Chapter Two:
Waiting Here
There was pressure on her face. Feather-light fingertips brushed along her right cheek, followed the curve of her jaw, and smoothed over her forehead. The touch was warmer than the air, but still felt colder than she would have expected. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared up at shadows shifting on rock. It took a moment for any memories to come back.
The mine.
She was in the mine.
Letting her head fall to the side, she saw a hand withdraw quickly, dropping back onto the crossed legs of Josh Washington. He looked awful: drawn and pale, his usual tawny complexion looking sickly and almost grey in the flickering lantern light. "Josh?" Her voice was still wrecked. It came out barely more than a whisper, but in the near-silence of the mine, it was enough.
He lifted a hand and reached forward, fingers twitching slightly. Then he seemed to think better of it and sat on his hands.
"Josh, what's—what's going on?" Wow. She hated whatever was happening to her. Jess didn't like not being able to talk the way she wanted to. She was good at talking, good at flirting and insulting. It was how she'd gotten out of one more than one instance of unpleasantness in the past and she felt obnoxiously vulnerable with her words coming so stubbornly.
"Sorry. Shouldn't touch people without asking. It's incredibly rude. Mom would be so annoyed with me." He pulled a face and then something made him jump. He craned his head back to peer behind him.
It didn't look like there was anything there, but she wasn't really in any kind of reliable shape to tell. Slowly she shoved herself up onto her elbows, her entire body complaining loudly. She took a deep breath, counting to ten, to try to calm the wave of nausea that washed over her. Her left forearm throbbed and every time she took a breath, she felt a sharp, piercing pain in her chest. "Josh, where are we?"
"Mines, I think. Maybe the forest. The mine is in the forest, though, so I guess both answers are probably correct." He scratched his head distractedly, still glancing over his shoulder every few seconds.
"Do you hear something? What's going on?" Jess pushed herself up to sit and gasped as pain lanced through her head.
Josh's head jerked back around. "You okay?"
She stared at him for a moment, trying to decide if he was being sarcastic, but he just looked worried and jumpy. Slowly, she shook her head, feeling as if her brain was sloshing around in her skull. "I don't think so." She winced the moment the words left her mouth, which only made her head hurt more. Every tiny movement felt magnified ten times over. It was like the worst hangover she had ever had—tenth grade, after the first time she got carried away and ended up drinking half a bottle of Jägermeister and vomiting in Sarah's bathroom sink—but made infinitely worse by the cold and the pain in her body.
His hand hovered over her shoulder for a moment, then he patted her back gently. "There, there?" he offered awkwardly.
Jess laughed, then hissed in pain. "Don't make me laugh, dick."
"I'll try," he said with a smile, then jumped again. "Go away," he muttered angrily to the shadows behind him.
"Is someone there, Josh?" She pressed her palm to her forehead, begging the pain to go away, at least a little. "I don't see anyone."
Frowning, he pulled his knees into his chest and tucked his chin against them. It gave the usually closed off, in-control man a childish air that she found comforting and unsettling in equal measure. "Someone's always there," he said softly, then chuckled. "You look good for a dead girl, you know?"
"Uh… what?"
"For a corpse. You're not rotting and falling apart like the other two. You look..." His eyes swept up and down her body. Despite the coat and boots, she felt incredibly exposed. "…dirty. But good."
She let herself fall back onto her back and the pain in her chest eased slightly. "Gee, thanks."
-o-
The next time she opened her eyes, she was alone. It was quiet in the mine, but not as quiet as she would have expected. Somewhere in the darkness she could hear something dripping and every now and then something would creak ominously. Jess wasn't sure if her eyes were adjusting or if there was some faint light filtering in from some unseen source, but she could make out the general shapes around her: the mine cart, what looked like an assortment of busted tools, other various useless crap.
Her head still ached, but it wasn't quite as sharp and immediate as it had been. Now it was like a few hours into a bad hangover. Ugh. She really shouldn't be such an expert on the stages of hangovers, but her drunken self did not think about the future and certainly didn't remember to drink water. She was lucky if her drunken self remembered to take off her shoes before she fell into bed.
If she got out of here alive, she was going to make changes.
When.
When she got out of here alive, she was going to make changes. Give to charity and eat healthy and be nicer to her parents and shit. She snorted. Like that would be enough to get the powers-that-be to help her out.
Down the tunnel, she heard something thump to the ground and jumped, wincing as the pain in her chest flared again. "Josh?" she called softly into the dark. "Is that you?"
There was no answer. Slowly and carefully, she tried to work her way up to sitting, then standing. It helped that there was a support pillar near her; she clung to it, her legs cramped and body trembling. Honestly, she was surprised she was even alive. Her fingers and toes felt vaguely numb and, though her head might be mildly improved, her chest still hurt viciously.
Somewhere in the darkness, there was another thump and a clanging sound. Jess's grip on the post tightened reflexively. Was it the thing? That monster thing? Was it back? God, it was like a nightmare that she just couldn't seem to wake up from. Normally nightmares like this turned sort of fun—something in her made scary monster dreams into an adventure rather than a terror—but this was different. It was like one of Josh's stupid fucking horror movies.
"Josh?" She didn't dare speak too loudly, which was probably good, since her throat still felt raw and rough.
A figure emerged suddenly from the darkness and she yelped, then clapped a hand over her mouth in a pitiful attempt to stop the sound.
Josh took a few more steps and tipped his head to the side, curiously. "Oh. You're still here."
"Josh? Jesus, you asshole. You scared the shit out of me!" It took a moment to process his comment. "What do you mean 'you're still here'? Where the hell else would I go? The mall?" Actually, that sounded amazing. She wanted one of those buttery, salty pretzels from the food court. With a side of that nacho cheese stuff that she was pretty sure had nothing in common with actual cheese.
He walked up to her and touched her face, his rough palm cupping her cheek for a moment. Before she could say or do anything, he withdrew his hand and backed up again. "Sorry. Had to make sure you were really here."
"Uh… okay?" Jess took a deep breath, wincing as the pain flared again. "Josh, what's going on? Why are we in the mine? How do we get out of here?"
Josh flopped to the ground casually, sprawling back. He gestured vaguely to the tunnel around them. "We don't. We die."
"Bullshit." She blinked repeatedly, trying to get her vision to focus in the near-blackness. What the hell was he wearing? "What the hell are you wearing?"
He glanced down at himself, made a face, and then broke into a wide grin. "A terrible idea, is what. What the hell are you wearing? Not exactly en vogue, is it?"
Hugging her arm to her stomach, she glared at him. "I had to find something, didn't I? I ended up down here in…" Despite everything, she was blushing. "I was almost naked, okay? I grabbed the first thing I could find down here. Tell me where there's a change of clothes and I'll make myself more presentable. Dick," she added, for good measure.
They stayed like that in silence for a while. Then, finally, Josh spoke again. "So… you aren't dead?" She might have thought he was being glib if it wasn't for the slight tremble in his voice.
"Not yet. Apparently I'm tough as shit." Jess tried to take an unsupported step and staggered. In a flash, he was on his feet and beside her, holding her elbow supportively. "Or maybe not."
"Mike said you were dead," he said quietly, helping her cross to a crate and sit. Gesturing to his face, he smiled humorlessly. "Not very happy about it, either."
She squinted at him. In the dim, barely-there light, it was hard to see what he was referring to. "I can't see you very well."
"Black eye. Probably. Something. Basically, he decked me for killing you."
Jess blinked at him, the words not quite making sense in her head. "Killing me?"
"He seemed to think I was responsible for you dying? You keep insisting you're alive though, so I suppose he was mistaken."
She thought back, trying for the umpteenth time to piece together her memories in some semblance of a correct order. Mike, fire, taking her clothes off… Her phone? Something with her phone? She'd lost it—oh her parents were going to fucking murder her—but then she'd gotten it back? Jess rubbed her forehead. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she focus? Cold. She remembered being dragged through the woods in her underwear. She remembered Mike shouting. She remembered the scent of pine and then rotting wood and rusty metal. Eventually she just shrugged. "He must have thought I died. I nearly did. I think it had something to do with that thing that nearly got us before, when—"
"Hannah."
"Um… what?" Jess stared at him, at the shifting mass of shadows that was Josh.
She heard him suck in a breath. "Hannah," he said, voice clipped and short. "It's Hannah."
"Oh wow. You are super crazy, aren't you?"
"I'm not crazy," he snapped. "Fuck you. Don't say that."
"I—sorry. I just mean… how can it be Hannah?" Jess tried to keep her voice gentle, but wasn't sure it was working. "Hannah's dead, Josh."
He shook his head violently. "Nope. Nope. No she's not. Wish she was—never thought I'd say that—but I really wish she was. Instead she's a monster. Awesome." Josh ran both hands over his head, mussing his already disheveled hair. "Too bad Dad's not here to see it. Honestly. It would be amazing fodder for his next flick. You should see her."
"I did see her," she said softly, closing her eyes. Hannah. Was this for real? Was that really Hannah? Had Hannah somehow survived what… what Jess did?
"Oh yeah." He clambered to his feet and vanished into the darkness. Then there was a click and a tiny burst of bright white-orange light. He lit the lantern and carried it over. "There. Now you can see everything."
After time for her eyes to adjust, she could. She wasn't entirely sure she was happy about it, though. The light seemed to catch in Josh's face, throwing his already deep-set eyes into shadow and setting his mouth in a dangerous line. He looked strange, almost feral. Looking down at herself, she sighed. She was filthy and covered in cuts and bruises. No wonder it hurt to move. Her bare legs were streaked with dirt, her nails torn and ragged from grabbing for anything she could as she was pulled through the snow. She patted her hair and flinched as her fingers met a massive contusion on the back of her head.
Jess would be the first to admit that she didn't know much about medicine or first aid, but she at least knew that dirt in open wounds was a very bad thing. "Is there water around here, somewhere?" she asked Josh.
He jerked a thumb back over his shoulder. "Heated pool out back. Shower before you get in, though."
"Very funny," she muttered, climbing slowly to her feet once more. "Help me?" It occurred to her that she might be putting herself totally at the monster's—Hannah's?—mercy, but honestly, if she was going to find them again, it wouldn't matter where Jess was. She was in no shape to run or do anything to escape. At this point, she was more worried about infections than she was about being eaten. At least being eaten would be quick.
Despite his weird, nonsensical jokes, Josh grabbed the lantern and slid his arm around her shoulders, holding her upright as they walked down the tunnel.
One thing at a time, Jess told herself as firmly as she could. One thing at a time.
-o-
The water was freezing and she wasn't entirely sure it was totally clean, but she was at least able to remove the worst of the dirt and rubble from her injuries. She didn't quite dare dunking her head, but she washed her face as much as she could. The feel of the water at least confirmed that she was definitely alive. She was pretty sure that if she was dead, she wouldn't hate it was much as she did. She had stripped of the coat and boots, but kept her underwear on. She wasn't shy about her body, but she also wasn't keen to be totally naked down here either.
Josh paced along the side of the water, muttering quietly to himself. She studied his figure. He hadn't really answered her question. Why was he wearing that? It looked like an old pair of overalls. A button-down shirt and something underneath, too. It was hard to make out details. Not that it mattered, really. But when had he changed? She remembered him in a plaid shirt and a vest, looking cute and wintery.
She was just relieved she wasn't alone down here.
"Hey, Josh?"
His head came up quickly, entire body tensing, then he seemed to recognize her and relaxed. "Yes ma'am."
"Can you—can you help me?" Fuck she hated this. She hated asking for help. And she barely knew Josh, which made it even worse. "I'm having trouble getting back—" Jess gestured towards the coat and boots several feet back. Leaving them there had seemed like a good idea at the time, since they would definitely stay dry, but now they seemed miles away.
His body seemed to radiate heat and it was all she could do not to lean into him. She shuddered as he helped her over to the coat. Sliding her damp feet into the boots, she sighed. "We n-need to get out of h-here," she told Josh, her teeth chattering. "Before we freeze to death."
He watched her without speaking, then turned away, undoing the shoulder straps on his overalls.
"What are you doing?" Wordlessly, he stripped off the denim button-up shirt and thrust it towards her. She took it slowly and slid it on. It was still warm and smelled like charcoal and metal and a musky scent that must be Josh himself. "Thank you," she said softly, buttoning it. The coat went over the ensemble, but the addition of the denim made her feel remarkably better.
Josh buckled the straps over the thermal he'd had on under the button-up and flashed her a quick smile. "You look good in my clothes."
She smirked. Clean and slightly warmer, she felt far more herself. Compliments helped too. "Of course I do. I look good in anything."
His smile faded and he spun, vanishing out of the circle of lantern light. Off in the darkness, Jess heard him talking, mumbling, and snarling. She could only catch the edge of words and she sighed, carefully stooping down to snag the lantern's handle. Now to figure out the next step.
-o-
Josh slid down the wall to sit next to her. She opened her eyes and glanced over at him. "You're back."
"Back," he said dully. His head fell back to rest on the rocky surface. "Like there was ever anywhere to go."
Curiosity pricked at her and she gave in. Worse than the hunger or the cold was the tedium of being down here and unable to really move. There had been no sign of the Hannah Monster, nor of anyone else. Where were the others? She felt like she was going crazy imagining all the possibilities—monster attacks, avalanches, storms, and more danced around her head in dizzying circles. Better to have Josh snap at her for prying than to just continue to sit here in hopeless silence. "Who do you keep talking to?"
She saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed, but he didn't answer.
"I mean, you keep wandering off and talking. There's no one here. So…?"
"Nope. No one there." He stretched his hands out in front of him, the fingers spread wide. She realized for the first time that he looked nearly as scraped up as she did. His lip was split, his palms skinned, dark bruises forming on his face. "You were right before, obviously. I am 'like totally fucking nuts.'" He did a terrible valley girl voice and she scowled.
"I do not sound like that, asshole."
He shrugged. "It'd be funnier if you did."
"Dick."
"Correct again. From the mouths of babes."
Her scowl deepened. She hated being teased for her age, even if they were all in the same year in school. "I'm an adult."
"Sorry. My emphasis was wrong. From the mouths of babes," he restated, flashing her an exaggerated leer.
Jess rolled her eyes. "So, what, you see people who aren't there?"
His face seemed to close up on itself, his jaw clenching. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Hey, at least you're talking to me this time." He started to get up and she put her hand on his arm, trying to tug him back down. "No, please don't go. I'm sorry. I'm just…" Scared was the word that sprang to her lips, but she bit back on it. You don't admit weakness. Not if you don't have to. "I'm just bored and curious. I'll stop."
He sat back down, long legs stretched out in front of him. "Good."
They sat in silence. She wondered how long the lantern would last. It had held out so far, but she wasn't really sure the time you could expect on that. Really, she wasn't even sure how long they'd been down here. It could have been hours, it could have been days. Her stomach ached for food. "I'm hungry."
Beside her, she felt him tense again. "I…" He hesitated. "Me too. I found… if it gets bad enough, there's…" He couldn't seem to find the words he wanted.
"What?"
His next words came out in a rush: "There's-a-body-and-I-guess-if-it-gets-bad-enough—"
She cut him off. "Wow. No. Nope. Don't even. Ew." Her empty stomach heaved at the thought. "Jesus Christ, Josh. Just… no. Why would you even—"
"I didn't say it was a good idea," he growled. "I just don't want to die down here. So if that means I go all Donner Party, then so be it."
"Josh, I will punch you in the fucking face before I let you eat a person."
"I'd like to see you try. You have the strength of an infant. Makes sense, since you're, what, twelve?"
Jess drove her elbow into his side as hard as she could. It probably wasn't actually that hard, but he grunted with the impact anyway, which made her feel better. "You are such a dick."
They lapsed back into silence, each lost in their own thoughts. She scooted over closer and let her head fall down to rest on his shoulder. Hearing him open his mouth to say something, she spoke up before he could. "I'm cold. You're probably cold. So just shut up and stay. "
He shut his mouth and stayed.
