A/N: I don't know if anyone else heard (I'm sure the fans have), but they're making a prequel of sorts to Until Dawn. It's gonna focus on the sanatorium and the mining incident that happened 60 plus years ago. Sounds interesting enough.

Anyway, this story is going to focus on Sam and Mike, mostly, so if you're not a fan of the pairing, you don't have to read it. Anyway, I'm into slow burning romances, so if you're looking for fast-paced, hormone driven material, it's not here.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or elements from the Until Dawn game, and any original characters or unfamiliar characters in this story belong to me.

Introduction: Dawn Part I

Sam didn't know how long she sat in the snow before the medics came. Her body was present, but her mind was not.

She could feel the flames from the explosion licking her face, the unforgiving wetness of the snow bleeding through her yoga pants.

After the hell she had been through, it was quiet. It was finally quiet.

She felt something warm on her shoulders—a pair of hands connected to arms in a green jacket. His voice vibrated against her ears, but she couldn't understand what he was saying.

Sam felt like her ears had cotton balls stuffed into them, or like she was in a snow globe, trapped inside a muted, white world.

She looked down at her hands; they were filthy. Her once bright red track jacket was now dull and dirty.

Her friends were scattered in the snow. Emily's hair looked like a bird's nest, Chris' left eyeglass lens was cracked, and Ashley's left eye had been worked over with an ugly purple bruise.

Who was this person touching her? Sam looked up, despite the pain in her neck.

"Sam, jeez, are you okay? Can you hear me?" Mike's dark blue eyes were tainted with worry and concern. He was holding her face now, his palm feverish against her cheek, and the other on her shoulder.

Finally, she came to, and the intense gusts coming from the blades of the helicopter blew snow in her face. "Mike," she said barely above a whisper.

He closed his eyes, bringing her into his chest. He felt so warm. "Thank goodness," he sighed into her hair. "You saved all of us."

"So did you."

"Well...then we both did. But no one can know."

"Know what?"

"That that was Hannah."

.

When Sam finally woke up, she hadn't even realized that she had fallen asleep.

Whatever surface she had used to rest her head was soft and warm. The calm, steady lub dub against her ear was a heart. She moved a little, and the arm around her loosened its grip.

"I figured by the time we made it to the police station, I'd be swimming in a pool of your slob," Mike joked.

Sam attempted to sit up straight; they were in a helicopter full of strangers, and here she was drooling in her sleep on Mike's shirt. Where were her friends?

"You don't have to wake up; we're not there yet."

"It's fine," she mumbled, her voice thick with fatigue. Her throat was as dry as a desert. When was the last time she had eaten? Drank water?

Her stomach seemed to be in tune with her thoughts; it growled loud enough for Mike to hear.

"It's a good thing we're not on the mountain anymore, right?"

"Mike, really?" she groaned.

"Just trying to lighten the mood, y'know." She gave him a weary look, and he cast his eyes downward. The conversation ended then. Finally, they had escaped the shadow of Blackwood Forest, and they were over the flatlands, headed towards civilization, and people.

Warm, smiling, sane people.

I would imagine that they would all experience some form of PTSD after what happened on that mountain. I mean, getting chased by monsters that they didn't even know existed? Losing yet another friend to the same place? I'd like to think it would be hard to return to normal life like nothing had happened.

Anyway, their emotional trauma will come out in the next chapter, and we'll slowly build up to the eventual pairing from there.

Please review and let me know what you think!