Escape the Night: Betrayal at the House on the Hill

A/N: Hello, world and welcome to the final installment of the season finale of Escape the Night. Now, I'm a bit groggy since I was up late last night due to a closing shift at the movie theater, and things are getting busy because we now have Avengers: Endgame. I haven't gotten to see it yet, so please, no spoilers about the movie if you've already seen it.

Enough about real life, time to wrap up this story. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Escape the Night. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

EPILOGUE: THE AFTERMATH

The next morning found the four survivors having breakfast with James and they were all wearing new clothes that was more to their fashion standards, and Joey was concerned about not getting the dinner coat back, but when James insisted that it was for the best, he reluctantly agreed.

When Dawn asked him why he was wanting the coat back, his response was that it was a nice coat and it was a shame to lose it.

That did make sense, but it was pushed from their minds when James told them that there was something that they needed to know before they returned home, and that it wasn't good.

James lead them into his study and he turned on a TV that had a news report on it that had the four of them sinking into the chairs provided with shocked expressions on their faces.

`"There is still no word on the whereabouts of the thirteen prominent YouTubers and actress Dawn Hatcher, who all disappeared last June. Anyone with information is advised to call the authorities…"` As the report continued, fourteen photos appeared on the screen, and it was photos of them and their late friends.

"Oh my God," Eva gasped as James shut the TV off. "Last June? How long were we actually gone?"

"Three months," James answered, facing them. "You all were in that house for three months."

"How – how is that possible?" Oli demanded. "It was a single night! Not three months!"

James sighed and pulled up a chair so that he could sit across from them. "When Arthur destroyed the car that you used to go from 2016 to the 1920s," he explained. "It broke the connection, and while it was a single night for you and your friends, the rest of the world moved on." He gave them a chance to absorb this news before he continued. "Now, I'm certain that you're all wondering how you're going to explain this to everyone, and I can assure you that we have a way to take care of it."

"How?" Dawn asked in trembling voice, her blue eyes brimming with unshed tears. "How are you going to explain what happen to us and our friends? How?"

"It won't be easy," James admitted, "but the Society has made the required arrangements and a cover story."

Although shaken by the fact that they had been in the 1920s house for three months instead of a single night, they did take some small comfort in the fact that they would be spared of how to tell the truth of how their friends had died.

When Joey, Dawn, Eva, and Oli were all reunited with their families, Joey's boyfriend Daniel, and friends later that same day, they learned about the cover story that the Society Against Evil had provided, along with the bodies of their friends, and the bodies of the bad guys.

The official story provided by the Society was that Joey, Dawn, and the others had been lured into a house by a man named Arthur Kenneth, a cult leader who locked them up and tortured them until all but four of them had been killed in horrible ways. And they would've died too if it hadn't been for the timely arrival of the Society.

Most of the newspapers and networks believed the cover story provided by the Society Against Evil, did a few interviews with the four survivors, who stuck with the cover story like glue, and yet, there was one reporter for the Daily Bruin, which was the student newspaper for University of California, who didn't seem to believe the official story.

His name was Jermaine Whitehouse, who was proud to be related to Mary Whitehouse, a woman who'd been overly critical about shows like Doctor Who for decades and had been a thorn in the side of Doctor Who fans, and others connected to the show, everywhere. He also wrote a blog about controversial topics, and he kept badgering Joey, Dawn, Oli, and Eva about what really happen to them and the victims during those three months until all four of them threatened to sue the newspaper. It was only then that he backed down, but it was clear to them that Jermaine wasn't going to give up so easily, and this did concern them a bit.

Over the next eleven weeks, funerals were held for those that had been killed during those three months, and Joey, Dawn, Eva, and Oli attended all of them, even though it was one of the hardest thing they had had to do since escaping the long night. And for them, it was mostly just an endless stream of sadness and regret, for they all doubted that they would ever been able to let go of the guilt of what they had had to do in order to survive, and the hardest funerals for them all were the ones for Lele Pons and Benny Miller.

After the funeral for Benny ended, nearly everyone left saved for Joey and Dawn. They stayed and watched as the workers started to bury the coffin that held their friend, a friend that they hadn't been able to save despite their best efforts.

"None of them should've died," Joey said finally as they both turned and started walking toward the parking lot and his car, for he'd driven them to the cemetery for the funeral. Daniel had offered to drive them, but Joey had insisted since this way he and Dawn could heal together, and his boyfriend had agreed.

"I know," Dawn agreed, hooking his arm with hers. "Unfortunately, the ability to travel back in time in order to change things isn't possible, and somehow I doubt that the Society Against Evil would even let us do it if it was possible."

"Shame we don't have a real functioning TARDIS," Joey commented and she giggled, leading him to smile a bit, but that smile faded and so did Dawn's giggles when they saw that there was a black car that had a familiar gold symbol of a circle with two conjoined 'H's' with two small circles. "What do they want?" he wondered, as two men that had been waiting by the car approached them.

"Mr. Graceffa, Ms. Hatcher," said one of the men. "Our employer wishes to speak with you both." And he nodded to the waiting car.

Although they would much rather be somewhere else, Joey and Dawn both reluctantly allowed the two men to escort them to the black car, where they climbed inside, and found themselves seated across from James, who was wearing a dark fedora on his head and yellow tinted sunglasses over his eyes.

"Joey, Dawn," he said with a slight smile, "good to see you both again."

"Wish we could say the same," Dawn said acidly, having been hoping that they had seen the last of the Society Against Evil.

"Are you stalking us or something?" Joey asked.

James shook his head. "No," he assured them. "But after what you both went through with your friends, the Society just wants to make sure that you're taking the steps needed in order to start healing and letting the guilt of what happen go. Neither of you had any idea what was inside that house, or that Arthur was going to use you to get what he wanted."

"Maybe," said Joey grimly. "But that doesn't excuse the fact that we, plus Eva and Oli had to vote on who would go into those challenges and who would end up dying because of our choices. No matter how much time goes by, their blood will still be on our hands, and there's no changing that."

"You're right," James agreed. "You both had to make choices that cost lives, just like plenty of other people, including the men and women who go to war to protect the Untied States from their enemies. Rest assure, however, your emotional and mental wounds will heal, but only if you can forgive yourselves. If not, then that guilt will continue to consume you, much like Dominick "Dom" Cobb in the movie Inception, and you both know what that almost did to him."

"We're aware," Dawn said dryly. "Is there anything else, or can we go?"

James nodded and as they both moved to leave, he did hand the actress an envelope. "For your eyes only, Ms. Hatcher." And when they both got out, and the door was shut after his two employees were back inside the car, he nodded to the driver to go.

Joey and Dawn watched the car drive off and, after glancing at the envelope that she pocketed to worry about later, they got into his car, and they also drove off away from the area.

It was a few days before Dawn finally decided to see what was in the envelope since her curiosity was going to be the death of her if she didn't take a look at the darn thing. 'If it's an invite to join them, then I'm gonna toss it into the garbage disposal,' she thought, taking the envelope out of the pocket of her jacket, and carried it to the kitchen of her California home.

Sitting down at the table, Dawn opened the envelope and found a folded paper inside it. She took it out and saw that it was a letter, but not the type she was expecting.

Dear, Ms. Hatcher,

I know that you would much rather having nothing to do with the Society Against Evil, especially after what both you and Joey went through, but I personally wanted to reassure you that should either of you either need any help, then the Society will be there to give you that aid. I'm certain that you yourself, Dawn, have many unanswered questions, including why you both were targeted by Arthur in the first place.

I don't have all the answers, but I know that when Arthur was controlling Vincent when he was a prisoner in the house, he accessed the hallucinations and learned that the evil was constantly searching for new victims to lure into its' embrace in order to grow stronger, and maybe eventually strong enough to corrupt the world itself.

So, when the house started to target Joey with that nightmare, why he was targeted, we're still unsure, Arthur started doing his research on him, and through that research he learned about Joey's friendship with you. He was intrigued by how you could be friends despite being from such different backgrounds and lifestyles, and he saw that as a way to take advantage of both you.

I wish that you both could have been spared the horrors that you went through, but I am certain that you both will grow stronger from the experience.

Your friend,

James McCoy.

Dawn stared at the letter, and she was feeling conflicted. Yes, the Society Against Evil had given them the means to defeat the evil and brought them back to 2016, but they had also created the situation in the first place, too.

And while this letter did answer some questions, including why Arthur had gone after her and Joey, there were still other questions that it didn't answer, and that also meant the question of what kind of Light did she have inside her that had been mentioned to Tim and Matt when they had been trapped in that room.

'It doesn't matter,' Dawn thought, folding the letter and put it back in the envelope, which she put away in a box in the attic of her house. 'It's time to accept what happen and move on with my life. The evil is gone, and it's time to move forward.'

The end…or is it?

A/N: And that is a wrap! So, on Monday I will start posting a post season story and I will see you all then. Bye for now! R&R everyone!