Twist Of Fate

An Until Dawn Fanfiction

Chapter 1:

9 Years Later

9 Years After Dawn - Los Angeles, California

Her eyes fluttered open. Looking at the clock, she saw it was only 5:17am. Her alarm wasn't due to go off for another thirty minutes, but she knew she wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep. There was always a weight that pressed down on her when she first woke up, and today was no exception.

"Day 3,633 since dawn. Breathe, Sam. You're safe in your own home. Everyone you know is in a better place. Let's get up."

She sat up after this internal dialogue. It had become a daily ritual, something that she was taught when she was still in her early days of college. It was almost like a quick meditation; a pep talk of sorts to remind yourself that you survived some horrific event in your life.

"I am a warrior. Brave, strong, and knowledgeable." She chanted this as she pulled on her yoga pants and tied her running shoes tight. She slipped on her shirt and tied her hair up, grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge, and was out the door.

It was still dark out, the streets deserted of all people and cars. It's what made living in a small neighborhood so enjoyable. Sure, it made the commute to work longer, but she never once arrived later than 7:45.

Her morning jog was more like a sprint today; something had her heart racing as if her body knew something crazy was going to happen. She focused on the sounds of her shoes hitting the pavement and her even breathing. The turn was nearing already. Did she ever make it to this point this fast before?

A streetlamp turned off suddenly and it made the shadows shift. She gasped when she lost her breathing pattern; her lungs felt hot and the thumping of her heart was like a rushing wave in her ears. It started to sound like wheezing and then a high-pitched ringing.

Sam touched her hip where she usually kept her iPod, but she was in such a hurry for no reason this morning that she forgot to grab it. She should've known better—music was the only thing that blocked out monsters.

She could just turn around and run back home. It would be quicker—safer. But going back the way she came scared her more than making that turn up ahead. She took a long drink of water, swallowed roughly, then picked up her pace as she rounded the turn.

"You can run away from anything. When you come full circle, then, and only then, can you—."

Another streetlamp went off and though in the back of her mind she knew it was because the sun was rising and some of the light sensors were more sensitive than others, the front of her mind was seeing something entirely different.

"It's almost dawn, it's almost dawn, two more minutes…"

She raced down the street, made another turn.

"I can save him, I can save him, I can save him—I just need to make it in time." There was a shortcut up ahead—a small trail between a few houses that could lead her straight home. But the trail would be completely dark. Risk the dark trail and make it home in one minute…or stay on the street and make it home in five?

Her decisions raced through her like two jets about to collide. "Stay on the lit street." And just like that, she ran past the trail and stayed on the road. It was the decision she made every single day. But so far, it's never failed her. She always gets through the day to be able to wake up the next morning and do it all again.

Another turn made. One more to go. A loud screech echoed around the silence. She almost screamed but quickly realized it was just an old car's engine turning over.

"They should really get that fixed…" she shook her head as she passed the culprit of her superficial scare. But although she was running away from the horrible sound, it sounded like it kept getting closer and closer. She didn't turn around to find out.

"Just run, don't hide." She made the final turn. She saw her home six houses down. The ringing in her ears made her deaf and she was almost certain she was running at top speed, but it seemed like her house kept getting further and further away. She often had a dream where she was trying to run away from something but her legs refused to move and she left herself open as a stranded sacrifice.

Sweat poured into her eyes but she only blinked them away, and she bounded up her porch steps and crashed through the front door.

"Hey, good morning, Sunshine."

Her fiancé stood at the island in their kitchen, pouring two glasses of a green smoothie from a blender.

"'Morning," she answered in a normal tone as though her run and her thoughts didn't just happen, "Sorry if I woke you."

"Nah," he waved it off, grabbing the glasses and walking toward her, "Though I was wondering why you started so early. I said I was going to join you today, remember?"

Sam let out a heavy breath, taking a glass from him with an apologetic stare, "I'm so sorry, Liam…I completely forgot," she nudged him playfully, "though you've said that before, but you haven't jogged with me since college."

"Touché," they clinked glasses before downing the kale smoothie in one go.

"Gonna hop in the shower before work," she told him.

Liam placed their glasses on the counter before grabbing her hips and pressing them against his, "Now that's something I'll always join you for."

Laughing, she grabbed his hands and dragged him with her, her feet carrying her backward, "O-kay, but we have to make it quick. I have a new patient at eight sharp, and you know how I hate bad first impressions."

"I can go as fast as you like, baby," he grinned, which showed off how handsome his face could be with his high cheekbones and translucent blue eyes.

Sam arrived at work forty minutes early. She parked in her front row assigned spot, smiling to herself when she read the sign that said, "Dr. Jensen." In another six months, she'll be asking it to be changed to "Dr. Graham." The modification was exciting to look forward to, but she wasn't sure if she'd ever feel the same excitement as when she first saw her full name, "Dr. Samantha Abigail Jensen, PhD." Getting her degree was her greatest achievement. A lot of people told her she's feel happiness like never before as soon as the words "I do" were spoken, but she just smiled tightly and said, "I can't wait."

She decided that she had time to run to her favorite Coffee and Tea place and grab an herbal green tea before work. It was only two streets down. Her heels clicked on the sidewalk as she walked with her head held high and a big smile on her face. "Feel accomplished. Be proud of yourself." Something else she always told herself. She normally was not a fan of heels, but she couldn't deny how powerful they made her feel.

The line to get tea was long, but she expected it so got behind about twenty people to patiently wait her turn. She checked her cell: 7:15am. She texted Liam, "Have a great day. Love you!" and waited for a response but it never came. She assumed he was still driving or already at work.

A few moments later, she looked up the line to see there was only ten more people in front of her. She looked down the street she would walk to get back to work, absently thinking about the report she'd have to write up later that night about her new patient. It often took a few hours longer than usual, simply because she had to write out all the basics as well. That is—as long as he talked to her.

Then someone caught her eye in the crowd. She tipped her head to the side as she watched him glance both ways before crossing the street. He was wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie that was pulled over his head. He could have easily been any normal street walker, but no—she saw those eyes. And she was pretty sure no one else in the world had those eyes…

She lost her place in line as she walked down the street, her eyebrows narrowed, her mind trying to think rationally.

"That couldn't have been him, you idiot. He's dead, remember? Dead. D-E-A-D."

He was walking fast and she tried to walk the same speed to catch up but her heels wouldn't allow for that. The street was also crowded, so she had to constantly dodge people while still keeping eye contact on the back of that familiar hoodie…

The crowd got thicker. She kept losing sight of him. In a momentary state of panic, she raised and voice and yelled, "Josh!"

A few other people who may have been named Josh turned to look at her, but dismissed her when they didn't recognize her. But the hooded man didn't even pause. Sam stopped walking, her heart pounding hard against her chest.

"You're past this, remember? Survivor's guilt is normal, but there's no reason to feel guilty. You did everything you could, you did everything you could."

She breathed in heavily through her nose and released it slowly from her lips. She was just under too much stress. She had a new patient to worry about, planning the wedding, finding a perfect dress…she just had to clear her mind. "Meditation for me later." She mentally marked it on her calendar.

Sam continued walking to work. She didn't have time for that tea now, but she really didn't need it anyway. She'd just grab a cup of coffee at work, even though she would probably only take two sips before forgetting about it.

She made it to her building, walking in through the thick doors that drowned out all the loud noise outside. She made her way to the reception area where her secretary sat behind a computer. Bryana was a twenty-two year old undergraduate, but she looked no older with sixteen with her innocent eyes behind hipster glasses. Sam always saw the look of admiration and respect in her eyes when she looked at her, and it was just one more thing that made Sam remember why she was living.

"Good morning, Dr. Jensen, how are you today?"

"Very well, thank you," Sam answered with a smile, "How are my appointments looking this morning? Has our new one arrived yet?"

"Actually…he just called and cancelled—literally right before you walked in," Bryana let her know, showing Sam her notepad that had "11/2, 7:43am, E.R. cancel" scribbled at the top.

Sam sighed and took out her cell phone. 7:44 and also no text from Liam, "Okay, well is anyone else here to take his place?"

"No, ma'am. Your next appointment isn't until ten-thirty."

Sam rubbed her forehead. She felt like she had a rough morning even though nothing had really happened. She didn't know why she felt so drained—or disappointed over her new client's cancellation, "Did he reschedule?"

"Yes, tomorrow at eight."

"Of course…" Sam shouldn't have been too surprised that Elliot Roth cancelled. A lot of new patients do because they get nervous and think putting it off helps. But if he cancelled once, he might be prone to cancelling again, and morning cancellations were the worst. "Listen, can you cancel all my appointments for the rest of the day? I'm—not feeling too well, I think I might just go back home."

Bryana nodded and began typing quickly on her keyboard, "No problem, I'll start making the phone calls now."

"Thank you. Good luck on your tests later," Sam waved over her shoulder as she turned to leave. She always made sure to know when Bryana had a lot of studying to do, because when she was in school, her bosses weren't so happy with her schedule changes even though they were almost always necessary. Some people only cared about money made and lost…

The drive home felt strange, but she couldn't place her finger on why exactly. She traveled the same route every day. Granted, she never drove home at eight in the morning driving toward the sun where she was blinded almost the whole way. Even with her sunglasses and car visor, the autumn sun reflected off of every other car as it stared directly at her.

She flipped through the radio stations. "—unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley. We can live like Jack and Sally if we want. Where you can always find me, and we'll have Halloween on Christmas…"

A smile tugged at her lips at the old song. It always reminded her of times when she was younger and would watch The Nightmare Before Christmas with Hannah and Beth. It was a favorite movie of theirs and they would spend hours singing the catchy songs. She recalled a particular time when she was sixteen. She went up to Josh teasingly and sang in her not-so-good singing voice, "For it is plain as anyone could see…we're simply meant—to be…"

And she never did forget the darkness in his eyes when he pulled her forward and asked, "You want to be my Sally?"

That night she went to the tree in her backyard and chipped "J+S" into the bark. When asked about it later, she simply said she shipped Jack and Sally. But she knew what those initials really stood for…

She caught herself giggling at the memory even though tears were burning the side of her eyes. Those were the best days of her life, and that wasn't just nostalgia talking. She was happy every single day, always hanging out with Hannah and very often, Beth as well. How her heart would always swell with giddiness every time Josh would show himself. He was her first "adult" crush and even though she knew there were plenty of guys that wanted to date her in her junior and senior year, she was never interested.

She was pretty sure everyone knew about her crush even though she didn't tell anyone, even Hannah. She didn't want Hannah to feel weird about her best friend having a crush on her brother. Although, thinking back on it, she doubted Hannah would have been that grossed out. If anything, they could have talked about how one day they'd be sisters and how Sam could give Hannah tiny nieces and nephews to spoil.

But Hannah ended up crushing on Mike, who happened to be Beth's best friend's boyfriend. Emily suddenly became part of their group and she always brought Mike along. Beth was also dating someone casually at the time—what was his name? Sam couldn't remember.

Their group was big. Mike and Emily, Beth and her guy, Chris and Ashley, Hannah, Josh, and herself. Sam hated how there were times when she felt obligated to distract Hannah from Mike, because she could have easily been using all that energy on Josh. But she didn't want Hannah to be the only single one, and so she was the perfect best friend and was there for her, telling her things like "Mike will come around and see what a perfect girl you are!" and "He totally just flirted with you."

In retrospect, she probably shouldn't have encouraged Hannah so much. It was obvious that Mike wasn't interested in her. Still, she knew how hard it was to ignore a crush. It consumes your brain and no matter how many times you tell yourself that it can never work, the heart continues its crazy pattern and always beats wildly for that one person.

And every time she sat with Hannah and fed her lies, she would always glance over at Josh to catch him staring at her. His eyes were hypnotizing. She never knew what he was thinking though. He always seemed to have this deep, dark secret that he swore never to share with anyone.

Josh drank a lot though. She didn't know why, but she chalked it up to him being a bad boy and though she always promised herself to never fall for that type, the more and more she saw him, the more and more she fell for him.

He once cornered her when they were all at a bowling alley. She had just come out of the restroom and there he was, leaning against a wall with his knee bent and foot pressed against the wall, a glass of alcohol covering his lips.

"You aren't bowling?" She asked as she stood beside him, wanting so badly for even their shoulders to touch.

"Not my turn," he answered simply, "Sammy…"

No one ever called her thought except her mother, but she allowed it, "Yes, Josh?"

"I'm thinking about having a party at my parents lodge on Mount Washington. Care to attend?"

Her eyes widened at his invitation and she was nodding before she could even think about it, "That sounds fun! How many people will be there?"

"Not many," he answered, smirking as he leaned closer to her like he was about to tell her a secret, "It'll just be an intimate party."

Sam felt her throat close at his words. She had to force her eyes away from him, her hand twitching up to place a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "I'll be there."

She snapped back to the present as she turned into her garage. She hardly remembered her drive home, glad that autopilot kicked in. She wasn't even sure why she was daydreaming so much. She very often got hit with memories, but they were usually brief and short lived.

San unlocked the door and walked into her empty home, glad that Liam was at work all day and she could have many hours of alone time. She really felt like she needed it.

"Meow!"

Sam smiled down at her tabby cat, Clarice (Cee-Cee), and picked her up, "Sorry, you're gonna have to spend the day with me today. Hopefully you didn't expect a tomcat to visit?"

The cat only meowed again and allowed itself to be loved for a few minutes before wanting to be put down. Sam stood in the silence as the cat ran off into another room to probably go to sleep. She bit her lip and looked at the door that led to their storage room. There was a shoebox in there that she swore to either throw away or give to her mother, because she didn't think it was healthy to hang onto it.

Still, it was like it was calling to her today. She found it quickly and brought it back into the living room, staring at it like it was Pandora's Box and she was about to release some demons. Which—she probably was.

She ran her hand over the top before popping off the top. The top picture was of her, Hannah, Beth, and Josh. It was during a Washington family reunion and one of the aunt's wanted a picture of the three siblings, but they all insisted that Sam join the picture because she was practically family anyway.

She was between Hannah and Josh, her head resting on Josh's shoulder. It was something she decided she was going to do at the very last second. She loved the way it felt. She had images of him pulling her closer and kissing her forehead, whispering for her to meet him upstairs in ten minutes.

But she could never tell if he was into her or just very aware that she was into him and egging her on. There were many times where he was super distant—like he hardly realized she was there. Or anyone, for that matter. She didn't know it at the time, but it was probably due to his medications. But those times where he was clear-headed, his focus seemed to be completely on her.

She went through more pictures. All of the old crew. Ashley and Chris sent her a couple pictures of their wedding. She didn't attend. She thought she needed to, but in the end, she came up with an excuse ("School is just so demanding…"). But she was still mourning over the loss of Josh and was pretty upset at Chris for being so happy and getting married. She regretted missing it after the fact.

Pictures of Emily and Mike that then turned into Jessica and Mike and Emily and Matt. She wondered if they were still together.

Pictures of herself and Hannah. BFFs! Pictures of herself and Josh. Hannah was her best friend to the rest of the world, and even to her, but she also had another secret best friend. Josh. Josh was her secret everything.

She pressed her thumb against the picture, wishing she could be touching the real Josh. "Why did I think that was him I saw earlier? Where did he come from? I mean, I think about him a lot but to imagine seeing him? That's new…"

There was a letter in an opened envelope. It was from Chris. He sent the pictures with it, and his letter basically talked about how beautiful Ashley looked into her wedding dress and to call him if she ever needed to talk. She never did.

But looking at that ten-digit number now, she suddenly wanted to check in. As a psychiatrist, she often tried to take her own advice and just take a leap of faith. "If you think you should do something…do it."

She took out her cell and pressed in the numbers with surprisingly steady fingers. She put it on speaker. The ringing was loud in the otherwise empty house, but it was answered on the fourth ring.

"Hello?"

She swallowed, "Hi…Chris? It's Sam."

She smiled slightly when he laughed and said joyously, "Samantha Jensen? No shit! How are you? It's been….what seven, eight years since we last spoke?"

Sam placed her hands over her eyes, "Yeah…it's been awhile…I was just…going through some old pictures and thought…I mean…I wondered—how are you?"

"Perfect! Hold on one sec."

She heard him talking to some people in the background and assumed he was at work and asked to step away for a moment. There was some static, then he was back, "Sorry about that. What were we saying?" Before she could answer, he went on, "Oh yeah! So my daughter is starting kindergarten next year and Ashley's eight months pregnant right now."

Sam's face crunched up into a weird hybrid of a frown and a grin, but she let out a short laugh and held back her tears, "Chris, that's so great…I couldn't be happier for you two…"

He chuckled, "We live in a four-bedroom home so crossing my fingers for one more after this!"

She picked up the picture that had all eight of them in it. Ashley and Chris were always the most awkward of the group, but everyone always secretly rooted for them. Everyone knew that they liked each other, but bets were made on how long it would take before either one decided to make a move. And now here they were with two children…

"I'm…umm…a psychiatrist now," she revealed. She suddenly felt very behind on life. Chris was on the verge of being successful when she talked to him eight years ago. So with a career, a wife, kids, and a house under his belt, he was further ahead than she was.

"Wow, really? You were so—conservationist before. Good for you!" He paused here and Sam wanted to tell him a million things based on that day alone, but couldn't find the words. Talking to someone from her past…it was strange. Like it was a place she didn't belong anymore but longed to go back to.

Her pause was long enough for him to continue, "So…kids? Husband?"

She shook her head despite being on the phone, "No…" she thought about mentioning being engaged but suddenly felt ashamed about it. She wasn't sure why.

"Oh…" he replied awkwardly. Another pause, then he went on, "Well hey, we won't be able to work on that third child for a while now, which means we have a guest bedroom if you ever wanted to come visit. I can text you our address."

"That sounds perfect," she said even though she wasn't sure if she meant it. She flipped through more pictures, "Hey…random question…do you ever—you know, think you see things? People? I mean…I thought I saw Josh today…"

She couldn't believe she just admitted that aloud. And to a guy that she hadn't talked to in years and who used to be Josh's best friend.

"Sam…" he was quiet for a moment before slowing asking, "Ashley and I would really love for you to visit. We'd love to catch up. You love kids, right? Elizabeth would love you."

The first thing she noticed was that he said "love" a lot, which meant she made him nervous and uneasy. She didn't blame him. He maybe thought she was psycho. Maybe. He was still inviting her to meet his kid, so maybe he just thought her unwell.

"Uh…have you kept in touch with…anyone else?" She asked, desperate to change the conversation now.

"I—," he got cut off by a guy in the back. She could hear voices but not words, "Hey, Sam, I'm sorry but I'm at work and things are kinda crazy right now…can we call you back later?"

She swallowed, her voice cracking, "Yeah. I'll—look forward to it."

"Perfect! It was good hearing your voice. Take care."

And that was that. She should have known that he would be at work and couldn't really talk. But still—the thought of taking some time off in the near future and visiting Chris and Ashley didn't sound like an awful idea. Maybe she could even take Liam to meet them…

But the thought of Liam meeting her friends from the past made her sick with anxiety.

It was never meant to be Chris and Ashley, and Sam and Liam.

She sat back against the couch and flipped through more pictures. She didn't have any of her and Josh after Beth and Hannah's disappearance. He always held up his hand to hide his face every time he saw a camera. It's like he thought the boogeyman's face would show up instead of his. Though, she had to admit to herself, he did start looking worse after his sisters were declared dead. Bags were heavy under his eyes and his stares were blanker.

Sam thought about the first time she saw Josh after the incident. A few months had passed, but him and his parents were supposedly going through a lot of grief counseling among other things. But when Chris told her that Josh was home and doing a little better, Sam drove to his house as fast as possible.

His dad opened the door when she knocked, simply saying, "He's in his room," before she even asked. She walked in and greeted Melinda, but she only gave her a half-hearted wave. She had no idea what to say, and as she made her way up the stairs, she realized she didn't know what to say to Josh either. She may have lost her best friend, but Josh lost half his family.

Josh's door was cracked and she knocked softly even though it couldn't have been heard over the music. Hedley was blasting from his computer, the lyrics to "For the Night I Can't Remember" filling her ears to the point where she could hardly hear her own thoughts.

"Josh?" She called out anyway, pushing the door open and stepping into his room. She didn't see him. She wrapped her arms around herself, glancing over at the open window and trying not to think the worst.

"Me, I'm used to being tired and bloody! But you believed that I could be somebody! You put your world on hold for me!"

She made her way over to the window, cautiously pulling the curtains aside, when she heard Josh calling her name from behind her.

"Sam? What are you doing?"

She jumped and spun around. He was standing in front of his door looking tired, beaten, and sick. He looked paler than usual and the bags under his eyes looked like they were trying to drag his eyes down his face.

"I…wanted to see you," she said simply but bravely. She bounced her fists against her outer thighs before crossing her arms again, "Chris told me you'd be home…"

"Ah. Well...here I am," and his sarcasm didn't go unnoticed by her.

"I…missed you," she said, but didn't think he could hear her over his music. She wanted to ask if he could turn it down, but figured he would have done so already if he wanted it lower. She watched as he pressed a palm against his forehead and closed his eyes. It looked like he was trying to push something into his mind—or push something out. She waited. But he didn't move from this position.

Tears brimmed her eyes and she couldn't even stop herself from running to him and wrapping her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.

"And I—do…wanna love you. If you see me runnin' back. And I—do…wanna try—Because if falling for you girl is crazy…"

She mumbled something into his shirt, she didn't even know what, but all she knew was that she promised herself to be strong for him. But the moment she felt him against her, she burst into tears. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was about his sisters, yet tell him that she was so glad he was still there because she didn't know what she would do without him.

"Then I'm going out of my mind. So hold back your tears this time. And what if I never said to you that I was dynamite? And what if I never told you I'm afraid to cry?"

She waited for him to embrace her, but she never felt his arms. She eventually got the courage to look up into his face as she continued to hold him, but his eyes were staring off into space and it was very obvious that he was not there with her.

"Josh," she cupped his face and got him to look at her, "Josh…please talk to me…"

He blinked, seeming to recognize her at least, "S-sorry…I've just been…really tired this past…week…"

She nodded in understanding, leading him to his bed and pressing him to lay down. He did so without resistance, his eyes closing as soon as his head hit his pillow. She went to his computer and shut it down so the music wouldn't bother him. But she was surprised when she turned back around to see him staring at her.

He raised an arm, "Lay with me, Sammy."

She did so without hesitation, grateful to feel his arms around her this time as she snuggled into his chest. His heart beating against her cheek was a blessing.

Sam blinked and it was dark outside. She could still feel Josh's arm around her. It felt heavier than it should have been and she shifted to try to get more comfortable. Her body froze when she quickly realized that something was wrong. She felt no heartbeat nor any warmth. She glanced up and came face to face with sharp teeth and soulless eyes. The wendigo opened its mouth to screech its terrifying call.

Sam sat up in bed with sweat pouring down the side her face. She felt around on her bed, her mind trying to figure out where she was. Her cell phone was ringing which was what probably woke her up—not including the nightmare she just had.

She was alone in her bed. It was present day. She must have fallen asleep looking at pictures…she looked at the one she was gripping. It was of her and Josh—Josh was kissing her on the side of the forehead while she gave a funny face full of wonderment.

"Fuck!" She yelled, knowing that she should have never went through that stupid shoebox. Her phone stopped ringing for a few seconds, but then whoever it was called her right back. She finally looked at it to see it was Liam calling. And it was 6:16pm.

"Fuck!" Sam cursed again, remembering instantly that she had a dinner date with him and her mom. She answered, "I'm so sorry, I'm on my way!"

To Be Continued...