"So, what do you think really happened here?"
A group of three people walked through the forest. One was a thin, geeky-looking boy, another was a big and brutish boy, and the one who just spoke was a warm-dressed girl. All of them were in their early twenties, and all of them were dressed more-or-less fittingly for the cold weather, with giant hills of pale-white snow around them, and a few flimsy, also snow-covered trees poking out here and there.
"Well, I've heard a theory on the internet that the government was doing secret experiments, but they got out of control, so the CIA or FBI or whatever agency was present burned the thing down and passed it off as an accident."
"You're so stupid, Alex," said the big guy to the geeky one, who just voiced his thoughts. "It really was an accident. The whole internet hoax was someone trying to get their 15 minutes of internet fame."
"You don't know that," replied Alex.
"Of course I do, it's clear as-"
"Jack, Alex, stop. We're staying here overnight, so you guys still have," the girl checked her watch, "ten hours to argue."
"Whatever, Kayla." Jack kicked a small rock, sending it into the snow. Trying to distract everyone, he said, "Hey, we're finally at the gate."
The gate itself was rusted tight, as Kayla found out as she tried to open it. The brick wall surrounding it was not nearly tall enough if someone actually wanted to keep intruders out. Another thing that the group noticed is that it was covered in loose and tattered police tape.
Lots of it.
"You know, once we go over this wall, we'll be officially trespassing." Alex stammered.
Jack ignored him completely and easily jumped over the wall. He was built for things like that.
Alex hesitated, staring at the wall. Kayla tried to joke with him.
"Hey, it's just a wall. What's it gonna do, secret experiments?"
Alex turned back to her as Jack snickered from the other side of the wall, looking betrayed. "I-I'm just not that good at climbing." He said to her, slowly climbing over the wall, testing every foot and handhold before using it. Kayla followed, not without some mess ups, but not terribly like Alex. The group continued for a few minutes in silence. Eventually, Kayla chimed, "Michelle says that the way up the mountain is through a cable-car station. It shouldn't be burned or anything since it's pretty far from where the fire happened."
"Rule number one of life: don't trust older sisters," Jack said. "I should know."
"Yeah, speaking of sisters, why didn't your sister come? I heard she believes in these theories too," Alex asked, the question pointed at Jack.
"Rule number two of life: don't invite older sisters anywhere or they'll ruin it," Jack continued.
"Hey, there's the cable car station," Kayla interrupted once again. She was always the one who diffused these arguments, whoever was arguing. She was just the nice person who pretty much everyone liked.
The cable car station looked cold and uninviting. In front of it was someone that neither Kayla nor Jack could identify.
"Hey, Sasha!" Alex called, and the girl turned to them and smiled. She pushed her wavy, dirty-blonde hair out of her eyes and stood up to greet them. "Hallo," rang out her voice, speaking in a thick accent that no one could really place. "Go inside no." She said, her smile momentarily faltering. Kayla and Jack seemed confused by the broken English, but Alex quickly followed.
"Russian," he said. Sasha's smile grew wider and she started explaining something in another language, with Alex sometimes nodding and making sophisticated "hmm"s. Finally, he told the group, "she says we shouldn't go inside the cable car station." Sasha said another one or two words, and Alex elaborated. "It's broken." Sasha continued, more slowly than previously, as if she was explaining something new. Alex nodded a few more times, and after some hushed clarifications, he turned back to Kayla and Jack. "There's another way up on the other side of the cable car. Sasha is staying to warn anyone else who comes." As everyone but Sasha left the cable car station behind, Alex said, "Even as a teacher, you can learn something new from your students." Kayla looked at him questioningly.
"Sasha is a recent immigrant from Russia, and I'm her English tutor. She just explained some new Russian words for me."
The three walked for a few seconds, breaking through the trees and low(and dead) brush. They finally came onto a path, all empty except for a car. It seemed to shake as they approached, and Alex's curiosity couldn't handle itself. He walked up to a car door, and as he reached for the handle, someone threw themselves at the window and screamed. Everyone but Jack jumped back while Jack laughed loudly. "Good one, Freddie."
Freddie climbed out of the car, his loud laughter filling the mountain. "I got you guys," he grinned mischievously at Alex, then high-fives Jack. "Good to see you, man."
"Can we just go already?" Alex asked, visibly angry. His fuming made Freddie laugh even more, and he let Kayla and Alex in to crowd in the backseat while he let Jack into the passenger seat. The car drove up the mountains.
In the distance, something howled.
"Did you really have to force me to come here?" The tall boy shamed the girl sitting next to him. Her blue eyes stared off into the distance. "I mean, seriously, Maddie. What kind of stupid idea is it to spend a night at a half-burned down lodge?"
"Stop, Liam. Please." Maddie turned away from him. Liam seemed a tiny bit shocked. Maddie hasn't ever contradicted him before. He quickly regained his composure and said, "Sorry. Anyway, it's dark as hell in here. Do you mind finding anything to light up the place?"
"Sure, why not?" Maddie stood up and headed up the crumbling wooden staircase, careful to avoid any weak spots. Finally reaching the second floor, she looked at the array of rooms in front of her. She walked into the first one, which seemed to be an old bedroom. There was a screen lying on the floor, as if it was unceremoniously pushed. Maddie noticed something else at the base of the bed. She picked it up, seeing it was a handheld camera. She tried clicking it on, but the display showed that it ran out of battery. Maddie looked at it. Could this be left over from some years ago?
Shaking her head, Maddie continued her search for light in a different room. It happened to be the bathroom, and Maddie found a stash of old scented candles on the bathtub. She carefully put them in her giant hoodie pocket and started to walk downstairs before she heard a commotion. Pausing for a moment, Maddie thought everything that that could be. Then she bravely continued down.
"Hey, Mads." Kayla looked at her from the doorframe. The two hugged each other, and Maddie looked behind her to see who else has come. Alex and Jack. Maddie couldn't imagine them coming to the lodge together, since they were always arguing. "Well, I'm out to pick up everyone else," he said, before heading back into the snow. Jack had a disgusted look on his face.
"Why's it so dark? And cold?"
"The was a fire here last year." It damaged the electricity and stuff."
"Yeah, I know, but why didn't you start a fire or something?"
"Oh, I just brought down some candles. They should keep the room warm, but I have nothing to light them with."
"Here." Jack took a lighter out of his pocket and fringed it at Maddie. She caught it and started lighting the candles.
A few minutes later, the room was a bit warmer. Liam started a small fire in the middle of the room with some broken-off boards from the parts of the lodge they weren't planning to use. The candles strategically positioned around the room by Maddie gave off just enough light to see. As everyone finished working and sat down to discuss, the door once again burst open, and three people came in: Fred, Sasha, and and another girl, in extremely stylish and expensive-looking clothes. The first person she seems to notice is Maddie.
"Hello there, Madeleine. Beautiful as always." She huffed slightly, then sat on the opposite side of the couch from her. "Hey, Clarissa." Maddie quietly replied. She knew Clarissa hated her. Maddie's beauty always made Clarissa second-best, and it wasn't like that before she came to the college she was at with her. Clarissa was not a very nice person anyways, and being near Maddie only amplified that.
"So, what are our plans? Just stay here and sleep or something?" Clarissa asked. "Also, why is this place so burned?"
"There was a fire last year and-"
"If there was a fire, how come the lodge is still here?"
"Some emergency services got here before it could burn down and extinguished it before it could get to the lower parts of the basement or outside and to the guest lodge."
"There's a basement? That is so cool. I am totally going down there." Freddie perked up, and Liam nodded. "Yep. Me too."
Jack stared at the two, his uneasy gaze stopping on Liam. "Um, sure, I guess I'll come with you guys."
"Well, do whatever you want to, but I'm not going to a creepy basement or staying in a burnt-up house. I'm going to the guest lodge." Clarissa said.
"Hey! Since it wasn't burned, maybe it still has electricity and heating!" Kayla smiled. "I'm coming along."
"I'd rather stay here." Alex said, and Sasha looked at him and repeated, "Stay."
Maddie was the only one left undecided. Looking at Liam, then at Kayla, she said, "Yeah, I'd give anything for a bath right now. I'm coming to the lodge."
As Liam walked through the basement, he groaned. "Maddie is such a traitor. Why not come to the basement? It's interesting here."
"I wouldn't blame her," replied Jack. "You're one ass of a boyfriend."
Liam didn't hesitate. He didn't argue, he didn't stop. He simply smashed his fist into Jack's face.
Jack grabbed his face and backed away from Liam. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Hey guys, I think I found something!" Freddie shouted up ahead, and Liam stormed off toward him while Jack lingered for a few seconds.
Freddie showed a heavy metal door to Liam. "What do you think this is for?" He asked.
"It's the entrance to an old hotel that was almost completely torn down," Liam replied without even taking a moment to think. When he noticed Freddie staring at him, he shrugged. "Maddie is obsessed with this place. She researched an entire floor plan."
"Hey, come back here!" Jack shouted from behind them, avoiding letting Freddie see his black eye. Liam walked up to him, not scared at all. Liam knew he was much more nimble and quick and smart to lose in a fight to Jack.
"What the hell was that for?" Jack asked quietly.
"You're insulting me, and I don't take that kindly. Especially when you bring Maddie into-" A scream echoed through the basement. A scream of surprise. A scream of fear.
A scream of Freddie.
——Clues—
Old Camera
Candles
—Butterfly Effects—
A chance to help:
Maddie went to the guest lodge, SO she might be able to aid Clarissa and Kayla in time of need.