˗ˏˋ CHAPTER THIRTEEN ˊˎ˗
o. not with a bang
WHEN VENTURING INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE MINES, Ellie Greene had not anticipated that the last spark of light within her shattered heart would be smothered by the darkness of Blackwood Mountain. And the end was brought upon her, not with a bang, but with a whimper. For the glimmer of metal catching in her eyes was the first flicker that threatened to burn out the dull flame that willed the girl to survive.
She had been standing idle beside both Mike and Sam as the two debate whether it is in their best interest to wander through a lake in front of them, yet their words had been nothing more than mere static within her ears, for her attention was elsewhere. Her mind losing control over her limbs as memories cloud her judgement, her legs guide her toward the place in which the glint of metal was coming from. The hairs on the back of her neck stand at alert as she crouches down in front of a make-shift grave, her heart dropping as her blood-soaked fingers latch around a small metal item.
Clutched within her shaky grasp is a familiar bracelet, one identical to the one worn upon Ellie's wrist; the one she refused to take off. As if to rub salt into the wound, and pump more guilt through her veins, she gingerly turns the item over, as if terrified of breaking it. Engraved in tiny, cursive letters, is the name of Ellie's best friend; Beth. The concerned words spoken by Sam fall deaf upon the ears of Ellie, the memories of when the Washington girl had gifted her the bracelets capturing her mind.
Tears cascade freely down the cheeks of Ellie Greene, the droplets escaping with a ferocity that had built up over the days of her forcing them not to fall. Too long had she remained stoic in the face of devastation, acting as though the loss of her mother had not broken something deep within her; all for the sake of her father. Yet, when Beth Washington had come to visit her best friend whilst she suffered through the darkest of times, Ellie's brave facade shattered the moment their eyes met.
Hours had passed while the Greene girl had found comfort in the presence of her friend. Little had they spoken, for there were no words that could ease the loss of a loved one. When the broken sobs of the Greene girl had come to an end, for the time being, a pounding headache forming in her head, she had strayed from the kind arms of her best friend. Now, as they sit side by side, backs resting against the base of Ellie's bed, Beth reaches into the pocket of her jacket. She pulls out two silver bracelets, holding one out for the taking of Ellie.
"Here, this one's for you," Beth receives a curious look in response to her words. Ellie hesitates to take the item from the girl, having always been the one unwelcoming to the notion of receiving gifts, for she believed she did not deserve such kindness. Yet, she is not in the mood to put up a stubborn front, and when she silently takes it, a small smile passes over the lips of Beth. Helping the Greene girl put it on her wrist, Beth explains the gift. "I got them to symbolise a promise. You're my best friend. No, you're practically my sister. And no matter what happens, we'll always stick by each other's side. If something happens to one of us, the other will be right there to pick them up, to be there for them. There is no way I'll ever leave you, El. You know that, right?"
Ellie Greene had never responded to the earnest words of her friend, opting for a response familiar to her; silence. Though she had not uttered a word, she truly wished to believe everything Beth had spoke of, for she knew not what she would do without her. She had fought a battle against herself, against the voice within her telling her that eventually she, too, would leave. It was a war that, despite difficult, she had overcome, the Greene girl gaining full faith in Beth's promise mere days before they'd journeyed out on their trip to Blackwood Mountain.
In hindsight, Ellie could see how naive she had been.
The aftermath of the twins' disappearance had not been one easily dealt with, and to this day, Ellie had never truly come to terms with it. She tried her best, standing beside the only remaining Washington child through the darkest of times, not only for her care toward Josh but as she felt it was the only way she could uphold her end of the promise. For Ellie Greene, handling the inner turmoils of others were far easier than dealing with your own. Bliss toward her own feelings had always been a friend of hers, yet it did not have the best intentions in its heart, for in secret it was her greatest enemy.
Yet she had broken the promise once, and she'd done it again. Over and over. She had failed Beth, and now she had failed Josh many times. Though she knew not if the boy were even still alive, the thought that she could, or more accurately, would fail him again instils terror within her heart. The bliss that once was built up around her heart had shattered alongside it that night, and no longer could she act like the same naive girl who once believed that, in the end, everything would be alright.
The current reality slowly seeps back into the senses of Ellie, her focus being drawn back to the unappealing times when Mike places a gentle hand upon her shoulder. Both he and Sam had wandered over to see what had intrigued the girl, only to have their hearts ache in sympathy for her. To his surprise, Ellie does not shrug off the friendly hand, as she uses it to tether herself back to what is real, desperately wanting to escape the past. The energy to shed so much as a tear is long-lost upon her, her eyes remaining dry even as she spares one last glance at the makeshift grave, before shoving Beth's bracelet into her pocket. Uttering not even a word, she stands from the ground, purposely avoiding the sympathetic gazes in which she receives.
With the tension upon them threatening to suffocate the trio, they silently make their way to the edge of the water, which appears blackened by the darkness. The water was not what brought upon fear within the teenagers, instead, it was what could be lurking within that sent chills stomping down their spines. Mike is the first to step foot within the mirky liquid, goosebumps rising on his skin as the freezing water touches his skin. Seeing the water comes only to the boy's waist, Ellie hesitantly follows his lead. Sam, on the other hand, is less than willing, and Mike catches onto this, calling back to her. "Come on. It's okay. I'm not dead yet."
"Famous last words," Sam mutters beneath her breath, yet follows the lead of the two others regardless. Her muscles tense up beneath the icy touch of the water, a hitched breath escaping her lips. Wading through liquid, she speaks with a quickened voice. "It's freezing. I can't feel my fingers."
As Mike takes a step more, the water rises above the level he had bargained for, reaching his chest. As Ellie follows, her body more submerged in the water than that of Mike, she finds herself thankful that she was not the shortest among the trio; wishing to keep as dry as possible. That title instead fell upon Sam, who stood at a shorter height than the others, Mike more than a ruler's length taller, while Ellie possessing only half his advantage. The blonde eyes the water with cation, calling out, "Wait a minute. I thought you'd reach the deepest part.
"I didn't say that," Mike defends half-heartedly. Shining the beam of light from his torch around their current area, he notices a watermill to their right. However, they first venture toward the left, slowly approaching a small landmass."I said it was okay, meaning like there weren't any sharks or anything in here.
"If something in here kills me, I'm coming back to haunt you, asshat," Ellie quips, and to the surprise of those alongside her, there is a hint of humour held within her tone. Her gaze shifts toward the male for half a moment, yet in that time, their eyes meet.
"I wouldn't expect any less," Mike responds, the vaguest beginnings of a smile dancing upon his lips, yet the joyous nature the gesture should behold does not shimmer meet his eyes. Reaching the small landmass before the two females, he lifts himself onto the solid ground, a huff of effort escaping his lips. Turning back, he offers a hand out to Ellie to aid her in the task of doing the same, as Sam had already done so.
Ellie grimaces at the feeling of her clothes freezing material clinging to her skin, each inch of it drenched by the disgusting waters they'd travelled through. Pushing aside her discomfort, Ellie steps away from the ledge of the small landmass, noticing a small, worn-down book sprawled out upon the dirt, open for all eyes to see. Sam kneels before it to observe it closely. Mike, however, does not need to crouch down to see the familiarities in which it holds, his heart dropping at the sight of handwriting he could never forget.
"Oh, shit. This looks like Hannah's writing," Mike exclaims, shining the beam of illuminance from his flashlight in hopes it would disprove his claims. Instead, it only confirms them. Sam begins silently reading through the journal in which had once belonged to Hannah Washington. When she reaches the third page, she reads out loud the words scrawled upon the yellowed, water-damaged paper.
"I'm sorry Beth... I have no choice. It's the only way I can survive anymore. If someone finds this, I'm sorry. I had to... I had no choice," Sam voices the words within the book. Turning over the page, horror floods her as she looks upon the final entry within the diary, consisting of only one word; hungry. Insanity practically drips from the page, the ink in which the Washington girl had written with fleeing her pen slower than her humanity had left her. A build-up of utter dread builds within the depths of Sam's stomach as the pieces begin to click into place, terror threatening to swallow her whole. "Oh god... It makes sense... I think... Hannah dug up Beth. It was Hannah!"
"No that's - that's ridiculous-" Mike head shakes rapidly in denial, his frantic mind unable to fathom that a girl as kind-hearted and innocent as Hannah would do such a thing; and to her twin sister, the person she loved the most, nonetheless. He takes a step back without truly thinking, overwhelming guilt guiding the way.
"Michael... Michael, it has to be. It's the only thing that makes sense- Beth died in the fall," Sam's voice wavers with a horrid mixture of desperation and grief, the girl moving to stand before Mike, meeting his eyes in hopes for him to see the truth, for she could not deal with it alone. "So Hannah must have buried her."
"Why would she..." Ellie trails off, her dull eyes glued solely upon the diary, that had stolen away their blissfulness, and unknowingly, altered the fate of another. Disbelief rushes through her veins with a burning ferocity, and she finds herself unable to meet the gazes of those around her. "She wouldn't-"
"Hannah was down here... for..." Sam continues, the rambles and taken-aback exclaims of those around her like nails on chalkboards within her ears, as she wished nothing more than their turmoil to settle within them. Yet she knew that such a thing would not happen for a long time, maybe even ever. "She would have been starving... she would have been desperate-
"Fuck!"'
"We need to find Josh. Right now," Sam tells them with urgency brewing within her words, her gaze shifting between both those in front of her. A silent agreement passing over the trio, they quickly find themselves venturing back into the water, wading their way through it. The water gets even deeper as they pass by the idle watermill, and just when Ellie believes they may soon be fully submerged, they reach land.
Like a fish out of water, the three roll themselves onto solid ground. Glancing around the area, they find there is only one path they can take; a large wooden doorway. Sam lifts a plank of wood from the handle, that being the thing keeping it locked. The moment it is freed from resistance, the door bursts open, and a wall of water gushes out from behind. All three are knocked from their feet, but that is the least of their worries, as a decomposing head rolls out alongside the crimson-tinted liquid. Along follows another, however, a bloodcurdling scream echoes throughout the mines as they recognise who the decapitated body part belongs to.
Matt.
Ellie had barely interacted with him throughout the night, let alone had time to worry for the boy's safety. Some naive portion of her mind had thought he'd be okay, that if she were not there to watch him die, he wouldn't. The last she'd encountered him was when he and Emily were venturing off to seek help, one of the few times she'd spoken to him in a year. She couldn't even recall the last words she'd spoken to him, though she doubted they'd be of a kind nature, considering at the time, she had believed that Josh had died right before her eyes. And here he was, dead, without her ever able to utter a goodbye. With the opportunity now to speak, though he may never hear, she can only muster up the courage to whisper two words. "I'm sorry."
A hand gently wraps around the bicep of Ellie, pulling her attention away from the loss of a friend, whom she'd never been able to truthfully tell she forgave. Mike guides her until she can walk on her own, the two following the lead of Sam as they enter the room from which the head came. However, they are utterly oblivious to what watches them the way a predator would prey, waiting to strike when they're at their most vulnerable.
The trio freeze within the midst of her step, horror ambushing their veins as a harrowing sight is laid out before them. Strung upon meathooks hung from the ceiling are bodies, both unknown and familiar, all without heads. The body of Matt and the stranger who had died before Ellie and Chris are amongst the crowd. They each exclaim in their own ways of grief and disgust, with Ellie gagging at the sight, and it took every ounce of willpower within her not to throw up. Her hands rest upon her knees for support as nausea overwhelms her, brewing a deadly concoction with the guilt within her.
"Wait wait wait! Hold on. I think I saw something..." Mike exclaims suddenly, catching the attention of those around him. The two females struggle to regain their composure as they stumble toward the place he stands, which is in front of a wall clumsily made by wooden planks. Peering through the gaps within the walls, Ellie Greene catches sight of Josh, and for the first time since she'd ventured to hell upon that night, hope dares to seep into the ashes of her heart.
Sam yells out the boy's name, yet no response is granted, for the boy is too entranced by his incoherent muttering to notice. Ellie's eyes dart around the room they're within, spotting a door in which grants them access to the boy who, despite it all, she found herself unable to not love. Bursting through the entryway, with the others following closely behind her, she takes slow steps toward Josh, whom, upon closer inspection, is too caught up in his delusions to notice their presence.
"You can't tell me what to do," The same sentence ripples from the hoarse throat of Josh Washington on a constant repeat, like a broken record of suffering. His voice is muffled by the daze of instability, the boy dancing upon the brink of insanity, or so others may have claimed. Ellie Greene had never once looked upon him in such a light, for when she saw him now, she wished nothing more than to help him and to ease the pain that was one of the few constants in his life.
It was this very desperation to help the Washington boy that she'd been warned against for many, as they had told her that her downfall could come at the hands of him. Though, she had never once suspected that the words in which she'd disgraced with ease had the potential to become her reality.
—
S T A T U S U P D A T E!
Traits;
Honest: 3/10 ↓
Charitable: 4/10
Funny: 7/10
Brave: 7/10 ↑
Romantic: 2/10
Curious: 6/10 ↑
Relationships;
Ashley: 0/10
Chris: 4/10
Emily: 4/10
Jess: 2/10
Josh: 5/10
Matt: 5/10
Mike: 6/10 ↑
Sam: 7/10
•••
A/N
two more chapters and an epilogue
left of this story 😌 I have some serious
shit going down, so y'all better get strapped
in for the ride. I have the epilogue practically
finished, besides the final paragraph, as I have
no fucking clue how t write the last paragraph
of this whole book (': though I'm a little proud
of the rest of that chapter.
Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this
chapter, and that you'll stick around
to see the completion of this story (: 💛