Hey guys.
I'm back with another chapter of Trapped Until Dawn. I've decided that when people find totems around the mountain only Ryan and William will see it, even if they're not with the person who found it, no matter what they are doing or where they are, and when other people, like Mike, Sam, ECT, find one, they will be a bit dazed but nothing will happen to them, but Ryan and/or William will see the vision and no one else. I'll put in the totem vision at points where I think they had found them. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
William's POV, Washington lodge, 22:44
I was sitting on the sofa with Ryan next to me. We were mostly just chatting to each other and to the Ashley and Chris, who were waiting for Josh to get the fire going so we could warm up. At this point, we had taken off our jackets and we just wearing the layers we had on underneath.
"Sammy!" Josh, who was still trying to light the fire, shouted to Sam who was upstairs running a bath.
"Whaaaat?" I heard Sam shout from upstairs.
"You wanna help me get this fire going?" He shouted back.
"Ummm- well, I was just getting into the bath-" She yelled back.
"Oh! Well do you need any help with that." Josh shouted cheekily.
"Hardy har." She laughed sarcastically. I got up and went over to Josh, Ryan right behind me.
"Come on." Josh said frustratedly trying to light the fire.
"You need some help there, bud?" I asked him.
"No, no. I can do it. By myself." He insisted.
"How long do you think it'll take him?" Chris asked the group.
"My money's on blankets for everyone." Ash answered.
"You can do it, man. We believe in you." Chris said.
"Yeah! Totally! Woo! Let's go Jo-osh, let's go!" Ash said sarcastically. That mock encouragement seemed to work however, because the next second the fireplace sparked to life, flames roaring.
"Yes!" Josh shouted triumphantly.
"Nice work Josh." Ryan said, putting his hand on his shoulder.
"Ok, so, what is there to do for fun around here?" I said, spinning around the large room.
"Alright, peanut gallery, you know what? I've got an idea for you." Josh suggested.
"What?" Ash asked.
"Ok well I'm pretty sure that somewhere in this crazy place we used to have a spirit board." Josh explained which got my attention, I've always liked the supernatural, which is why I wanted to play this game so much... Maybe I should look into enjoying things that wouldn't endanger my life if I got trapped in them.
"A what?" Ash questioned.
"You mean a Ouija Board?" Ryan asked.
"Ouija Board, spirit board, whatever. The point is I have one." Josh said.
"Wow, you have a spirit board?" Chris said surprised.
"Yeah, yeah, they're fun, right?" Josh said.
"Wait are you saying we should have a séance?" Ash inquired.
"Those things are a joke, man, they don't do shit." Chris said disbelievingly.
"Yeah, as much as I like the supernatural, all of the times I've seen Ouija Boards it's always been a prank." I agreed, a little disappointed.
"No way bro, we used to do it all the time. Me and... well-" Josh tried to say but was cut off by Sam coming down the stairs.
"Hey Josh, no hot water's kinda major oversight doncha think?" Sam announced walking up to him.
"Yeah yeah, just gotta fire up the boiler. It's in the basement." Josh explained.
"Of course, it is." Ryan muttered under his breath.
"You guys see if you can find the spirit board." Josh said to Chris and Ashley.
"Chris, let's go find it! It'll be like a scavenger hunt." Ash said exictedly as she headed out of the room.
"Ummm... OK... I guess." Chris said as he headed after her reluctantly.
"Rad. You're not gonna regret it. You up for a ride-along?" Josh said.
"I'll go with you. You comin'?" I asked Ryan as I moved to follow Sam and Josh.
"Nah, I don't really want to go into the basement if I can help it. I think I'll stay here... in the dark... by myself." Ryan answered, hinting he really didn't want to be left alone.
"Don't worry, one of our groups will be back soon. Just sit tight." I said reassuringly. He didn't look very confident in what I was saying. "You'll be fine. I promise."
"Yeah... Ok... See you soon." Ryan replied, not sounding convinced, as I followed Josh and Sam downstairs. Just as I was about to go downstairs, my sight went blank and a vision came into view.
I saw Ashley standing in a dark area with a figure in a scary mask and janitor clothes came out of the darkness in front of her. It suddenly lunged towards her and punched her square in the face knocking her out.
I shouted out loud as I come out of the vision and I saw Josh grab a flashlight from a drawer.
"Hey Will, you alright up there? You comin' or what?" Josh shouted up at me, looking troubled by my sudden shout.
"Yeah… In a minute, just give me a sec." I shouted back as he and Sam continued to chat.
"Hey, did you see that as well?" I asked Ryan in a hushed tone.
"Yeah… I did. That scared the shit out of me. Is that what we're up against? We better be on the lookout, for Ash's sake." Ryan agreed, looking bit shaken up again.
"Let's just hope we don't run into that guy any time soon." I said.
"And hope there isn't anyone, or anything, else out there to kill us." Ryan added as I started to head downstairs to Sam and Josh, while Ryan stayed upstairs. I knew that he was going to be fine, but I couldn't help but worry about him. Horror wasn't his strong suit and I was worried that he could crack under the pressure, even more so than usual. I would need to keep my eye on him and try to build his confidence up so he could survive later on.
"Come on Will, before we leave you up here." Josh warned waiting for me by the door towards the basement.
"Alright alright, I'm coming." I told him as I went through the door.
"You know, you two…" Josh started as we started walking down the hallway.
"Yes Josh?" Sam questioned.
"I just wanted to say..." Josh continued, but he stopped and stuttered slightly, trying to get the words out.
"What?" Sam and I asked at the same time.
"It really means a lot to me that everyone came up this year and you know, that you came, Sam." Josh thanked us, but it sounded like it was more directed at Sam than me.
"Hey, I'm here too." I said, waving my hand in his face.
"I'll be honest, it's definitely weird being back here... But I think it'll help us all put everything behind us." Sam said, ignoring my comment.
"Um... I want us to have a good time, you know..." Josh said as he headed towards the basement.
"Well, whatever you have planned, I'm sure we'll have a good time." I said. Even though I know it going to go topsy-turvy at some point, I had to say that to reassure them.
"With what I have planned, you'll be dying from excitement." Josh replied, heading down the basement stairs, but he gave me another one of those weird smiles that sent a shiver down my spine. Something was up, and it has something to do with Josh. Trying to brush the feeling off as best I could, I followed Sam and Josh down the stairs. "Watch your step."
"I think we can handle a little old set of stairs." Sam commented.
"Uh-huh." Josh hummed as we got to the bottom of the set of stairs.
The basement was what you'd expect from any basement, dark, dingy and creepy. It was quite big, which means that anything could jump out at us. After what Josh said and the totem vision, I was really on edge. I made sure not let my guard down as we got around to the boiler. Josh went over and opened the doors to the main components.
"Sorry to drag you two down to the bowels." Josh apologized while looking at the boiler.
"Just get me some hot water and I'll be super fine." Sam replied.
"Hey, I came down of my own accord. I'll help however I can." I replied as well, looking all around me nervously.
"I mean I wouldn't want you two coming down here on your own, you know." Josh said.
Yeah, especially since there's apparently a guy in a creepy mask that can punch really hard SOMEWHERE ON THE MOUNTAIN! I shouted in my head.
"Well, it's definitely creepy down here." Sam said.
"One of the first things I thought." I muttered just loud enough for them to hear.
"Yep, not a place to be on your own." Josh agreed as he went over to the switches and buttons on the boiler.
I was still looking around me anxiously, looking for any signs of danger. Josh must have notice because he asked. "Will? Are you doing okay? You seem nervous?"
"...I-It's just this basement is creeping me out. That's all." I stuttered. He gave me a look that told me that he didn't quite believe me, but got back to work on the boiler anyway. As I was looking around, I saw Sam walk over to the door of the boiler and pick up a baseball bat that was inside.
"What's that doing here? Is that yours?" Sam asked swinging the bat around a bit.
"You bet it's mine. I used to play ball with my dad all the time. Of course, that was before he got too busy to hang out with me..." Josh explained sadly as he took the bat from Sam and started playing around with it too.
"Oh Josh, I'm sorry." I said sympathetically.
"No don't be, it's not your fault that my dad doesn't have any time for me anymore..." Josh said.
Well, this is awkward. I thought as the awkward silence enveloped us for a second too long.
"Oh well, save it for the couch, right? Okay, lemme see what I can do with this old hot water machine." Josh said as he discarded the bat down in the corner and went back over to the boiler. I glanced at the bat and then to Sam and Josh.
Fuck it. Risk it for a biscuit. It could save someone. I thought as I got Sam's attention.
"Hey, Sam. You may want to remember where that bat is for later." I whispered to Sam, thinking I should mention it just in case.
"What?" Sam asked confused.
"I'm just saying. Keep the bat in mind. It might come in handy later." I mentioned while Josh moved back over to the cupboard doors and looked at the boiler components. Sam just looked even more confused. I just hope I didn't look to suspicious.
"Will, can you… can you hold this?" Josh asked me handing me his touch.
"Sure." I answered as I grabbed the touch and tried to hold it in place for him, but then we heard a banging noise.
"What was that?" Sam asked looking around.
"What was what? Will, shine it here so I can see what I'm doing." Josh disregarded the noises as if he didn't hear anything. I moved back and tried to stay completely still so Josh could see what he was doing.
"Nice one." Josh said after he was done, looking up at his work.
"Yay, I'm useful." I cheered jokingly.
"Ok, first things first: We gotta increase the water pressure before we get the boiler fired up." Josh explained as we moved away from the doors.
"Sounds kinda complicated." Sam said dauntingly, moving towards him.
"No, it's actually pretty simple." Josh said as he moved back towards the doors.
"You can do it, Sam, I helped Josh with the touch, so you can do the buttons." I said to Sam. She looked at me with a confused look for a second, which I gave back, before realising what I had said. "Oh, sorry. 'Flashlight'" I corrected. I'm still not sure why America's changed some words, but not going to question it. She went up to the controls, flipped the switch and the dial went up. When the dial got to a certain point and the button turned red, Sam pressed the button just in time.
"Whoa!" Sam gasped as the boiler turned on.
"That's more like it. Alright! Five, girl. Yeah!" Josh praised, putting his hand up for Sam to high five, which she did. "You two Will!" Josh said as he offered a high five to me, which I accepted. You never leave someone hanging. After that, Josh went over to close the doors to the boiler, but suddenly we heard something like a rumbling sound.
"What the hell was that...?" Sam asked us.
"It could be a lot of things... and none of them nice..." Josh teased jokingly, wiggling his hands on Sam's shoulders.
"Hey, quit it." Sam said.
"I'm just... just 'Joshing' ya." He said, me facepalming at the pun.
"Har har." Sam laughed sarcastically.
"You were really freaked out." Josh said. There was pause before she looked past Josh's shoulder at the darkness behind him.
"Oh my god- don't move-" Sam said, quickly giving me a wink.
"What-?" Josh questioned.
"Something behind you." Sam warned, taking more glances behind him. There was nothing behind him.
"Yeah right." Josh stated sceptically.
Wait, there isn't anything behind- Oh, I see what she's doing. I thought, getting what she was planning.
"No, dude. Seriously. Behind you." I said, pulling off my best scared face and trying to sound convincing. It worked because Josh turned around with a worried look on his face to see nothing.
"Ha, gotcha." Sam and I laughed at Josh for actually believing that prank.
"Alright, alright, your two's point." Josh said excepting defeat.
"Dude, I can't believe you fell for that." I said laughing.
"Thirty – love." Sam said, pushing him in the shoulder, trying to be a tennis announcer and failing.
"What? No, where did you get the first point?" Josh questioned confused. I just facepalmed
"It doesn't start at thirty?" Sam asked.
"No, fifteen." Josh said.
"Oh Sam, you so ruined the moment." I said facepalming for the second time in fifteen seconds.
"Well, excuse me for not knowing tennis. I'm more of a ping pong gal anyway." Sam said turning to Josh then back to me.
Suddenly, a loud bang rung out throughout the whole basement, then another, and another. It was strangely rhythmic. All of the humour in the air dissipated in a matter of milliseconds. "Ok, you two hear that too, right?" Sam said.
"Yeah, I hear it. And I don't really want to find out what it is." I uttered as Josh started walking towards the noise like an idiot.
"Josh...?" Sam asked. He seemed to be acting kind of weirdly.
Josh hesitated before answering"...What?"
"The rhythm's like, weirdly regular..." Sam said sounding worried.
"Exactly what I thought..." I added.
"Not... no... Nothing "regular" about it..." Josh said looking confused... and scared.
"Except for the fact that it's the same tone and timeframe each time. I like music; I should know." I stated matter-of-factly.
"What should we do?" Sam asked.
Who knows what could be back there? I could go and check it out on my own but that could mean that I could get hurt, but I could stay and let Sam and Josh go with me but they could get hurt.
"I'll go see what it is." I declared confidently (Butterfly Effect).
"What? Why?" Josh snapped at me rather quickly as I stepped forward, sounding as scared as he looked.
"Well, I feel like I'm brave, and whoever comes out at me I could probably sucker punch them in the face." I said jokingly.
"It's probably just like, not anything." Josh stuttered, not sounding very convinced with his own words. He genuinely sounded scared.
"OK, just be careful, you don't know what's over there." Sam said reassuringly.
Yeah, and I'll be especially careful knowing there is a psycho that will want to kill us! I thought as I continued to stalk the basement.
"When whatever there comes out, be prepared to run." I heard Sam whisper to Josh as I walk towards the noise. He didn't laugh or smile.
"Hey, I heard that!" I yelled back as I got closer.
When I got to the end of the hallway, suddenly, out of nowhere, a guy in a monk outfit and a hockey mask jumped out from around the corner and scared the life out of me.
"AHHH!" We all shouted as it scared us. The flight or fight response was arguing in my head about what to do, and fight seemed to win. I quickly punched the guy in the gut and uppercutted him in the face in the space of 3 seconds. The uppercut sent the hockey mask flying into the wall opposite and clattering to the ground almost in slow motion. Before I could even process who was behind the mask, my body decided to punch the person one more time, this time in the eye. I heard a male groan and I finally processed who I had just beat the shit out of. It was Chris (Butterfly Effect Update).
"Chris?!" I shouted shocked.
"Ugh! what the fuck man!" He moaned, looking up at me in pain. Looks like I had given him a bloody lip and black eye (Butterfly Effect Update). I looked back at Sam and Josh to see them in the middle of the hallway, looking a little stunned.
"Oh my god! I am so sorry. I didn't know it was you!" I exclaimed, bending down to see the damage I had done.
"Are you okay, Cochise?" Josh said, seeming to have calmed down considerably now that he knew there was no threat.
"I'm okay. I just got the shit beat out of me by a guy way stronger than me, but I'm as fine as I can be." Chris said, doubled over in pain.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't jump out at people while they're in a creepy basement." Sam suggested.
"I guess I deserve that, for all of the times I pranked people in the past. I shouldn't have been 'monking around.'" Chris said, smiling slightly.
"Even when you've had the shit beaten out of you, you still find some way to make jokes." Sam said, shaking her head.
"How about we go back upstairs and cool off." Josh suggested.
"That… might be a good idea." I said as we walked back towards the stairs. I saw that Chris was slumped over holding his stomach with one hand and his eye with the other, shuffling along the ground from the pain. We remained silent until we got back to the main part of the lodge, before you go back up the stairs to the living room.
"I can't believe you actually hit me." Chris stated angerly.
"Well, what was I supposed to do? I could have ever fled or fought. My brain decided I should fight and I punched you in self-defence." I explained as simply as possible.
"At least I know never to get on your bad side." Chris said.
"Hey that would've been a good prank if Will hadn't punch you." Josh mentioned as he put the touch down on the table.
"I'm not so sure about that." Sam said as we got to the top of the stairs.
"Chris… What happened? And what... are you wearing?" Ashley said as she walked over to us.
"I may have gotten my comeuppance. Got the shit beaten out of by Will." Chris said.
"What? How? Why?" Ash said, a little angry at me.
"He decided to play a scary little prank on us involving a monk costume and hockey mask. Turns out I don't like monks very much." I explained, smirking slightly.
"It was the flight or fight response it seems.'" Ryan added, getting up from the sofa.
"Okay, okay. Enough of that. Did you at least find the thingy?" Ash said referring to the spirit board.
"Boi-oi-oi-oing! Here's our one-way ticket to the spirit realm...!" Chris answered as he pulled the spirit board out of seemingly nowhere and raising it in the air.
"Hmmm." Ash hummed.
"You know what? You know what? No! I've been through enough spooking for one night, okay? I see a hot bath in my crystal ball." Sam said as she headed toward the stairs to take her back to the bathroom.
"Hmmm." Josh hummed as well.
"Sure, you go do that. We'll be down here talking to the ghosts that haunt The Washington Lodge." I said.
"Alright? So have fun…! Oh, but watch out for that Josh. He's a schemer." Sam added as she headed up to take a bath.
"Okay, let's go set this up." Josh said, ignoring Sam comment as we headed out of the lounge.
"You gonna join us?" I asked Ryan.
"Nah, I don't like stuff like that. Remember?" He replied.
"Oh, come on. It'll be fun. You need to get out of your comfort zone, especially here." I encouraged.
"Hey Ryan, how about you record the experience." Josh suggested, pointing down to the camera that was still around his neck.
"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. It could be like a 'found footage' type thing." I agreed. He thought this idea over, before shrugging.
"Oh, alright, but I'm not taking part. I'll just stand to the side and record." He said, starting to fiddle with his camera again.
"That's fine. You just watch us get spooked. Let's go." I said as we went into the library with the others. As we entered the library, Sam added words about Josh rung in my mind.
I wonder how close those words are from the truth.
Butterfly effects:
Will chose not to shoot the squirrel; Nature remained in balance.
Will decided to face the 'danger' on his own; He attacked his 'attacker' who turned out to be Chris; He gave him a bloody lip and black eye.
Sorry it took me so long to upload this. I made this chapter shorter than the other ones, I was going to make it a lot longer but I needed to upload something soon otherwise I was going to be at this for ages, but I hope you like it anyway.
Bye guys