Until Dawn: A New Path
Chapter 3 of my Until Dawn story, enjoy.
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Marina Ka-Fai: Thanks, oh well, not seen past the first chapter but what I saw looked good :)
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Now onto the story, this is where some of the first changes happen, so be ready.
Disclaimer: I don't own Until Dawn or its characters.
Chapter 3
Now standing just outside the lodge, along with Sam, Chris fought to catch his breath from the climb. They weren't alone, either. They had been met outside the lodge Josh himself.
"Boy, every time I climb this mountain it feels bigger." Chris remarked.
"Oh yeah?" Josh queried, raising an eyebrow. "It feels the same to me."
Like the others, Josh was dressed up against the cold weather in a pair of jeans, a knit wool beanie, black boots, and a sleeveless puffer jacket. Under said jacket, he was wearing a dark brown shirt underneath a flat-collared blue and white plaid-styled unbuttoned shirt.
Chris laughed at Josh's comment and replied, "C'mon, you practically grew up here, it probably feels like it's shrinking."
"Maybe." Josh conceded with a wry laugh.
He nodded in greeting to Sam, who smiled back, and the trio made their way further up, heading towards the front steps of the lodge. As they walked, Chris pulled out his phone and shook his head.
"Man, when are you gonna get some cell towers installed up here? I'm getting withdrawals already."
Josh smirked and joked, "You got a spare million lying around and I'll fix you right up."
Laughing, Chris pretended to pat down his pockets. "Funny you should say that. I think I left it in my other jacket."
"Oops." Josh quipped, playing along.
They walked up to the foot of the lodge. Ashley was already there, seated on the steps, and Matt stood nearby.
"Hey, gang!" Josh greeted enthusiastically. "You guys get up here okay?"
Matt grinned, stepping forward a little. "Coulda done with some bellboys." he remarked flippantly. "But hey, can't get everything."
Ashley nodded as she too spoke up. "Yeah, it was pretty easy. A little creepy, though. I mean, it's just really weird being back here."
They all nodded and Matt and Sam moved a little further down the path, Sam going as far as the gate and leaning on it. Ashley remained seated on the stairs while Chris and Josh approached the door, out of range of all of their hearing. Heavy breathing filtered through the trees as they were being watched.
Chris bounded up the last few steps to join Josh on the front porch.
"Yo, yo, yo!" he cried out excitedly. "Are we gonna get things moving up here or what?"
"Yeah, man!" Josh replied, just as enthusiastic.
There was, however, a slight edge to his voice that Chris noticed.
He began to feel concerned. "Hey...you doin' alright? I mean, it must be really tough without your sis-"
"Stop."
Silently cursing himself, Chris tried to recover. "I just meant that-"
"No, I know what you meant." Josh said reassuringly. "You know, seriously, I'm over it and I just want us to have a really good time, you know? Like we always used to."
Chris nodded, feeling relieved, and waited as Josh attempted to unlock the door.
"Dammit, this freaking thing." he muttered angrily.
Chris stepped forward, raising an eyebrow. "It's iced?"
"What else?"
Thinking for a moment, Chris then made a suggestion. "Maybe there's another way in."
Josh shrugged and stated, "There are a million ways in, they're just all locked."
"There's gotta be, like, a window around that we can, like, get open, or something." Chris said in reply, not to be discouraged.
Josh turned to look at him. "Wait a second, are you saying we should break in?"
Chris shook his head. "I don't think it's technically breaking in if you own the place, right?"
"Hey, not if I don't report you." Josh replied, laughing at Chris's unease to show he was joking before speaking again. "Lead the way, Cochise."
Chris just sighed and turned, starting to head down the steps.
On the way down, he stopped and turned to Ashley, biting his lip as his heart suddenly sped up. He couldn't deny that she looked nice, even all bundled up against the cold.
"Hey, Ash..." he greeted, somewhat awkwardly.
She smiled and returned his greeting. "Hi, Chris."
He thought briefly before replying, "So...how're you doing?"
"Mm...good." she replied with a slight shrug. "But a little cold. I think I could use some time curled up by the fire."
Chris smiled gently at that. "Yeah, that does sound pretty nice."
She also smiled at that and Chris stepped down. Seeing his expression, Josh nodded and waited while Chris went to talk to Matt. It had, after all, been a whole year since the two of them had seen each other.
"Matt, been a while!" Chris greeted before saying jokingly, "You look all weird without your helmet and jersey."
Matt shrugged, replying blandly, "Yeah, been a tough one. Good to see you."
This left Chris a little uncomfortable. Out of all the friends in the group, Matt was the one that he had the hardest time talking to. Nevertheless, he did his best to be friendly.
"So, how's it hangin'?"
Thankfully, Matt brightened up a little at that. "Pretty good, man. Can't complain. You?"
Shrugging and smiling, Chris answered, "Oh, you know, same ol', same ol'."
Matt nodded and, seeing Sam trying to get his attention, Chris excused himself and walked over to her.
Once he reached her, Sam asked him suddenly, "So, you seen Ash yet?"
"Ummm, yeah?" he replied, taken aback.
Nodding, Sam continued. "Cool, cool. How's, uh, how's she doing?"
Her tone and even the questions themselves confused Chris. "She's...fine, why?"
"Oh, no reason." Sam replied, turning so that Chris couldn't see the all-knowing smile on her face.
Shrugging at this, Chris turned back and went to join Josh again. They began to walk along the path at the side of the lodge, looking to go around it and see if they could find a way in. Once out of earshot of the others, however, Josh turned to Chris, grinning.
"Ashley was looking pretty hot today, right?" he teased his friend. "She's like a 'sleeper hit' kinda gal, you know?"
Chris paused, startled, and a little uneasy.
Josh's next comment made him even more so. "I just wanna rip that parka right off her and...make some snow angels, right?"
"H-hey, cut it out, man-" Chris protested, a little startled.
Josh just laughed and held up his hands. "I mean, if you don't wanna bang her, maybe...Mike'll take up the case."
Chris narrowed his eyes. "W-Will you back off already?"
Josh simply laughed, shaking his head, and gently eased Chris. "Relax, man. I'm just...checking to see if there's some blood flowin' down there." he stated jokingly.
Chris shook his head, exasperated. "Yeah..."
There was a brief pause before Josh sighed. He decided that he had to emphasize his point, while doing what he could to boost his best friend's confidence.
"Listen, dude. Look around you. Look at these beautiful mountains. Do you see any parents? I mean, can you imagine a more perfect ripe scenario, just dripping with erotic possibilities?" he stated, announcing, "You and Ashley, alone at last... You've laid all the groundwork, you've been a perfect gentleman. Now you come in for the kill!"
Chris smiled lightly and sighed. "Maybe you're right."
Josh grinned and added. "You are a hunter, bro. No fear, no mercy. I mean, she won't even know what hit her."
They both laughed at that.
"Alright, alright, I got it. Jeez." Chris replied, holding up a hand.
Satisfied, Josh nodded and together, they resumed their search.
As they did so, Josh queried, "So how are we planning on breaking into my parents' lodge, bud?"
Chris grimaced lightly. "Wait, I didn't say I had a plan-"
"You sounded like you had a plan." Josh replied, before joking, "You better deliver, Cochise, or else you got four lovely ladies who are gonna be freezing their buns off and last time I checked, that's not a good way to get laid."
"Well shoot, nobody likes cold buns." Chris shot back.
Both boys laughed as they continued. As they walked, Chris stopped as he noticed something. At the side of the lodge was a holder for a fire axe, but the glass was broken and the axe, disturbingly, was missing.
"Hmmm..." Chris muttered, biting his lip.
Josh nodded. "Don't worry about that, it's been missing for ages."
Chris nodded, reassured, and then, just to his right, he saw just what he needed. There was a window that he could see was unlocked and nearby was a cabinet that could be moved underneath the window, with a bit of elbow grease. He gestured to the cabinet, drawing Josh's attention, and he moved to shove it.
Josh went to the other end and took hold. "Well, well, well, we got ourselves a thinker. Nice one."
Working together, they moved the cabinet beneath the window, Chris then climbed up and nearly overbalanced.
"Whoa..." he muttered, but managed to right himself.
Nodding to Josh, he pulled the window open. Looking through, he could see that it led to the garage. He began to climb through the window, only to tumble unceremoniously, landing on the floor with a yelp. Groaning, he lay there as Josh climbed up the cabinet quickly and held onto the windowsill, looking down.
"Ugh, I'm okay." Chris replied quickly. "I should have paid more attention in climbing class..."
Josh looked a little perplexed by that. "Uh...you mean 'gym'?"
Standing up, Chris nodded. "Yeah, you know, with the climbing up the rope-"
His words were cut short when, with a loud pop, the light bulb smashed, plunging the room into darkness. Chris looked around, startled. Josh was surprised, too.
"Whoa?" he gasped.
Suddenly feeling awkward, Chris looked up to Josh. "Uh, did I do that?"
"I don't...I don't think so." Josh replied before pulling out and throwing a lighter to Chris. "Here, use this."
Chris caught it and ignited it, providing him with at least some light to see by. Looking at the lighter, Josh's eyes widened and he grinned.
"Whoa, Chris, I just got an awesome idea." he said quickly.
"Yeah?"
"Totally."
Chris nodded. "Well, what is it?"
Josh began explaining. "Okay, I am PRETTY sure that I've got deodorant in one of the bathrooms. You could use THAT with the LIGHTER..."
"I don't...I don't follow." Chris replied, shaking his head. "How's a stick of deodorant gonna help?"
Josh looked amused as he replied, "Spray on. It's a can."
Realization dawned on Chris. "Oh, yeah, now I gotcha."
"Flamethrower."
Chris grinned. "Just like we do with the lil' army dudes."
Josh grinned as he too recalled the fun they had, torching the plastic army men.
"Yup, the ones we melted." he said with a grin. "Just point the spray-can at the lighter then...FWOOSH."
"Bye-bye frozen lock."
"Bingo. Alright, you got this." Josh remarked. He glanced back to the front of the lodge. "I'm gonna go sort something out. You up for hunting around in the dark a little bit?"
Chris sighed, but shrugged. "Nope, but I'll do it."
"Godspeed, pilgrim." Josh shot back with a John Wayne impression.
Josh then jumped down from the cabinet, out of sight, leaving Chris to wander the dark alone.
Chris began making his way through the lodge, looking around, remembering so many things from the previous trips there. Some things stood out, catching his eye, namely a newspaper fragment about an arrested convict with a grudge against Josh's parents. He couldn't deny that worried him, especially in light of recent findings, such as the wanted poster and missing axe. This was despite Josh's assurances.
He smiled wistfully as, on his way up to the main floor, he spotted a family portrait, showing all of the Washingtons, including Hannah and Beth. Just then, he jumped as he heard a strange noise.
"Huh? What the hell was that?" he muttered.
Anxiously, he continued onwards, opening the door and entering the main part of the lodge. In the main hall, he continued to look around. He stopped by the front door, glancing out the small window, he could see Sam and Ashley standing just outside, talking. Smirking at the chance for a small prank, he ducked out of sight. Sam and Ashley stood, talking together, when suddenly, from inside...
"WOOOooOOooooOOO!"
They both jumped, but immediately recovered, recognizing the voice.
"Hi, Chris. Very funny." Sam remarked at once, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.
Chris let out a small groan. "How'd you know it was me?"
Sam just pointed out. "Shouldn't you be, like, getting the lock open or something?"
"On it!"
With that, Chris resumed his journey through the house. It was clear that the power was gone in the whole place now, not just the garage.
His journey through the house, interrupted by him looking around, lost in memories, led him to some strange things, such as a rather unsettling phone message. It seemed that the wanted man he had heard about was released from prison not too long ago and was on the loose. The message had been from a police officer, warning Josh's mother. Other things were less worrying and produced pleasant sights, like a picture of Hannah, Emily, Mike, and Sam at prom, a picture of Josh, Hannah, and Beth at the beach, and finally, a film trophy that Josh's dad had won. Chris actually remembered it, he had gone with the Washingtons to the ceremony where it was won.
'Wow, feels like so long ago...so many memories.' Chris thought to himself before shaking himself out of complacency. 'Okay, stop dawdling, Chris. You've got a lock to heat up.'
Quickly recovering, he made his way through to the bathroom. He immediately went to and opened the cabinet beneath the sink and saw the deodorant can in front of him. Smiling, he went to take it. But just as his hand closed around it, a furry, sharp-toothed creature leapt from the cabinet with a roar and ran from the room.
"AHHH! SON OF A-!" Chris cried out in shock and alarm as he fell to the ground.
Recovering, he stood, staring out of the door. "What the fuck?!"
He blinked and then looked down. He still had the can. "Ah, perfect."
He picked up the lighter and lit it again and made his way back to the front door.
Waiting outside, the girls did their best to stay warm against the cold.
All the same, Ashley couldn't help but complain. "We're freezing our buns off out here!"
It was then that they spotted Chris through the glass as he got to work, using the deodorant and lighter to burn the ice off the lock. He then put the items aside and opened the door. The handle was still hot, making him wince, but he recovered well and gave a mock bow.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week." he joked, making the girls roll their eyes.
At that moment, the creature from the bathroom darted out through the door, startling Chris and the girls.
"EEEK!" he cried out, not in a very manly way. "Jeez!"
Sam and Ashley laughed at that while Chris shook his head, trying to recover.
"Crap, that thing freaked me out." he muttered.
"What was it? Are you okay?" Ashley asked, concerned.
Shrugging, Chris shook his head. "It was like a bear or a tiger or something."
"Aw..." Sam replied in a cutesy tone, "It was just a cute little baby wolverine."
"Baby?" Chris shot back incredulously.
Josh had, by this point, reached the top of the stairs with Matt just behind him.
"Don't worry, buddy. You're gonna be a big boy soon." he teased.
Chris just groaned and the five of them finally entered the lodge.
Entering the darkened lodge, Josh smiled widely as he gestured widely. "Home, sweet home."
Matt shook his head, a little creeped out by the lodge in darkness. "Sweet is not the word I'd use."
Ashley shivered and blew on her hands. "Oh my gosh, it's SO GOOD to be inside. Even if it's still kinda freezing in here."
"I'll get a fire going." Josh offered happily.
He knelt down by the fireplace and began setting up the fire. Meanwhile, Sam moved over to the stairs leading to the upper floor, sitting down on them, and let out a relaxed sigh.
Matt looked around at the lodge. "This place barely looks any different." he noted.
"Nobody's been up here." Josh replied with a shrug.
Ashley turned at that, a little surprised. "Even with all the police coming in and out?"
Josh nodded and Chris clarified.
"Not a lot of action up here lately."
Josh nodded in agreement. "Nope."
Chris and Ashley walked over to join Sam, although they simply remained standing by the stairs. Chris checked his watch and couldn't help but notice how long it had taken for all of this. It was now 22:28. He couldn't help but note that most of that time was spent by him searching the lodge while preparing to open the door. Nevertheless, they were all inside now, just waiting for the others to arrive. Matt remained by the fireplace while Josh continued to work on setting up and lighting the fire.
It was at that moment that Mike and Jessica entered the lodge. Mike grinned as he called out, "What's up, party people?"
Jess had an equal grin as she also greeted everyone. "Heeey!"
Josh greeted them enthusiastically, as did the others, and Ashley was relieved that she had stopped Matt from seeing Mike and Emily earlier. He seemed relaxed and greeted Mike as calmly as ever.
Mike and Jess sat down on the sofa and immediately began making out as Emily walked in. She took one look and instantly felt her anger spike and, glaring, she snarked.
"Oh my God. That is so gross. Are you trying to swallow his face whole?"
All eyes turned to her, especially Mike and Jess, with Jess glaring at Emily's comment.
"Em..." Matt called out warningly, worried that she was about to start something...again.
Emily, however, turned to him and shook her head. "Seriously, can she be any more obvious? No one wants in on your territory, honey."
Jess stood up and turned to face her. "Excuse me, did you say something?"
"Oh, did you not hear me?" Emily shot back. "Was your sluttiness too loud?"
The others all shared a worried glance. It was hard to believe that these two girls had been best friends only a year ago.
Jess, however, responded to Emily's insult with a superior smirk. "Sounds like someone's bitter she didn't make the cut." she taunted.
Unmoved, Emily rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's all a big cattle call with that dreamboat. Congrats, you're top cow."
With a short, disparaging laugh, Jess shot back, "Cuts real deep calling Miss Homecoming a cow."
Trying to stand up for Emily, Matt spoke up. "H-hey, you're making everyone uncomfortable, Jess."
"Jealous much?" Jess taunted him. "Emily too frigid for you too?"
Matt stepped back, a little taken aback. "Hey, that's...uncalled for, look-"
Jess simply waved her hand. Everybody was unsure if they should step in or not. Mike, especially. Although Josh seemed to be having the hardest time, grinding his teeth and no longer even trying to light the fire.
"Whatever..." Jess remarked dismissively to both Matt and Emily. "I don't give a crap what you think."
But Emily would not let it lie. "At least I CAN think. 4.0, bitch. Honor roll. Suck on that when you're trying to sleep your way into a job."
It was clear that things were getting more and more heated, which worried the others even more. But none of them could see a way to intervene without things getting even further out of hand.
"Who needs grades when you've got all the natural advantages you can handle?" Jess replied with a smirk as she gestured to her body.
"Oh please..." Emily muttered darkly.
Jess merely shook her head, her smirk and superior look growing. She was clearly intending to once again take things further.
She opened up by snarking at Emily, once again acting as if she had the advantage.
"You couldn't buy a moldy loaf of bread with your skanky ass."
"Are you serious?" Emily shot back, almost laughing. "Do you think that's insulting?"
Jess turned to Mike, pointing at Emily. "That bitch is on crack or something."
"Jessica, you need to shut your mouth, okay?" Matt cut in before Mike could even respond.
Jess rounded on him, glaring that he would dare respond this way. "No, you're the one who needs to keep your nose out of other people's business!"
Emily took this very personally, stepping up, almost getting in Jess' face. "I'm about to get right up in your business, you bitch!"
Jess turned to her and finished closing the gap as she growled, "Are we about to get real? Cause I am down to get real!"
It was clear to all that a fight was about to break out between the two girls. But Josh wasn't having it.
"STOP IT!" he yelled, standing up and glaring. "This is not why we came up here, this is not...helping. It's not what I wanted."
There was an awkward silence, everybody looking guilty.
He sighed. "If we can't get along for ten minutes, then maybe we need a little bit of a break, right? Matt, you and Emily should go up to the guest cabin. You know the one I told you guys about."
"Yeah, yeah, sure..." Matt replied, turning to Emily. "Let's go."
Emily shook her head. "Fine, fine, just so I don't have to see her face."
She glared at Jess as she said that. Josh's glare, however, stopped things from going any further.
Once sure that they weren't about to start up again, Josh gestured towards the rear exit of the lodge.
"It's right up the trail." he said.
Nodding, Matt took Emily's hand and they headed out the back. There was a stony silence. During which, Jess turned to Mike. He smirked and shrugged from where he sat on the sofa.
Josh sighed and turned back to working on the fire. Chris and Ashley moved over to the sofa, while Sam stood up.
"Okay, I'm gonna go take a bath."
With that, she turned and headed upstairs. Mike and Jess shared a look as they stood up.
"Hey, Josh?" Mike queried. "Which room is mine and Jess' again?"
Josh looked up at him with a knowing grin. "Upstairs, third on the right."
With that, Mike nodded and together, he and Jess also headed upstairs.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.