Disclaimer: I don't own Until Dawn, its plot/story or characters. Those rights go to Supermassive Games and Sony Computer Entertainment.
Here's the other half of the chapter! Enjoy!
Once he had led Beth down the rocky and crooked pathway for several minutes, Jack had warned her to be vigilant as they entered the hidden mines. Beth tried to keep her senses in check, but couldn't help but focus on the site of the crumbling infrastructure. He had told her about the disaster in the mines and had began to wonder how bad is was back then.
The further they ventured in the mines the darker it began to get. With every step Beth took the sickly feeling in her stomach became more and more overwhelming. The feeling got worse when she saw a small pile of bones and skulls, their hollow eyes that bored a hole in her heart. Squeezing her eyes shut and putting a hand over her mouth, she swallowed forcefully and pushed herself to keep up.
The mines were like a maze. There was no doubting that. There were infinite pathways to take and some even led to eroding ladders that could take them to a whole other level of possible routes. But Jack seemed to have a good idea of where to search.
With every step Beth took, the crumbling of the stones and pebbles were the only sound filling her ears. She wasn't exactly able to make light-hearted conversation with her saviour if death was waiting for them around the corner. But at the same time, she wanted to know more about him. What he's been doing, how he's been doing it, and how was he able to survive in the mountains all these years without anyone to watch his back.
These were all questions she wanted answers to but she was too afraid to ask, so she pushed them to the back of her mind and made sure they stayed there.
Suddenly, Jack stopped in his tracks, with Beth almost bumping into him. A hungry growl was heard from directly in front of them. He put a finger to his lips.
Her heart stopped. Her breathing ceased. Her eyes widened in horror.
There it was. The Wendigo, mere meters from them.
Jack tightly grabbed her wrist and whispered, "Don't move.", and she automatically complied. She was so badly to close her eyes so she didn't have to look at the sickly creature but if she did for a second, she could kiss her life goodbye.
The creature's snapped in their direction, it's dim milky eyes and razor teeth shaking Beth to the core. She gasped quietly when they locked eyes, but Jack's grip on her tightened.
She could already hear him think, Don't even think about it.
The Wendigo pounced onto the walls, it's head darting in all different directions. Beth was gobsmacked as to how it hadn't seen them yet. Then Beth thought, Maybe they can't see us.
A few moments later, the Wendigo dropped down in front of them and was now inches away from Beth's face. It bared its teeth and snarled in her ear. The high pitch shriek was almost too much for her to bear. She bit down on her lip so hard that it almost started to bleed. Slowly, she reached up a hand to her chest to feel her heart beating rapidly that only began to ease slightly when, for some reason, the Wendigo abandoned its hunt for potential prey and turned it's attention elsewhere. For a fleeting moment, Beth felt reassured at her strange form of safety.
The creature was facing away but still quite close to the duo. It crouched on the ground, scanning all places possible. It snapped in their direction for a second and back but the two didn't waver.
Beth leaned in close to Jack. "What do we do now?", she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Jack stepped back, his eyes not leaving the distracted Wendigo. "Get ready to run. If the Wendigo catches up, the shotgun will knock it back to buy you time. I'll drive into the cell using the fire."
She couldn't comprehend what was going on. The shotgun wouldn't kill it! But the flames could? It perplexed Beth about the mystery behind the Wendigo.
If I could survive., she thought. Right. The running. Based on Jack's advice and resolve, she figured it would give her a small advantage if she was more alert of where the Wendigo was. In the confined mines, it would have more of a chance of snatching her from the walls but once she reached the crisp cold landscape again, she would have more freedom to move around.
"Okay.", she replied, finally about to face off with the animal, fear bubbling inside her ready to erupt.
With the Wendigo still distracted, Beth took few shaky steps back, ready to split at a moment's notice. Unfortunately, timing wasn't on their side and the Wendigo's enhanced vision caught wind of her subtle movements. Beth swore she saw a sickly smile forming on the monster's inhuman face.
Jack swore under his breath and immediately fired his flamethrower as the Wendigo pounced. "Go!"
At first Beth was reluctant to go on alone but as the Wendigo flinched from the fire, her feet were already sprinting away. She tightly clutched the shotgun as she watched where she was going. She looked back. She wasn't sure if that was Jack or the Wendigo gaining on her. Nevertheless, she kept going.
She eventually found her way back to the entrance of the mines and was greeted by the freezing cold. Beth looked around. She wasn't exactly sure what to do now. The echoes of the Wendigo were carried by the howling wind which prompted her to continue along the path she was on.
Sprinting through the snow, the biting wind against her face threatened to tear at the skin. Her heart was beating faster than ever and she could already feel herself becoming breathless.
As if on cue, the Wendigo was now directly behind her. Beth whipped around and raised the shotgun at it. The monster was already prepared to pounced. It felt as if time was slowing down. If she couldn't make this shot it would be over for her.
She was laser-focused on her target and didn't let the creature's instincts break her focus. With a deep breath, she let the bullet fly from the barrel directly towards the Wendigo's chest and the impact sent it back a few feet.
As much as Beth wanted to heave a sigh of sweet relief, she instead continued her threatening endeavour towards the Sanitarium, her only hope of containing the beast.
Her eyes darted to the swaying trees when she caught the Wendigo crawling up the trunk until it was directly above her. She skidded to a stop and raised the shotgun once again. The Wendigo let out a feral snarl but ceased for a moment when the bullet knocked it back.
"Yeah!", Beth exclaimed, the adrenaline pulsing through her veins.
The Wendigo scrambled back on all fours, but before it could attack again, flames appeared by its side making it flinch away.
"Get back!", Jack ordered as he let out another array of flames. Beth stumbled back a few steps before tripping over a jagged rock. The stinging pain shot through her entire body and the snow made her more freezing than she already was. Jack shot the flames again and bought him enough time to shove Beth to her feet and tell her to keep running.
The Wendigo shook off their defences like they were nothing and began gaining on them. As if some instinct kicked into her, Beth whipped around and focused her sights on the beast. For some reason, the thrill wasn't as scary anymore. It was still terrifying, but the adrenaline of the action made her dismiss it for a moment. The shot rang out in the distance, carried by the wind, along with the Wendigo's somewhat injured cries.
"Yeah!", she cried. For a split second, Jack actually looked like he was impressed with her newfound skill, but then motioned for her to stay ahead.
"Don't get cocky kid.", she heard him mutter. He was right. Ignore the threat for even a moment could mean their demise. Beth let out a shaky breath and continued their race across the mountain.
Beth only had to shoot the shotgun twice after that; thanks to Jack's expertise with the flamethrower, he was able to keep the Wendigo a healthy distance from them. They could see the Sanitarium just up ahead and for Beth was actually glad to get back there.
Beth practically flew up the steps and burst through the heavy doors. Once Jack was inside, he grabbed her by the shoulder to get her attention. They didn't have a lot of time left.
"Alright.", he said. "You're gonna make sure the Wendigo is led towards the cage while I drive inside with the fire. Once it's inside, you lock it up."
Before Beth could respond, Jack was already gone. "Wait, we're using me as live bait now!?", she protested.
However, her attention had to be towards elsewhere as the Wendigo crawled through the doorway, it's head darting around all the possible pathways.
To stop the Wendigo from being drawn away, Beth yelled, "Hey!" It snarled in her direction, signalling that it was time for her to move it.
As she sprinted towards the corridor of cages, she saw one of the wolves growling threateningly. Whether it was towards her or the Wendigo was unclear until he was running alongside Beth when she ran past.
Suddenly, her mind clicked into place when she saw several bony arms reaching out from the bars, causing her to duck and practically jump over them. Jack motioned for her to hurry up and get behind him as he readied his flamethrower.
This was it.
The Wendigo was already flying down the line of cages, its sights dead-set on the two people at the end. However, it was getting a little too close for Beth's liking. She instinctively raised her gun as The Wendigo leapt from its position ready to devour its prey. It's skeletal body and blood-soaked teeth filled her vision and she tried her hardest not to scream or vomit.
Just as it came inches from their bodies, Jack released a final burst of flames causing the Wendigo to instantly dodge away and straight into confinement.
"Hurry!", he yelled as he continued to drive the Wendigo further into the cage. In an instant, Beth rushed over. The heat felt intense against her skin as she reached for the rusted metal and Jack stopped the fire once she clamped the cage shut. She let out a large and shaky sigh, unable to believe the night she was having.
She did it. She actually did it; she faced and caught a Wendigo, a creature she didn't believe existed until that night.
As Jack made sure the cage was locked up securely, Beth was so overwhelmed by the whole ordeal that she didn't move away from the cage.
All of a sudden, the Wendigo's head and arm burst through the bars, pulling her arm towards it. She shrieked and her heart thumped hard in her chest almost sending her into a heart attack. She tried to squirm away from its gnawing teeth but it was no use against its vice-like grip. Jack was already by her side and their combined strength was just enough to rip her arm away from the cage as Beth felt a painful throbbing in her arm.
As she frantically backed away, she clamped a hand on her arm, but noticed that the coat sleeve was torn. She lifted her hand and saw that it was now slick with blood. Wasting no time, she rolled up the sleeve.
She was injured. Bleeding. Bitten.
Great.
Thanks for reading! See you guys next chapter!