Chapter Seven

Mike's POV

I make it out of the mine area and to a weird building. I notice that the guy who killed Jess, the one who I tried to shoot, went into that building with two wolves. 

So, with no other option. I follow him in, making my way through the building to hopefully either find answers or avenge Jess. 

Sam's POV

I am still in the bath, enjoying myself with some good classical music when my candles suddenly all go out. 

I open my eyes, taking my earbuds out. "Hello? Guys? What are you doing out there? Being creepy?" 

When there's no response, I get out of the bath, pulling a towel over me. 

I notice that all my clothes are gone aside from one sock. "Oh for Pete's sake. My clothes? Really? Whichever one of you did this is off my Christmas list. Seriously, not cool, guys. Not cool at all." 

I still don't hear anything, so I open the door, walking out into the hallway. "Chris? Josh? Y/N?" I notice a balloon with an arrow on it as well as candles everywhere. I follow the balloon's instructions, hoping that I can find the pranksters behind this one. "What the-"

The clock at the end of the hallway bangs, scaring me. "Ugh. Stupid clock." 

When I leave the little hallway, I notice more balloons, all leading me somewhere.

So I follow them. 

I follow them all the way downstairs and walk towards the theater room, picking up the flashlight Josh left earlier. I shine it around. "Where are you guys?"

I walk into the room, yelling, "Hey! Guys, come on! I am done with this! I really don't appreciate the silent treatment here!"

I scream as the door slams shut behind me. I turn around, noticing that the projector is starting up.

"Hello, Samantha," I hear a menacing voice boom. "Looking for me?"

I look frantically around the room. 

"I don't think you'll have much luck by looking, Samantha."

"What the-" I start.

"You're only going to see what I want you to see. And I have quite a lot to show you."

 "What... what is going on!?"

"Open your eyes."

Something is projected on the screen, and it only takes a moment to realize that it's footage of me in the bathtub. I clutch my chest in shock and fear. "Oh my gosh."

"She's quite beautiful, isn't she? A beautiful bathing bird."

"How... why... why did you..."

"Do you think she has any idea what lies ahead? Do you think these were the last happy moments of this creature's life?"

"Why are you showing this to me?"

"Why are you watching?"

I look around for him again, but turn when I hear the footage switch. When I look... I see Josh.... getting torn in half. "Josh!"

"How does it make you feel?"

I scream. "OH MY GOSH WHAT DID YOU DO!?" I want to cry, but the fear coursing through my veins renders that impossible.

"I'm going to give you ten seconds... Nine."

"No no, no, no, no."

"Eight."

I back away from the screen, looking around frantically. There's no sign of him. 

"Seven."

I clutch my hair in fear. "Please no!"

He bursts in, holding a needle. "Sam."

I back away from him. "No, no!"

"Sa-am."

I take off running, reaching a room with a bed. I know he'll find me in here, so I jump over the bed and keep running. I run down into the basement, avoiding the broken part of the step Josh warned me about when we got the water heater started. I run until I reach a door with no handle. "Are you kidding me!? No handle!?"

I look around, deciding to pull the wine rack down. The wine rack falls to the ground and I pick up the doorknob that fell from it as the psycho crunches through the wine rack.

I fumble with the handle, eventually being able to get it in place and get the door open.  I slam the door on him, looking it and closing the hole at the top. 

Safe for the moment, I walk to the door on the other side of the room I wandered into. I force it open and fall to the ground in what looks like a broken down building of sorts. 

I grunt, standing up and continuing to walk. I decide that I better keep moving, so I start running again, but he pops up in from of me and sticks the needle into my neck. 

As I slowly fall out of consciousness, I hear him say, "So sorry, Sammy."

Wha-

Y/N's POV

"Matt!" Emily cries. "What are you gonna do? What are you gonna do!?" 

We stop in our tracks. If we back up any more we could fall over the side of the cliff. 

"Stay calm... relax... they're just deer. They just want to check us out is all," Matt says. 

I shake my head. "I don't know, Matt. They look like they're gonna hurt us."

Emily folds her arms in fear. 

I grit my teeth.

"Shhh," Matt pleads before walking calmly towards the herd. They seem to part the way for him as he continues to walk forward.

Emily and I share a look, eventually following Matt's lead. 

Then Matt reaches a deer that won't move, but Matt continues calmly forward. "Just walk slow. It's okay. Come on...it's okay."

Emily and I follow his lead, the three of us managing to escape the herd unscathed.

Without speaking about what we just went through, we continue down the path, Emily and the flashlight leading the way. 

"If we do manage to get someone on the radio-" Emily starts.

"We will," Matt assures her. 

"Then we tell them we need help. What do we do while we wait?"

"We go back to the lodge and get everyone else," I tell her. 

"Oh no, not the lodge," Emily begs. "We should stay here. In case whoever it is needs to get back in touch with us?"

"Let's get that radio working first," Matt suggests.

We reach the radio tower, but when Emily nears the stairs, a light kicks on. 

Emily screeches. "That's freakin' bright!"  

The three of us have our hands up, shielding our eyes from the radiant light.

"No kidding!" Matt agrees. 

"I can't see. What is that?" Emily squints into the distance.

"It's just a security light. Motion sensor probably."

Emily continues walking, leading us up the stairs. Then we reach a ladder, Emily going first. I follow once she's made it up the rusty ladder. 

With us both up, we hear Matt leave his axe before coming up after us.

"Uh, Matt?" I question. 

He looks up at me from climbing. "Yeah?"

"Don't you think we might need that?"

"I can't carry it up all these ladders, Y/N. We'll be fine."

"Okay. Okay. If you say so."

I turn around from looking at Matt to see Emily already climbing up the next ladder. Once she's up, I follow, Matt awaiting his turn again.

As I climb up the second ladder I hear Emily say, "Ugh. Why is it so windy all of a sudden?"

Emily begins to climb yet another ladder as I make it up mine. "It's because we're getting higher up."

"We're almost inside," Matt assures her.

I watch as Emily reaches the end of the last ladder. She pushes on the wooden door and climbs into the fire tower. She shines the light down as I, and then Matt, climb up to join her inside the tower. 

When we're all inside, Matt closes the door and locks it. 

We all take a moment to brush ourselves off.

Matt puts an arm on my shoulder. "You alright?" He looks at Emily. "Are we all alright?"

Emily and I nod. 

"Yeah," I assure him.

Emily tries the radio, but it doesn't work. "Ah. Come on! Great. No power."

I look around. "There has to be a switch somewhere. Is it outside?"

"Maybe," Matt agrees.

I walk towards the door and open it, snow and wind rushing into the small space. I walk around the outside of the room, finding an emergency flare. I pocket it before walking back to the door, finding the fuse box. I flip the switch and I hear the radio roar to life from inside the room. 

I join Matt and Emily back in the room, who are indulging in some celebratory high-fives. 

"Nice work!" Matt congratulates me.

I try to suppress the blush creeping up on my cheeks. "Thanks."

Emily just rolls her eyes and turns around to try the radio again. "Hello? Anyone there? Hello? Please say something if you're out there. Please, we need help! Over! Over!"

"...Hello?" a voice replies.

"Yes! Thank goodness! We need help, please!"

"...Hello, is someone trying to contact us? This is the park ranger service for Blackwood County. I'm not getting your signal very well. Please speak slowly and clearly, over."

"Please! Please, please, please help! We're stuck on Blackwood Mountain and there's a maniac-"

"If you can hear this, please repeat your message as I am unable to understand what you are saying, over."

"We need help, please!"

"Hello? Can you please identify yourself? Over."

Matt throws his hands up in exasperation.

Emily messes with the radio, trying to get it so that the ranger can hear her. "Okay, okay. This is... My name is Emily. Hello?"

"You're not coming through clearly, please repeat, over."

"We're on... Blackwood Mountain... by the ski lodge... There's a killer and he's after us and he's already killed one of our friends." Emily's voice begins to crack. "Oh, please help! You've got to help us!"

The light outside switches on. 

Matt rushes to one of the windows and I join him, trying to find what did it. 

"Something tripped the motion sensor. Probably a deer," he informs us. 

"I read you, ma'am," the ranger assures Emily. "Please do not leave your position. We will send out helicopters to get you as soon as the storm has subsided, over."

Matt fist bumps the air in delight. 

I break into a grin, but we aren't out of the woods yet. 

"What?" Emily asks. "When? How long?"

"Dawn, at the earliest. Not until dawn, over."

There's a loud bang. We all turn to see the door on the floor we used to get in is banging forward. Someone is trying to get in.

"Oh no!" Matt exclaims.

"Oh no, he's here! He's coming for me!" Emily cries.

The banging stops as the psycho likely gives up trying to get in. But then there's another loud noise outside.        

And the tower starts to tip. 

"MATT WHAT IS HAPPENING!?" Emily squeaks.

"The tower!" Matt exclaims. "Don't move!"

Everything starts to slide and I grab one of the wooden separators between one window and the next. I watch as Matt does the same.

But Emily is not so lucky. 

She falls down onto one of the glass windows, cracking it. 

"Emily!" Matt and I yell in unison.

Something from the tower almost falls on top of Emily, but she moves, making it crack the window instead and making a hole, which Emily then falls into.

I can hear her screams outside as I continue to hang on for dear life. 

I look over at Matt, who is doing the same. "Matt! We're going to die! I can't hold on for much longer!"

"No, Y/N! Just keep holding on! I'll get you out of this! I'll get you out!"

Then the tower falls to the ground and into the mines.

With the tower stopped for now, Matt starts to climb over to me. "Are you alright?"

I nod. "Yes. But we need to get out of here!"

Matt gestures with his head towards a possible escape route and I head towards it. I climb out, reaching down and helping Matt out as well. 

The tower shifts.

"Dammit!" I exclaim.

That's when we hear Emily yell, "MAAAATT!! MAATT HELP ME PLEASE!!"

Matt and I make our way towards her. 

"I'm coming!" he assures her. "We're coming!"

I trip and fall onto the fallen tower, making it shift more. I freeze, scared to get back up. 

Matt makes it to the edge, looking down where Emily is trapped. "Em, this is pretty unsteady over here."

"Matt, you've got to do something right now! What are you waiting for!?" Emily complains. 

"I'm thinking! Let me think!"

"Don't think, you idiot, just get me out of here!"

"Is that why you still like Mike?" Matt accuses. "He's a thinker!"

"Matt," I yell. "is this really the time!?"

"Matt... I don't-" Emily starts.

Matt throws a hand up in the air in exasperation. "I saw you with him!"

"Matt, we were just talking! This is not the time!"

"Just tell me what's going on!"

"Nothing, Matt!"

"Just admit it!"

"I was confused!"

"Matt! Please! Stop! We need to get out of here!" I cry.

Matt ignores me. "That's what I thought. I'm tired of being the second choice. Of being treated like dirt! You can't boss me around anymore! And I'm not going to stand by while you hurt those I care about either! We're done!"

"Matt! Please!" Emily tries.

Matt shakes his head. "No. It's final."

"Matt, that's fine if you want to do that, but you still have to get her out of here! Please!" I plead. "Matt you have to listen to me! Neither of us have much time!"

Matt reaches down, extending his hand to Emily. The tower shifts and Emily falls from her position on the tower, now just hanging onto it for dear life with her hands. 

Matt stands up, shifting. I take this opportunity to crawl closer to Emily and Matt so that I could maybe help. 

"Woah. Woah," Matt breathes. "I don't wanna tip it."

"Matt, it's fine if we're broken up now, but at least don't let me die!!!" Emily screeches.

I freeze as Matt goes back to help Emily, the tower shifting more and more. Matt has almost reached her, when the tower begins to fall further into the mines. 

Emily falls off the tower, screaming as she disappears from sight.

With the tower falling more, Matt makes his way towards me. 

"Matt..." I say. "We're going to die out here. I don't want to die. I never got to say..."

"Stop. We're going to be fine. I'll get you out of this."

Matt then positions himself in front of me, holding onto me so that when the tower falls, he takes the majority of the blow when we fall into the mines, falling unconscious.