Creatures of the Night | Mike x Fem Reader

2: A Year Later

Y/N = Your Name

Y/Nc/N = Your Nickname

M/Nc/N = Mike's Nickname for you

The cable car jerks to a stop at the top of the mountain, and I step out into the biting cold, the chill immediately sinking through my jacket. I watch as the cable car slowly begins its descent, the lights fading into the misty clouds as it glides back down the mountain. There's something almost eerie about the way it disappears, like a lifeline vanishing into the void.

I take a moment to look out over the snow-covered peaks of Blackwood Mountain. It's been a year since I last stood here, a year since Hannah and Beth vanished into this same darkness. Nothing about this place has changed, but everything feels different now. Josh wanted us all to come back, to honor the tradition that his sisters started - to throw the kind of party they would've wanted us to have. He says it's for their memory, to celebrate them, to keep the spirit of the night alive.

I'm not sure if I believe that's possible. This mountain holds too much of what we lost. But I couldn't say no to Josh, not after the way he looked at me when he asked. Like he was holding onto this party as the only thing that could keep the pieces of his world from falling apart.

I stand at the edge railing by the cliff, staring out over the same snow-covered landscape that swallowed them whole. My dad tried everything he could to help find them. He worked quietly, pulling whatever strings he could behind the scenes, but even he couldn't bend the mountain to his will. The only ones who know about his involvement are Melinda and Bob Washington. It's not like I ever told anyone else. Some secrets are easier to keep buried, just like this place.

I thought focusing on the facts would make it easier. The details, the evidence - or lack of it - the cold logic that doesn't care about feelings. I thought if I could just keep my emotions locked up, I wouldn't have to deal with how much this place haunts me.

Over the year, I ended up spending more time with Josh than I expected. At first, it was just out of concern, just checking in when his parents weren't around, pretending I wasn't worried about him. We talked, sometimes for hours, filling the silence with whatever we could think of to distract ourselves. I thought I was helping him. I thought we were getting through it together.

I mostly kept in touch with Sam over the year. She's the only one who seems to get that some things aren't easy to talk about. We texted a lot, her messages always warm and encouraging, never pushing me to open up more than I was ready for. As for the rest of the group, I kept my distance. I only saw them when they visited Josh, and even then, my conversations with them were short and clipped. I've never been good at small talk, not when there's so much else weighing on my mind.

It's easier like this, keeping people at arm's length. It's safer. Less messy. Because the truth is, I'm still angry. Angry that we all lost Hannah and Beth that night. Angry that no matter how much I tried to focus on the logic, I still couldn't bring them back. 

Pulling out my phone, I open up my messages and type a quick text to Sam, needing to know where she is. Just got to the top. You close? I send it off, staring at the screen as I wait for her reply. The cold air seeps through my gloves, but I barely notice it as I stand there, surrounded by nothing but the wind and the silence of the mountain.

A few seconds later, my phone buzzes in my hand. It's Sam. Just got off the bus. Heading to the cable car station now. Be there soon! she writes, adding a smiley face that almost makes me smile in return.

I let out a slow breath, feeling a little less alone. Sam's always been the one person I can count on to make things feel normal, even when nothing about this place feels right anymore. I pocket my phone and turn back to the view, watching the distant lights of the lodge flicker in the darkness, waiting for Sam to make her way up the mountain.