Until Dawn: The Light in the Darkness

Chapter 11 of my Until Dawn story, enjoy.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Until Dawn or its characters.

Chapter 11

JESS POV

I managed a light smile as I walked, the only sounds at the moment were the crunching snow beneath my boots, and the wind. Grant walked alongside me, squinting and looking around. It was hard to find our way, neither of us had any light source, after all.

'I...God, I would have died out here if it, if it wasn't for Grant.' I realized as I shivered in the cold. 'Shit, is it me, or is it getting colder?'

I wrapped my arms around myself and tried to keep moving, trying to stay warm. It wasn't easy, however, as I was sure that some of my clothing, namely, my jacket and the purple top I wore underneath, were still damp from my earlier fall. Shaking my head, I looked around before finally sighing.

"Grant, I...I don't think we're going to find our way back to the lodge like this." I said, worriedly.

He nodded. "You're right, I...Listen, I think I know where we are. There should be a cabin near here. Let's...We need to find it. We can hold up there for the night and...it'll be easier to find our way back tomorrow."

I bit my lip. "I hope you're right."

Nodding, Grant began to lead the way. I followed, praying that we could indeed find this cabin. As we walked, I considered everything that had just happened.

The thoughts were heavy. 'I still can't believe this all happened, this...issue with Mike and Emily. I...I can't believe that I just ran off like that. It feels so surreal. It still hurts, but I feel like I can...like I can face them now. I have Grant to thank for all of this. He saved me and...and helped me calm down and focus.'

I actually felt hope now. Maybe things would get better. But I still meant what I had said earlier; Mike and I were certainly through.

It was some relief when I could make out the shape of a building not too far away. Grant moved towards it, his determination convinced me that this had to be the cabin. Sure enough, when we reached it, it was indeed a cabin.

Grant paused. "Um...This place is usually locked, but I can get us in. Not a word to Josh, though. I'll find some way to explain it."

I nodded and watched, trying to keep warm as Grant knelt down in front of the door and retrieved some items from his pockets. I watched, amazed as he began, of all things, picking the lock.

"You actually know how to pick locks?"

"Yeah, I try not to do it as a habit." he replied awkwardly. "But yeah, I...picked a few things up."

I just nodded, far too hopeful of having shelter here to judge. Finally, he managed to get the door open and we hurried inside. Grant closed the door and I let out a soft breath.

"Thank God. It's good to be inside, even if it is still cold." I muttered.

Grant nodded. "Tell me about it. Let's see if we can get a fire going...some light, too."

I agreed and noted that, flicking the light switch and no lights came on, the power was out.

"Great."

Grant smiled. "Relax, Jess. Just sit down, take it easy, and let me take care of this...After what you've gone through, you should just take a moment to relax and not worry about anything."

I nodded slowly, moving to sit on the sofa. "Well, okay, I guess."

Once I was seated, Grant got to work, searching the cabin for anything he could use to accomplish the tasks that he had set.

It took Grant no time at all to find a battery operated electric lantern and light it, which made it easier to see, at least. He then began looking for ways to light the fire. I paused for a moment and, determined to at least find the time if not actually try and contact one of the others to tell them we were okay, I began searching for my phone.

But there was a problem. 'Oh shit, shit...it can't be, where…?'

I couldn't find it. It wasn't in any of my pockets.

"Oh shit, no...Grant." I called out. "I can't find my phone, it's gone."

He turned to me. "What, seriously?"

I nodded frantically as I searched the sofa, on it, between the cushions, and under it. "Yes."

Grant shook his head. "Oh great, Jess. Um...it may not be in here."

"You mean, I dropped it outside when I fell and passed out? Oh no, that actually does make sense." I replied, groaning. "Just great, now what am I gonna do? If my parents find out, I'll..."

Grant gently put his hand on my shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. We'll get you a new one, alright?"

"Grant, that's..."

His expression hardened. "Since it's technically their fault, we'll make Mike and Emily pay for it."

I was unable to help it. I laughed and just agreed, even if just to see their faces when we told them. It was the first time since I arrived on the mountain that I had laughed like that. It felt good, knowing that Grant of all people had been able to cheer me up. Shortly after this, Grant found some matches and got to work, setting up and lighting the fire.

I let out a relieved sigh as I savored the warmth that flooded the cabin. Grant sat down on the other end of the sofa, removing his beanie and stashing it in his jacket pocket. He also unzipped the jacket. I did the same, before removing my jacket.

"Jess?"

I began shrugging off my snow boots. "I'm still kinda cold, my jacket and this top are still damp, plus, I just want to sit back and unwind, you know, like you said."

He just laughed and nodded as I finally removed my purple top and was now in just my jeans and white undershirt. We sat for a while, until finally, I spoke up.

"Grant, I...I know you said that you didn't want to talk about it." I began awkwardly. "But, I...I just, I'm worried about you. You helped me out, practically saved my life. I just, I want to be able to help you."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's…it's hard to explain, Jess. I can't just..."

I pondered briefly what I knew about Grant, aside from his obvious wild side, love of partying and such, but he did have another side, one he rarely showed and only a handful of people knew about, the rest of the group and I being those people. We also knew his parents were divorced and he lived with his mother.

I briefly wondered if that was what was troubling him, but no. Even if it did bother him, he was able to recover well from it. It had to be something else.

Finally, Grant spoke. "It's just...There's trouble at home."

"Trouble?"

"You're right, that's too light of a word, I..." He bowed his head and practically choked the words out. "My mom...she, she was diagnosed with cancer...She got treatment and it's gone now but she, she's still weak and, and..."

I froze, utterly shocked by this. "Oh my God...Grant, I...I'm so sorry. I never, I never realized, I mean..."

He looked at me strangely, and for some reason, I felt the need the clarify. "I...I know what you're feeling, Grant, more than you can think. I...I've faced the same."

"Jess…?"

"I lost my grandfather last year to cancer." I admitted, sadly.

Grant bit his lip. "Shit, Jess, I...I'm sorry."

I nodded. "I know, it's, it's hard, but, but I'm okay, really. I just...I want you to know, I understand and I'm here for you."

"And, and I for you." he replied awkwardly.

I almost grinned at that. Grant and I had gotten to know each other on a level that not many of the others knew about, and we realized that we had a lot more in common than we thought. It felt nice, and at that point, we had completely forgotten about the others and were just glad to be alone together.

I felt my heart skip a few beats as I suddenly realized just how close we were sitting. I leaned in towards Grant's face and he followed my example. Our lips were about to touch.

We leapt apart, however, startled by the sound of breaking glass.

"What the hell?!" I gasped.

Grant stood. "That...Hold on, I'll take a look."

I nodded, whispering, "Be careful."

He stepped away from the sofa and began making his way to another room. Unable to bear waiting alone, I began to follow. I found myself standing at the doorway of a bedroom. Grant was by the window, standing up, holding something.

"Uh, Jess...I think I found your phone." he remarked, confused and holding up what he was holding.

I gasped. It was indeed my phone. "What the hell, how did that...Oh for fuck sake."

I glowered as I stalked over and grabbed the phone. I couldn't believe this. Someone had done this, which meant they had taken my phone in the first place, but the only time and place they could have done that was when I was unconscious. Angered by this, I turned and began storming to the front door. I wasn't going to just stand for this.

Wrenching open the front door, I stepped out into the cold and yelled out, "HEY, FUCKER! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?! WHO ARE YOU, ANYWAY? AND HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET MY PHONE!?" I demanded, furiously. "STEAL IT WHILE I WAS OUT COLD, CREEP? I OUGHTA-!"

"Jess!" Grant called out. "C'mon, get back inside, it's freezing."

I groaned, but then turned and yelled again. "FUCK YOU, ASSHOLE!"

With that, I turned and slammed the door shut, shaking my head as I turned away from it. Grant was standing there, shaking his head and grinning. He began to step towards me and then it happened. The glass shattered behind me and something grabbed me in a vise grip. I screamed in utter terror as I was wrenched off my feet and slammed against the door.

'What is this? No, help! HELP!' My thoughts raced. I may have screamed the words, but I couldn't be sure, only that I was scared.

Then, there was a burst of pain as I found myself wrenched through the broken window, some of the glass cutting my skin, and the next thing I knew, I was out in the cold, terrified, still feeling the stinging pain with an unknown terror practically right on top of me. I screamed again as I realized the horrible truth of how now, I was completely at this terrifying thing's mercy.

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.