me out and I guess put me here.”

Clementine shook her head, her jaw dropping slightly. She ran a hand over her jaw. “Jesus Christ…” she murmured, and seemed to think for a moment. “There’s a door over here, but it’s locked from the other side. Can you open it?”

Louis brushed the tears away from his cheeks and nodded. He stood up, brushing off his shirt. The psycho had taken his coat for whatever reason, leaving him only with the green henley he’d been wearing underneath. He pushed the shabby wooden door open, and as he walked down the stone stairs, he saw the door Clementine was talking about.

There was a plank shoved in between the handle and the wall, and he pulled it out, opening the door for her. She was standing on the other side waiting for him, and she looked even worse up close. Blood wasn’t only on her face but it was on her chest and tank top as well (though the black fabric hid it well) and she was wearing a jacket that very obviously wasn’t hers. What really caught Louis’ eye was her hand wrapped in a blood soaked bandage.

“What happened to…” Louis pointed to her hand, and Clementine looked down at it as if she hadn’t noticed herself.

“I… had to cut my fingers off.” As much as that statement startled Louis, he didn’t ask any more questions when she ran towards him and wrapped her arms around his middle. She was shaking, and it wasn’t because of the cold. “She’s dead, Lou…”

Louis returned her hug, resting his chin on top of her head. He sniffled as she pulled away from him, looking very shaken. He rubbed her shoulders comfortingly, and she gave him an unconvincing smile. “I’m okay.”

Louis knew she very much wasn’t okay, but there wasn’t any time to dwell on that right now. “We should go back and get the others. Maybe we can get out of here… somehow.”

Clementine nodded, and the two walked back into the hallway Louis had just come from. They looked at each other when they heard a muffled noise. “What was that? Yelling?” Clementine asked, and they heard it again. Someone was in trouble, and they were nearby.

There was a big metal door, and Clementine rattled the door handle. Locked. Without saying a word, they both pressed their shoulders to the door and shoved it open, stumbling into a dark room.

Almost on cue, the lights in the room turned on, and they could see the back of someone’s head. They looked like they were tied to a pole much like the way Louis was tied to the chair. “Help!” The person called out, and Louis gasped.

“Aasim?” He said, running forward to help his friend.

“Louis, wait!” Clementine yelled after him, but it was too late. Louis felt the cold of the gun pressed to the back of his head before he could react.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” It was the psycho. Louis knew without even turning around. “Might not end well.”

“Put it down or I shoot,” Clementine said, and Louis glanced to the side to see Clementine raising a revolver. Where had she gotten that? Her hands were shaking, and the psycho shook his head with a demented chuckle. “Don’t test me.”

“We both know you haven’t got the heart, Clementine,” he said, reaching up to pull off the mask. “I mean, really? Would you shoot a friend?” Louis turned his head, eyes wide, and was met with Marlon smiling back at him.

“Tag.”

BrodyThe Mines

When Brody came to, she was holding on by a thread. Literally.

When she had fallen from the tower, a cable wrapped around her ankle and was the only thing holding her from falling to her death into the mine. “Oh my God…. oh my… Mitch!” She called, but no one responded. “Fuck…”

Brody glanced around and caught sight of a ledge she could swing to. Gently, she propelled herself over, grabbing onto a piece of outlying metal. She looked up as the rubble from the fire tower began to tumble down, and she quickly climbed over to the ledge just as the tower gave one last lurch and fell completely into the mines.

“Mitch!” She said, glancing down, but she hadn’t seen him standing in the building. He’d jumped to safety. He had to. Brody pushed herself up with wobbly arms, glancing around at her surroundings.

It was so dark she could barely see outside of the pockets of light the fire from the tower created, and Brody was squinting to see the hall in front of her. She picked up a stick from the ground, tearing off some of her shirt to wrap it around the top and she lit the fabric on fire, creating a torch for herself. She wasn’t much of a survivalist, but days of binging

Naked and Afraid

out of pure boredom had prepared her for this moment.

Brody ran her free hand along the wall of the mines, glancing around in the dark. Her shoulders were shaking. She really wished Mitch was there. “Just… gotta find a way out…” she murmured, letting out a shuddering sigh.

Brody walked for what felt like hours. The mines felt endless, and she could feel her strength wearing away with every step she took. She was exhausted. She wanted to go home. Brody ran a hand through her hair, willing herself to snap out of it. “Thinking like that isn’t going to solve anything,” she said, then stopped in her tracks. “I’m talking to myself now. Awesome.”

Brody perked up as she spotted a light in the distance. It didn’t look like light from a fire, more like fire from the moon. She ran forward, letting out a tiny cheer as she spotted a steep slope leading up to the surface. Brody grabbed into the rocks with her hands and tried to use her feet to propel herself up, but the ice wasn’t her friend. She went skidding right back to the bottom, and she swore under her breath. “Of course it’s not that easy.”

Brody pushed on. She turned around and treaded back into the mines, calling out for Mitch occasionally. There was still no sign of him. The thought crossed her mind that maybe he was dead, but she pushed it away. Mitch was strong and capable. He could handle himself.

A glint from a piece of metal caught Brody's eye, and she crept closer to the light. It was a locket resting on top of an empty barrel. Brody picked it up, using a fingernail to pry the locket open.

Inside there was a picture of two redheaded girls whom she knew all too well. Minnie and Sophie. There was a message on the other side that read,

To Minnie, love Sophie.

Brody's hands trembled as she pocketed the locket, and she wiped away tears. The twins were down here. They must've fallen. But how? What made them fall?

Either way, there was no way the locket was this far in the mine from the fall alone. Someone had moved it. Meaning one of them might've survived it.

Brody shook herself. She was only going to drive herself crazy thinking like that. “I really need to get out of here,” Brody said to herself, turning a corner that led further into the mines.

Brody kept walking until she spotted something. A mound of hair on top of a pile of rocks. She narrowed her eyes, slowly moving closer. It seemed like a doll of some sort. But what was a doll doing in the mines? Brody reached forward to touch the doll, but the head fell lifelessly to the ground and the glazed eyes were looking right at her. That was when Brody realized it wasn't a doll at all. It was a person.

It was Sophie.

Brody screamed and fell backwards, scrambling as far from the head as she could. No matter where she went, Sophie's eyes still seemed to stare directly at her. “Oh God… oh God, Sophie… No…” Sophie was dead. Because of their stupid prank. Brody couldn't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks, and she bit her sleeve to keep herself from making noises too loudly.

After a few moments, Brody was able to push herself up and turn away from Sophie's head, her decaying face still seared into her brain. She kept a hand on the wooden walls to steady herself, hissing as the unkempt planks gave her a splinter.

Brody glanced up and saw a sign that was barely readable. She held her torch up, and the fading letters read,

Elevator

. There was a big red arrow pointing to the door directly in front of Brody. “That's promising,” she murmured, pushing the door open.

As soon as she did, she saw something swinging towards her out of the corner of her eye. She let out a yelp, barely catching it in time before it hit her in the head. It was a broken shovel, and someone was at the other end of it. Brody jumped back, then got a better look at the scarred face in front of her. “

Violet?

”

Violet blinked. She looked worse than Brody felt. Cuts and bruises covered her body and her green eyes were clouded over, as if she were dazed and didn't know quite what was happening. “Brody?” Violet asked, her voice hoarse.

“Oh, thank God…” Brody said, gently pulling Violet in a hug so she didn't hurt her. Violet weakly returned the hug, all of her strength seemingly drained.  Brody pulled away, keeping her hands on Violet’s arms to ensure she didn’t fall over. “What happened to you? Where’s Clem?”

Violet looked around, shaking her head. “I’m not sure… I was grabbed… and dragged… Clem tried to come after me but she… couldn’t help me…”

“Who grabbed you?” Brody asked, and Violet shook her head again. She didn’t know. “Vi, I saw Soph-”

“I saw Minnie.”

There had been a lot of strange things that had happened to Brody tonight, but this was near the top of the list. Minnie was alive? What had happened to Sophie? “Where?”

“She wasn’t… alive. But she wasn’t dead, either,” Violet said, and she pointed into the mines. “I saw her. In there. I didn’t think it was her, but… I saw her tattoo. That weird Chinese one she regretted getting.”

Violet definitely wasn’t okay. Maybe she’d hit her head on the way down. “Alright, Vi, we need to get out of here. Do you know if that elevator works?” When Violet shrugged, Brody sighed. “Okay. That’s fine. We’ll try it anyway.”

Brody helped Violet walk to the elevator, stopping every so often when she would stumble or groan. “Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked, and Violet let out a bitter laugh.

“I feel like shit, Brody.”

“Right. Dumb question.”

“Wait, Brody?” Violet piped up, and Brody looked at her. “How did you get down here?”

Brody sighed. She knew this would come up eventually. “Aasim is dead.”

Violet stopped walking. “What?”

Brody sadly smiled at her, rubbing her arm up and down. “Aasim and Ruby were attacked by this… fucking psychopath who killed Aasim and let Ruby go. Mitch and I went to the firetower to get help, but… it collapsed.”

Violet looked down at the ground, eyes wide. “Oh,” she said simply, and Brody chalked it down to speechlessness. She didn’t blame her.

“Wait, have you seen Mitch?” Brody asked, and Violet shook her head. Brody sighed, running a hand through her matted red hair. “It was worth a shot.”

“Are the others okay? Louis? Tenn? AJ?” Violet said, and Brody shrugged.

“I wish I knew. Let’s get out of here and find out.”

The two kept walking until they found the elevator. It wasn’t an impressive thing, just a wooden structure with basic mechanics hoisting it up. And it looked like it was starting to fall apart. Brody helped Violet on and pulled the lever, and it began to move upwards. Violet stumbled as the elevator gave a violent jerk, and Brody managed to catch her. “I’ve got you,” she said, glancing up.

The elevator came to a stop, but it definitely wasn’t at the surface. “Fuck,” Violet groaned, putting a hand to her head. She was in pain, and she wasn’t going to last much longer running around like this. Violet seemed to notice Brody’s concern, because she added, “I’m fine, Brody. Let’s just get out of here.”

Brody couldn’t agree more. She ushered Violet out of the elevator, and went to turn a corner, but her heart stopped in her chest when she spotted a silhouette of a man in the shadows.

Brody stumbled backwards, putting a hand on Violet’s mouth as she hid behind the wall. Violet looked at her with confusion on her face but had the sense to stay silent. It was the same man that had attacked Aasim and Ruby. It had to be. “Oh God, please don’t come this way…” Brody murmured.

She could hear footsteps and her heart started to race. Violet started to shake from under her grip, and Brody’s hand slid down to her forearm. Brody looked at her, silently asking if she was ready to run. Violet got the message and gave a nod in return. Brody peered around the corner and saw the man standing much closer than he was before.

Brody was close enough to see his eyes widen, but she didn’t stick around to say hello. She pulled Violet along, pushing her in front of herself. Brody peered over her shoulder, and the man was right on their tail. He seemed to be whispering something, but she couldn’t hear him.

They kept running, Violet’s strength draining fast. They needed to get rid of this guy and soon. Violet treaded through a spilled liquid that smelled an awful lot like gas, and Brody glanced at her torch. Thinking quickly, she threw the torch in the gas and ran away before it caused too much damage, grabbing Violet’s arm and pulling her along.

The two came to a dead end, and Brody glanced behind her. She couldn’t see their pursuer, but she knew he was coming. She glanced around the room, and Violet pointed to a breaking wooden structure. “There!”

It wasn’t the best place to hide behind, but it would have to do. Brody climbed in herself then helped Violet in, looking through the cracks of the planks to see if she could spot the man.

He came in the room a couple seconds after, looking around for them. She couldn’t see his face very well as he had a cloth wrapped around his mouth and nose, but he had dark, monolid eyes. His hair was a shade away from black and he was dressed up in strange utility clothing with a flamethrower strapped to his back.

Brody was so focused on watching the man that she didn’t even notice when Violet started to fall. When she looked over, it was too late. Violet’s eyes were slowly shutting, and her body fell sideways before Brody could stop her. She had fallen right out of cover, and Brody’s eyes widened as she spot the man look directly at her.

Brody climbed out from behind the structure, crouching in front of Violet. She held her hands up at the man, who looked surprised. “Don’t. Hurt her.”

The man glanced over his shoulder and quickly unwrapped a satchel from his belt. “I’m trying to help you,” he said, and tossed the satchel to Brody. “Use this. You can help your friend and get out of here. I’ll be right behind you.”

Brody opened the satchel, seeing bandages, hydrogen peroxide, cloth and a flare inside. He really wasn’t trying to hurt them. So why had he attacked Ruby and Aasim? “Who are you?” Brody asked, not quite knowing what else to say.

The man pulled the flamethrower out from behind his back as a bone-chilling screech echoed throughout the mines. “My name is James,” he said, pointing to a narrow opening in the area Brody hadn’t noticed before. “Take your friend and run. Now.”

Brody slung Violet’s arm around her shoulders, pulling her through the opening. She could feel the heat of James’ fire on her back as she ran from the mines.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Police Records Tape 8

“Your friend… Marlon? Marlon Moreno?” At Clementine’s nod, the investigator continued. “He was the one that attacked Mr. Bedi and Ms. Daniels? Why?”

Clementine shrugged. “He was unhinged. What happened to Sophie and Minnie fucked him up. He stopped taking his meds right before the trip and… he decided that he would put us in another ‘controlled experiment.’” Clementine raised her hands and did air quotes with the last two words, then crossed her arms again.

“Did Mr. Moreno harm any of you?”

Clementine scoffed. “Physically? No.”

The reporter and investigator exchanged a glance. “Then… who attacked Violet and dragged her out the window?” The investigator asked. Something didn’t add up here.

Clementine looked up at him, her cold stare boring into his eyes. “The thing in the mines.”

Her words sent an unexplainable chill down the spines of everyone watching the interview. “What thing in the mines?”

4 Hours Until Dawn

ClementineThe Cabin Basement

“What the fuck, Marlon?” Clementine said, lowering her gun. She really didn’t want to. Marlon let out a laugh, letting his own gun hang limp at his side. Louis looked like he wanted to say something, but instead went to Aasim to untie him.

“Oh, what did you think? Did you enjoy my little

spectacle?

” Marlon laughed, and Clementine’s grip on her revolver tightened.

“What the hell are you on about?” Louis asked after making sure Aasim was okay. “This isn’t funny, dude.”

Marlon pocketed his gun, putting his hands on his hips. “Oh, it’s

hilarious

, Lou. The looks on your faces! Especially Brody and Mitch when they thought they were sacrificing Aasim for Ruby’s life! Priceless!”

“Excuse me?” Clementine asked at the same time Louis said “What?”

Aasim straightened up, glaring right at Marlon. “He knocked out Ruby and me with sleeping gas, then tied us up and told Mitch to choose between the two of us. Which is only something a fucking

psychopath

would do!”

“Well, he’s not on his meds, that’s for sure,” Louis said, eyes narrowing.

“Oh, come now guys, don’t be such sticks in the mud,” Marlon said. “Your faces were amazing! You fell for every single one of my tricks, even though you helped me play the same joke last year! Even though it

was

much less elaborate… But this time, we got it all on camera! We’re gonna be rolling in dough, don’t worry-”

“What was it all for, Marlon?” Clementine said, throwing her hands in the air. The gun dangled dangerously in her grip. “Glory? Fame? Money? Violet is fucking

dead!

”

Marlon stopped dead, the smile vanishing off his face immediately. “What?” He asked as if he didn’t already know.

“Violet is dead,” she repeated, stepping closer to him. “And you’ve made a big fucking mistake.” Clementine swung at him, knocking him to the floor immediately with a punch to the head. His eyelids fluttered shut and he lay there, unmoving.

She stared down at him at her feet, and Louis stepped up next to her. “What do we do?”

“Put him where he can’t hurt anyone else,” Clementine said, looking over at Louis. “Do you know a place where we can keep an eye on him until the police come?”

Aasim came up on Clementine’s other side, glaring down at Marlon. “I do. That shed about a mile from the cabin. That’s where he put Ruby and me.”

“Do you know where that is?” Clementine asked Louis, and he nodded. “Okay. Aasim, go upstairs and check on the others. Louis and I will take him there.” Aasim nodded, looking all to happy to jog out of the basement and go upstairs. Clementine hauled Marlon to his feet, using the rope from Aasim’s restraints to tie his hands behind his back.

“Are you sure this is a good id-” Louis started, but Clementine cut him off.

“He’s unhinged. He killed Violet, who knows what he’d do to us?” She stared at Louis seriously, her face firm. She’d made up her mind. Louis sighed, grabbing Marlon’s other side and helping Clementine haul him outside.

LouisThe Shed

Louis wasn’t sure how to process all this. He helping Clementine walk his best friend to a shed outside the cabin with the intention of tying him up. Well, ex-best friend. It was hard to stay best friends with a guy who’d killed his other best friend.

He thought he’d known Marlon. Hell, he thought Marlon was getting

better

. Marlon was in rough shape after the twins, and his relationship with Brody was certainly not helping things. But the meds had restored Marlon to… well, the old Marlon. Or so he’d thought.

Marlon came to as they were almost at the shed. “Good, you’re up,” Clementine said as soon as she’d noticed, shoving him into the snow. “Walk.”

Louis had never seen Clementine behave so coldly. While she was justified, it seemed a little cruel. Still, he made no move to stop her. Marlon pushed himself up with a groan. “Oh, come on. This isn’t a good way to treat your

pals

, Clementine.”

Clementine scoffed, shoving him forward and forcing him to walk. “We aren’t

pals,

Marlon. You made sure of that.”

Marlon looked over his shoulder at Louis and Louis looked away, avoiding his gaze. “Oh, Lou, you feel guilty, don’t you? Tell her to stop. I promise I won’t do anything if you just untie me.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Clementine said, shoving him in through the front door of the shed. “You murdered Violet. You’re not going anywhere.”

“Wh-no, Clem, I didn’t do anything to Violet.” Marlon dropped all mockery in his tone, and Louis stopped in his tracks as Clementine forced him down into a stool. She pulled his arms behind the pole and fixed his restraints. “I was hoping Louis would send you two away for a diversion. I swear, I did not hurt her.”

“No, you didn’t. You fucking killed her.” Clementine said, walking away from him. Louis put a hand on her arm to calm her down, and he looked at Marlon.

“What do you mean, Marlon?”

Marlon shook his head, squirming in his restraints. “I didn’t want to hurt any of you… the sleeping gas was harmless. I don’t know what happened to Violet, but I

swear

it wasn’t me.”

“You are so full of

shit!

” Clementine said, running a hand through her hair. Louis wasn’t as convinced.

“Clem, hear him out…” he said, but she shot him an ‘are-you-serious’ look. “Why would he lie?”

“To save face? I don’t know what goes on inside this motherfucker’s head!” Clementine needed to calm down before she did something drastic, and Louis put a hand on her shoulder and glanced at Marlon. Clementine lowered her voice. “Has he ever acted like this before?”

“No, of course not,” Louis murmured, and Marlon was glancing at the floor and muttering something to himself. “There’s something very wrong with him.”

“No shit,” Clementine said, crossing her arms.

Marlon piped up. “Clem? Cleeeeeementine? Clem?”

Clementine rolled her eyes, turning to face him. “What, Marlon?”

“What exactly happened to Violet?”

This wasn’t going to end well, Louis glanced over at Clementine as her shoulders visibly hunched up. “You already know.”

“No… I don’t, actually… I don’t think I remember killing her,” Marlon said, and Clementine sighed and cursed under her breath. “No, really. Wouldn’t I remember that? I’ve never liked her much. Kind of a bitch… not even all that pretty…”

“Shut the

fuck up,

Marlon!” Clementine yelled, pulling her gun out of her pocket and pointing it at Marlon. Louis stepped forward, slowly putting a hand on her arm.

“Clem. Put the gun down.” Clementine hesitated for a moment, but slowly lowered the gun. Marlon sighed in relief, and let out a giggle. Louis shot him a glare to silence him.

Clementine put the gun back in her pocket, running her hand through her hair. “Alright. Head back to the cabin and make sure Aasim and the others are okay. Can you check on AJ for me? I don’t want him to wake up to… all of this. I’ll stay with Marlon until the morning.”

Louis nodded, glancing back and forth between her and Marlon. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You’re not gonna go apeshit on him without me here?”

Clementine shook her head. “You know me better than that, Louis. I’ll be fine.” Louis put a hand on her shoulder, and she reached up and gave it a squeeze. “Go.”

Louis gave one last glance at Marlon’s crazed blue eyes before retreating out of the shed and walking back to the cabin.

VioletThe Mines

When Violet came to, her face was burning up.

Not from pain or a fever, but… fire. She could feel the heat on her face even though it was far away. Violet let out a groan, and realized she was being half-carried, half-dragged.

“Violet? Violet!” Brody exclaimed, still running with her in her arms. “Oh, thank God!”

“What happened?” Violet said, and Brody glanced over her shoulder and turned a corner.

“No time to explain. Can you run?”

Violet nodded, and Brody let her go. Violet’s legs felt like cracked glass and her strength was ebbing away more and more with each passing second, but she was more prioritized with staying alive than she was with resting. Brody helped her along, lighting up a flare from the bag Violet hadn't seen before.

A screech echoed through the mines, and Violet looked back over her shoulder, her blood running cold. “What the hell was that?” Violet asked, and Brody's brows furrowed.

“I don't know,” she said, picking up her pace. Violet was bogging her down, but she knew Brody and knew she wouldn't leave her. Even if she asked.

The two got to a narrow passageway and Brody climbed in first, helping Violet in after her. They had to shimmy along the wall, and Violet was growing uneasy. Suddenly the wood in front of her splintered, and a skinny, pale hand reached through the opening and made a grab for Violet. Brody screamed and Violet pulled the hand off of her, making a run for it. She could hear Brody’s rapid footsteps right behind her.

Violet felt like she was about to fall apart at any second, but the adrenaline was keeping her moving. Brody was at her side, keeping the same pace as her. The two came to a branching path, and they ran towards the side that led to the surface elevator.

They ran through a large wooden opening, and Violet dared to cast a glance over her shoulder. There was something after them, crawling on the walls, its long limbs making it look almost like a spider.  She’d seen one before, but her memory was foggy. It would kill them if it caught them, she knew that much. She pushed herself to run faster, keeping in step with Brody.

The two ran onto the elevator, Brody pulling the lever and pulling Violet down to crouch with her. The flare was trembling in Brody’s hand, and Violet’s nerves were skyrocketing herself. Brody’s hand remained on her back, and Violet didn’t move away. “Jesus fuck…” Brody sighed, head bowing.

The elevator seemed to take an eternity to move upwards, and the two were able to regain their breath. Violet started to

ache

, and she suddenly became aware of how hurt she really was.

The elevator stopped with a jolt, and Brody let out a gasp and straightened up. “Wait!” Violet whispered, but it was too late. The thing was crawling behind the elevator, its milky white eyes darting back and forth. Neither girl dared move; Violet still crouched on the floor and Brody straightened up. The elevator shook as the thing crawled all around it, and Violet clasped a hand over her mouth to keep her breathing from getting too loud.

“Alright, come on,” Brody whispered once it had lost interest and wandered away, pulling Violet up by the arm and taking off running. Violet ran ahead and Brody pulled down a pile of rocks in an attempt to slow it down. A quick glance confirmed that it had heard them and was in pursuit. It bared its teeth, and Violet shuddered as she saw the things that resembled fangs.

“Go, go!” Brody urged, pulling down a barrel and throwing her flare into the gas. Violet felt the heat on her back as she jumped off the platform and ran towards some sort of conveyor belt. Thinking fast, Violet pulled the lever and climbed onto the belt, climbing up as quickly as she could, Brody at her back.

Violet heard a loud shredding noise, and jumped off the conveyor belt at the last second. Her eyes widened as she spotted the shredder beneath her that would’ve torn her to pieces. “Brody, jump!” She warned, and the other girl reacted quickly enough to jump to safety before she was hurt.

The two ran towards another structure, some sort of small one-room building. Brody shouldered the door open and Violet ran through it, barricading it with another nearby barrel. Brody went to jump to the next ledge, and Violet sighed, taking a second to regain her breath.

Before she could react, a hand grabbed her and pulled her towards the door, and the monster sunk its teeth into her shoulder. “Violet!” Brody yelled as Violet let out a scream. Violet shoved it off frantically, moving to jump after Brody.

It was right behind them, the sound of its nails dragging along the wood giving Violet goosebumps. She made it to the last ledge with Brody, looking over her shoulder at it. The two were standing at the top of a steep hill that would most definitely kill them if they tried to jump. Which meant they needed to make a move, and fast. “Hold onto me!” Brody said, grabbing a part of a zipline that was meant to transport goods.

“What?!” Violet yelled, but followed her instructions anyway, wrapping her arms around Brody’s shoulders. Without warning, Brody jumped, holding onto the zipline for support. Violet scrambled to get a tighter hold on her, watching behind them to see if the monster was chasing after them. Eventually, it and the mines faded into the distance.

The zipline was in poor shape and couldn’t support both of their weights. The mechanism Brody was holding onto snapped, and she screamed as her and Violet went tumbling down the hill. Every inch of Violet’s body was in pain, and she groaned, hands moving to her head. “Oh, God…” she heard Brody say, and she suddenly felt faint again.

“Vi? We gotta go,” Brody said, pulling her to her feet. Seeing the state she was in, Brody muttered a quick apology and tugged Violet along, running towards the cabin as fast as they could.

The two moved through the woods for what felt like miles, not even sure if the thing was still chasing them. Still, they couldn’t be sure. Eventually the cabin came into sight, and Brody let out a scream to get the attention of the others, frantically slamming her hand on the front door. “Let us in, please, let us in!” She yelled, and after a few seconds, the door opened and the two fell in.

“Shut the door!” Violet said, scrambling away as far as she could. Someone shut the door behind them, but Violet was having a hard time seeing who. Her vision was blurry and her head was pounding, her muscles sore and cuts and bruises aching. She collapsed on the floor, letting out a groan of pain.

Violet was aware of a blend of voices, Brody’s saying, “Calm down, we need to help her first!” And she was able to cast one glance upwards to see Louis. He was blurry, but she could still see the shocked expression on his face.

It took nearly all her strength, but Violet managed a smile. “What, surprised to see me?”

And she fainted.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

3 and a Half Hours Until Dawn

VioletThe Cabin

“What happened to her?”

“Brody, are you okay?”

“Where’s Mitch? What the hell is going on?”

“Never mind! We need to help her first!”

Violet forced her eyes open, letting out a groan as the light from the moon streaming in through the windows made her head pound. “She’s awake!” A voice from next to her said, and she looked over to see Louis sitting next to where she was laid down on the couch. Violet offered him a small smile, and he gave a huge one in return. “Good morning, gorgeous.”

Violet put a hand on her aching head. “Put me back to sleep.”

Brody was kneeling on the floor next to her, using medical supplies from the satchel she had to tend to Violet’s wounds. “Hey. How are you doing?”

Violet covered her face with both of her hands. “Fucking spiffy.”

“You are tough as

hell

, Vi.” The voice came from above her, and Aasim gave her a wave. Ruby was standing next to him, and she offered both of them a smile.

“Hi,” she greeted, then glanced around. “Where’s Clem? And Marlon?” Louis stiffened and Aasim turned away, a strange expression washing over Ruby’s face. Violet’s brows furrowed, and she looked over at Louis. “Did something happen?”

Louis took a breath, face growing serious. “Vi-”

They all jumped as a door slammed open and footsteps treaded loudly throughout the cabin. “What the hell is going on?” Violet recognized Clementine’s voice immediately, and pushed herself to sit up, ignoring the group’s protests. “I heard screaming. Brody, is that you?” Clementine spotted Brody first, then stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Violet attempting to sit up.

“Violet?”

“Clem,” Violet breathed, pushing herself off the couch and hobbling over to Clementine. Clementine ran forward to catch her before she fell, hugging her tighter than she ever had. It hurt Violet a little bit but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

“Oh my God, Vi,” Clementine was crying, burying her face into Violet’s hair. “I thought you were dead. Jesus fucking Christ, I thought you were dead.”

Violet let out a sigh, wrapping her arms around Clementine. “Can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Clementine laughed, pulling away and pressing their lips together, hard. It was messy, their teeth clashing and their noses bumping, but it was so desperate and exhilarating neither girl could find it in themselves to care. The two parted, barely aware of their friends in the room that had politely looked away. Normally they would’ve told them to “get a room,” but this was different. They were back in each other’s arms when they thought they’d never be again.

Everyone jumped when a loud banging came from the front door and a silhouette stood in front of the window. Clementine stepped in front of Violet protectively and Brody helped her sit back down on the couch. “Who the hell is that?” Louis asked, standing up. “Mitch?” He looked at Brody, who shrugged.

“I don’t know. Maybe,” Brody said, looking a little hopeful.

Brody guided Violet to sit back on the couch as Clementine and Louis moved towards the door, and she craned her neck to see what was going on.

ClementineThe Cabin

Clementine pulled the gun out of her pocket, nodding at Louis. “You open the door, and I’ll cover you. If it’s not Mitch, I’ll shoot. Alright?” Louis nodded, looking a little unsure. They stood there for a moment, and Clementine threw her hands in the air in frustration. “Well, go on then!”

Louis shook himself, moving slowly towards the door handle. Clementine readied the gun, and Louis gave her a nod before pulling the door open. Before he could even crack it open, he was thrown backwards as the stranger stormed into the house, looking at Clementine with dark eyes.

She glared right back at him, her gaze never wavering. “You. Stop right there.”

The stranger closed the door behind him, stepping forward and taking the gun from Clementine in one quick movement. She stepped back, eyes widening. This was definitely the guy she’d seen in the mines when she thought Violet was dead. But if he hadn’t attacked her and Marlon hadn’t, who had?

“I’m not here to hurt you,” the stranger said, his voice soft. He pulled down his mask, revealing the rest of his face. Clementine didn’t recognize him. “I’m trying to help you.”

Brody wandered closer, narrowing her eyes to get a better look. “James?” she gasped, and Clementine’s gaze snapped to her.

“You know this guy?” Louis asked in astonishment, and Brody nodded, not taking her eyes off of James.

“Yeah. He helped me escape the mines and gave Violet the medical supplies.” Brody gave James a short nod. “Thanks. Really.”

James nodded back. “Where is the rest of your group?”

Reluctantly, Clementine led him over to the couch where everyone else was sitting, and Aasim, Ruby and Violet immediately looked apprehensive. “Who the hell is this guy?” Aasim asked, eyeing the tubes of fuel on his back. “Arsonist?”

James gave Aasim a look, and Clementine sat next to Violet on the couch, her hand resting on Violet’s knee. “Who is this?” She whispered to Clementine, and Clementine shook her head.

“I don’t know. Let’s just hear him out.”

James’ eyes narrowed as he surveyed the group. “You guys shouldn’t have come back here this year. It’s too dangerous. Especially after what happened to your two friends.”

“Who? Minnie and Sophie?” Louis asked, and James shrugged.

“Two redheads? Sisters?” The group must have looked grim, because James took it as a yes. “I tried to help them. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t save them.”

The group was silent for a moment, until Violet piped up, her voice quiet from beside Clementine. “What… what happened to them?”

“They were attacked.” James shifted his weight onto one foot. “By a wendigo.” The cabin was eerily quiet, everyone glancing around at each other. James continued. “The wendigos are creatures that live on this mountain. They were once human, but… they’re something else now. There’s a curse on this mountain that if a man should resort to cannibalism, he will be possessed, and will turn into an uncontrollable, hungry beast.

“They’ll attack without rhyme or reason and can sense your movements and hear every breath you take. The only time they won’t see you is if you’re standing perfectly still.”

“Why don’t you just kill them?” Louis asked, and James looked like he’d been slapped. Clementine narrowed her eyes at his expression. He knew more than he was letting on. She chose not to comment as Louis continued. “I mean, aren’t they dangerous?”

James snapped out of it, shaking his head. “I can’t. I’ve managed to kill one or two before, but… it’s too difficult. I’ve had better luck trapping them and securing them in the Sanatorium. Besides, if you kill one, its spirit is released and it circles the mountain waiting to possess again.” James ran his hands over his shotgun self consciously. “You’re better off stunning it and running away.”

“My friend, Mitch…” Brody piped up, her voice quiet. James looked at her. “He was in the mines. We got separated after the tower fell. Could he… still be alive?”

James pondered it for a moment, then shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

Brody sighed, hanging her head. Ruby sat down next to her, rubbing her back. Clementine ran a thumb over Violet’s knee. She looked lost in thought, like she wanted to say something but didn’t dare try. Clementine decided not to press her.

“Wait, Clem? Where’s Marlon?” Louis asked, and Clementine’s eyes widened.

“Shit, I heard Brody screaming and I ran down here without even thinking.”

Louis ran a hand through his hair stressfully, and James stepped forward, sitting down next to Clementine. “Marlon is your friend?” At her nod, he continued. “Where did you leave him?”

“The shed, about a mile away from here.”

James nodded, glancing over at Louis. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think he’ll still be there.”

Louis shook his head, running a hand over his jaw. “No, no, we have to try. I don’t want to just leave him there.” Clementine opened her mouth to speak, but Louis cut her off. “I know what he did, but he doesn’t deserve to be left out there to be attacked.”

“I’ll go with you,” James said, pushing himself up. “It’s best not to go alone.” He pulled out an extra shotgun from the straps on his hip, handing it to Louis. “Do you know how to use this?”

Louis looked a little out of place with a shotgun in his hands, and Clementine fought the urge to laugh. “Uh, yeah. You point and shoot, right?”

James bit the inside of his cheek, positioning Louis’ hands on the gun. As he was explaining it to him, Clementine turned to Violet. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine,” Violet nodded, dropping her head on Clementine’s shoulder. “Hurting, but fine.”

Louis and James moved towards the door to leave, and Clementine gently helped Violet stand up. “Come on, let’s go lay you down. We’ve still got a little ways until dawn.”

The two moved up the stairs slowly, Violet’s breath baited and quick. Clementine kept a hand on her hip, making sure to keep her free arm in front of her in case she fell. As they walked to the guest bedrooms, Clementine propped open Tenn’s and AJ’s door. The two were still fast asleep, unaware to the danger and tragedy the rest of the group had witnessed. Clementine pulled the door back shut, leading Violet to the next guest bedroom.

Clementine helped Violet lay down on the bed, pulling off her boots for her and kissing her on the forehead. “I’m really glad you’re not dead,” she sighed, brushing Violet’s bangs away from her face. Violet gave a small smile, her eyes barely staying open.

“Me too. Would’ve sucked to die.”

Clementine chuckled, pressing a shorter kiss to Violet’s lips. She turned to leave the bedroom so Violet could get some rest, but Violet’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

“Don’t go,” Violet said, voice barely above a whisper.

Clementine sat down on the bed next to her, resting her chin on Violet’s head as Violet laid down on Clementine’s chest. She fell asleep almost immediately, her breathing slowing and body relaxing. Even in her sleep, her brow was knitted together in pain. Clementine frowned, moving her hands through her hair gently.

Clementine stared out the window at the bright full moon that was filtering silver light through the window. Snow flew across the window as the wind knocked it loose from the roof, and she sighed, wishing for dawn to come sooner.

LouisThe Forest

Louis followed James out into the forests, looking into the treeline and feeling his skin crawl. Ever since James had talked about the… Wendigos, Louis was paranoid that he’d see one and not be able to stop it before it chopped its head off. James seemed to notice his fear, because he said, “Don’t worry, we’d hear it if there was one nearby. We’re safe, for now.”

Louis nodded, following the other man in his tracks. He was awfully quiet, and Louis decided to attempt a conversation. “So, um… how long have you lived on my parents’ mountain without their knowledge?” Okay, maybe a little more forward than he’d meant for it to be.

James didn’t seem to mind. “I used to stay here with my uncle every summer, but I moved into his hut a few years ago.”

“A few

years?

How did no one ever see you?”

“I’m sure people did see me, I just don’t think they cared,” James said honestly, his eyes darting back and forth every couple of seconds. Living up here had really seemed to make him paranoid. Louis couldn’t say he blamed him. “Same with my uncle.”

Louis shifted his grip on the shotgun, and James let the conversation fall silent. He wasn’t very talkative, but Louis was going to go crazy if he didn’t talk. “How many shots from a shotgun does it take to kill one?”

“It doesn’t.”

Louis reeled back. “Wh-you mean a shotgun won’t kill it?”

James shook his head, and a look flashed across his face Louis couldn’t recognize. It was the same look he’d gotten when Louis had asked him why he didn’t kill the wendigos.  “No, but it’ll slow it down.”

“Well, how do you kill it? You said you have before.”

“I try not to,” James sighed, glancing back at Louis for a moment before looking back at the path. “They’re afraid of fire. Their skin is like an… armor that only fire can manage to break down. It weakens them, and they’ll flee from it.”

“Is that why you…” Louis gestured to the tubes of fuel strapped to James’ back. “Look like an arsonist?”

James shrugged. “I suppose.”

The two walked in silence to the shed, and Louis ran forward to look for Marlon. But he was gone, the only signs of him being torn restraints and a pool of blood. “Oh God…” Louis looked around the shed, calling out Marlon’s name. “Fuck, he’s gone. We’re too late.”

James’ head snapped around, and he put up a hand to silence Louis. “Don’t. Move.” James’ voice was below a whisper and Louis barely heard him. The two stood frozen in place for a moment, and Louis fought the urge to run when he saw something dart in between the trees.

It crawled out of the forest, and Louis stifled a gasp. It had arms and legs like a human, but much, much longer. Its flesh was stretched out across its body, its scalp was clean and he could see its fangs from where he was standing. James moved slowly, reaching for the nozzle to his flamethrower and pulling the trigger, lighting the clearing up with fire.

The Wendigo let out an ear-piercing screech, and James said, “Get behind me!” As soon as Louis did, James lit the entry to the path on fire. The Wendigo darted right up to the line of fire, baring its teeth at James. “We gotta go. Run!”

Louis took off down the path, James right behind him. Louis stopped in his tracks as a second Wendigo dropped onto the path right in front of him, and James ran into his back. Louis shot the Wendigo with his shotgun and James doused it in fire, and as soon as it was down they took off running towards the cabin.

They reached the front door, and they could even still hear the Wendigo crawling behind them. Louis pounded on the front door as James fended it off. “Let us in!” He yelled, and a couple seconds later, Brody pulled the door open and ushered them in, locking it behind her.

She opened her mouth to ask something, but it came out as a scream as something violently slammed behind her. “The cabin isn’t safe,” James said, backing up from the door. “Is there somewhere that is?”

“Uh, the basement, maybe,” Louis said. “But we have kids sleeping upstairs!”

James nodded, nodding at Brody. “Take your other friends down there. We’ll meet you there.” Brody ran off, ushering Aasim and Ruby downstairs. Clementine and Violet weren’t with them.

“Shit, I think Clem is upstairs with Violet too,” Louis said, and the two bounded up the stairs as the Wendigo continued to crawl along the outer walls of the cabin, its screeching threatening to deafen Louis.

Louis ran into the first guest bedroom, shaking Tenn awake. James hovered back near the door, and Louis assumed he didn’t want to frighten the kids. “Tenn. Tenn!”

Tenn’s eyes opened, and he looked at Louis confusedly. “What’s going on?”

“I’ll explain later, but you and AJ need to go downstairs to the basement. You remember where it is?” Tenn nodded, and Louis helped him out of bed. “Brody will meet you there. I’ll be down in a second.”

Louis moved to wake AJ up, who snapped awake much quicker. He was a light sleeper, like Clementine. “AJ, go with Tenn to the basement. Okay?”

“What…” AJ looked around, his eyes focusing on James. “Who is that? Where’s Clem?”

“There’s no time, you need to follow Tenn downstairs

now.”

Louis urged, and the two boys scurried out of the room to run downstairs. “Clementine?” Louis called out, and he could hear her reply from the next room over.

“In here.”

Louis pushed the door open to see Violet sleeping on top of Clementine with her arms wrapped around her. “What’s happening?” Clementine asked, brows furrowed. “Did you find Marlon?”

“Marlon’s gone,” Louis said simply, and her eyes widened. “We need to get downstairs.”

“Shit,” Clementine swore under her breath, gesturing down at Violet. “She’s out cold.”

James stepped forward, holstering his weapon. “I’ll carry her. You two go, I’m right behind you.” Clementine eyed James as he almost effortlessly scooped Violet into her arms. Louis tugged Clementine along by the arm as they ran down the stairs, James quick on their heel. Clementine screamed as the window shattered, and James urged, “Go, go!”

The four of them made it down to the basement just as the Wendigo’s footsteps could be heard upstairs.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Police Records Tape 9

“So… who was this man that helped you?”

“His name is James.”

The reporter wrote something down, and Clementine eyed her, avoiding the gaze of the investigator. “Did he live up there?” Clementine nodded. “For how long?”

“Ask him.”

“Miss Everett-”

“Five years,” Clementine sighed, still not looking at him. “But he’s not a bad guy, he… never was. He only ever tried to help.”

The investigator leaned forward. “Tell me more about him. What did he tell you?”

“About the… monsters or about himself?”

“Anything and everything.”
 
3 Hours Until Dawn
ClementineThe Basement
As soon as Clementine made it down to the basement with Louis and James who was still carrying an unconscious Violet, they were barraged with questions from the others.

“What the hell was that?”

“Where's Marlon?”

“Was that a Wendigo?”

Tenn was standing off in a corner quietly, and it looked like AJ was trying to comfort him. Clementine bent down next to him, putting a hand on Tenn's shoulder and looking at AJ. “How are you holding up, kiddo?”

“I'm okay,” AJ said, glancing back up the stairs. “What were we running from? A monster? And who is

that?

” He pointed at James, who was setting Violet down to rest on a table.

Clementine hesitated, not knowing how to answer. She didn't want to frighten AJ, but she didn't want to lie to him. Eventually she said, “That's James. He's helping us with the Wen-the monster. We're going to stay down here until the police pick us up in the morning.”

“The police?” AJ looked taken aback. Then he glanced around. “Where's Mitch and Marlon?”

Clementine sighed. “I don't know,” she admitted.

AJ seemed like he wanted to say something, but James spoke before he could. “Clementine.” James gestured to Violet, who was starting to stir.

Clementine went to her side, and Violet groaned, forcing her eyes open. She looked around at the group and the unfamiliar surroundings, then let out a huff. “The hell did I miss?”

“What happened out there?” Clementine turned to Louis, who had been uncharacteristically quiet. He curled in on himself, crossing his arms and leaning back against the file cabinets in the basement. Sensing his discomfort and shooting him a sympathetic look, she turned to James.

James got the message and spoke for Louis. “We went to get Marlon, but we ran into one of them. Marlon was gone. I’m… sorry.” His voice was tinged with genuine empathy, and Clementine briefly wondered if there was anyone he’d lost to the Wendigos.

Brody sighed, her hands moving over her face. “Fuck…” Ruby put her hands on Brody’s shoulders, and Aasim stood on the side, looking solemn.  AJ came up on Clementine’s side, and she gently grasped his hand and gave it a squeeze. Violet pushed herself up, comfortingly leaning against Louis.

“What if he isn’t dead?” Aasim spoke up, and everyone turned to look at him. “I mean, the Wendigo might not have killed him right away, right? Especially if it already thought he was dead.” Aasim looked at James for confirmation, and he shook his head.

“That’s… not likely,” James said, leaning against the table.

“But it is possible?”

“I… guess.”

“We have to go look for him,” Aasim said, and Clementine cast her gaze at the floor. AJ looked up at her, and she shook her head. “Come on, guys! If he’s out there we can’t just leave him!”

“It’s too risky,” Clementine said, releasing her grip on AJ’s hand. “If we go out there, one or more of us might get hurt or killed or worse. We’re staying here and waiting until dawn.”

“But-”

“What the hell is that?” Ruby’s voice cut Aasim off, and Clementine looked over to see she was standing by Violet and eyeing her shoulder. “Violet, what…”

Violet glanced down at her shoulder, and Clementine’s brows furrowed as she spotted blood she hadn’t noticed before. It looked like teeth marks. “Oh, um… it bit me. When Brody and I were trying to escape.”

“Are you okay?” Clementine asked, and Violet nodded.

“Yeah, it doesn’t even hurt anymore.”

Ruby shook her head. “Wait, but… isn’t that how it works? If you eat human flesh or if they go after you you turn into one?”

James opened his mouth, alarm in his expression, but Louis cut him off. “Ruby, what are you saying?”

Silence filled the room, and Clementine was the first one to speak. “She’s not going to turn into one, that’s fucking crazy. Right, James?” Clementine looked to James for backup, and he nodded.

“No, the bites are harmless.”

“Can you prove that?” Aasim asked, and James heaved a sigh and rolled his sleeve up. There was some sort of tattoo there, but next to it was a scar that looked to be a bite mark. A bite mark that matched up exactly to Violet’s.

James rolled his sleeve back up. “If I was going to turn, I would’ve a long time ago.”

Violet breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back into Louis, who wrapped an arm around her. Clementine approached James, who had wandered off into a corner. “Is it… actually possible Marlon is still alive?”

James opened his mouth and closed it again before speaking. “I… honestly don’t know. It’s not impossible, but it’s very unlikely.” Clementine bit her lip in thought, and James, reading her expression, said, “Clementine, it’s too dangerous right now.”

“But I’m the one that left him out there!” Clementine said, rubbing her face with her hands. “If he’s not dead, I have to help him. Nothing you can say will change my mind. Are you with me or not?”

James ran his hand over the straps of his shotgun, hanging his head. “I’ll go with you.” His tone was reluctant, but Clementine was quietly rejoicing he had chosen to accompany her. She would’ve gone alone, but it would’ve sucked.

“Alright, I’m going to find Marlon,” she announced to the group, and immediately was met with protests.

“Clem, it’s too dangerous,” Violet said, pushing herself off the table. She leaned on a filing cabinet for balance. “You… I’ve seen what’s down there, there’s no way Marlon is still alive. Please, just stay here.”

“I wish I could,” Clementine said, giving Violet a sad smile. “Really, I do. But I need to find him. Even if he is dead. Just hang tight, James and I will be back soon.”

“Hey,” Louis spoke up, his voice unusually hollow. Whatever he had seen outside with James, it had scared him into near-silence. “Stay safe.”

Clementine nodded, looking over at Brody. “I’ll look for Mitch too.”

“Thank you, Clementine,” Brody said, a half-hearted smile on her lips. She’d lost more than anyone else had tonight, and Clementine could see how glassy her eyes were. Survivor’s guilt. “I appreciate it.”

AJ threw himself onto Clementine, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Clem, please don’t go! What if you get hurt? What if-”

“Hey, hey, hey,” she soothed him, kneeling down to hug him more properly. “I’ll be okay. I’m armed, and I have James with me. He’s been surviving here for years. We’ll be okay.”

AJ pulled away, not looking quite satisfied with her answer but he seemed to know he wasn’t going to get anywhere by protesting further. “Just… look for somewhere to hide. And don’t go alone.”

Clementine smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I will. I promise.” She straightened up as AJ ran back over to Tenn, and she pressed a short peck to Violet’s lips. Violet was still refusing to meet her eyes. “Vi, I’ll be okay.”

“What if you’re not?” Violet sighed, leaning into Clementine. “I can’t lose you.”

“You

won’t,

” Clementine said firmly, cupping Violet’s cheeks with her hands. “I’ll be back before dawn. Okay?”

Violet sighed, and Clementine pulled away from her, looking at James, who was lingering by the door. At her nod, he pulled it open and let her in first, and the two walked to the path to the sanatorium side by side.

They walked in silence for a long time. It wasn’t an awkward silence with James, though, it just felt natural. Like they’d been best friends forever and could just appreciate each other’s company without exchanging any words.

Surprisingly, James was the one that broke the silence. “Your friends are… unusual.”

Clementine quirked an eyebrow, looking over at him while still walking. “How so?”

“They’re just so…” James hesitated, seemingly struggling to find the right word. “Accepting. I haven’t seen people in a long time, but I didn’t expect my first impressions to go that well.”

Clementine looked down at her feet, choosing her next words carefully. “What happened to you, James? Why are you out here all alone? I mean, it can’t have been like this forever, right?”

James sucked in a breath. Clementine had clearly hit a sore topic, and she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, but her curiosity overpowered her guilt. After a moment, James started to speak.

“My uncle lived up here before me. My mom died when I was little and my dad was away on business trips so often I’d stay up here with my uncle during the summer. He was a little weird, but… it wasn’t all bad. Mostly he’d tell me ghost stories, about a curse on the mountain that turned men into cannibalistic monsters.”

Clementine blinked, taken aback. “You mean the Wendigos?”

James nodded. “At the time it just seemed like stories. I never saw one, and the noises I heard in the night could be explained away as a deer or squirrel. But my uncle would go out every night, lock up the house to keep me safe, and he would hunt down the wendigos and kill as many as he could. Which, most nights, wasn’t a lot.

“When I got older, about 16, I started to dread the visits. I begged my dad not to send me, but he didn’t want me to be home alone. That summer I brought Charlie with me, to keep me company and make it… a little more bearable.”

Clementine tilted her head. “Charlie?”

James avoided her stare, but she saw a light smile flash across his face as memories of a happier time crossed his mind. “My boyfriend. Well, at the time.” Just as soon as it had appeared the smile was wiped from James’ face, and he stared at the floor as he walked. “Charlie asked a lot of questions about my uncle. He seemed to think it was fascinating, the stories he told. I asked him if he believed them and he said he didn’t, but… I think he wanted to. He always had an... imagination.

“One night Charlie woke me up and told me he wanted to follow my uncle. To see what he did every night. I kept saying no, but it seemed like Charlie was going to go with or without me, so I gave in. We followed my uncle’s footsteps into the woods, then the sanitorium, then the mines. We lost track of him and got ourselves turned around in the mines. Neither of us had any idea which way was out.”

James let out a deep sigh, hand moving over his face. Clementine put a hand on his upper arm out of habit, and he tensed up at the touch but eventually relaxed into it. “We didn’t even hear the wendigo before it grabbed Charlie. It dragged him into the mines, and… I couldn’t do anything. All I could hear was his screams. I didn’t know what to do, so I ran. I just ran until I got to the surface again. My uncle found me, and when he tried to help me get home, one of them came out of the woods and… sliced his head clean off.”

Clementine stopped in her tracks, eyes widening. James finally looked at her, and his face was hardened. He didn’t look a day over 21, but he seemed much older. “James, I…” Clementine was at a loss for words.

“It’s okay. It was 5 years ago,” James said, and she started walking again next to him. “I refused to come home when my dad came to get me, because I thought Charlie might still be alive. I looked for a long time.”

“Did you find him?” Clementine asked.

“It’s complicated.”

Clementine opened her mouth to speak, but cut off as she heard a loud screech from the Sanatorium right in front of them. James swore under his breath, drawing his shotgun and motioning for Clementine to get behind him. “I think a couple got out,” he whispered, handing Clementine his extra shotgun. “That revolver won’t work. Use this.”

Clementine loaded the shotgun and James looked impressed. “You know how to shoot?”

“My dad taught me,” Clementine said with a nod. “Well, adopted dad.”

The two snuck into the sanitorium, James straightening up to climb up the stairs with Clementine following his lead. “I think we’re safe, for now,” James said, holstering his gun. Clementine kept hers in her hands, peering around the Sanatorium for the second time.

James led her to a caged door with a padlock on it, and he pulled the keys out of his pocket. “You’ve been… living here?” Clementine asked, and James shook his head.

“I still stay at my uncle’s. I just pass through here pretty often.” James pushed the door open, letting Clementine go first. She jumped back when she heard barking, and the dog from earlier came over to inspect them. Rosie.

James knelt down to scratch Rosie on the head, and her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she leaned into his touch. It almost looked like she was smiling. Clementine hovered back, unable to control her shaking. James seemed to sense her discomfort, because he looked up at her and said, “Do you not like dogs?”

“Uh… one bit me when I was little.” Clementine said, her shoulders trembling as her gaze never tore from Rosie, who was now staring at her curiously. Her nub of a tail wagged ever so slightly as she seemed to remember Clementine from earlier. Clementine hesitantly put her hand out, letting Rosie walk towards her and brush her head on her palm. She stiffened, but James hovering over them provided at least some comfort. Rosie eventually pulled away and Clementine sighed in relief.

Rosie started walking down a path and James followed, Clementine right behind him. The path led into another wing of the sanatorium, and Clementine and James had to squeeze through a door that seemed to be falling apart at the seams. “You don’t pick up much around here, do you?” Clementine asked jokingly, and James shook his head.

“It’s been around for 70 years. Kind of impossible to stop it from falling apart.” Rosie trotted ahead of the two, growling occasionally and setting Clementine’s nerves on fire. Clementine hadn’t been through this part of the sanatorium, but James’ familiarity with it made her feel a bit better.

The two walked downstairs into an open room, and a rattling made Clementine jump and James’ on alert. The rattling had come from underneath a box, and Clementine sighed as a rat crawled out from under it. “Fucking rat…” she muttered, turning to continue walking, only to have a Wendigo scream right in her face.

Clementine screamed, jumping back, and James lit the place up with fire. Clementine ran past him, Rosie right ahead of her and James on her tail. She turned to the left through an open door, slamming it shut once James ran in behind her. “Help me!” She said, trying to push a heavy metal cabinet over to barricade the door. James ran to her side, and they shoved it down in front of the door.

Clementine peered through the tiny, smashed window looking for any sign of the Wendigo. She jumped back when it stuck its head through the small opening, letting out a screech that tempted to deafen her. She raised her shotgun, but James said, “Clem, wait!” Clementine peered at him curiously, and she could see he was staring at it as if he’d seen a ghost.

The Wendigo was reaching its arm in, and she could see a black marking on its wrist she hadn’t noticed before. It looked almost like a tattoo. Clementine thought back to the bite mark on James’ wrist, and the tattoo right above it…

It was the same tattoo.

“James, we have to go!” She urged when the Wendigo screamed again, and he seemed to snap out of it and run through the next open door with her, catching his breath once she closed the door. “What the hell was that?”

James leaned on a table, hair falling in chunks off his shoulders and obscuring his face. “That was Charlie.”

“Th… the Wendigo?” Clementine asked, and James nodded. “But… how? I thought they only turned from eating other people.”

James nodded again. “They do.” He straightened up, having to look down at Clementine due to their height difference. “When I said it was possible your friend Marlon was dragged down here, I meant it. I had a suspicion it’s what happened to Charlie. And now I can see I was right.”

“My God, James, I…” Clementine breathed in deeply, closing and opening her eyes again. “We need to find Marlon.”

James opened his mouth to say something, but stopped short when a Wendigo crawled into the room, leaping up onto table with a quiet hiss. Slowly, the two eased themselves down behind cover, James keeping a hand on Rosie to keep her from moving.

As the Wendigo leaped to another table and turned its head, Clementine moved to the next table, using it as cover to sneak out of the room quietly and undetected. She came to a hallway full of cells that looked an awful lot like a prison. James put a finger to his lips, moving down the hallway and taking deliberate steps to stay quiet. Clementine followed, glancing into the cages. She could barely make them out in the darkness, but she could see Wendigos crawling around in the cages. James had mentioned capturing them; this must be where he kept them.

They walked through the hallway with the cages and rounded the corner to another passageway that led to another wing of the Sanatorium. “How fucking big is this place?” Clementine muttered, and James didn’t answer, just kept walking to the door at the end.

A loud screech drew Clementine’s attention to behind her, and she whirled around to see a Wendigo coming right for them. “Fuck!” She pulled the trigger of the shotgun, and the Wendigo fell backwards in a heap. “Anytime now, James!” She yelled.

“The door is forced shut!” James replied, and Clementine heard Rosie barking behind her. James was able to force the door open a little and allow Rosie to squeeze inside. A second Wendigo came crawling down the pathway just as the first one stood up.

“James!” Clementine shouted as the Wendigos let out a scream. James forced the door open with his shoulder all the way, and Clementine rolled a barrel full of flammable gas down the passage and shot it with her revolver.

The heat hit her back as she ran into the open door, and the screams of the Wendigos were still audible when James slammed the door shut. “Why did you kill them?” James asked, and Clementine’s jaw dropped.

“Are you… are you serious? They were going to kill me!” James sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Why are you so against killing them? They’re just monsters!”

“You don’t-” James’ voice raised, and he took a deep break to calm himself down. “You don’t know that.”

“James-”

“Let’s keep moving.” Clementine had several questions, but James turning on his heel and walking didn’t leave her much of a choice to keep talking. Rosie pattered next to Clementine, looking up at her with a small whine. Clementine gave her a small smile, patting her on the head. She was growing more comfortable with the dog, even if she did have enough muscle mass to rip Clementine’s arm off.

James walked ahead of them, something clearly troubling him, but Clementine didn’t want to push him. She definitely wanted the Wendigo-wrangling arsonist on her side. A loud scream came from behind her, and she yelled in frustration as another Wendigo was climbing on the wall. Clementine took off running, and James stopped to douse it in fire.

The three ran into another room, Rosie letting out a bark as Clementine and James barricaded the door. They jumped down into a dark passageway through an opening in the floor, and Clementine looked up at Rosie, who was hovering hesitantly by the opening.

“She’s not gonna make that jump,” Clementine said, and James looked worried. “I think she’ll be safe here.” It wasn’t exactly reassuring, but it would have to do. James nodded, and they walked down the corridor to another large room that lead outside. A Wendigo followed them in, and Clementine shot it as James opened the door.

Clementine ran through it and James lit the exit on fire as they took off running into the night, the Wendigo’s screaming echoing through the air.