butterfly effect. until dawn x reader

11. revelation cont.

I sat in disbelief with Ashley and Sam, processing everything they told me while Chris and Mike went to go see what had knocked at the back door. I couldn't cry. I couldn't move. I just stared at the floor. Sam and Ashley glanced at each other in concern. "(Y/N)?"

"So...none of it was real? Is he still alive? Can I see him?"

"We have him the shed so he can't do anything else until tomorrow morning when we call the cops."

I just blinked and slowly nodded. "Alright." I was distracted by the sound of familiar thudding footsteps. The man from the mines walked in and we made eye contact. Sam stiffened beside me. Chris tried to sit next to Ashley but she walked away. I looked at her in confusion. 'What happened with them?'

The man cleared his throat. "Alright, everybody calm down."

We stayed silent as we watched his pace slowly back and forth in front of the fireplace. "Let me say what I came to say and I'll be outta your hair, okay?" Another pause of silence. "You never should have returned. I don't know why you came back after what happened last year."

"You mean Hannah and Beth?" Ashley said. Chris stood up. "How could you know about that without being involved? Who are you?!"

"You hold on to your horses. I don't take kindly to you kids coming up here to my mountain." Mike cut him off, scoffing. "The Washingtons would be surprised to hear that." 

"Well, this mountain don't belong to me, it's true. But it don't belong to the Washingtons. This mountain belongs to the Wendigo." 

"The what?" "What is he talking about?"

"Now I'm only going to tell you this once. It doesn't matter to me if you believe it or not.  There is a curse. That dwells in these mountains. Should any man or woman resort to cannibalism in these woods the spirit of the Wendigo shall be unleashed." 

I heard Mike curse under his breath. "I think I saw it. When I went to find Jess."

"You're going to need someplace safe." Sam piped up. "The basement should work." "All right. All of you get down there, now. And wait."

"Wait? Wait for how long?" "Until dawn," I stood up. "The ranger said dawn."

"Shit!" We all turned to look at Mike. "Guys... I ran off and left Josh when I heard (Y/N) screaming."

 "Where did you leave him?" "In the shed."

"Your friend will already be dead." "What?! No!" I shouted.

 "No... No he can't be... We were just with him!" The man looked at Chris. "A lot can happen quickly on this mountain."

"No, we have to go get him! I'm going to get him!" I said angrily. Chris stepped in front of the man. "No, I'll go." 

"You can't go out there Chris!"

"I'm supposed to be his best friend and I let him down."

Sam shook her head. "He let you down, Chris. He let all of us down." "I don't care I'm going to get him."

I looked away from them as I watched Chris try to negotiate with the man to go alone, but they decided on going together. Well, the man decided. Chris didn't much have a choice. I watched everyone prepare to go to the basement numbly. I had about had enough. I felt like if moved I would break. So I stayed on the couch. I watched Ashley follow Chris and the man to the back door. I assumed she was going to wait on him. I just wanted to see Josh again, I wanted him to explain why he would do something like that.

Mike pulled me off the couch. "We have to go." I looked up at him and nodded. We were on our way to the basement before I said anything. "Hey, it's been a few minutes I'm gonna go make sure Ash is okay." Sam and Mike nodded and continued walking downstairs.

I had only made it to the main room when I heard the screaming. I ran to the back door, running into Ashley. I looked over at the glass door. Chris lay in the snow, just outside the door. His head was gone. Not on the ground, not on him. Just gone. His blood stained the white snow. My brain didn't even process my mangled friend when I started screaming. Ashley was silent next to me, unfazed by shrill cries. I heard footsteps rushing to my side. 

"OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK ASH(Y/N)WEGOTTAGONOW!" Mike grabbed my hand, pulling me forward. The three of us rushed down to the basement as I began to hyperventilate.

"(Y/N)? Ash? Where's Chris?" I didn't answer and neither did Ashley, but the silence that filled the room told me that they understood.

Sam and Mike talked back and forth about some kind of escape plan, but I didn't hear anything they said. I couldn't get the image of Chris' headless body out of my head. He was my friend. I tried to convince myself it wasn't real, like what happened with Josh. But it was. It was very, very much real.