The . Dawn . Will . Come .
AUTHOR's NOTES
Sorry for the prolonged absence. Work is strangling me right now with an increased work load. Sorry about that. Updates should be more regular from now on, though. Onwards! And thank you for your continued interest in this story! Reviews make my heart jump! Just saying! :p
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Spoilers will occur for those who forgo research or those who have not finished the game.
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Chapter 12
So what do we do? Are you expecting us to die because it'll be bad press?" Emily retorted sarcastically.
Matt coughed, interrupting the conversation, "I think we should find a way to isolate him. We at least need to find him. We all survived Wendigos...one man shouldn't be a problem."
Sam smiled sweetly, "That, my friends, is precisely what we'll do." (BUTTERFLY EFFECT)
Emily and Ashley both said, "But how?" They shared an annoyed glare between each other before turning their attention back to Sam.
"There's a safe room in the basement specially ordered for my pops. We get him there, he won't be a problem. Besides, it's soundproof," Sam told them casually. "We should devise a plan."
When it seemed everyone was in agreement, Ashley whined, "Hashtag WeGotAPsychoAfterUsPart2..."
A knife pierced through the door, and nearly everyone shrieked, shouted, or jumped out of their skin.
Ashley fell to the floor and loudly cried, "There's no way out of this room! I can't take this, Chris! Make it stop. Please!"
Sam lifted up her hand to Mike's shoulder. He glanced over at her as concern intensified his dark hues. Her eyes were melted with a thawed blanket of warmth and calmness. "He's had a few knee surgeries. His knees a bound to give out. We can outrun him."
He reached for her face and stroked her cheek with his thumbs, "You're in no condition to run, Sam."
She shrugged and filched suddenly as the knife struck through the door again. Her attention settled on him again, "Someone will get hurt if we stay here. Those doors are the only way out of this room." She swallowed shortly after and continued, "I see no other option if we want to play this where no one gets hurt."
He hunched his back as he dipped his head closer to hers while his hands molded around her cheeks. He searched her eyes and flinched when the knife sprang through the door again. His eyes returned to hers and shook his head, "You're going to get hurt, Sam."
She raised her hands to cup over her and pulled his hands away from her as her brows crowded inward toward the center of her face, "We have no other choice. "
Abruptly, a loud thud slammed against the door to the room, causing the barricade to shift against the carpet a bit.
Jessica reached for Matt and held her hand to Ashley, who was jittering and shivering against Chris, "What the fuck was that?!" She shrieked until she threw her attention to Sam and Mike, "Whatever we're doing we have to act fast."
Muffled voices were heard in the hall beyond the closed door. Emily neared the door and placed her ear against the wall to the right. When something thudded against the wall on the opposite side, she jumped back, "Someone's out there! It sounds like another man!"
Sam hobbled to the door and tried to move the dresser from the door, but Mike instantly peeled her away when she showed signs of falling or struggling. She shoved away at him and narrowed her eyes, "I've got this!"
Emily moved between Mike, who had words at the ready to spit back. She interrupted him, "Now's not the time." She looked back at Sam, "The rest of us can move it faster. Whoever's out there might need help."
It only took Sam a moment to nod and struggle away. Emily reached for Mike and pulled him to the opposite end of the dresser, "You pull. I push." (BUTTERFLY EFFECT)
He nodded in reply.
As they worked the dresser to the side, the knife pierced through the door again, snagging Emily's arm in the process. She winced back and shouted. (BUTTERFLY EFFECT UPDATE)
Matt instantly pulled her to his chest while he looked at Jessica as she quickly traded places with Emily. Jessica made funny noises while she pushed the furniture out of the way. The door was clear again.
"Fuck!" Emily seethed.
Chris moved closer to Emily, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Emily struggled, "It's only a graze, but still!" She continued to whimper like a spoil child until she added, "This shirt was $300!"
Matt wanted to throw her off of him. A few scattered mutters of disgust were made until Mike raised his finger to his mouth. The young adults quieted unanimously as Mike listened with his ear to the wall.
Sam swallowed while waiting to see what was happening. Matt moved from Emily to her when the shorter girl wobbled a little. She glanced up to the taller boy and mouthed an appropriate reply of thanks.
He nodded and looked at the door. "We need to be ready," he whispered loudly.
Mike 'shh'ed' him dramatically.
Matt rolled his eyes and let go of Sam's shoulders to move closer to the other boy, "Now is not the time for trying to nominate yourself as the leader."
"Now is not the time to argue with me," Mike snapped.
"You're compromising all of us right now by talking loudly. At least my voice isn't raised, Mike," Matt pointed out as if the fact should be obvious.
Mike's eye twitched and he moved toward Matt to grip his shirt by the collar roughly, "Fuck you, Champ. You're the only pain in my ass right now."
Chris left Ashley, who still cowered by the bed on the floor, to push Mike away from Matt, "Both of you need to stop. Now."
Mike laughed and shook his head. Quickly, he shoved Chris away roughly pushed Matt against the wall. "I don't have to listen to either of you, kids. Let's not forget who saved both of your asses more than once back on that mountain!"
Emily crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, but her attention remained on the boys, "Excuse me? Stop playing pretend for one fucking second. Let's revisit who tried to kill an innocent person."
Mike threw Matt toward the bed and closed in to her, towering over her, "You little fucking princess. I didn't shoot you, you bitch!"
Emily was clearly affected by his more aggressive behavior, but she did her best to pretend she was bored of him, "You think you wouldn't have if it wasn't for your God damned leash...I mean Sam? Stop pretending to be a hero when you're the most fucked up out of all of us!"
Jessica shoved Emily onto the bed and slapped Mike on his face, "Sam's gone."
Mike's demeanor instantly changed. He furiously glanced around the room and saw the door was ajar, "SAM!" (BUTTERFLY EFFECT UPDATE)
Meanwhile, Sam limped behind the two figures cloaked in darkness with the baseball bat in both hands. Her steps were quiet. A part of her winced when she heard Mike bello from the opposite side of the long hallway.
Her father was choking someone else. The other man was held up by his throat. She needed to act fast. She didn't have time anymore.
Gagging noises came from the other man and a crazed laughter emerged from her dad's throat. It sickened her to think him capable of this. Sam found it harder to remember this wasn't the man who raised her...in her chronicle of happy memories with him at the Hamptons and in the Big Apple.
She was two feet behind him. She gripped the bat and felt tears pour from her eyes, "I'm so sorry."
The bat hit him in the back of the head twice and between his shoulders once, causing him to collapse. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed. Her lungs heaved loudly with a tingle of agony, unsure if she had hurt him significantly or not. "Shit, shit, shit!"
Her body was so exhausted. Her legs were boiling with acute, sharp pain.
The bat was in her tight grasp still; she was unwilling to let go until she knew her dad was down for now. She quickly turned her attention to the other man, who had scooted away from her dad and her to probably catch his breath.
She dropped the bat, "Josh?" Her heart broke. He was there in the shadows real as ever. She sank to her knees and cried out in pain. She crawled closer to him and halted. "Mr. Washington?"
He gasped with his hand at his own throat, but he glanced up at her.
"Oh, my God! Are you okay?" she quickly asked. She helped him sit against the wall and she reached back for the bat, bringing it back within her reach in case. "Why are you here?"
He coughed, but he eventually said, "You're mother called me, unable to reach you for some time now. I just came to check in on you because she said your father was missing."
"You know about him?" she asked in shock.
"Of course I know. We've been family for too long. I live across the street, despite the empty house and now three lacking reasons to visit as often..." he quietly confirmed.
Sam threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck, "I'm glad you came."
He rubbed her back gently, "Sorry you have to see him like this."
Sam pulled back and looked back, "We need to move him to that room before he wakes up. I'm not at my best with my strength, so I doubt I did any real damage to him. Just in case."
She glanced back to Josh's dad, who narrowed her eyes at her before nodding. "I know where it is. I will need help, though. I haven't been my best, either, since I left the hospital after you all got back..."
Sam nodded.
It was then that her friends neared her. Sam tried to stand up by herself, but she ended up being aided by Jessica. When Sam stood, Jessica took a moment to examine her, "Are you okay, Sam?"
Again, she nodded, but her eyes fell to her dad, "We have to get him downstairs into the safe room."
All three of the boys carefully circled the body and took a section. "Lead the way, Sam," Chris said quickly.
Sam didn't look at Matt, Mike, or anyone else. "Someone will probably need to carry me or help me down the stairs," she shyly suggested. She was at her limit. No way could she do any more. At least for the night.
Bob Washington stood up slowly and replaced Chris carrying her dad. "You carry her, kid."
Chris appeared confused, but he nodded, "O-of course, sir."
Chris picked her up and walked in front of the three men carrying the body.
Sam guided them to the room. Once there, she instructed them to lay him on the couch in the center of the room and bolt the door from the outside. This night was only beginning, but Sam needed just one minute to herself. Too bad that her mother called Bob's phone, demanding to talk to her daughter.
So much for a moment of peace.
She needed to fucking think.
The conversation was brief. Bob stayed with the group until she swore they would be fine. Eventually, the group sat downstairs in the living room, all looking exhausted.
Sam couldn't walk anymore, but she wasn't tired.
Mike sat next to her, as usual.
None of them talked. They simply lingered there in silence.
Sam was so angry with Mike, but she didn't even have the strength to care about that in the moment. Instead, she grabbed his hand and, when she had his attention, leaned her head in the direction of the entry room.
His dark eyes lowered over her body for a moment until he nodded quietly, responsively. No one questioned them when he carried her out of the living room. He didn't question her when she asked him to grab both of them a towel, change of clothes, and her phone.
He only stopped when she told him they were going skinny dipping.
No one noticed that the journal was gone from the kitchen. (BUTTERFLY EFFECT UPDATE)
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Butterfly Effects
Sam was given Josh's old journal, and she has decided not to read it.
Sam chose to not react angrily against Ashley.
Sam left the journal downstairs, and the journal is now missing.
Matt chose to barricade the door, and the group was safe until Emily started to move the dresser. Her arm is now scratched.
The group chose not to involve police, and Sam left the group to take care of her father.
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Status Updates
Sam:
Mike: Medium
Jessica: Medium
Matt: Medium
Chris: High
Emily: Low
Ashley: Low
Mike:
Sam: Highest
Jessica: High
Matt: High
Chris: Low
Emily: Lowest
Ashley: Low
Jessica:
Mike: Low
Sam: Highest
Matt: High
Chris: Medium
Emily: Lowest
Ashley: Neutral
Matt:
Sam: High
Jessica: Highest
Mike: Low
Chris: Medium
Emily: Low
Ashley: Neutral
Chris:
Sam: Higher
Jessica: Neutral
Matt: Neutral
Mike: Lower
Emily: Lower
Ashley: High
Ashley:
Mike: Low
Jessica: Neutral
Matt: Neutral
Chris: High
Emily: Lower
Sam: High
Emily:
Sam: Neutral
Jessica: Neutral
Matt: Low
Chris: Neutral
Mike: Lower
Ashley: Lowest
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AUTHOR's NOTES
So, in the game I REALLY enjoyed the Psycho aspect, so I decided to pay homage to the game one more time. It won't be the last time I do this sort of thing, either. I must be evil because I left on a cliffhanger, right? It was a good stopping point. You all appreciate frequent updates, and this will likely take up three chapters worth of words...so I'm splitting it up so you all do not have to wait until may for it. I have big plans for this story. Stick around a while to explore the life after the mountain. :D
As for the Status Updates, here are the scores I've gone with:
1 = Lowest
2 = Lower
3 = Low
4 = Neutral
5 = Medium
6 = High
7 = Higher
8 = Highest
These do not quantify love, hate, etc. They simply quantify the relationships as they change.
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BREVIARY-ROSE