Chapter Twelve

Mike's POV

After I go through the huge metallic doors, I lock them behind me and walk down a cluttered tunnel until I reach a big, empty room with a small set of stairs. I go up the small set of stairs, going up a much larger set before reaching the area I found the Miracle Men photo during my first trip to the Sanitorium. 

I walk around, noticing that the place is significantly more trashed than last time and I can't seem to find the wolves that were here earlier. As I look around, I notice some clues that I had found before, along with some new ones. The dots that I hadn't been able to connect on my first trip here start to become clear. 

And I realize that I really need to find Josh and get us all out of here ASAP.

I quickly find a set of stairs, finding a hole that allows me to jump into the locked room with the supplies I need.

I grab a torch, lighting it on fire with my lighter before grabbing some ammo for the gun right next to it. Armed and ready, I go to yet another locked door and shoot the lock, kicking the door in. 

I look around and peer into the darkness. I haven't been in this area before. 

Then my white wolf friend from earlier comes out from its hiding place. 

"Hey, big guy!" I greet softly. I advance closer to the wolf. "Happy to see me again, huh?" I kneel down, petting my new friend. "Hey! I was hopin' I'd run into you again!" I continue to pet the wolf, eventually standing back up again. "Alright. Good boy. Alright, pal. You're comin' with me. Alright. Here's the plan. I happened to see a map of this place, so we're not flying blind. There should be a way through the psychiatric wing that'll take us right outside the mine. Think we can handle that?"

The wolf growls in agreement.

I smile. "Couldn't have said it better myself." I take the gun I just recently collected and hold it up. "Let's just see if I can refrain from messing up with one of these things again."

The wolf cocks its head to the side as if confused.

I sigh. "It's nothing, Wolfie. I just made a mistake. Almost killed someone I care about, injured one of my friends, and disappointed the girl I love. But hey, let's focus on getting out of here for now, right?"

The wolf runs to a bolted up corridor and I follow as it continuously leads me through the Sanitorium. After many obstacles, horrors, and clues, I get a sinking feeling as I walk to where Wolfie is standing, facing into a tall and ginormous room. 

Wolfie has been tense the whole trip and after finding the black wolf torn open and a corpse locked up in a room with a suicide note, I'm getting tenser by the minute too. I have a feeling that something really bad is about to happen.

As soon as I enter the room, a can tips over, spooking me. I point my gun at the source of the noise, but I decide not to shoot. It would be a waste. 

Sure enough, a rat comes scurrying out. I sigh with relief, but just as I face forward so I can continue walking, I come face to face with a Wendigo.

It screeches at me and lunges, but I shoot it back. "Ha! Ha! How's that feel!"

I hurry and run while the Wendigo recovers from my blast, Wolfie running close behind me.

That's when I reach a fork. 

I could go left or straight ahead.

"Dammit," I whisper, and with not much time to stand there and debate with myself about the proper path, I run into the room at my left, closing the door.

My eyes widen as the fire in my torch goes out. "No! No, no, no. Okay." I toss it aside, barricading the door I just came in. 

Wondering if it's still on my tail, I walk closer to the open window of the door, about to peer out until the Wendigo jumps out at me.

I jump back. "No! Argh!" I take out my machete and bash the Wendigo in the head. "Get out!" I start running away from the door and it's window. "Get out!!"

I exit through another door, slamming and locking it. When I turn around, the wolf is there to greet me. I pet it softly, whispering, "Good dog... shh... shh... it's okay. It's fine." 

I quickly get my gun ready as I creep slowly into the room, hunching down when I hear a noise. I freeze behind the table I'm behind, knowing it's in the room, looking for me. 

A bottle comes rolling off the table, but I quickly catch it, avoiding the sound it would have made. I can't make any noises. I have to get out of here alive. I have to get back to the others. Back to Jessica.    

Wolfie and I slowly move through the room, eventually scurrying into a hallway with cages everywhere. 

Nervous, I keep pointing my gun every which way, my eyes shifting from one place to another constantly. 

I keep hearing noises.

This isn't good.

I accidentally walk too close to one of the cages and a Wendigo comes jumping at me, trying to reach me through the bars. Thankfully, I am able to move out of the way in time, but it was a close call.

I decide to not shoot it since it's in a cell and just focus on continuing and getting out of here.

As I move through the hallway, more and more Wendigos try to grab me through the bars, but I dodge each one, trying to save my bullets for when I truly need it.  

A Wendigo with a chain attached to its leg jumps at me, almost grazing my face. I shoot it back, scurrying out of that hallway and into another with more cages. 

Another Wendigo tries to grab at me from inside its cage, but I doge it again, backing up as I notice a Wendigo is chasing me that isn't in a cage. Nothing is stopping it.

I take off running, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. 

Maybe I deserve this.

Maybe this is karma. 

But I don't have time to contemplate these things as I reach the end of another hallway, the Wendigo behind me.

I try to open the door. No luck. I try to force it open, but I don't have time before I hear the Wendigo screech.

It's close.

I turn towards it and it screeches again, jumping around the caged up hallway, before pausing on the ceiling to screech.

Taking the chance, I shoot it off the ceiling. I pull down a barrel as it recovers, looking up to find yet another Wendigo crawling towards me. 

With no time to waste, I kick the barrel towards the Wendigos, shooting it and causing an explosion. 

I fall back with the impact, quickly gathering my bearings and forcing the door completely open.

I quickly go in, locking it behind me before hurrying through another room and to stairs. I continue through the Sanitorium, it beginning to look more torn apart the further I go in. 

Then I turn around.

And see that a Wendigo is chasing me yet again. 

"Dammit!" I run, shooting the lock on the next door and allowing me to quickly enter and then close it behind me. I decide to barricade the door so it doesn't follow me and then rush to escape.

I jump down a hole, looking up to see the wolf. 

"Hey, buddy," I coax. "Come on down. It's alright." 

The wolf just backs away from the hole.

I give it a sad smile. "Alright. See you on the flip side, huh?"

I turn and rush off the ledge I'm on, running up the stairs to the exit. 

I try to knock the door open, but I'm not fast enough.

A Wendigo appears, screeching and climbing towards me. 

I shoot it off the wall, causing it to be blown back away from me and towards the barrels lined up.     

Another Wendigo appears, screeching and climbing onto a table close to the barrels. 

I shoot one of the barrels, setting off a chain reaction. I quickly run away as fast as I can, getting blown further away by the explosion before landing with a THUD on the snowy ground, bits of the flaming Sanitorium laying around me. 

I get up, giving the Sanitorium one last look before running away from it, hoping that I can find Josh and get the hell out of here as soon as possible.

Ashley's POV

"Mike?" Sam repeats. 

Y/N shakes her head. "I... don't... think... that's... Mike, guys. Didn't... you... say... something... about... Wendigos... being... able... to... mimic... voices... or... something?"

I nod. "Yeah... but what if it is him?"

"But what if it's not," Chris says. "Ash, I really don't think any of us should go down there. We shouldn't split up anyways, right Sam?"

Sam looks at Jess. "Jess? What do you think?"

I watch as Jess listens intensely to the voice. "It sure sounds like him, but Mike did go after me when I was being dragged by one of those things. It would have been able to hear him and is probably mimicking his voice right now. Mike is also stubborn, he wouldn't go down without a fight."

I nod as I consider what she's saying. Then I realize something. "Sam, it can't be him because he took the other route, remember?"

Sam facepalms. "You're right! Dammit! I was about to put us all in danger!"

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Matt assures her. "We're all still here. But come on, we need to find the real Mike."

Sam nods and turns back around to continue leading the way.

Then we reach an issue.

"Look..." I say, pointing with my free hand. "Look there!"

Sam looks at the rocky cliff face. "Wow. Great."

"The ladder's toast. We're never going to make it up there!"

Sam shakes her head. "No, no, no... I think I can... I think I can do it... It's like... a rock wall."

Sam walks towards the rocky face. "I'm gonna keep going. You should head back to the lodge. I've gotta get Mike."

"Sam... what... about... splitting... up? We... shouldn't... do... that," Y/N says.

"She's right," Matt agrees. "Sam, you shouldn't go up there by yourself like this."

Sam looks from the cliff back to us. "Ugh. I'm... I'm sorry! I'm really sorry, but I have to get to Mike and help him find Josh. You guys need to take care of each other. I can't ask any one of you to try to come with me, no matter how good you guys might be at climbing. And we promised no man or woman left behind. I can't leave Mike off by himself. He could be in trouble! And... and I have to find Josh. I... I have to make sure he lives. I... There are so many things I have to say to him."

I watch as a smile spreads across Y/N's face. "I... get... it... Sam. Just... be... careful... and... make... sure... that... you... don't... split... up... from... Mike... and... Josh... when... you... get... to... them. And... don't... wait... too... long... to... tell... Josh... what... you... have... to... say. Promise?"

Sam gives Y/N a small smile, nodding. "Promise."

I start to walk away from the cliff face and back towards the lodge with the others. 

"Good luck!" I tell Sam over my shoulder. 

I hope she keeps her promises and makes it out.

Jess's POV

We all make it back to the safe room, sitting down in various places around the room.

I take my seat in the corner I was sitting in before, closing my eyes and leaning my head against the wall with a sigh.

I hope Mike is okay.

I wish I could've gone with Sam.

"So how did you meet the stranger anyway?" Ashley asks me, Matt, and Y/N, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I open my eyes and say, "He found us when we were trying to get out of the mines."

Matt nods, glancing at Y/N proudly. "Y/N did really well in those mines! She was really good at finding good paths, and she was the one that kept us calm when we first saw him."

I watch as Y/N blushes from her sitting place on the floor across the room. "Well... we... didn't... know... anything... about... him. He... looked... nothing... like... who... I... saw... at... the... lodge. So... I... wanted... to... give... him... a... chance."

"Yeah!" Matt says enthusiastically. "Then we joined forces with him! He said he'd get us out of the mines if we took him to you guys so he could explain himself and help us all. Then BAM! Out of the mines and back to you guys in the lodge."

Chris smiles slightly. "That was very brave of you, Y/N."

I look over at Emily, who is sitting on the desk a few feet away from me. She had been looking at the ground ever since she got here, but now finally looks up. "Yeah... and... Y/N?"

Y/N looks up at her, wincing at the pain from her foot. "Yeah?"

Emily scratches the back of her neck nervously. "Why did you take a bullet for me? I mean... thanks, I guess, but why?"

"Because... after... everything... that's... happened... I... want... all... of... you... guys... to... make... it... out... safely. And... I... didn't... want... us... to... end... on... bad... terms. I... know... you've... been... hurt... by... me... and... I'm... sorry."

I see Matt shift nervously on the floor. "Yeah. And I'm sorry too, Em. I'm sorry for dumping you like that. You know, hanging from the fire tower about to die. It wasn't the right time. But I wasn't listening. I'm sorry. I just... you'd treat me like garbage, you know? And Y/N... Y/N has always been different. And I don't know. I couldn't kid myself anymore. I just... I really like her. And I want to be with her. I'm sorry I did it in that way though. That wasn't right of me."

Emily rolls her eyes, glaring until her eyes rest on Y/N's injured foot again. Then she sighs. "I get it. It's fine. I'm not right for you anyways. I'll find someone better eventually. And she did save my life, so like, she's a good person and whatnot so I can understand why you'd make that decision or whatever."

Matt just laughs. "Thanks, Em."

"Yeah," Y/N agrees. "Thanks, I think."

I muster up all my courage and say, "Em, I'm sorry too."

Everyone's eyes are on me now. 

"Why are you sorry?" Emily snaps.

I shrink a bit under the pressure. "Well, I'm sorry for the way I've treated you and talked about you. We used to be best friends, but then once Mike broke up with you, I slid in there as fast as I could, when the whole reason I came up with the prank last year was to protect you. It was a really bitchy thing to do."

Emily scoffs. "Yeah. It sure was."

I sigh, looking around at everyone. "I'm to blame for a lot of this situation. So I'm sorry to all of you." Then I look just at Emily again. "But I'm really sorry to you, Emily, because I betrayed you. And that wasn't cool. So, I'm sorry. And I understand why you hate me. But I want you to know that I don't hate you... anymore."

Emily glares at me for a second before her gaze turns neutral. "It's alright, I guess. You and Mike seem happier than he and I were. He's a lot happier around you than around me. I'm sorry I got jealous or whatever. And I guess you're alright. I don't hate you anymore either."

I smile wide. I know that's Emily's way of saying that she forgives me and that we're cool. "Thanks, Emily."

I realize that she must have a lot of baggage. I mean, being let down so many times doesn't justify the way she treats people, but it does explain it a bit. And I can be the same way sometimes. 

If this experience has taught me anything, it's that people and the relationships you have with them are precious, and everyone needs someone to help them.

I know that only by working together we'll get out of this.

But I have hope.

Maybe things are going to be alright after all.

Just maybe-    

I hear a noise.

Then another.

Then another.

It's getting closer. 

I panic. I can't move very well. And I know I'm not the only one. 

"Guys... you hear that too, right?" I ask.

Matt helps Y/N off the floor, picking her up. "Unfortunately, yes."

My breathing picks up. "Guys, I can't move fast."

Everyone looks at each other and then back at me.

I know the situation.

Chris can walk, but he would not be able to carry me or anything. Ashley is going to be sticking close to Chris. Y/N can't move very well and Matt is busy carrying her. 

No one here can really help me. No one except... Emily.

Everyone comes to the same conclusion, looking at Emily. 

She rolls her eyes with an exasperated sigh, walking over to me. "Alright, bitch. I'll help you again."

"Oh my gosh, thank you," I gush.

Emily helps me off the desk and puts my arm around her shoulders, putting her own arm around my waist. "Don't thank me yet. I could still leave your sorry ass."

I laugh a little despite it all. "True, but thanks anyway."

I detect the trace of a smile on Emily's lips. "Sure. You're welcome, I guess."

Then there's no more time for pleasantries as we hear the noise again, very close.

"GO! GO NOW!" Chris screams.

And then we all run for our lives.