Department of Police- Blackwood County, Alberta, Canada
02.02.2015
2228-0652
Blackwood Mountain
Washington Estate Status- Condemned
Blackwood Sanatorium Status- Unknown
Blackwood Mining System Status- Unknown
Offence(s) – Undetermined
Subject 01- Ashley, 18 Status- Unknown
Subject 02- Christopher, 19 Status- Unknown
Subject 03- Emily, 19 Status- Unknown
Subject 04- Jessica, 18 Status- Unknown
Subject 05- Joshua, 20 Status- Unknown
Subject 06- Matthew,18 Status- Unknown
Subject 07- Michael,19 Status- Unknown
Subject 08- Samantha,19 Status- Unknown
Survivor Count- 5 confirmed, unidentified
Chapter 01- Prologue
The continual whirring blades of the approaching helicopter only served as a steady rhythm that contributed to the trance-like state that Sam was drifting into. It was almost as if the realization of everything that had transpired this evening had finally hit her, like she was standing underneath an overwhelmingly huge tidal wave, eyes fixed blankly upon it before it quickly crashed down upon her. She was helplessly drowning in a bottomless pool of her own thoughts, not noticing as the man who she would now gladly label as her hero, tugged at her trembling arm. Mike, in her eyes, had risen from being an overly sexual, infuriating, loudmouth jerk to a heroic, fearless leader and saviour. Her head slowly tilted just enough so that her eyes fell upon his face which bore many insights as to the horror they had braved tonight, in the form of bruises, scars and grazes. It saddened her that Mike's clearly terrible condition seemed to have fallen to the lower end of her subconscious list of concerns and priorities; not because she didn't care, it was more a case of her becoming too worryingly accustomed to injuries. No amount of effort could push her to paint the reassuring smile that she so wished she could beam across her face, but deep down she knew that a simple smile would have made no difference to Mike at that moment.
Ashley had dissolved into a shaking, tearful wreck. Her legs were too weak to enable her to stand but that wasn't the reason she had assumed an upright foetal position. Unlike Sam or Mike who did well to mask most of their negative feelings throughout the night, Ashley was unable to do so. Emotional control had never been her strong point which was certainly understandable considering she was still battling a severe case of anxiety and these events had done her no justice. Though she had allowed her emotions to show themselves over the course of the night, she still felt as if she was an enclosed bottle preparing to spew. Her forehead rested lightly against her kneecaps, pressing against the skin that was now accessible due to the careless rips in her tights. Her bleeding arms snaked across her shins, offering her the close contact and physical support she was desperately seeking. Even now, she felt no shame in emotionally unravelling, despite the unnerving presence of hardened characters such as Emily. Tears streamed down Ashley's stained cheeks accompanied by faint sobs which forced an escape through her parted, chapped lips. Chris glanced down at his crumbling love with sorrowful eyes, after everything he had witnessed tonight; this had to be the worst sight of all. As he slowly approached Ashley, his feeble footsteps left contrastingly loud crunches in the snow, barely audible over the noise of the comfortingly close helicopter, yet still alerting the redhead of his presence. Almost in unison, the two both opened their mouths to speak but Chris found his throat dry at the sound of Ashley's broken voice as she softly murmured her frail instruction. "No… Please don't…" He wasn't sure what left him so upset, was it the mere image of Ashley in this traumatized state, or learning that she did not want his assistance or comfort? Whatever it was, it left him with a nauseating sinking feeling in his gut.
Evidently, Emily hadn't dropped her irritable attitude. This was made clear due to her mumbled complaints regarding her ruined clothing as well as her stronger, angrier exclamations about the helicopter which, though had gotten closer to them, still loomed above the blazing lodge. "Ugh, come on, are you kidding me right now? Are they trying to make us freeze to death?!" she voiced her frustration, following her yells with a heavy sigh. Mike responded to her in a much more admirable, calm, respective tone. "Just hold on Em, we're alright. We're all gonna be alright. Nobody's freezing to death, we made it, okay? Chris, Ash, it's over. Everything's over now." He kept a gentle grip on Sam's arm as he eyed each member of the group, ensuring he appeared as calm he could. After he was sure nobody was looking at him, he let out a quiet groan, glaring down at what remained of his amputated fingers. After a whole night of putting up a persona and plastering on a brave face for the sole purpose of reassuring and calming the others, he understandably needed to let everything out. As did Sam, the past few hours showed her at her bravest and kindest, who but Sam would remain so calm, tranquil and comforting during such an intense journey.
The scarred blonde slowly wrapped one arm around Mike, hesitantly resting her head on his shoulder as she watched the rescuing vehicle land just metres before them. She truly felt at peace when she felt Mike embrace her with such a soft touch. Both knew what lied under their façades, and thus knew what each other needed… Support. A night like this does well to bring some together while ripping others apart. Ashley and Emily saw the downfall of their relationship and trust down in the basement. Chris lost a best friend in Josh who had presumably fallen victim to the Wendigo. But above these misfortunes, Sam and Mike formed unbreakable trust and a great, irreplaceable bond, and for that they were so grateful.
"Please all of you remain calm, we have a few important questions to ask before we can escort you back to the station." the well-built police offer authoritatively called out to the five teenagers as he leapt out of the helicopter. He carefully surveyed each and every one of them, mentally noting the sunken look on Ashley's face, the frustrated appearance of Emily, Chris' exhausted body language and the spent expressions of Sam and Mike. "A few questions? What do you mean a few questions, we need to go! We need to! Tell him, Mike! Sam?!" Emily screeched. She received a cold glare from Chris as well as a lighter yet firm stare from Sam. "We need to know if there's anyone else on this mountain... Anybody you can identify, tell us their location, any information at all."
"Josh… I think he's…" Chris began, nervously stuttering before he found himself interrupted by Mike.
"Josh is gone, man. I saw it take him. Jess… She's gone too; she fell into the damn mines… Dragged through the woods and thrown down a freakin' elevator shaft… She… I… She's gone…"
"Oh my God, okay, my boyfriend, Matt. Please find him, please. God, I… I don't know he was… The tower, it fell… We we're hanging and… Uh, the mines, please, please, please… He's in the mines!" Emily words tripped over each other as she frantically spoke.
"There's somebody else, he saved us… The least we can do is to give him a proper burial. He's in the mines too, on a… He's hanging… Just find him…" Sam revealed with a slight tremor in her voice as she spoke. The officer nodded as he soaked in the information.
"We also need to know, were you the cause of the explosion? Was it accidental?" This question was met with a heavy silence. All eyes fell to the ground before Mike finally spoke up. "We did it… No accident. We had no choice…"he sighed. The officer glared at the five apprehensively before he finally spoke again."Alright… Well we only have space for three in this helicopter, so two of you are gonna have to wait for the next one." Only seconds after he informed them of this, Emily pushed past.
"Take me, oh my God, please get me away!" she pleaded. Chris took Ashley's hand; her eyes hadn't left the ground since the lodge had regrettably burst into flames, and quickly turned to Mike and Sam. "You two can go ahead, I think Ashley needs a couple of minutes… Plus, you guy earned it." He feebly gestured his head towards the vehicle and beamed. Sam responded, on behalf of herself and Mike, through a sweet, appreciative facial expression. With that, the two headed to the hospitable helicopter, effortlessly climbing inside before taking their seat. Emily glared at the two, making no effort to disguise her undying anger for Mike as she readjusted and fidgeted within her seat opposite them. She cocked her head, now shifting her eyesight to outside of the window. Feelings of sorrow, guilt and despair began to build inside her as she took one, long last look at the triggering, demolished lodge. It was over, the night was over and she had survived. She sat safely, with all of her limbs and relatively clear head; she was one of the lucky ones.