Disclaimer: I do not own Until Dawn, nor do I own any of the original, canon characters. However, I do own some of the characters' last names, since they weren't addressed in the game.

A/N: If you read this chapter when it first was published, I'm very sorry, lol. I wrote this without any idea in mind, so, to me, it turned out odd. I'm now going back and fixing a few things, such as the grade everyone was in and few other things.

Until Dusk

Chapter 1: "Pilot"

I'll never forget the day, six years ago, that my friends, Hannah and Beth Washington, died.

It was as if it happened yesterday.

I remember what it was like coming back to school after break. Every year before, people talked about their vacations; where they went or what they got for Christmas, but not that year. Everyone came back in a daze, even the people who didn't really know Beth or Hannah. I guess it was just the idea that two people, that happened to go to our school; who lived in our city, died. While many searched for Washington sisters, they were never found. Our school came together for a vigil by candlelight in honor of the sisters, but that only did more harm than good. The Washington family refused to believe that they were gone forever, despite there not even being a trace of evidence left at the cabin.

No one knew what happened until two months later, but still, what exactly happened to them remained vague. During that time, Hannah's and Beth's disappearance concluded in their deaths. We all thought they were kidnapped, but when some of Josh Washington's friends were pulled from class, things became more complex. Plus, how could they have been kidnapped? There were so many people at the cabin. Wouldn't they have realized?

The police and private investigators were at our school almost everyday. I remember seeing Chris Neeson and Matt Banks being interviewed when walking back to class from the bathroom. I remember hearing,

"Did Hannah or Beth ever do anything to make either of you angry?"

Both Chris and Matt swore they would never hurt either of them - I could even hear Chris exclaim, "Do you really think we would do that?" when turning the corner; his voice echoed down the empty halls while everyone else was in class. Matt, on the other hand, could barely keep eye contact. For a jock, the guy was pretty timid off of the field.

Was that it? Foul play?

I never really knew the group that well, but I've conversed with them all on multiple occasions - I was only really familiar with Josh and Chris, but from what I saw, Chris would never harm anyone. I remember Chris telling Josh how he probably failed Anatomy class because he didn't have it in him to cut open a frog. In the end, Sam Parker had to end up doing it for him. Chris wouldn't hurt a fly, but I guess you never really know a person, right?

Finally, the truth came out thanks to Sam and Ashley Clark. For some reason, that makes perfect sense now, Mike Munroe and Emily DeGuzmen refused to talk about the incident without a lawyer present.

They had played an awful prank on Hannah, but the outcome wasn't what they imagined.

Hannah had a huge crush on Mike - this I knew. Hannah used to scribble 'Mike' and 'Hannah Munroe' all over the inside of her school planner. Hannah also talked to me about him all the time. After Emily, who was Mike's girlfriend at the time, found out Hannah liked Mike, she thought it would be a great idea to prank her. Emily forged a note in order to get Mike and Hannah alone. Everyone else hid and waited.

They humiliated her.

Hannah ran out into the woods and Beth followed.

They were never heard from again...or so they say.

The police searched the cabin and the woods thoroughly, but never discovered the bodies of the sisters.

I had two classes with Hannah and one with Beth, but when I came back their seats were empty. It was hard to get through that, considering that Hannah sat next to me in English. The rest of the year was so quiet.

Hannah and Beth Washington never got to finish their senior year.

I still remember my conversations with both of them.

Unlike Hannah, her twin sister, Beth, was more of an extrovert. While Hannah liked to keep to herself, Beth had no problem making friends. Beth also didn't care for school as much as Hannah, which is how we met. I had fifth period with Beth, which meant I had class with her right after lunch. Thanks to me, Beth wasn't penalized for being late. As I was walking to the cafeteria one day, Beth tapped on my shoulder. She asked me if I could cover for her, since she was leaving campus to get some 'real' food; a burger with some fries from the gas station down the street, and she didn't know if she'd be back in time. I obliged, so she left. Sure enough, she was late, but I did my job. Our teacher asked where she was, so I told him that she was at the nurse's office; grabbing a certain 'utensil', since it was her time of the month. It shut him up real fast, which was what I was going for. No man likes to ask questions when it came to that sort of thing. Ever since then, we talked more in class and that's when I found out that Hannah was Beth's sister.

I ended up talking to Hannah a bit more, due to our two classes together, and also because her calm nature was easy to listen to.

I can't believe that I had actually convinced Hannah to get a tattoo. That was actually how Hannah and I became friends. Hannah didn't talk much, but I always found her staring at my tattoo - a crescent moon that was tucked behind my left ear. She told me that she had always wanted to get a tattoo, but she was afraid that her parents would get mad, which led into her asking what my parents thought of mine. Well, neither of my parents knew. At that time, I wasn't even of age to legally get a tattoo. Let's just say I never wore ponytails at home and I was super careful when placing strands of hair behind my ear.

Hannah would always ask if it hurt and I always told her the truth: yes, a lot. Nonchalantly, I would remind her of my tattoo placement: directly on my skull; straight bone, but a fleshy, meaty area wouldn't hurt as bad.

She was so happy to show me her butterfly tattoo on her upper arm. Hannah took my advise, obviously - a meaty area. She told me that it hurt, but that it was worth it. Her half-brother, Josh, even helped their parents hop on board when it came to her tattoo.

Josh.

Now, a year after his sisters' disappearances, Josh is gone, too.

Mentally, Josh wasn't all there after the death of his sisters, and even for some time before, but now, he's actually gone. He was put on multiple medications after the incident, but he didn't stay on them. I remember overhearing an argument with his step-mother about it. Chris and I came over for dinner and eventually made our way into the entertainment room to play Call of Duty. Josh's mom was livid. Apparently, Josh claimed that the medications made him angry and that he didn't like it. There were a lot of things Josh and his step-mom didn't agree on.

Eventually, after the death of her twin daughters and her step-son's bipolar tantrums, Josh's step-mom gave up and turned to Josh's father. Josh thought his father would stick up for him, since it was just them for a long time, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case anymore. Josh's father kicked Josh out, leaving him to live on his own - which he did. He used to tell us all the time how much he enjoyed living on his own, especially in the scenic city of Seattle. It was surprising that Josh's dad didn't even offer to help him, even in the slightest. You'd think, with all that money, you'd help your son out. Nope.

One day, a year after the first incident that happened, I was invited to the cabin up at Blackwood Pines.

I couldn't go, due to an internship I was taking in the journalism field, but a large part of me didn't feel right going to that cabin anyway.

By that time, I associated with the group more. Hannah's and Beth's friendship introduced me Josh, which in turn, had me hanging out with Josh's friends more.

I would ask myself why Josh thought it was a good idea to go back to the cabin, but I already know. He wanted closure; he wanted to replace the bad memories with good, even though that wasn't possible. Nothing could take that pain away, I'm sure.

This may sound horrible, but I'm glad I didn't go.

I remember seeing Josh's face on his video broadcast/invite. I could tell something was wrong, but maybe it was just the new Josh, the Josh that lost two members of his family, and that would be something that lingered forever. Why wouldn't it? Josh exclaimed, "Let's party like we're porn stars!" Which was something he always said. I remember the one time he yelled that at his house, but was unaware that his step-mom was doing laundry across the hallway. Needless to say, she waltzed in and smacked him upside the head, which was a good laugh.

Everyone went from before, except the Washington sisters.

Everyone was shocked to find out that Josh went missing after the following, winter break. The Washington family was in absolute distress - all of their kids...gone..and Josh's parents blamed themselves for it. They ended up renting out their house a few months later and moved a few states away. At first, they contemplated selling their house, but they didn't want to sell the memories of their children when they lived there.

Matt Banks went missing as well, which concerned many people, but kept hope alive in the Washington family. They believed that Matt was with Josh, helping him. Just like with Hannah and Beth, they couldn't come to terms with Josh's death/disappearance.

This time, whatever happened up on the mountain wasn't released to the public until two years later, but it brought on a lot of controversy. There wasn't a threat of extra community service, expulsion, or time in juvenile hall; it was serious. They weren't in high school anymore, after all. They were evaluated, kept in hold, and even served jail time. Jessica Hall, however, was pronounced 'mentally insane' and was sent to a luxurious ward in California. While the police promised homicide was involved; putting their foot down when everyone told the cops that Josh had set up a vindictive prank, despite that not being what threatened to kill them. After getting a warrant, the police searched Josh's apartment and found a full bottle of his prescription medication and closed the case. However, the victims told another story...

A story of a monster; the Wendigo; an old, Indian folklore.

No one believed them, which was why their stories didn't reach the public, though some of it was released for viewing pleasure. The police dismissed the thought of them being attacked by a monster, but they did listen to Sam when she told them to go down in the mines. The only reason they did was because they thought foul played had occurred down there; they thought the group of kids were killing each other off, hence the stupid article that was released a few months after they got back: "The College Cult".

At first, I didn't believe it either, but then I started to ask myself: why would they lie? This wasn't something a sane person could make up. I did some research on the Wendigo and, apparently, it's a spirit that rises due to cannibalism. After that, I wished to know more, but I couldn't get my hands on any documents then, obviously.

Now, as an interning journalist for The Seattle Times, I do have access to things I couldn't before when I was younger. Although I couldn't read everything, I did find out more about what happened in the mines. Also, that a man lived on that mountain and had tried to help them.

Still, I'm curious to know more...

The six-year anniversary of the first incident soon approaches.

"Jen?"

"Jen?"

A young, brunette woman had her eyes locked on the paperwork on her desk, even though she wasn't reading the material. She was in a daze; relaying her own thoughts to herself. Her elbows were rested on the desk's surface as she repeatedly clicked the back of her pen.

"Jennifer!"

The woman felt the dull buzz wear off and could hear someone calling her name. She blinked her eyes a few times, as if she was lost, but quickly looked up at a man that stood in the doorway, "Hm?"

"You hear me? It's late, you leaving?" A man, who was dressed in a tailored, tan suit with a blue-collared shirt, asked.

Jennifer sighed and brushed her hair behind her ear - an ear that hid a tattooed moon. "Uh, yeah, I'm just...just finishing up," she said as began to stack some papers. Upon realizing that she probably looked like a panicked fool, she looked up and shared an exaggerated grin.

The man smiled back, "Well, don't kill yourself over this. The story isn't due for another week."

"I know," Jennifer said as she continued to shuffle through paperwork and folders, "I know."

The man just watched her, but eventually spoke up. "You know, if this story is too much for you-.."

"-No!" Jennifer interjected as she looked up at the man, "No...I'm okay," she continued as she tapped her fingers on the surface of her desk.

The man, who still lingered in the doorway, looked around the office until he shifted his glance back to Jennifer. "Didn't you go to high school with them?"

"Yeah," Jennifer said as she looked up at her coworker, "I did." In all honesty, at this point in time, she wasn't as upset as she was curious. Jennifer was done grieving a long time ago, even though she couldn't properly express her emotions back then. The whole thing had too many missing pieces and it left her confused. Jennifer didn't even get to see her friends when they got back; she got no answers. She had no choice but to carry on with her life.

"Well," the man began with a nod, "Then, I'm sorry for your loss." With that, the man disappeared from the doorway, leaving Jennifer alone in her office.

Jennifer leaned back in her chair and sighed.

All of this seemed like it happened just yesterday; not six years ago. And now, she was responsible for an article on it for the town paper. For some reason, this topic jumped right at her when they were given ideas on what to write about. Many people in the office found it odd that she, of all people, would be the one to want to write about the death of her high school friends. Honestly, Jennifer didn't trust anyone else to write about it. This was something she had to do.

Jennifer leaned forward and looked through countless folders until she came across a pink, sticky note that read: 'Try to get interviews!'

Jennifer huffed as she held the note in front of her face; her pointer finger and thumb pinching it tightly. Interviews? Everyone, obviously, overestimated her relationship with the victims. She hadn't seen, or talked to, these people in years. Hell, she didn't even know if they lived in town anymore.

Jennifer set the note down on her desk and flipped through a few more folders.

The thought of her bringing herself to these peoples' homes, when they probably were married, had kids, and were happy, made her sick to her stomach.

Maybe taking this project on wasn't a good idea.

Jennifer went to flip through more paper, but found herself doing a double-take.

There, clipped to the folder, was a picture of a familiar face.

Jennifer spoke softly, "...Mike.."

The picture of Mike was depressing and dark; it must have been taken right after they were picked up that year. His face was rugged and dirty - pieces of his brown hair, that was known for always being styled perfectly, fell over his forehead. He looked scared. His cheeks were bruised and bloody. He also wore a black eye on his left side. The poor guy. That's not how she remembered him at all.

Jennifer laughed as she watched Chris attempt to dance in front of her. If anyone was her best friend at the time, it was Chris. Actually, he was more like a brother. Jennifer continued to dance lazily, "Chris, man, I'm diggin' your moves," she joked.

Chris chuckled, "Oh, yeah? What about this?" Chris then turned around and began to twerk...well, to the best of his ability. "Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh," Chris chimed as he backed up into Jennifer, practically knocking her over.

"Oh my god, Chris!" Jennifer exclaimed with a smile as she held onto the counter for dear life.

Then, the beginning beat of the song, "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga, began to play and everyone in the living room shared their 'woos' - lifting their red, solo cups into the air, before joining each other in the middle of the room.

"Oh," Jennifer mumbled to herself as she grabbed onto Chris's shirt. There were so many people here.

Chris laughed and yelled to Jennifer over the music, since it blared throughout the house, "Sorry for being all up on you!" Chris was pushed into Jennifer even more when someone squeezed into the circle from behind him. "I don't really have a choice!"

Jennifer chuckled, "You're good!"

'What's going on, on the floor...I love this record, baby, but I can't see straight anymore..'

Just like everyone had planned it, everyone screamed "Just dance!" as the beat dropped and began to jump in unison.

Chris and Jennifer raised their drinks in the air and hollered, just like everyone else did, "Gonna be okay!"

Then, a boy who mocked a very high-pitched girl voice, yelled, "Spin that record, BABE!" Everyone in room laughed, but Jennifer didn't have the opportunity to, since the voice's owner was obnoxiously jumping up and down behind her, which was making her drink go all over the place.

"Woah, woah, woah," Chris said as he grabbed the guy's shoulder, "Mike! Watch out, you drunk ass!" Chris laughed.

"Huh?" Mike looked over his shoulder and then down to the girl that was smothered between them, "Oh, shit, my bad," he giggled in a drunken stupor. "Hey, Chris!"

"Yeah, man?" Chris responded.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love you?" Mike asked in a drawn out tone and with a ridiculous grin. He could barely stand up straight and his eyes were closed. That's how drunk he was, but that wasn't unusual for Mike. This was his party, after all, and he was always the one to drink the most.

Chris threw his head back and laughed, "No, I don't think you have."

Mike then put a hand on Chris's shoulder and attempted to be serious - he opened his eyes, which were reddened and foggy from all of the alcohol, and straightened his face. "I'm serious, bro. You're my brother! And you," Mike said as he looked to Jennifer, "I love you, too."

Jennifer raised her eyebrows and looked to Chris, who was laughing his ass off.

"We're family!" Mike yelled as he put his arms around Chris and Jennifer, "Family hug! Bring it in!"

That was the night she truly met Mike.

Jennifer realized that she had dazed off again and shook her head to free the memories. Things were so simple back then; the biggest worry was concealing the fact that you were out partying, rather than adult responsibilities. Jennifer looked back over to the picture of Mike, "What happened to you?" she asked herself, "What happened to all of you?" Jennifer didn't know if she wanted to know for the article, but rather for her peace of mind. She shared good times with these people - shouldn't she get to know what really happened?

Suddenly, Jennifer came to a realization.

She wasn't doing this for the article, she was doing this for her friends and herself.

Jennifer sat with her arms crossed over her chest across her office.

'I want to know, I need to know. Was the disappearance of Beth, Hannah, Josh, and Matt really because of a monster? They didn't listen to you. I trust you. This article isn't for me, this is for you. The world needs to know - the world needs to know that you aren't crazy. Chris, Ashley, Emily, Mike, Jess, Sam...help me and I'll help you. Everyone will know the truth, whatever it is. But, where do I start?'

Jennifer then sprung back to life, grabbing a pen from the cup on the desk that homed all of her writing utensils. She then wrote,

'GET MIKE'S INFORMATION' and underlined it twice.

Jennifer stared at what she wrote, feeling a rock of saliva struggle to go down her throat. Her eyes continued to shift between each letter.

After tossing her pen on her desk, she stood up and grabbed her keys, purse, and jacket. Jennifer walked to the door and turned around to look at her desk one last time for the night.

This was it. How would this end? Would this end up being a simple, newspaper article or a story of her own? Either way, she'd get answers.

Jennifer turned the light off in her office and closed the door behind her.

A/N: And there's the beginning of my Until Dawn sequel. I'll probably go back and beef up a few areas in the future. Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave some feedback!

ALSO, I'm drawing a blank on last names here. I know some were disclosed during the game, but I can't remember and the internet isn't helping. I think Chris and Matt had their last names mentioned, but I'll have to check. I'm giving Sam, Ashley, Jessica, and Emily last names, unless someone knows. If any of you know what their last names are, please PM me so I can include them. Thanks!