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the world had never seemed so dark, so cold, so utterly indifferent to the horror unraveling before your eyes.
you and josh were supposed to escape this together. he'd promised you. he was going to make it right. but here you stood, forced to watch everything fall apart, and mike was the only one keeping you from completely shattering.
josh's screams had already faded into the abyss below, his body thrown into the darkness by the creature that once called him brother. the wendigo. those cursed beings had claimed him, the way his body twisted and writhed, it wasn't supposed to end like this.
not for him. not for you.
your breath caught in your throat, chest heaving violently as you struggled to suppress the scream that clawed its way up from your lungs. you wanted to cry out, to call for him, to beg for some kind of miracle that would pull him back from the brink. but mike's hand, firm, unyielding, clamped over your mouth. muffling any sound that could betray your hiding place. his other arm pulled you close, trying to ground you as you trembled uncontrollably.
"stay quiet, or we're all dead," mike whispered harshly in your ear, his voice low and strained. you could feel his own panic, though he tried to keep it under control. the lodge was a death trap now. every moment that passed was a countdown to the end.
your eyes burned with tears as the image of josh's broken body burned into your mind. it played on repeat, how he reached for you, the pain in his eyes, the way his lips moved in what should have been your name before he was gone. and now, you were left with nothing but that hollow, soul-crushing silence.
they managed to get to the basement, hiding in the darkness, waiting for the right moment. the others were whispering hurried plans, scrambling to figure out how to make it out alive. but you weren't there anymore. not really. your mind was trapped with josh, beneath the lodge, buried in the ash and snow.
somehow, in the chaos, you found yourself standing at the breaker switch, the final solution, the only way to end it all.
mike's voice cracked through your haze, pleading with you to follow him, to leave the lodge before it was too late. but your feet remained rooted to the floor.
"we need to go. now!" he urged, pulling at your arm. but you barely registered his words.
you knew what needed to happen. the fire, the destruction, it was the only way to stop the wendigos. to keep anyone else from suffering the same fate as josh. but you couldn't leave him here. not after everything you'd been through.
"i'm staying," you whispered, finally speaking for the first time since josh had...since it all fell apart.
mike froze, staring at you as if you'd just ripped the air from his lungs. "no. no, you're not doing this. come on, we can still make it out–"
you shook your head, the tears falling freely now. "i'm not leaving him."
his grip tightened on your arm, desperate. "don't be stupid! this isn't what he would've wanted. he wanted you safe. he..."
the words died on his lips as he saw the resolve in your eyes. there was no convincing you. no saving you from the choice you had already made.
"come on." his voice was desperate.
but you couldn't hear him anymore.
"you need to go, mike," you said quietly, your voice unnervingly calm amidst the chaos.
he hesitated, eyes darting between you and the switch, the fire already creeping closer. "i'm not leaving you here."
"yes, you are," you said firmly, pushing him toward the exit. "please, just... get out."
mike's face twisted in anguish, but he knew he couldn't force you to leave. he clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to pull you with him. but you were determined. and so was he. "i'm sorry," he choked out before turning on his heel and running toward the exit.
you watched him disappear, your heart aching as the weight of your choice settled over you. but this was the only way.
the switch felt heavy beneath your trembling fingers, but it clicked easily as you flipped it, the hum of electricity sparking to life. the lodge creaked ominously as the seconds stretched into eternity.
you stayed there, standing alone in the center of the room as the fire began to consume the walls around you, swallowing everything in its path. you closed your eyes, imagining josh beside you, his hand in yours. you didn't care about the flames licking at your skin, or the smoke filling your lungs.
you were going to be with him soon.
for the first time since this nightmare began, you weren't afraid.
