Chapter Five

Y/N's POV

"Y/N. Y/N. Wake up."

I open my eyes and Chris's face comes into focus. I'm about to ask Chris what's going on when I realize I'm gagged.

"I got you," Chris tells me, taking off the gag.

My vision blurs again and I sway. I've been drugged. This isn't good. 

I point at his huge bruise. "Chris, your head!"

He doesn't respond. I notice Chris is staring at the gag.

"Uhh, Y/N. There is something written on here for you."

Chris hands me the cloth that had been in my mouth as a gag earlier. In red are the words, "How does it feel to be drugged and speechless again this year?"

My face goes pale. 

"You think it's because you, Josh, and I were drunk when Hannah and Beth went missing?" Chris asks. 

I nod."It has to be. But what about the speechless part? Is he talking about us being drunk there too?"

Chris thinks for a minute. "Oh. Gosh."

"What?"

"I think that maniac knows about your crush on Matt or something. You did say that you kept your mouth shut when you wanted to tell him last year."

"That would make sense. I did call his name before he stuck that needle in my neck. But how did the maniac know about last year?"

Chris looks down. "He must have been there. Watching."

I shiver. "I don't like this."

"Me neither." Chris looks around. "And Ashley is gone."

I look around the room for the first time. He's right. Ash is nowhere to be seen.

Chris stands up. "We have to find her. If anything happens to her I..."

"Don't worry, Chris. We'll find her."

Chris gives me a weak smile and extends his hand to help me up. I only make it partway before landing on the floor again, unable to stand.   

I lean my head against the wall. "I can't do it, Chris. There was something in that needle besides sedatives. I can't. He probably drugged me and not you so I'd slow you down in getting to Ashley. You can't let him win. And... I hate feeling like I'd just hold people back..."

"I'm not leaving you. We shouldn't split up."

"Chris, you have to leave me. I can't walk."

Chris shakes his head before glancing nervously at the door. I can tell he knows time is running out. Then Chris's head snaps back in my direction. "Wait. I got an idea."

"What?"

"Get on my back."

I laugh. "What?"

"I'm going to get you on my back. Then you won't have to walk. Then we can find Ash without splitting up."

I know that we have to get to Ashley. I know Chris wants to get to her as soon as possible. I know I would be the same way if Matt were in Ashley's shoes. 

So I agree. "Let's try it. But if I'm slowing you down you have to leave me."

"You won't slow me down." Chris turns around and squats by me on the floor. "Put your arms around my neck. I'll stand up slowly and then you get your legs around my waist."

I put my arms around his neck. "Got it. Ready?"

"Yup. Standing up."

Chris slowly stands up and I wrap my legs around his waist as soon as I can so I don't strangle him from behind. 

"You secure?" he asks. 

"I think so. Are you good?" 

He nods. "Yeah. Let's find Ashley."

Mike's POV

It all happened so fast. Jess pranked me, we kept walking to the lodge, we reached a deer that got yanked away out of our sight, we ran, got to the lodge, messed around, and before I knew it, Jess got pulled through a window. 

As soon as her whole body leaves the window, I run and grab the gun next to the door, running outside and stepping on the broken glass left by the attack. 

"JESSICA!!" I glance down at the glass beneath my feet. "Oh no, no, no." I keep running. "Jess!!"

I went for the shortcut, hopping across tubes in the water to get to the other side. I just keep repeating her name in vain. I need to get to her. 

I get to a small cliff, taking out my gun and looking through it to search for Jess. I find her crawling on the snow before screaming and being pulled away by something. 

"Jess!"

"ARGH!! NO! MICHAEL HELP ME!!! HELP ME!!!"

I grab the lantern that I had put down to use the gun, jumping down the rocks and sliding. Luckily, I grab the branch of a fallen tree and am able to have a softer landing. 

I quickly pick up the gun and lantern I dropped in my fall, sprinting after Jess once again. I dodge many fallen trees on the way, reaching another cliff-like area. I jump onto another rock and then another, reaching the other side. I reach a steep hill, risking the slide down and grabbing whatever I can to slow down my fall. I finally reach the end and grab a rock, letting go and landing softly on a wooden platform. I climb down to reach the ground, taking off running again after I retrieve my lantern.  

I can hear Jess again. 

"Oh no, Michael!"

"Jessica!!!" I cry. 

"HELP ME!"

Whoever it is closes the door, taking her into a strangle area. I follow after them, screaming, "JESS!!"

"ARGH!! NO!!! MICHAEL!! HELP ME!!! HELP ME!!!"

"JESSICA! I'M COMING!! I'M COMING!!" I hurry down the stairs towards the elevator. Once I reach the bottom of the stairs, I go down a tunnel with a sign that reads, "UNSAFE KEEP OUT." 

"JESSICA!" I cry again. 

"HELP ME! Oh no, Michael!!"

"JESS!!" I reach the elevator, looking down and seeing her lying there, blood and cuts all over her body. "NO!!" I kneel down next to her. "Oh no! No, Jessica." 

She stirs, trying to sit up. "Help me..." 

I reach for her, but then there's a rumble and she falls down the shaft. "JESSICA!!" I then hear a noise, looking around warily. "Huh? What was that?"

Y/N's POV

"Ash? ASH!?" Chris calls, frantically looking around the lodge.   

We search for Ashley, reaching her coin purse. Chris is unable to pick it up with me on his back, but I can tell from here that it has blood on it.

"Not good. Not good at all," Chris says. 

Chris opens a door, a crow flying away. "What the-"

"Uhh. Chris?" I ask. 

Chris notices what I'm staring at. There's blood splattered on the wall. 

"Aww, crap! No!!!" Chris cries. 

 "We have to find her."

"Ash!!" Chris continues to call her name as we go outside the lodge. Chris shines his flashlight around, making his way down the stairs slowly so I wouldn't fall off his back. "ASHLEY!! Ashley!"

"Look, Chris." I point to the snowy ground with red stains. "A trail of blood."

Chris nods and starts following it. "Anyone out there? Ashley?"

The blood path starts leading to the left, but Chris shines his light down the path and it looks like a dead-end, maybe a trap, so he ignores it and keeps going straight. 

"Ash!!"

"Chris, we'll find her."

"I know, I know. I just... ASHLEY!!"

He continues screaming her name until we reach the shed. He pauses.

I look around, seeing chains and cages hanging up everywhere. I gulp. I don't have a good feeling about this. 

"Ashley??" Chris tries. 

"...Chris? Y/N?"

My face brightens at her voice. She's here!

"Ash, we're here!" Chris assures her. "Where are you?"

"I'm... I don't know." 

Chris looks around the shed, steering clear of anything that could fall on me while I'm up on his back. 

"Chris, I think I should be let down now. You need to save Ashley. I'll follow, just... slowly."

"Yeah. Okay." Chris squats, lowering himself just enough so I can slip off his back. 

My head spins as I stand up. I start to sway, but I'm able to regain my balance. 

Chris holds his hands up as if ready to catch me. "You good?"

I nod. "Yeah. Go to Ashley."

He nods, continuing his search as I slowly follow behind.

"Please... help me...!" I hear Ashley plead. 

"I'm coming, Ash. Just keep talking to me. What happened?"

"Chris, he tied me up... I can't move!"

"Ashley, I'm going to get you out of this. Don't worry!"

"I'm really scared, Chris!" 

I watch as Chris reaches a lever, causing a light to be switched on. He jumps. "Huh!?"

"Chris? Y/N? Are you there??"

I make my way over to Chris, leaning on whatever I can in the shed to support me as my vision keeps blurring in and out. I make my way to the door into the area Josh and Ashley are, fumbling with the lock and trying to get it open. It's no use. 

"Hello, and thank you all for joining me," I hear the psycho greet. 

Ashley screams. "Josh! JOSH WAKE UP!!"  

"Huh?" Josh wakes up, glancing around in confusion. "What?"

Chris gives me an anxious look, glancing from the door to me. I shake my head, panic rising in my chest. 

"Tonight we're going to conduct a little experiment," the psycho continues.

"Oh, no," Ashley whimpers. 

"What is this?" Josh asks. 

The psycho continues over our cries. "A sort of test."

Josh grows more panicked. "Ashley, what the hell is going on!?"

"I don't know. I don't know. I don't know!" Ashley cries.

"Now for this experiment, we'll need the cooperation of our two test subjects... Joshua and Ashley..."

 Ashley and Josh start to panic further in their captive states. I try the door again, growing more and more frantic with each failed attempt. 

"But we're going to need one more brave participant to help decide... which subject will live, and which will die."

Ashley starts to scream. "OH NO! OH NO! OH NO! CHRIS! GET US OUT OF HERE!!" 

Josh joins in. "NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! LET ME DOWN FROM HERE YOU MANIAC!!"

"Please, please, everyone calm down. It's all very simple. Christopher, you will find a lever placed directly in front of you. All you have to do... is choose who you will save!"

The saw starts up.

"Oh no... please!" Ashley begs. "This can't be happening! Oh no, oh no, oh no! This isn't right!"

"Okay... okay... okay... okay, this is going to be okay," Josh tries to reassure himself as he and Ashley continue to struggle. 

I watch as Chris shakes his head over and over. "Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap."

"Dude... buddy..." Josh begins. "Let's just think about this for a minute..."

"Chris, you can't let me die!!" Ashley pleads.

"Just, just, just... gimme a second. I... I can't think straight... crap." Chris glances at me, pain, horror, and sadness all mixing together on his face to create an agonized expression. 

"Chris, what do we do!?" I scream, starting to cry.

Josh and Ashley start yelling over me, trying to convince Chris to save them.

I don't want either of them to die. Ashley was my best friend. And now that I've finally let myself forgive everyone that was involved in the prank, I was hoping that this trip could rekindle what we had. 

And Josh... He'd been through so much. And we've always been close friends. After his sisters... we got closer than ever. Chris and Josh are like my brothers.  

Finally, Chris seems to have made up his mind. "Ashley, I'll get you out of this. I won't let you die!!"

My heart sinks and my face brightens at the same time. It's a win-lose.

"Oh thank you!!" Ashley tells him. 

"No, no!" Josh cries.

Chris reaches for the lever as Ashley yells, "This is insane! This is nuts! This isn't happening! Chris, please tell me this isn't happening!"

Ashley and Josh continue yelling over each other, each scared to lose their lives. 

Chris moves the lever towards the picture of Ashley. 

"Ah... I see. You have chosen... to save Ashley," the psycho says.

Josh screams as Chris backs away from the lever. 

The saw speeds closer to Josh. "NO, CHRIS!"

"I'm so sorry!!" Chris cries. 

"JOSH!!!!" My crying turns to sobbing.

Ashley starts to cry as she looks away from the saw. "OH NO, JOSH!!"  

"I thought we were friends, man!" Josh yells. "I thought we were friends! Why would you do this!?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I'm sorry! This is madness, please!" Chris proceeds to then mumble incoherently as if his brain doesn't want to process what's happening in front of him. 

Ashley screams as Josh says his last words, "No! WHAT DID I DO!?!" He screams as the saw cuts into him. 

"Stop you can't do this please!" Chris starts pulling at his hair. 

But it's too late. 

All of the cries of my friends get lost among the own cries inside my head as the saw cuts deeper into Josh, eventually going all the way through him. Josh is dead.

My hands fly up to my mouth. The shock numbs the effects of the drugs slowly making their way out of my system. My head clears, I can stand up straight. The reality hits me.

I look over at Chris, but my tears block my vision. 

"No, no, no. D-don't look, Ashley. Don't look," Chris tells Ashley. 

Ashley does as she's told, keeping herself from glancing over. "Why can't I look, Chris? Please tell me he's okay, please!"

The door right next to me flies open and Chris breezes past, rushing to Ashley, who is covered in Josh's blood. 

I follow Chris to Ashley, avoiding looking at Josh again. I can't take it.

"I'm coming, Ash. I'm going to get you. I'm letting you down." Chris reaches Ashley, who is sobbing. "Shh. Stop, please. Come on, come on, let's get you down. Come on, we're going to get you out of here." 

Chris unties Ashley and she runs into his arms, burying her face in his chest.

Chris puts his arms around her, trying to shield her from the horror that just happened. 

But Ashley looks up at Josh and cries out, Chris moving his hands to shield her eyes. 

"Shhh, we gotta go, okay?" Chris says. 

I follow the two as they hurry out of the shed, huddled together. 

Then I hear a voice I was afraid I wouldn't hear again. 

"Chris! Ashley! Y/N!" Matt yells, he and Emily running up to the three of us. 

"Blood!" Emily exclaims. "Blood! Who's blood is that, Ash?"

I run to Matt, crying into his chest. He puts his arms around me comfortingly. "Shhh. It's alright. It's gonna be alright. Are you guys okay?"

"Chris, what happened?" Emily asks. 

I hear as Chris struggles to explain. "J-josh..."

"Josh what, dude?" Matt demands. 

"He's dead..."

"What, what?"

"Right in front of us, man-"

I look up to see confusion wash over Emily's face. "What are you talking about?" 

  "T-There's a maniac!" 

Matt glances down at me before addressing Chris. "Maniac?"

"We gotta get out of here," Emily says.

"I don't understand what happened," Matt confesses. 

"There's a maniac!!" Chris yells. "And... he was- there was a saw...and it was either him or Ash and I didn't know what to do! Cut right through him and- spinning out everywhere!"

My sobbing grows louder, eventually matching Ashley's.

Emily's jaw drops. "WHAT!? Chris, what!?"

"I-I killed him! I-I killed him!"

"Woah, Chris!" Matt puts his hands up in surprise and I back away from him, helping Ashley off from her fetal position on the ground and offering her a shoulder to cry on. 

"It was my fault, Matt." Chris continues to sob between his explanations. 

Emily shakes her head. "No. No, this is insane. We need to go get some help."

"Cut right in half..."

"We're going to figure this out, man," Matt assures Chris. 

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!!"

"Matt, we need to get help now."

Matt turns to Emily. "Em, we should look for the others."

"Mike and Jess are off 69'ing each other and who knows where Sam is."

Chris points off in the distance. "I think she's in the lodge."

"Fine," Emily says. "Fine. You're right. Get everyone else together. But if there's a maniac running around I think we need to get some help too, right? Not just wait around?"

"But what about..." Matt begins.

"Why are we still talking about this?" Emily interrupts. "Let's go!"

Ashley, Chris, and I manage to stop crying and the five of us look around at each other. 

"I'm going with you," I tell Matt and Emily. 

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Matt asks, concerned. "You look pretty shaken up."

"I'm sure. I have to go with you." I turn to Ashley and Chris. "Will you guys be okay?"

Chris and Ashley nod. 

"Just be careful," Ashley says. 

Chris and Ashley give me a hug before Chris leads Ashley towards the lodge to get Sam. 

Matt scratches the back of his neck, the three of us watching Chris and Ash leave.