So, good news, another long chapter, bad news… yeah. This is not a happy one but you all knew that, didn't you? Hope you guys can still enjoy! Merry Christmas and happy holidays for those celebrating!

Disclaimer: I don't own Until Dawn, its plot/story or characters. Those rights go to Supermassive Games and Sony Computer Entertainment.

This… this was what she feared. Her nightmare was now physical and tangible in front of her. It took an agonising amount of time for her to kneel down and reach out to pick up the glasses. Hannah's glasses.

The plastic was cold and sent a painful chill throughout her body. It took all of Beth's resolve to not be sick as she got a closer look at the smeared blood. Hannah's blood.

She put her free hand to her stomach, though her eyes did not leave the object. Everything… everything that she had been working and fighting for was to make sure that this didn't happen.

Beth promised that she would be back for Hannah. She promised that she would find her and bring her back safe. She couldn't break her promises.

But she did. Beth had failed her sister.

Cradling the glasses in both hands so carefully as if they were the most precious thing she had left, she held them close to her chest. She lowered her head in shame, allowing herself to weep. To grieve.

All of a sudden, all of the memories she spent with Hannah came rushing back to her: the parties they went to with their friends, the fun they had with their brother, the way that they stuck by each other through thick and thin, the way Beth rolled her eyes in annoyance after seeing the tattoo Hannah got to impress the guy she liked.

The way they had looked after each other no matter what. And Beth failed in that.

Another realisation her mind drifts to soon rams into her like a truck: Jack had found something belonging to Hannah and didn't tell her about it. She backed away from his bag in disbelief. All of those times when Jack went out on his own… was that when he her glasses? If so, why didn't he tell her?

If he possibly knew anything about what happened to Hannah, she had every right to know. They had grown close over the past few weeks and Beth thought they now had both a mutual respect and trust for each other. He knew how crucially important bringing Hannah back safe and sound was to her and he had seen the lengths she went to to learn how to control the monsters responsible for the nightmare she was in. So if he knew something about Hannah, why did he keep it from her?

What did this even mean for Hannah? Jack possessing her glasses put forward a cold, hard truth that she wasn't ready-wasn't willing-to accept.

She now began to wonder what Hannah could've been thinking in the time she was in the mines. Cold, hurt, alone. The pain she felt when being trapped underground with no proper way of making her way around to safety. The despair she must've felt when Beth promised she come back for her but never did. Right when Hannah needed her most, she was too late in reaching her and was thrown to her demise.

If Jack predicted that this was what he would find in the mines, Beth could've gone with him. For all she knew, Hannah could've still been down in the mines, waiting tirelessly for her sister to come back to her. She wrapped her arms around herself protectively. While she had been safe (as safe as one could be in the Sanitarium), Hannah was left freezing in the mines, practically served up onto a silver platter for the Wendigos.

She had to swallow down the bitter bile building up her throat. She didn't even register the footsteps behind her. They suddenly stopped without warning. "Beth?"

The girl grimaced and squeezed her eyes shut. Her head shot up and before she could even contemplate turning around to face Jack, she whipped around to glare at him with the most broken yet furious expression she had ever given a person.

Jack had to sort out a few technicalities in the Sanitarium but was confident that Beth would be able to handle things on her own. While he would rarely say it out loud, she had definitely been growing on him. When she was willing to venture out into the cold and dark when she thought he was in trouble solidified the fact that not only was Beth courageous enough to leave the safety of the Sanitarium but she was willing to do it for him. The way she threw herself into a hug when she realised that everything was okay made Jack realise that maybe they weren't as disconnected as he thought.

He had always kept himself isolated from the girl and set up an indestructible wall yet Beth had the resolve to demolish it whenever she was tested. He was trying his best to be less of a nuisance to her and figured that the respect and trust they had for each other was changing their relationship for the better.

However, whenever he remembered what Beth's reasons for sticking around ultimately came down to, he would be back to square one about how he wanted to handle her. She would reiterate that she was fighting endlessly for the sole purpose of finding her sister.

Even the mere thought of it made him roll his eyes. Anyone who knew what they were up against would be able to tell that no one could escape a serious Wendigo attack alive. But, again, Beth was insistent and he couldn't get through to her.

That's when Jack decided enough was enough and headed out by himself in order to-

He stopped in his tracks when he saw Beth standing in front of his bag. Her body looked rigid and stiff and she wasn't saying a word. Actually, no, she wasn't completely stiff, it looked like she was shaking slightly. What could've possibly been wrong? Jack stepped to the side, ready to ask what was wrong, when he caught sight of what was gripped in her hand.

"Beth?", he asked uncertainly.

Almost immediately the girl turned around to face him and Jack's insides broke when he saw the tear tracks on her cheeks. Nevertheless, he tried his best to keep his composure. "What's wrong?"

"You tell me.", her voice cracked. She maintained eye contact with him and Jack could feel the bitterness radiating off of her. "What?", she spat venomously. "Got nothing to say?"

Jack sighed. "I know how bad this looks-"

Beth scoffed sarcastically. "You don't say."

He didn't miss a beat. "But this was all for your sake."

"Really? So you finding my sister's glasses and not telling me about it was for my own good?!"

"Yes.", Jack simply replied.

"How can you be so calm about this?", she yelled at him. "You knew how much this meant to me! Are my feelings just not that important to you?"

"Of course not!" Beth could tell that Jack was obviously offended y that accusation but she didn't have it in herself to care. "I knew this was a big deal to you so I…" It was very rare for Jack to be at a loss for words. "I just wanted to help you."

Beth rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. Let's face it: you never cared about my search for Hannah. Did you ever care about me? Or was I just a means to an end, just some tool to for you to use to catch your precious monsters?!"

In all honesty, Beth expected him to snap at her again, but he kept his cool to an almost disturbing degree. "How can you think that? After everything we've done for each other? Do you really think I value you that little?" Beth shrugged nonchalantly. "Man, I really messed up big time here." That was said mostly to himself.

Beth knew that her words to Jack were harsh but after months of frustration and anguish, this new revelation just twisted everything she felt on its head. She gave a humourless laugh. "At least you got that right." She pretended that she didn't catch the way he winced at that remark. "So, what? Care to explain what this was all about?", she demanded, holding Hannah's glasses in a grip so tight that almost snapped under her hold.

Jack sighed. He really didn't want to do this…

"Do you… remember when I first went out on my own?" Beth nodded. "Well, you seemed so fixated in finding your sister, so eventually decided to conduct a search? of my own." He saw Beth's posture relax slightly though her eyes still betrayed her sorrow. "I didn't find anything for few days… until a while ago, when I found her glasses." He shifted slightly, contemplating what to say next. "And, some other stuff. In my bag. You can look if you want."

Beth's face was now unreadable. She didn't budge an inch, she just stood there, studying him intently. "What else?"

Jack blanched. "Sorry, what?"

She stepped forward. "That's not it, isn't it? There's something else. Tell me." Her voice was low but carried such a large weight.

Jack blew through his teeth, reprimanding himself for letting Beth get so good at reading him. There was something else. Something he was hoping to avoid telling her. "Beth, please, this is not the time-"

"Then when is the time?!", she interrupted. "Quit stalling and tell me! You owe me that much!"

Beth was right. He was stalling. Only because he didn't want her to experience more sorrow and despair than she already was. But she had him backed into the corner, so he couldn't hide any longer.

He gave a long sigh. "Okay." He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to say next. "It was a couple of days ago… I was finding some other stuff that either belonged to you or you sister… I don't know." He looked down to the ground but saw Beth protectively crossing her arms. "And then I found…" Jack grimaced and turned his head to the side. "It wasn't a pretty sight."

Beth's breath caught in her throat and stumbled back slightly.

"I'm so, so sorry, Beth."

"No.", was all she could say.

All surrounding noise was gone, it was just her and Jack.

"I'm sorry… but, your sister is dead."

Your sister is dead.

Beth let out a choked cry and clutched the glasses closer to her chest. In all honesty, Beth knew that this was coming, it had been coming for weeks now, but she held onto even the slightest fraction of hope that maybe, just maybe, Hannah could've been out there, waiting for her.

But she wasn't. Because she was dead. Gone. Never to be heard from again (oh, what Beth would've given to hear her voice one last time).

I'm not… I'm not ready for this.

She let a hand shoot up to her mouth because the urge to vomit was too strong now. She leaned down at an angle as her stomach cramped up and reluctantly looked over her shoulder at Jack's bag. Beth desperately wanted to look at what else of hers was salvaged but, right now, even the thought of looking at Hannah's belongings made the stabbing sensation in her heart too much for her to bear.

"Beth?", she heard the monster ask. She could see his hand hesitantly reach out to place onto her shoulder in a pathetic attempt at comfort. For a fleeting moment, Beth actually wanted his company so desperately. She had already lost so much…

However, when the hand actually made contact, she tore away violently, as if burned by his lethal touch. Jack flinched as if he had been struck.

"I am so sorr-"

"Don't you dare.", she seethed. "Don't you dare, try to say that you're sorry. You knew. You knew and you didn't tell me."

Jack held up his hands as if in surrender. "I just didn't know how to break it to you. I didn't want you to get hurt."

Beth gave a bitter laugh. Was that a laugh or a sob? She couldn't tell and she didn't care. "And how did that work out?"

He sighed and put a hand over his face. "I honestly don't know what to tell you, kid. But what I do know is that it wasn't you fault."

Beth's eyes snapped up to meet his as she hyperventilated. "Not my fault? Not my fault?!", she screeched. "Of course it was my fault! If I hadn't have left her there on her own-!"

"You would've been dead as well!", Jack countered.

She scoffed. "Like that would've been so bad.", she muttered.

Jack's eyes widened and stomped over to grip both her shoulders tightly. Beth tried to break away but Jack wasn't having any of it. "You don't mean that!"

Tears rapidly spilled out from Beth's eyes. Her vision was blurry but when it cleared, she could see Jack's eyes glistening as well. "Do I?!", she retorted. "I don't even know anymore!"

Beth's emotions were a mess. She was mourning for many things: Hannah's death, Jack's lies, her guilt, her family's loss. It was all becoming too much for her.

She had to get away. Kneeing Jack in the stomach, she violently pushed him away and ran, without even picking up her shotgun. Without hesitation, she ran for the door.

Jack was still recovering as she pushed heavily on the door. He held out a hand. "Beth, wait! It's not safe yet!"

Throwing her head up to the ceiling, Beth screamed, "I don't care anymore!"

She knew that this was a bad idea as she burst through the doors of the Sanitarium. Daybreak was still a while away but it was still too dangerous for any of them to be out. However, any good judgement was out the door as her mind was clouded by her grief and anguish.

She just wanted to get as far away from Jack as possible, even if it meant being out in the open for the Wendigos.

A small, pathetic part of her thought that that wouldn't be so bad.

Running through the biting cold without protection was definitely a bad idea, but Beth thought it would be hilarious to bet how long it would be until she died of hypothermia or a Wendigo attack. She also knew jokes were sick and twisted but Beth had to vent her sorrow out somehow.

Despite her willing to be found by the Wendigos, however, she didn't want the police to catch her. Even though it came down to her own actions, they were useless. What worthwhile investigations were they doing? They were merely chasing their tails and, without her and Jack, they probably would've been torn to shreds or worse.

She stuffed her hands into her pockets and felt the crumpled piece of paper that had the chants and ritual stuff that she always kept on her person. It seemed like so long ago when Jack first handed the piece of paper and she chanted the repelling words. It wasn't flawless, of course but when it helped drive the Wendigo away, she couldn't help but feel the spark of relief when she actually did it right.

Back when she and Jack were a team.

Deep down, Beth knew that Jack wasn't at fault for what happened. After all, he was working hard to find something about Hannah himself and she couldn't imagine what he must've been thinking when his search came up fruitless.

What was the phrase? Don't shoot the messenger?

But that didn't change a thing. Hannah was dead and Jack had lied to her about it.

After recovering from Beth's blow, Jack immediately grabbed his flamethrower and bolted out to find the grieving teenager. She was upset and rightfully so, but that didn't change the fact that she headed out into the Wendigo's territory without the proper protection. To say that her emotions were clouding her judgement would've been an understatement but now this decision of hers could cost her dearly.

He placed his goggles over his eyes and his scarf over his mouth and nose to protect him from the attacking elements, though he doubted that Beth would've taken such precautions. He decided that once he got Beth back to the Sanitarium he was going to have a serious conversation about how sorry he was about her sister and also the stupidity of her of going out without protection. The order of those were yet to be determined.

Not letting his guard down, he followed the shallow but clear footsteps that were gradually being covered by the thick snowfall. For all he knew, Beth could've been anywhere by now but following the faint trail was his best bet now. While finding Hannah and her belongings in the mines was down to him, he knew that he wasn't at fault for the whole situation but he couldn't help the guilt he felt for not telling Beth, which inadvertently provoked her into leaving.

Anything that happened from this point would've been his fault and once he got Beth back, he promised himself that he would do everything he could to make it up to her and also building up the precious trust and bond that they had. At first, Jack didn't want any personal relationship to the kid, but after seeing what skill she had and what she was willing to do to save someone she loved, he began to admire her for that. His own grandfather's dedication to catch the Makkipitew was what killed him and Jack had reprimanded himself for his lack of skill and weaknesses ever since. He had gotten stronger since then but he didn't want to see Beth's own ambition lead her to the same cruel demise.

He couldn't save his grandfather, but he would save this kid.

What was she doing? This was a ridiculous idea!

She was furious, torn apart, conflicted, but this was not the way to go about dealing with it. Jack was right (and she really didn't want to admit that right now), she didn't want to die out there. As much as she didn't want to be anywhere near Jack, she had to mourn properly. Not run away like a stubborn child when things became too hard.

Heaving a long sigh of frustration, she pulled her sleeves further over her hands and her coat closer over her chest. She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her arms in a pathetic attempt to warm up. She couldn't stay out here any longer.

She had to go back.

"Beth!", Jack called out over the howling wind. After a long while of not being able to find the teenager, what with the lack of tracks, the snow storm blurring his vision and just the vast space they were in, Jack opted to shouting. It was a reckless choice, and he knew that, but he couldn't see any better options.

"Beth!" Every time the name left his lips, his anxiety and fear for her safety grew more and more. Ever since he left the Sanitarium, he was on edge but when his search came about fruitless, he couldn't seem to think straight. For all he knew, she could've been dead or even found by the police. But Jack knew that he couldn't give up. Not when he would so hard to protect this kid, not when she worked so hard herself to get to this point.

The echoing shrieks in the whistling wind made Jack stop dead in his tracks. He knew his actions would've had this consequence but he figured that he would've found Beth before that.

But he didn't. Instead, he turned around to see the skeletal body of the Wendigo emerging from the snowy mist. It glared at him with twisted glee and its eyes took it every one of his features, studying him up and down. Neither of them made a move and if it wasn't for the way the Wendigo was looking at him, Jack would've guessed that it couldn't see him.

He slowly went to raise his flamethrower but as he did, the Wendigo's snarl grew wider. It was a game of cat and mouse, though who was who was unclear. The Wendigo then went into the stance to pounce Jack immediately went on the offensive, letting the flames spray upon the beast.

However, once the flames dissipated, the Wendigo was no longer in his line of sight.

Beth's walk back to the Sanitarium was halted when she heard a scream.

It wasn't from a Wendigo.

Her walk turned into a full-on sprint as the shouts got louder and louder. She knew that Jack would've followed her out into the forest but she didn't want him to put himself in danger for her sake. Even after everything that had happened, Beth didn't want anything to happen to her friend. She was angry, yes, but it wasn't at Jack. Ultimately, it were the Wendigos that had driven her to this point.

And now she was out here, alone and desperate while Jack was most likely fearing for her life. And that was why she had to find him: to let him know that she didn't blame him for anything.

She made her way around a bunch of trees to see Jack… up against a Wendigo!

"Jack!", she immediately called out in fear.

Both the older man and the monster turned to look at her but Jack's expression went from surprised to petrified. "Get out of here, kid!"

Shaking her head, Beth whipped out the paper written with the words needed to drive the Wendigos away, shouting them out with desperation. While that was happening, Jack was still trying to douse the Wendigo but it kept on evading his attacks. However, the two of them didn't waver despite Jack's pleas for Beth to run away.

The violent snowstorm and Jack's wave of flames made it incredibly hard for Beth to see straight but persevered nonetheless. When the mist in front of her cleared, the Wendigo was directly in front of her, baring its teeth with feral hunger. If it was any other day, Beth would've screamed or tried to run away, but she only moved back a couple of steps, yelling the words with more and more desperation. All of a sudden, he heard Jack cry out as well as another array of flames burst forth from beside her. The Wendigo screeched and pounced away from the flames but Jack didn't cease his attack. It just kept on going, to the point the Beth couldn't see properly and had to move back to avoid getting burned. She tried to yell out to Jack to take it easy, but the man didn't seem to have heard her so she opted for shielding her eyes with an arm. However, her blood ran cold when a pained cry rang out at the same moment the heat of the flames ceased.

Beth wished she had her shotgun with her. She practically screamed the words out in that moment and, to her surprise, the Wendigo shrieked and could hear it scuffle away in the snow. When everything was silent, Beth reluctantly opened her eyes, relief jumping out of her chest as she saw the sun rise.

They had made it. They survived a Wendigo attack until dawn. She heaved out a long and hard breath that turned in a slight laugh. In that moment, the sun hadn't looked so beautiful.

She turned to face her partner. "Jack, we did it! We actually did-"

Her smile fell she turned fully around. What she expected to see was Jack with the same look of relief that, despite their previous argument and the discourse between them, they were still able to remain a unit and work as a team to drive away the Wendigo. It meant that, whatever happened, they were still a team. Once they were back at the Sanitarium, she would have to apologise profusely for putting him in that situation and making him have to save her again. Apologise for getting mad at him when all he wanted to do was help.

And thank him for everything he had done for her.

But the nightmare she instead saw was Jack.

With a gaping, bloody hole in his stomach.