Darkest Hour:

An Until Dawn Collaboration

A/N: Hello. We will try to update this as often as possible, but we are both busy with other projects as well. Please continue to read and show your support, we love you guys!

Chapter 2:

Unmasked

Hannah - February 2nd, 2014 - The Mines - Last Year

He was supposed to be the hero, but turned out to be the monster instead.

Tears froze to Hannah's face as she hugged her lifeless sister's body against hers. Beth died as a direct result of Mike's horrible and thoughtless joke. A joke Hannah couldn't understand. Why had he suddenly become so cruel? Was it something she did? Something she said? Or something she didn't?

No… Beth died as a direct result of trying to save her.

Hannah's cry of pain got drowned into the dizzying snow blizzard. Without her glasses, the world around her was nothing more than a white blur. She knew her right leg was broken. Any pressure she put on it felt like the most sheer and agonizing pain she'd ever encountered. Hannah had no idea how long she was unconscious for—or how long ago Beth had left this world without her—but the still-dark sky made her believe it had only been about four-to-six hours.

Josh will come looking for us. Sam will sober him up and they'll find us…

As long as she didn't freeze to death first. The temperature seemed to be dropping by the minute, and with the wind chill, it felt like it was well below freezing. She wouldn't survive the night if she wasn't found. The thought sent a deeper shudder through her body and she cried into Beth's icicle hair.

She quickly put the blame on herself. It was her fault for trusting Mike and believing that he had any real interest in her. He was dating Emily after all, pretty, popular, and cool. All the things Hannah was not, despite the few times Mike did happen to compliment her that made her start to think she really could be pretty enough for someone as handsome as him.

Emily, who he dated even after he kissed Hannah on New Years.

Maybe her love for him really was only skin deep. He was a beast underneath all that outward perfection, but she swore if she somehow made it out of this alive, that she would deck him right in the face. A broken nose and missing teeth looks flattering on no one.

Hannah suddenly sensed another presence—she felt eyes on her and it gave her momentary hope.

I knew Josh would find me!

But when she looked up from Beth's hair, there was only a long, sinewy silhouette that stood out from all the snow. Slouched limbs of a creature that should only exist in Creepypasta stories, Hannah opened her mouth to scream as it screeched deafeningly and lunged at her. But then there was hot fire shooting past her, some sparks scorching her icy skin and bringing to life all of her injuries.

She had no idea what was happening, and only clung to Beth tighter, wanting nothing more than the protection from her twin that she always denied before.

The crunching of footsteps became closer to her, but she was too scared to look. If it was one of her friends, they surely would have said something by now. But seconds turned into minutes and she was beginning to think she imagined the whole thing.

Shaking, she glanced up, but only just in time for a stranger to snatch Beth's body from her and began dragging her away.

"NO!" Hannah shrieked, throwing herself forward in an attempt to grab onto her. But as soon as her weight landed on her broken leg, the pain shot directly to her brain and made her collapse. "Beth…please don't take her…" she whispered into the snow, her frostbitten fingers bending, cracking her skin, as she quickly lost consciousness.

Sam - The Psycho's Workshop - 3:00 am - February 2nd, 2015

Sam's blood boiled. Her teeth clenched. And although she wasn't sure if it was from the coldness of the basement or her jilted nerves, she was shivering

And yet, her face was hot. Wave after wave of nausea kept rolling through her. She'd seen the video, seen him killed, and yet somewhere deep inside she knew that Josh had something to do with this...but how?

Fucking Josh.

She never would have believed it if she hadn't heard the practice recording herself. That, plus the file, the texts… something wasn't right.

Prank.

This was all just some kind of sick prank. It had to be. Josh was inventive, but never in her life had she imagined he could take it this far. Or... did he? Nothing was adding up, but it was certainly pointing in his direction.

But, she saw him die. Right?

Sam didn't know what she saw anymore. None of this made any sense.

Out of all of the places to be expelled from those drafty, dirty vents, she seemed to have been cast right into the psycho's lair. All she could keep thinking was that she needed to hurry, needed to get out of there.

She crept along in the dark, cold cellar, fearing what she might stumble across next. Another shrine to the twins? Another set of blueprints for another horrifying contraption? What she found next was even worse.

Sam approached a heavy, wooden door with an open slot to peer though.

Fear paralyzed her as she looked into the adjacent room to see the masked figure manning a control panel. The dark room was dimly lit with various monitors and flashing buttons. He stood at the desk, carefully moving from one panel to another as though he were conducting a symphony. Sam held her breath, silently backing away and praying to not be discovered.

She didn't even care who he was at this point; she didn't feel like being murdered tonight.

She slinked into the safety another room - a storage of some kind. Just like the rest of this part of the basement it was dilapidated. Almost in ruins.

The first thing that drew her attention was a camera, propped up on a tripod. More alarming than that, however, was what the camera was directed at. Sam neared a lone chair to find a terrifying dummy of a corpse… wearing her clothes. It felt like she was punched in the gut and she instantly found herself nauseous once more.

She quickened her pace as she walked to a door that would hopefully lead her away, nearly having a heart attack as fingers reached through a grate and wrapped around her ankle. She stifled a scream, both relieved and confused to see who the hand belonged to.

"Mike!" she exclaimed in a harsh whisper, crouching down to greet him. She couldn't allow herself to forget that danger was literally lurking two doors away. "What are you doing down there?" Sam collected herself, trying to get her thoughts in order. She had to tell him what she found, tell him about… she wasn't even sure what it was, at this point. Or how all the pieces fit together. "Oh Mike, thank God you found me."

"It's okay. You're okay," he whispered back through the opening in the wall. Sam was just so relieved to see his face after everything that had happened. Then, she noticed his bandaged hand.

"Oh my God, your fingers! Mike..!"

"Yeah, and I'm the lucky one…" he mumbled.

"Jesus... What happened?!"

"There's some fucking maniac up here on the mountain. He's- he's trying to kill us all! But listen, Sam, there's more. You are never going to believe this-" Sam didn't have the patience to hear anything else. She had to tell him what she knew about what she'd discovered and get down to Mike before the maniac found her again.

"Wait. This guy who you're talking about? He attacked me, Mike. He showed me these videos, too, and one of them showed Josh being killed... just... ripped apart by this huge fucking sawblade…"

"Jesus Christ," Mike hissed. "What the fuck is going on around here?" Sam could see a shadow lurking behind him, but tears were blurring her eyes having actually said what happened to Josh aloud.

"Is there someone with you?" Sam suddenly whispered, fearing the man in the clown mask had heard them and found his way down to Mike's level. These basement corridors were like a maze.

Mike glanced over his shoulder, ran his injured had through his hair, then glanced around for a way in. He spotted the door.

"Uh… yeah. C'mere. There's a door here, it won't open. Can you unlock it from your side?"

Sam looked over at the wooden door to see her backpack hanging from the doorknob. Quietly but quickly she arose, hoisting the backpack on her shoulder. She unlatched the wooden plank, carefully slipping through the door to find Mike.

"Hey…" he greeted. He looked more apprehensive than before.

"Jeez. You look like hell," she breathed.

"Oh. Nice to see you too." Mike fidgeted nervously as Sam started over to the other side of the room to change out of the towel and into her clothes. "Um, Sam-" Mike began, but Sam shushed him.

"Hold on. I need to change," she whispered, but then she heard her name again.

And it wasn't coming from Mike.

"Sam?"

The familiarity of the voice made Sam freeze. Her chest grew tight, her throat dry. She was too scared to look behind her out of fear that she may have imagined it. She'd already been through so much and she couldn't bear the heartache that would ensue from getting her hopes up, only to find it was just a cruel trick her mind played on her.

"Mike…" Sam practically whimpered.

"Sam… it's me," Hannah croaked from behind a shelf. She was dirty and thin beneath her layers of clothing. Her eyes were darker, her complexion so ashy and pale compared to before, but there was absolutely no mistaking the brunette for her best friend.

"H-Hannah?" Sam's voice cracked, hot tears stinging her eyes. "Hannah?!" She ran to her friend, gripping onto her and instantly breaking into sobs. She knew she should be quiet, but she couldn't stop herself. She pulled from her, her fingers tangled in Hannah's hair, her vision blurred. She couldn't believe it. "Oh my God, Hannah! Wh-what happened to you? W-we looked everywhere for you!"

"It's a long story," Hannah said through a shaky voice. There was no time to explain at this moment - it would take too long and there were certainly more pressing matters at hand.

"We thought you were dead-"

"Sam," she said more evenly now. She held Sam's face between her hands, trying to get the blonde to focus on her. "Where is my brother? Where's Josh?"

Sam's mouth opened but nothing would come out. More tears streamed down her cheeks. She didn't know how to tell Hannah what she'd seen on the cinema screen. How did she tell her best friend, after everything she'd been through and survived, that her brother was dead?

Mike neared the two, his hands gently resting on Sam's shoulders.

"Sam, get changed. We need to get out of here," he ordered, hoping to buy her a little more time before she had to tell Hannah what had happened.

Sam did ask she was asked, still in utter disbelief that Hannah was here. She was alive. Her hands shook and her heart pounded with more adrenaline than ever - even more than being chased by a psychopath only hours ago. Sam finished tying her shoes they they all heard it - the screams.

"What the-" Sam mumbled, searching the air for the source of the screaming.

"Is that coming from-" Mike muttered.

"This way, c'mon," Hannah ordered, charging past the two and out into a corridor. Once they followed, they heard the screaming even louder, and it seemed to be coming from a huge, heavy metal door. The three of them shoved it open, and stepped into whatever fresh Hell awaited them.

Josh - The Basement 3:11 am - February 2nd, 2015

Josh sauntered menacingly toward Ashley and Chris - the lovely couple still trapped to their chairs. He really should have found a way to make it a flip table. Candles, flowers, fancy-schmancy silverware and wine glasses could have been on the other side, only revealing themselves after the little game.

DING, DING, DING! This is your prize, guys! Enjoy your first dinner as a couple!

Chris fired three shots at him. Didn't he realize the gun wasn't loaded when he put the fucking barrel to his temple? Did he really feel like he was worth so little that he chose to kill himself to save Ashley?

"Oh, Chris...Oh Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris…"

He played the game right though. He saved Ashley.

Twice.

Proved to her that he would save her in any situation. Her knight in shining armor. You're welcome, Chris.

"What the fuck?" Chris said in complete confusion. Keep up, Chris.

"Oh, you've heard of blanks before. I mean...really?"

This is my moment!

He took the mask off, a smug look on his face knowing that no one would have ever guessed it was him. He tricked them! He won.

"Josh!" Chris yelled, his eyes wide with momentary disbelief.
Josh began laughing.

"Josh!" Sam this time. Where did she come from? That scared little bunny had scampered off into the basement and made herself scarce for hours. Well played, Sammy-cakes. Here she came to save the day!

No matter, it was perfect timing that she would show up at this exact moment. Reveal himself to everyone - see all their surprised faces at once. But he didn't expect her to walk up to him with narrowed eyes, curiosity, confusion, disbelief….relief?

"Josh, you're...you're alive?" She barely whispered the last word, as though saying it loudly would jinx it.
He only smirked down at her, laughter still contagious within him. He really fooled her! He really, really, reallyreallyreally fooled her! Sammy's not so smart, afterall. Poooor, poor little Sam.

"Josh…" Mike started, but he didn't seem as surprised. Ahhh, that Mike! He wasn't supposed to be involved in this part of the game… no nonono. He was supposed to be up at the guest cabin bangin' one out with Jessica while the cameras rolled. You know, capturing them at their most vulnerable so he could post it online and humiliate them both. It was foolproof!

What was he even doing here?
"Josh…?" Another girl's voice.

He tried to process it, but it wouldn't compute. It was familiar… but...

Not Sam's. Not Ashley, not Emily, not Jessica, but-

He stopped laughing abruptly, his eyes focused on the dark-haired girl that looked oh-so-familiar and yet he knew couldn't be more than a part of his mind. It wasn't the first time he'd imagined Hannah. Although, she was usually creepier. Deader. Meaner. And never without Beth.

"Not you again," he spat, waving his hand at the girl that he was sure wasn't really there. "Haven't I told you a million times that you can't tell me what to do!?" He turned away from that mystery air, focusing back on his main subjects. Damnit, he had a speech ready for this moment and everything and she was ruining it.

"Every one of you, you got my name! And after all you've been through. Good-good-good-good-good!"

Josh grinned wider, watching as Sam and Mike untied the happy couple. OH, they're gonna be inseparable after this! They'll never want to let each other of their sight now!

"How does it feel?" He pondered aloud, really wishing that image of his dead sister would disappear from his peripheral vision. "Do you enjoy feeling terrorized? Humiliated? I mean - panicked?!" Josh felt his anger rising. Didn't they understand? Didn't they see that all of this was fucking necessary? He snarled, his lip curling, and he felt his monster coming through, "All those emotions my sisters got to feel once a year ago? Only guess what? They didn't get to laugh it off! No! Nope! Nonononono, they're gone!"

They all got quiet and he saw - he could've sworn he saw - all of them - every last one - turn to his sister, as if she were actually fucking real.

"Hannah?!" Ashley exclaimed, rubbing her wrist where the restraints had been. Josh's mouth ran dry as he stared at what he had been sure was a hallucination of Hannah and then back to his friends.

After a long, impending silence, Josh pointed at all of them, laughing again as he wiggled his fingers, "Ooohh, so now you guys think you're getting back at me? You think - you think by staring at nothing that I'll-"

"Josh?" Hannah hummed, nearing him hesitantly. She'd never seen him like this, so detached from reality. Josh's lip quivered, his eyes tearing, but not because his sister was seemingly alive.

No. Because he was actually terrified.

"S-Saaam?" he practically whimpered, his hand absently reaching out for the blonde beside him. Instinctively, and even though she was still sick with anger, she let him grasp onto her wrist. Such a big, tough, murderous clown now, huh? He let out a pathetic, "Sammy-"

"I'm here Josh," Sam spoke up, her voice wavering but trying to still seem comforting. "We're all here." A few angry glances in their direction made it clear that the others were less forthcoming in their support.

"Hannah, what happened to you?" Chris asked, puzzled. "We were all out looking for you. For weeks-"

"I was holed up in the sanatorium," she replied curtly. She really, really didn't want to worry about that now, although she knew she'd have to stop dodging their questions eventually.

"For a whole year?" Ashley questioned, and Hannah narrowed her eyes at the redhead's skepticism in her tone.

"Yes, is there a problem with that, Ashley?" She hadn't forgotten her part in the prank. Any of them, for that matter. As far as she was concerned, they all had a hand in what happened to her that fateful night.

"I just, I mean-" Ashley stammered nervously. "I thought the police said they swept that place-"

"Well, they didn't," Hannah said quickly, her eyes burning into them all. She tried to keep the emotion from her voice but failed as she told them, "I was stuck up there and no one ever came looking for me-"

"Stop it!" Josh screamed suddenly, causing them all to jump. He covered his ears with his hands and squeezed his eyes shut. He paced, everyone watching on in bewilderment or horror. "Stop talking to her like she's actually fucking there! Shutupshutupshut up!"

"Josh. Josh! Hey, it's okay-" Sam said nurturingly. She hurried over to him, trying to pry his hands from his ears. She glanced sideways at a conflicted, gawking Chris. "A little help here?" she requested through gritted teeth. Chris' eyes shifted between the struggling blonde and a weary Ashley. He swallowed, extending his hand out toward his friend.

"H-hey, man. It's fine. It's gonna be alright-" he tried to soothe. Josh seemed to calm a bit, finally feeling (undeservingly) safe between Chris and Sam. "I promise, everything's gonna be just fine-"

"Not really," Mike snapped, red-faced. "That asshole killed Jessica-"

"What are you talking about?" Hannah seethed, stepping between Mike and Josh.

"I saw her with my own eyes! This guy is a monster!"

Hannah's hands pressed against Mike's chest, shoving him back from her brother.

"You are mistaken, Michael," she growled. "Now back off!" Still, Mike pushed past her, pointing an accusing finger in Josh's direction.

"Your brother is batshit crazy, Hannah! He attacked Sam, he showed her this video of him getting torn apart-"

"He attacked Chris and I! Twice!" Ashley vouched, hysterically.

"I don't know how, but I know he killed Jessica! You're gonna pay, you dick!" Mike shouted, lunging past Hannah. His fist made hard and direct contact with Josh's face, knocking him to the ground almost instantly.

"Oh my God!"

"Mike!"

He heard various voices call out, but he wasn't sure who they belonged to. Before he could even cradle his aching fist (his only good hand, at that), he felt and heard the crack of Hannah's fist against the bridge of his nose. Blinding pain coursed through him and he crumpled over, moaning.

"Sonofa-" He hissed, peering through his blurring vision at Hannah, who stood over him. "What the fuck! Where'd you learn to punch like that?"

Hannah ignored the question - her year on the mountain had left her full of surprises. She bent down, meeting Mike's unfocused eyes.

"Don't you ever touch my brother again."

Hannah - February 3rd, 2014 - The Sanitarium

Hannah's eyes slowly fluttered open, every single part of her body feeling heavy and dry. She turned her head, wanting to moan from the pressure and pain she was feeling, but her voice came out cracked. She tried licking her lips, but it only made her cringe. She was able to comprehend that she was lying on a bed with a lot of blankets piled on top of her.

I've been rescued…

She heard footsteps on a hard floor. Her voice came out broken, "Josh…I'm so glad you found me…where's Beth…?"

"That girl is dead," came a harsh voice, sympathy lacking from his tone. It certainly wasn't Josh.

Hannah snapped her eyes open and looked toward the voice. She quickly realized she was in a cell; the man on the other side of the bars was staring at her. She couldn't see him very well without her glasses, but she sensed him to be menacing.

"What did you do with my sister?" she croaked out, her throat stinging from the burden of talking.

"I buried her. Down in the mines."

"What…?" Hannah whispered harshly, her eyes closing as a migraine settled in on her. She tried to move her limbs but her body wasn't cooperating. She could feel the dull ache in her right leg and wondered why the pain didn't kill her yet. She swallowed roughly as she prepared her throat for any words, "Please…call for help. I need to get home…"

"No can do," he told her, his thick hands grasping onto the cell bars. "No communications. And ya broke yer leg pretty bad, little missy. I fixed ya up though. Should heal almost normally." Hannah tried to move her leg. When it barely moved, she held up her covers and stared down at the makeshift stint running down the length of her leg. "Yer fingers ended up with some frostbite—what you get for goin' out there with no gloves. Fuckin' teenagers…"

"Please…" she begged again. Terrified tears formed behind her closed eyelids, "My brother is probably so worried…"

"Let me tell ya somethin' about this mountain," the stranger said, his voice low and ominously. "Everyone with half a brain knows ain't nobody gonna survive the night outside, 'specially during a blizzard like we just had. Your brother most certainly thinks yer dead."

No, he doesn't. She thought loudly, though she was unable to say the words aloud. She shook her head slowly and heavily from side to side, "I need a doctor!" she said firmly.

"Ain't nothin' no doctor can do down there that I can't do up here-

"P-please," Hannah cried. "My-my father's rich. They can give you whatever you want-"

Hannah jumped at the sound of the strange man rattling the cage, her heart shooting up to her throat. She gripped the blankets tighter to herself, trying not to look at him.

"Money is no good up here. I don't need it."

"I want to go home," Hannah wept into the blankets. She hurt and she was cold, and she had no idea what this man's true intentions with her were. He sighed, taking off his hat and wringing it in his hands. He stared away from her down at the ground, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"I'll get ya all healed up, miss. Then, in exchange for my generosity, you can help me with the wendigos. At least til the snow ends. That'll be about May or June." Hannah thought she was going to be sick. That was too far away. And there was that word again. Wendigo. She had no idea what that even meant, but she feared it had something to do with the creature she'd seen in the mines.

The stranger unlocked the cage, pulling it open with a loud, metallic screech. He lurched towards her and handed her a bottle of water, a couple pills. Hannah just recoiled, staring at him nervously. He nudged them at her once more.

"C'mon now, they ain't poison." She slowly reached up to take it from him. He grunted approvingly. "I'll keep you locked in there, for now. Safest place for ya. Believe me, ya don't wanna end up coming face to face with a wendigo, unprepared. That'll be the end of ya." He must have seen the horror on her face, so he added, "Now, don't worry, I'll bring you yer meals, I won't letcha starve-"

Hannah heard his voice drone on and on, but she was blacking out again. The physical and mental exhaustion was keeping her down even though she wanted nothing more than to get up and yell at the stranger for keeping her locked up and not getting her help.

She wished Sam was there with her. Sam was a survivor, she'd know exactly what to do. But no…she was alone and pathetic, and she didn't even have an inkling of a plan to try to escape.

There was no escape.

This was it.

To Be Continued...