Disclaimer: I don't own Until Dawn, its plot/story or characters. Those rights go to Supermassive Games and Sony Computer Entertainment.
Okay. I will admit I went off the map for the last few months, but life just got in the way and it's the kind of thing you can't ignore and would take up most of your time, so I can't thank you guys enough for being patient with this story. However, I have been constantly thinking of ideas about where I'm going to take this story and I think I have a pretty solid one, like how Beth living is going to affect the plot of the main game (because you know... Butterfly Effect) and a few things I'm considering playing around with.
QUICK NOTE: I did say last chapter that this one would have a bit of action, but when I came to writing it there were some things that I had to write down before I could get to it and it became longer than I thought. So I decided to split the sections into separate chapters. This one will be posted now and the other will be up some time tomorrow.
So without further ado, the long awaited chapter(s)!
The stranger, now named Jack, decided to teach Beth some self-defence with a shotgun just in case she was forced to combat with a Wendigo. Given the situation they were in, the possibility was more than inevitable. She had worried that the shooting of the gun would draw the attention of the Wendigos (since disturbing a Wendigo would be the equivalent of waking a bear from its slumber only much worse), but Jack had reassured her that the bars and chains were enough to keep them restrained. For some reason, that still didn't ease her.
He had set up several cans and bottles along a table for Beth to practice her skills, although she had to keep in mind that the real life target was a cursed and merciless monster.
Taking a shaky breath, Beth aimed the shotgun at the first bottle in her line of sight. Then she began to tremble losing all feeling in her arm, unable to pull the trigger. Why was she so tense? It was just a beer bottle for fucks sake!
Maybe it was because she terrified of the fact of actually shooting and possibly killing things. The last thing Beth wanted to do was become a corrupted killer. Was she even ready for this?
In a moment of blind panic, she pulled the trigger, the shot missing the beer bottle completely and hitting the wall on the other side of the room. She yelped at the sound of the shot as it rang out through the facility and the duo instantly heard the cries of the Wendigos. Beth's head darted towards the staircase and snapped the gun up in fear. She began to hyperventilate at the chance of a Wendigo breaking out from captivity and consuming her its prey.
Jack slowly put his hand on the gun and gently lowered it allowing Beth to calm down. When she realised that she wasn't in any real danger and her protector was still by her side, her nerves calmed.
"That's alright.", he said plainly. "Let's try that again." Beth simply nodded in agreement and raised the gun back up to the bottle. "Just take a deep breath, keep your arms steady and pull the trigger."
Step one: deep breath (which lasted for about two minutes). Step two: arms steady. Her nerves got the better of her and had to repeat the steps several times. Step three: it took her a while but, once she ignored the sickly feeling in her stomach, she pulled the trigger.
The shot rang out again, the Wendigos sounding more agitated than they already were. But in that moment it didn't matter. All Beth could hear was a shattering sound and the crackling of glass as it exploded onto the ground.
She did it. She made her first proper shot.
Beth heaved a sigh of relief and gave out a half-laugh half-cry. Jack grumbled in response, only a little impressed by her first shot.
"Alright.", he said, bringing Beth back from her shock. "Again."
The teen was speechless. Did she really do that badly? Or was he just being an asshole? She shrugged it off and aimed the weapon at a can. She felt a little more confident now that she made a good shot, but the fact the she was gripping an instrument of death was still overwhelming for her.
She practiced her skills on several other targets only missing once every few times. Beth was strangely proud of her progress. If she was being completely honest, she had shot a gun once before at her dad's shooting range. Even after a few pointers, she couldn't even hit the larger and closer targets. Sure, she was still no expert, but at least she was getting there.
After a few more attempts, she managed to breathe, "Okay. I think I'm good."
"So… when are going out to face those things?", she asked. Part of her wanted the answer to be never but the other just wanted to get the nightmare over with.
The old man walked over to the window and could see the sunrise staring to peek out from the horizon. The Wendigos may not be able to hunt during the day though they still posed a threat in the shadows. But it had been an eventful night and figured they both needed the break.
"Not just yet. It's almost dawn and the Wendigos only hunt at night.", he informed.
Beth nodded in understanding as she was a little relieved that she was starting to learn more about these mysterious creatures.
He continued. "We'll be safe outside but won't be able to trap them until nightfall." Jack motioned for Beth to set down the shotgun and she complied, still trying to comprehend how much her life had changed in a matter of hours.
"Then… what do we do until then?", she asked, unsure of what to do.
Jack turned to walk away. "I'm gonna scout the Sanitarium, make sure everything's still in working order."
Beth was gobsmacked. Was he seriously going to leave her alone? In this place?! She took a step forward. "Can't I come with you?", she asked quickly. "I still need to know what goes on here."
At first he stopped in his tracks and grumbled in response. He then sighed and kept on walking. That response was enough for Beth to start catching up with him.
Over the next several hours, Jack gave Beth a tour of the Sanitarium to show her what was going on in the twisted game that took place in the mountains. She forced herself to swallow her own vomit when he told and showed her bruised and decaying limbs used to lure the Wendigos into captivity. Based on the traps and baits he'd set up, she began to wonder just how many people had died in the past as preys to the malicious monsters.
She then began to worry that more Wendigos would come out to hunt them. But Jack had put her at ease when he informed her that during the day, they retreat into the shadows of the mines (Oh yeah, turns out freaking mines were now added to her list of never-ending worries).
However, despite all the thoughts racing through her head, there was still one lingering in her mind. Her sister. Her friends. Her family. It had been several hours since she left the safety of the lodge and all her friends were probably out looking for her. She couldn't be able to comprehend the terror they could possibly be feeling.
Because of her.
But she pushed those thoughts down. Even if she was hanging onto a glimmer of false hope, it was still enough to keep her determined.
The day seemed to drag on for Beth and she just spent the remaining hours of it to hone in on her gun skills, half convinced her bullseye shots were just dumb luck. She still had a lot to learn.
Eventually, nightfall came and Jack had warned her to stay alert, as the Wendigo would now have the opportunity to roam anywhere and everywhere. Even if it was only for a matter of hours, anything could happen in one night.
By the time they'd done one final sweep of the ruined facility, the sun had retired and the monsters were out to play.
Despite Beth not knowing whether she was ready or not to tackle the Wendigos, she shoved her crippling fears down and plastered a determined look on her face. Jack didn't waver; he was more focused to capturing the creature.
As they exited the Sanitarium, Jack began to explain his plan of action, not looking back at the young teen following behind him.
"Alright. First, we gonna go deep into the mines where the Wendigo is most likely hiding. We're gonna lure and direct the thing back to the Sanitarium where I left a cell, with human limbs, open. Hopefully they won't catch us on the way back."
Beth couldn't help but wince at the words 'human' and 'limbs', but was shocked at his deadpan statement. That they may not survive the night. She wanted to snap at him for saying things like that, but instead decided to change the subject.
"How do we know if it'll be in the mines?" For some reason, it felt weird to refer to the Wendigo as it.
Jack glanced back over his shoulder at the question. She had expected him to dismiss her but he simply replied. "Well, they do adhere to some patterns. Within the first hour or so they usually stay in one place before they hunt in other places."
"Oh. Why?", she responded.
She heard Jack chuckle lowly. "I didn't ask."