FIVE HOURS UNTIL DAWN
"...?" No noise escaped Matt's lips as his eyes blinked, light seeping through the small opening that revealed his sensitive cornea. It stung slightly, but eventually his eyes adjusted and the pain disappeared.
He shuffled slightly, realizing that he was having a hard time moving about. He was still half-asleep by this point; some body parts still felt numb and his mind felt like cobwebs had grown in them since that last time he was awake.
Matt wondered where he was. He assumed he had crashed in his bed after school, and that his mother was probably making dinner by this time. With that thought in mind, he twitched his nose, trying to see if he could capture the scent of soup or chicken.
When all he smelt was dust and dimness, his eyes opened fully.
"...Jessica?" He called out to the limp form of his friend, who was seated in a chair directly across from him. He glanced downwards, noticing that a table was currently denying him access to his friend.
But when he tried to stand up out of his chair, he realized that his feet were tied to the chair, the chair bolted to the ground. His left arm was also tied to the arm handle, but his right arm was free, leaving him slightly relieved that he had some limb that would move to his will.
His ears perked when he heard a grown escape his friends lips, and his eyes flickered over to her, noticing that she was waking up. He smiled in relief, happy that nothing had happened to the girl.
"Jess!" He called for a second time, the slightest bit louder. The girl's eyes opened fully, and she began fumbling around, trying to see where the source of his voice was coming from.
Then, finally, everything settled in.
"Matt? God, what happened?" Jessica asked fearfully, the psycho killer who was running around the lodge quickly coming back to her. Her head throbbed painfully from when he, quite literally, clocked her in the face rather hard.
"That guy must have got it...Damn it, where's Emily?" Matt remembered the whole reason the shady guy had gotten to them anyways; Emily had been tied up in a chair somewhere in the basement. His eyes analyzed the room, trying to see if he could catch sight of his close friend.
"Matt...Fuck." Jessica's voice brought him back to reality, and he looked over at the girl, noticing her eyes were fixated on something lying on the center of the table.
Matt's heart froze at the sight; there it was, a gun, laying almost peacefully on the table top. He shivered at the sight of the weapon, it could immediately end either of their lives. That was for sure.
So what did it mean?
"You...You don't think...?" Matt trailed, not even sure where he was going with that sentence to begin with. He could hear Jessica audibly swallow from the other side of the table, a face of pure and utter fear plastered on what usually was a smirk and a raised eyebrow.
That's when it happened.
The two saw blades from above them roared to life, and began chugging at a steady pace, threatening to slice the two friends right in two. It elicited loud cries of fear from the two teenagers, who had been completely unaware of the sharp metals that lingered just above them .
And, right through all the craze, the intercom switched on.
"Hello there my special little subjects!" The robotic voice on the intercom still had no emotion whatsoever, but Matthew could feel the eerie joy that the voice seemed to hold.
"Fuck you!" Was all Jessica could shout in response as she struggled out of her holds. Matthew may have laughed if the circumstances were different.
But they weren't.
"Ah, seems like you're more then happy to see me Jessica. Unfortunately, my issues are involving your close friend Matthew at the moment." Matt visibly gulped, his tongue drying up quickly, almost like some sort of cotton domino effect.
"What do you want?" Matt shouted, his voice holding a tone of rage and irritation. What was next? What was he going to throw at them this time?
Jessica was rapidly cursing as Matt tuned in to what the killer was saying. He probably should have been struggling to break free as well, but there had be some way to get out, and the way out was, most likely, within the psycho's words.
"As Jessica pointed out earlier, there is a gun before you Matthew. You have a simple decision to make." Matt's stomach churned. He was sure that it wouldn't be so simple. "You may either chose to kill Jessica, or you can chose to kill yourself. Either way, there will be one man left standing. Oh, and woman of course, though who knows if that's even likely."
"Oh f-fuck..." This was what he got for not having Mike killed before, it seemed. His punishment: take his own life, or take the life of one of his closest friends.
Jessica had stayed silent the whole time. Her eyes were downcast, glued onto the floor, as if maybe if she stared there long enough this would all be over. She wasn't struggling anymore; she wasn't even making a peep. Matt could barely hear her breath.
Uneasily, a shaky breath escaped Matt's lips as he reached towards the gun. His fingers felt unfamiliar with the piece of machinery as they wrapped themselves around the handle. Another surge of fear rippled down his spine at just the feeling of the cold firearm.
"Fuck...Fuck...Fuck..." He repeated the word at specific intervals as the saw continued to churn downwards. Matt was far too afraid to look up at his own, but out of his peripheral vision he could see Jessica's loud and clear.
Well, I guess this is the end. Thoughts of all the things Matt had wanted to accomplish in his life rolled by in his brain. He always wanted to have the butterfat smoothie at the diner in town; apparently, they put a slab of butter on top of a thick chocolate milkshake. There was even a record for the most drunk in a twenty four hour period.
He wanted to be the best linebacker in the world. Yes, it was a big dream, and he was sure it was many other kids dreams as well. But, he just wanted a taste of it. The tiniest flavor; the tiniest simulation. Seemed like that wasn't happening any time soon...
Matt was also one of those cheesy losers who wanted to find love. Yes, he was sure he'd get sucker punched for that one, but it was true! He had never had a true girlfriend. Sure, he had a few flings here and there, but nothing like true love.
Well, then there was Jessica.
But she was taken.
And Matt didn't like her...
Yeah, he was done denying it.
If Jessica could live in his stead, then he would be more then content with dying.
"Stop it!" Jessica's scream startled him, and he nearly lost the gun as it threatened to spill out of his hands onto the floor. Thankfully, he held his grip in time, a sigh of relief escaping his lips.
It was ironic. He hated the sight of a gun a few moments ago and now it was his saving grace.
He shot and angry glare at the blond, wondering what she was doing.
"What?!" He shouted. Guilt nipped away at his innards when a look of hurt flashed across Jessica's face, but it was quickly replaced by anger and disgust.
"Don't 'what' me! What do you take me for, a fucking idiot? I know you were thinking of shooting yourself!" Jessica knew that look from a mile away. It was an odd look that sometimes found itself on Matthew's face; it showed inner contemplation that usually ended up in Matt sacrificing himself, whether that be an item of his or his time, to help somebody else.
"Well, what other option is there?" He replied, moving the gun slowly to his head in a means of scaring of Jessica.
"Oh, I don't fucking know, drop the gun maybe?" Jessica cried out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Matt scoffed at this.
"Then we both die Jessica! Well, I always did know that you were bad at math!" Matt spat. Jessica rolled her eyes.
"This isn't the time for being fucking petty dumb-ass! Put down the fucking gun!" Jessica ordered, more loudly and more stern this time. By this time, the barrel of the gun was firmly pressed against Matt's temple, and it caused Jessica's lip to quiver slightly. Her stomach churned and her heart stopped as her conscious tried to convince her there was no way Matt was going to shoot himself.
"Jessica..." Matt trailed off as his eyes started to become moist, and Jessica nearly gaped at the pure fear that shone brightly in his dark eyes. "I'm not letting you die, okay?" His voice was soft and vulnerable, a slight rumble to it that represented defeat.
Angry tears spilled out of the blond's eyes as she wondered how he could be so stupid. But, really, maybe it was her being stupid. If he didn't shoot one of them, they were both goners, all that would be left of them would be their sliced, bloody bodies spilled out on the floor.
"Idiot..." Jessica mumbled. The noise of the saw roared loudly, as if to signal it was there, which elicited a scoff from Jessica. Fucking douche. She knew the saw wasn't alive, but that didn't make it any less douchey.
"So I expect you to organize my funeral for me. Make it cool, alright? Getting LeBron James to show up is worth extra points!" Matt joked, his laughter covering up his pain. Jessica chuckled lightly as well, the saw coming down faster and faster every moment.
"You don't even like basketball..." Matt laughed harder at this one, causing Jessica to laugh along as well. It was nice; this was what your last moment of life should be.
"...Hey Jessica?"
"W-What?"
"I love you."
A gun shot rang through the barren room, causing Jessica to cry out.
"Mike!" Josh called out for the thousandth time as he walked through the mines. Chris trailed slightly behind, still catching his breath from the series of events that had just taken place.
The tower had collapsed while Chris had been reaching for Mike's hand. Fortunately, Josh's leg had caught onto a rope, and the two boys were able to maneuver to solid ground. Unfortunately, they had lost sight of Mike, leaving the two boys feelings restless as they tried to find their friend.
"Shit. I really hope Mike's okay." Chris said from behind Josh. The boy hummed in agreement, the flames on his torch licking his now burnt shirt (he had used it to light the torch) hungrily.
Josh raised an eyebrow at the flames, and moved the torch slightly away from himself.
"I think he'll be okay. It's Mike, he always finds a way out." Plus, Josh could have sworn that out of his peripheral vision he noticed Mike leaping over to some foothold somewhere near him. Hopefully the boy had landed successfully and had the same luck as Chris and Josh.
"I hope your right." Chris replied. He quickened his pace so he could catch up with his friend, feeling safer with somebody else around him. Thank God that he hadn't fallen down alone.
The two boys continued to traverse through the seemingly abandoned mine. They had run into a few incidents where they had to put their heads together to move forwards through the area, but eventually they found themselves stuck deep in a rut.
"Shitty elevator." Josh cursed as the elevator chose to work against him instead of conspiring with him. "I think we're going to have to find a way to get this thing working, or maybe an easier solution." Josh suggested. Chris hummed as his eyes searched the raggedy area, old and rotting wood alike crumbling around the area, structures seemingly looking like they were going to tip over any second.
"Sounds like a good time." Chris mumbled as he pushed through the dusty ruins. Josh followed close behind as the two scoured the area for anything of importance.
Roaring flames in the distance startled the duo as they looked at an upwards angle to where the source came from. They exchanged fearful looks afterwards when a symphony of indescribable cries followed suit, instantly sending up red flags.
"You...?"
"I heard that buddy. Loud and clear." Josh replied. The two decided to leave it at that.
"Josh!" Chris called his friend over as he stood before a metal ladder that would, hopefully, be the solution to their problem.
Josh jogged over, smiling in relief at the ladder before him.
"Ha-ha! Great work Cochise! You know what they say, a ladder a day keeps the psychos away!" Josh chuckled lightly as he moved to climb the ladder, the cold metal sending a slight shiver down his arms. Chris followed suit with a laugh, happy that his friend could keep good spirits in such a dark situation.
"I've got to say Josh, I'm proud of us. It's been a long night and..."
The sound of the ladder crashing into the floor cut Chris off.
The two young boys tumbled into the gaping hole below them, running into different rocks and gravel that felt more then inclined to make the fall down as painful as possible.
Chris landed on the floor with a thud, air escaping his lungs painfully as he clutched his stomach. He could hear Josh groaning loudly from beside him; the sudden fall had been completely unexpected and very, very painful.
"Motherfucker..." Josh cursed as he slowly pulled himself off of the ground. Chris was still lying gracefully on the ground, obviously needing a few more moments to heal up. Josh smiled slightly at the sight, before realizing that they had lost all progress that they had just made.
"And my torch is gone as well." Josh muttered bitterly as he fished around his pockets for his phone. Thankfully, he found it, and he whipped it out as fast as he could, illuminating the area with the installed flashlight. "Okay Cochise, get yo ass in gear it's time to move!" Josh called out to his friend, tapping him lightly on the side with the point of his foot.
Chris groaned again, but complied, and shuffled around for a few moments before pulling himself up off of the ground. Pain rippled through his body, but he put on his best brave face and shot Josh a smile, signaling that he was good to keep moving.
"Damn, that's one big wall if you know what I'm saying."
"It's a wall. I'm pretty sure you're point won't be lost."
The two boys stood before a large rocky wall that towered before them. Chris immediately thought of Sam, thinking that this sort of thing, well, would be her thing.
Unfortunately, he didn't really feel the same way.
"Let's do this!" Josh clutched onto the wall as he began to scale it at a slow pace, sure not to move in a way that would send him tumbling gracefully to the ground.
"W-Wait for me!" Chris called after his friend as his hands found themselves latched onto the side of the rocky terrain. He swallowed fearfully, feeling less then prepared to began the plight upwards, but he did not want to be stranded in an abandoned mine.
The rewards overruled the sacrifice involved.
The blond scaled the rock wall fearfully, copying Josh's movements exactly so he wouldn't fall. He was sure Josh was very aware of the fact that Chris was mortified, but was finding enjoyment in it rather then feeling bad for the boy.
What a good friend.
A few minutes had passed since the rock climbing incident. Chris was more then glad it was over, and now was trailing slightly behind Josh, hoping that they would be out of the mines sooner then later.
The duo continued to push across the raggedy mine, dust and dirt cloaking every square foot of the underpopulated area. They had come in contact with gears, wood structures, more odd noises, and the absurd need to go to the washroom.
Unfortunately, Chris had just decided to hold it in.
"HOLY SHIT!" Josh's voice cut through the blond's thoughts as he noticed his friend darting over to a illuminated area. Immediately Chris scrambled after him, realizing it was none other then skylight that was shining into a dark area.
"YES!" Chris shouted after his friend as he saw the gaping hole that revealed the snowy winter that was the outside. Instinctively he began darting up the steep hill that led to the exit, before he realized that it was ice over too thickly and that there was no way possible to get up there.
Their hearts dropped at the revelation. They tried to get up a few times, but they had never come close to halfway.
"Damn it!" Josh swore for the umpteenth time as Chris grumbled in frustration, wondering what kind of God would tempt them with an exit just to rip it right out of their hands. "We have to keep moving. If we can see the surface, that means were making progress." Josh didn't know if he believed his own words, but he hoped Chris would, because it made him feel better about himself.
"Y-Yeah...Yeah, you're right! We've come this far!" Chris concluded as he moved away from the skylight back into the darkness of the mine, feeling more then inclined to stay back at the light. But he knew there was no point waiting around just looking up at the stars;they still didn't even know the source of the earlier flames and the inhuman cries.
Josh grinned in relief, happy that his friend was putting on a brave front for him. Feeling in good spirits, the two boys continued the plight through the mines.
"Hey, look at this!" Josh called out. Chris trudged over, exhausted from the time spent forcing himself through the dim area.
"What is that?" Chris mumbled as he leaned into what Josh was pointing at. It was numbers that were haphazardly scribbled against the stone wall. "That's last years date." Chris remembered as his eyes looked over the numbers a few times over.
He dared not look at Josh, who was probably less then happy to be reminded of the sickening numbers that haunted him for the rest of his life. Noticing that this most likely wasn't healthy for him, Chris moved his friend away from the date and continued to push him forwards.
"Hey Josh," Chris had noticed something out of the corner of his eyes, but seeing the date that had been there earlier, he had a bad feeling of what was happening around the area. Something was going on. "Uh...I really got to pee, so do you mind looking away for a moment?"
Josh flushed for a few seconds before a meek grin appeared on his face.
"Don't worry, I won't peek!" Josh winked before turning around and covering his eyes jokingly. Chris rolled his eyes, ignoring the heat in his cheeks as he moved back over to the item he had seen.
"What the fuck?" Chris mumbled to himself as he turned over some sort of... cross. It was made out of wood that was chipped at the edges, and it had the name Beth inscribed at the top in messy writing. "Good thing Josh didn't see this..."
Chris tucked the cross into the crumble and hoped it was hidden well enough that Josh wouldn't notice.
"Have you emptied the tank yet?" Josh called out curiously. Chris hummed in the most 'yes, I have just peed' way possible without sounding unconvincing. Josh opened his eyes and turned to see Chris pretending to zip up his pants and approach him. "You took forever man."
Chris shrugged noncommittally. "You gotta do what you gotta do, bro." The two boys chuckled, but Chris' mind continued to wonder to the odd things relating to Beth and Hanna, hoping that cross would be end to the suspicious mementos.
Silence enveloped the generally quiet area, leaving Chris to his worried thoughts as Josh trudged through the cave with, seemingly, no care in the world. Of course, this wasn't the case, but if Josh did get insight into the fact that Chris may have found something leading to his supposedly missing sisters, that would set his emotions through the roof.
And that was something Chris did not need.
Chris glanced forwards, keeping his vision away from Josh so he could actually see where he was going. What he noticed was a suspicious looking lump that sat almost peacefully on a rather large rock. Curiously he squinted, trying to make out whatever the object was through the darkness that crept around the already creepy cavernous area.
Josh apparently noticed as well, for he all but bent over trying to figure out what the mystery item was. When that lead to nothing, Josh decided to take the initiative and push towards the object, leaving Chris watching him dash towards the object warily.
"I wonder what it is..." Josh's voice stopped abruptly, and Chris sucked in a breath, realizing whatever it was it probably wasn't good.
"Oh shit what is it...now...?" Chris felt the obnoxious need to empty his stomach as a surge of pain was sent chugging through his head, stimulating all his senses and brain cells all at once in the most overwhelming way possible. Fear churned in his stomach as he blinked, before covering his eyes completely, holding in the urge to scream.
He wasn't terrified just of what sat on that rock.
He was terrified of Josh's reaction.
A blood curling scream ripped through the dry mines. It was unearthly, Chris would say, more like a strangled cry then a bellowing scream. It bounced of the ragged edges of the cave, painfully banging against Chris' eardrums every few seconds. His heart stopped and his blood ran cold as he uneasily looked at Josh, who had now collapsed to the ground, still screaming in the most horrified away.
Beth's head gracefully tipped off of the rock and landed on the ground, almost in a comical way, as if it was trying to torture Joshua, who was now sobbing uncontrollably.
"Josh, oh fuck." Chris mumbled as he knelt beside his friend, giving him a reassuring hug, wondering what the hell he was going to do.
