.₊꒰ 🪓 ꒱:⩩┆( 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙬𝙣 )⊹.*
𝐸𝐿𝐸𝑉𝐸𝑁. ☠︎︎ 𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮
⸝⸝ ʚ 🪓 ! ⌗ °• ━━━━━━━━━ 𝑴𝑰𝑲𝑬 𝑴𝑼𝑵𝑹𝑶𝑬 𝑾𝑨𝑺 𝑸𝑼𝑰𝑪𝑲 𝑶𝑵 𝑯𝑰𝑺 𝑭𝑬𝑬𝑻, 𝑵𝑶𝑻 𝑨 𝑴𝑶𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝑶𝑭 𝑯𝑬𝑺𝑰𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑰𝑵 𝑯𝑰𝑺 𝑭𝑶𝑳𝑳𝑶𝑾𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺. He slid past the bloodied stairs, and remains of Chris, diving into the snow to get the shotgun that Marlowe had dropped. It was almost as though he had become an expert, aiming and pulling the trigger at the creature. Due to the close proximity, the lead split across the area, hitting Marlowe in the shoulder slightly, but nothing too devastating as the creature left claw marks around her face before being sent into the mix of trees.
She attempted her best to get up off the snow covered path, noticing how difficult it was to find balance with her left limb missing and her blood draining. The snow below her was hardly white, now just a bloodied mess. Mike rushed to the girls side to assist her, yanking her toward the lodge.
Marlowe glanced over her shoulder to see the pale and thin creature stand back up, "it's coming back, Mike! SHOOT THE BARREL!"
Upon letting the girl go, Mike had to let her fall to the stairs while he aimed the gun at the barrel she had pointed out. With a flammable logo on the exterior, and Mike's money shot, the pairs ears began to ring and the night sky filled with flames, separating the Wendigo from them. They took this as their opportunity to escape into the lodge. Marlowe fell to the floor, panting like a rabbid animal, tasting the salt from her tears in the cracks on her lips.
Every inch of her body ached, but somehow, she hardly felt the pain in her left stump. She hoped that the adrenaline would last just a little while longer so she wouldn't have to feel the excruciating pain that was waiting to make its appearance.
"Holy shit... HOLY SHIT!" Mike paced, letting the shot gun hang by his side, "your arm's fucking missing! Chris is fucking dead! What about that other guy?!"
"Where is she?" Marlowe maintained her eye contact on the floor.
"Where is who, Lo? Ashley? She ran to the basement." Mike answered honestly, watching as the bloody girl finally managed to get onto her feet. She still didn't look at him, only at his waist band until she found exactly what she was looking for. She wasn't sure how many bullets the shotgun had left, so she was determined not to make that mistake.
Whilst Mike was frantically making sure the girl was okay, aside from the fact that she was now missing a larger portion of limbs than him, Marlowe took the opportunity to take advantage of him. Her perfectly fine arm wrapped around his waist, gripping onto the pistol that was secured in his waistband.
"Lo? Hey! Lo!" Mike patted around his belt line before running after the girl that was growing more and more pale by the second, her blood creating a trail across the dark, moody floorboards and the stairs as she sprinted down them. Her blood was the only thing giving the lodge any sort of colour.
Marlowe had no care for the mess she was making. Her mind was growing foggier as she rapidly made her way through the lodge's basement. Her skin matched the pale blue of the wall, her body beginning to drain.
Sam saw her first, "Lo! What happened out there?" The blonde was running up to her until the furious woman's arm rose, the barrel of the gun pointing toward the girl hiding in the dark corner. Panicked yelling began, and the red head was already cowering away from the gun with her hands up whilst Emily hoisted herself onto nearby bench.
"Why don't you ask her?" Marlowe kept her eyes on the girl that was pleading for her life, waving the gun around as she spoke, "Chris. Is. Dead. HE'S FUCKING DEAD! AND IM MISSING A FUCKING ARM! You enjoy that? You stupid fucking-"
"Wait!" The girl was spun around and the gun from her hands was taken away from her as her body collapsed into the nearby seat. Her entire body ached as she hit the back of the chair and heard apologies from whoever took the gun from her. Mike had finally caught up, keeping the pistol out of Marlowe's reach. "We can sort all this shit out later! You're bleeding out right now, Lo! Okay?"
"There might be a kit around here. I'll take a look around," Sam told Mike, stepping out of the safe zone to have a look around the basement.
Emily ran from the other side of the safe zone, squatting by Marlowe, rolling up the girls sleeve to look at the damage, "oh, my God..." She removed her hands and covered her mouth. It was a disgusting sight. She was looking at clean cut bone and mutilated flesh. "What the fuck happened?"
Ashley looked over at the girl sitting in the chair, becoming pale and blending with her surroundings. Marlowe's eyes never left her. Even as she bled out, she was determined to make the girl as uncomfortable as possible. So that way, Ashley would be able to look at everything that she had caused.
"Strawberry shortcake doesn't know how to open a fucking door." Marlowe grumbled, allowing Em's hand to rest against her thigh. "She let Chris die, Em. She just stood there while he got his head ripped off..."
Sam listened in, the medical box in her hands as she dropped it onto the nearby table while Mike rushed to patch Marlowe up as best as he could. He already had an idea. The medical supplies wouldn't be nearly enough here. But maybe if they went back to the sanatorium there would be something. Preferably something that wasn't so old it would give the girl a disease.
"Ash, is that true?" Sam whispered.
The red head looked around, "I was scared, okay?"
"Scared? You were scared?" Em stood from her crouched position, "look at her! She looks just about fucking dead and you're the one that's scared. You're basically in perfect condition aside from a little black eye and pigs blood on you."
Marlowe watched as Mike used almost everything in the kit, and she hissed at almost every touch, even the most delicate ones, that were bare against her flesh. The adrenaline must have been fading, as was her mind. Mike was nearly there, wrapping the girl in as much bandaged they had, pouring whatever he could. Hell, he was no doctor, but they only had a few hours until help would arrive. And if they got to the sanatorium, hopefully they would be able to postpone the bleeding further.
Ashley said nothing as the girl with the dark bob continued her attack with her venomous words. "You know what, I say we throw this bitch out into the snow and let her fend for herself since she's so damn comfortable down here pretending like she's scared!"
"Em, that's enough..." Sam stepped in between the two girls. She turned toward Marlowe, "what exactly happened out there?"
The colour was slowly coming back to the girls face with the patch job. "When we got there, Josh was already gone... The wendigo got to him before we did. It got the flamethrower guy, too. So he's out of the picture. And Chris is currently dead on the front steps. I was next, but at least someone knew how to open a door..." Marlowe glanced over at Mike while she was quickly tackled into the chair by Em, locked into a death grip of fear.
"Hey! Take it easy on her okay..." Mike told Em, his hand brushing along her arm to give Marlowe some space.
"So basically we're fucked down here?" Em sobbed, panicking as she knew that the unknown man would be their only hope.
"God..." Sam whispered, shaking her head as her gaze stayed on the ground.
Mike stood up, closing the emptied medical kit before pacing around the established safe zone with his hands resting against the back of his head, "alright. Are these all the doors?"
"Yeah."
"Are you sure?" Mike questioned Sam. He wanted no doubt in her answer. He wanted a sure one.
"What are you looking for?" The blonde asked, watching Mike walk around swiftly, as did the rest of them.
Mike paused. "Another way out."
"I think we should just wait here until dawn. Isn't that what the people on the radio said? The old man said to wait here, too," Marlowe's breathing began to pick up again, but her eyes were still quite heavy and she wasn't able to keep them open for long periods of time.
Sam agreed, "she's right, Mike. We can't go out there. Not after what happened to them in that short period of time. We need to stay put because at least we're safe down here."
"Oh? Yeah? All wrapped up like a little present with a bow on top for that thing to tear us apart on Christmas morning? Huh?" Mike was rapid, trying to find another way out. "Marlowe is still bleeding pretty bad. There might be some things that can help at the Sanatorium."
Marlowe stood from her position, and Emily came to her aid, lending her a hand, "I'm fine. People will come for us. In the morning, Michael."
"You don't sound sure."
"That is what will happen. Right, Em?.." Sam began panicking, her voice slightly breaking toward the end of her sentence.
"Yeah... I mean... Right?"
"Well you can all wait. I'm leaving." Mike walked away from the group.
"Michael you're being an idiot. There's no key to the cable car," Marlowe reminded him.
Turning around, the man faced the group of girls, "Josh. He's got to have it."
"Josh?"
"One of his dirty little tricks."
"Great." Emily, Sam and Marlowe all shrugged, lowering their heads while Ashley sat in the corner, alone in the darkness while she sobbed.
Mike stood, rubbing his hands over his face, "if that fucking thing got a hold of Josh... then... we're shit out of luck."
"I don't know, Mike... it's possible..." Emily's voice was soft and determined.
"What's possible?"
"It may have taken him down to the mines..." Emily briefly elaborated. She turned and faced the wall that was coated in images that Josh Washington had pinned for his little terror night, "I saw some horrible stuff down there. I think it's where that thing lives... and... huh."
"Fuck it, I'm gonna get that key. Right from that thing's goddamn bedroom." Mike said, determined. Marlowe shook her head, knowing damn well that Mike, alone, would die going up against these things. She was in a three vs. one and still lost.
"Em... what is all of this?" Sam questioned, capturing everyone's attention.
"It's that old guy's bag."
Mike peered over Marlowe's shoulder, "is that a map?"
"The guy really was prepared for everything." Sam observed.
"Not quite everything, apparently," Mike left a bitter joke about the old man's death to sit with the group, earning an elbow to his left side by Marlowe with her good arm, who stood shaking her head.
Spreading out the map for everyone to gather and see, including Ashley who had since joined them. She stood on the other side of Sam, steering clear from the others in fear. But the red head bit the bullet and looked up at Marlowe, hearing the bloodied girls whisper. "If I don't get to kill you tonight, I hope something else will." The red head retreated back to her dark corner.
Emily's finger danced along the paper, stopping over the word 'Sanatorium'. "What is this place?"
"Lo and I were down there. Horrible place. We found these plans - they knew the mine was a death trap, but they still let the miners keep working anyway." Mike explained, "And I'm sure there is something there that will help Marlowe last until dawn."
"I'll be fine," Marlowe sighed, her body aching all over. Each and every part of her was a bloodied mess.
Mike looked over at her and shook his head. He didn't believe it for a second. He knew he shouldn't have allowed her to go out there.
"What's weird is that there's a tunnel leading from the lodge to the Sanatorium, see?" Emily pointed on the map, her finger running along the path of the tunnel.
"That's how we got back here." Marlowe explained, her voice withering away and strained from her dry throat.
Em nodded her head and pointed at the mine, "this is where it lives. Down in the mines. I was down there. That's probably where Josh is."
Mike wiped the small amount of sweat accumulating on his brow, "alright. It might be a risk, but I'll bring Marlowe with me to the Sanatorium, find something that isn't expired to help. She's already bleeding through what we had in the kit. We will snake around through the snow until we reach the mine. We will get Josh and the key, and then we will both be back and we can all get the hell out of here. Sound good?"
"I think it's too risky taking Lo. Moving around might cause the blood to run out of her system quicker."
"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Mike justified his decision. "She could bleed out right here. Or we can at least try to do something."
Marlowe tugged on the sleeve of his green jacket, "you still have my machete?"
"Your machete, huh?" Mike let out a small, but comforting, laugh, "you think you can still swing it?"
"I know I can."
⸝⸝ ʚ 🪓 ! ⌗ °• ━━━ '' - «🕸»‧₊˚𓍯 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚
╰┈➤ ugh three chapters left + the epilogue and alternative endings chapters. IM SO CLOSE. i just wanna finish this book already 😭 guys ashley isn't dead yet but i got a little plan. bc fuck that hoe and this is my safe space. also sorry it was like a month, but i'm sure you're all not surprised 🤍