Until Dawn AU ~ Redemption

Chapter Four - Hope

Dripping water was the only sound Sam heard as she awoke a little dazed. The caves, which she found herself in, were almost silent, the atmosphere eerie and unsettling. Faint scratching sounds had also been around for a little while, until they faded away as Sam lay on the ground aching, not wanting to pull herself up, despite knowing she had no choice. She had to get herself off the mountain, she had to find her friends. Had they made it off the mountain? Were they all alive, or were they dead? Maybe there were still on the mountain? They won't even know I'm alive... Her thoughts flew through her head in their hundreds, triggering energy in her body to give herself the motivation to pull herself up so she was now in a sitting position. She touched her arm, noting a few bruises and scratches, she winced, realising it hurt, and she groaned. As her eyes scanned over the rest of her body, she realised it wasn't just her arms that were full of cuts and bruises. She began taking in her surroundings whilst rubbing her head forcefully, trying to come around properly. There was no sign of anyone or anything in the area of the caves she was in. She had purposely looked around for any possible nearby Wendigos. They were the last thing she wanted to run into, especially as she wasn't in the best shape to fight back after being dragged down into the caves. Standing up at last, her memories began to reassemble themselves in her brain like a jigsaw being put together. She had been unsure how she'd ended up back in the caves after her and Mike had made their way into the basement of the cabin to find Emily, Ash, and Chris. After that point, all she had remembered was facing Wendigos in the cabin, but it had been mainly a blur. Now she was up on her feet and composing herself, she remembered what had happened which only confused her more.

Empty, icy eyes, drilled into Sam's face. The Wendigo she was faced with was horrifying, it's body towering over her, and she knew in that moment, as she twitched, that she was about to die.
She shut her eyes, ready to bear the agonising pain that would soon fill her body. Not caring any longer, she let out a scream, forcing herself to open her eyes as the Wendigo screamed back into her face. A second screech pierced through the atmosphere, alerting Sam as well as the Wendigo she was faced with. The second Wendigo, which she noticed had a butterfly tattoo, threw itself towards the Wendigo which had been ready to launch at Sam. Hannah... Hannah was... Saving her? Finding herself caught up in the Wendigo fight, she tried to back away, but she was struck by one of the Wendigo's long arms. She was slammed against the beam she had been standing near, and fell to the ground unconscious. That was the last thing she remembered.

The only questions that remained in her mind were based around how she had managed to end up in the caves, and why she hadn't been killed by a Wendigo. Had Hannah brought her down here? If so, why would she want to save her? A possibility began to pull at her in the back of Sam's mind. Did Wendigo Hannah still have humanity within her? Sam had almost convinced herself of this, but she didn't want to attempt to test it out. Hannah may have been planning to kill her, but she dismissed the thoughts within the back of her mind, and made the choice to focus on getting out of the caves, and to the surface. Rubbing her hands on the tops of her arms, she gave herself a little warmth before taking a few careful steps forward, her headlight torch still on her head, but the glass was smashed, the light no longer working. She yanked the torch from her head and cast it aside, an annoyed groan escaping her mouth.
Determined, she kept her legs moving forward away from the area of the cave she was in. She was relieved to recognise the area she had been left in. It was the same area that her and Mike had found Josh in. Josh. Mike had told her that the Wendigo had got him which left a lump in her throat which she swallowed down instantly, trying not to think about it. It was horrible what he had done, but her heart ached from the loss. She had felt a true connection with him.
Her footsteps created a small sound as her feet hit the cavern floor. She pushed herself against the wooden door which creaked as she opened it. Pausing to glance around, her eyes wide, she made sure no Wendigos were around. The next room instantly brought back the sick feeling in her mouth that she felt not so long ago. The flamethrower guy's body still remained hung up, and she tried to pull her gaze away, but it was stuck firm on his dangling, bloody body.
"Gross..." She murmured to herself, her voice weak as she gagged a little.
Her body was weak, causing her to slouch a little as she walked, but despite this, she tried to keep her head up high and alert. She no longer had any light with her so the mine was almost midnight black. The only light was the few beams of sunlight that had pushed its way into the cave. Sunlight. It was day time, which slightly reassured her. Trekking through the room, she reached the other side, and knowing exactly where to go, she found herself back at the water. Last time she had been there, she'd been with Mike. They had been vulnerable and afraid, but now she was even more exposed, and terrified. She was alone. Mike had offered some comfort by being there.
Finding the bit of confidence she still had within her, she perched herself on the edge of the ledge which lay slightly above the water. Her feet were almost touching the water, skimming across the surface, only millimetres away. Her mind was still blurry, it made her reluctant to enter the water however she knew she had no choice.
Before her subconscious could attempt to talk herself out of it, Sam pushed herself from the ledge and into the water. She couldn't help but squeal slightly as the piercing coldness of the water shot into her body instantly with no warning. It clutched onto her legs and began biting and clawing at her. Desperate to get out of the water as soon as she could, Sam began taking large steps, still ensuring her arms were high above the water, not wanting to dip her fingers in. Water pushed against her like a barrier, trying to prevent her from continuing. Her vision was foggy, yet it didn't deter her as she hurried to the opposite side of the water inside the cavern.
Relieved, Sam threw her arms onto the new ledge, struggling to pull herself up, she barely managed the task, and dropped to the floor exhausted. She lay on her back for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling. For a little while, she could almost imagine that she wasn't at risk... That she could just relax and take it easy. Water still remained to be the only sound she could hear, it echoed around the cavern almost creating a tune. Closing her eyes for a few mere seconds, she allowed herself to listen to the atmosphere. A sudden scream forcing her eyes open, and her upper body upright so she was sat on the ground. Turning her head frantically from side to side, and seeing nothing, she began to think she had imagined it, until she heard it again. This scream wasn't a screech, it didn't sound like a Wendigo, but it could be mimicking for all she knew. It sounded like- It sounded again. Josh.
Without a second thought, she scrambled up onto her feet, losing her balance a little and stumbling before regaining it and standing still, alert. It can't have been Josh. Mike had told her the Wendigo had got him. As she began to turn over Mike's words in her head, she realised how Mike hadn't used the words 'dead' or 'died', but rather simply just 'got him'. Hope rushed through her body as she began to believe Josh was alive. The scream came again, but it was becoming quieter. He sounded distressed, like when her and Mike had found him whilst he was suffering from a meltdown rather than being faced with a Wendigo. She could almost hear words from the scream too, but they were indistinguishable. She was ready to change direction to hunt for Josh before her heart sunk as it dawned on her that she'd have to rush through the water again, but a different direction. Was she really willing to risk her life on a possibility? When she heard Josh once again, she made her decision.
Almost leaping into the water, she wasted no time in making her way towards the noises. She changed her path halfway through the water, so instead of heading towards where she had originally came from, she instead walked towards Josh, or what she assumed, and hoped was Josh.
Sam reached the edge of the water where a ledge was conveniently placed, unfortunately a little too high up to simply jump onto. Sam shuffled to the side and clambered up using both her leg and arm strength to hoist herself up.
A door stood in the way of her and the noise, it was the final obstacle, her final choice. Words had suddenly become understandable from the other side of the door. She could hear; 'Leave me alone!' 'I won't come with you...' 'I can't' She paused, anxious. Every now and then, the words and screaming would stop, and she would only hear faint sobbing, and a few quiet whispers. Sam knew she was in a dangerous situation, and it was strange for her to think this, but she enjoyed Josh's whispers. They were the normal Josh, the Josh she knew... Thought she knew.
Shaking off any thoughts that were injecting misguidance into her head, she tugged at the door handle which opened surprisingly easily. Not knowing what could be on the other side, she braced herself for everything, but nothing came. Instead, she opened her eyes to see Josh, sat in the middle of the new room she had found. Similar to the one she'd found him in before. The Wendigos must have a collection of the small rooms, sort of like cells to keep their victims in. Josh had his head in his hands and was muttering to himself. Sam's footsteps alerted him slightly, he glanced up. For a second, their eyes met, and Josh was Josh. He was loving and funny, and he was back to himself again as if Sam had sparked sanity within him. Sam felt the connection she had done before, she felt safe, and overjoyed, but then it faded away. Josh's eyes became lost and distant, he bowed his head a little, as if he knew himself.
"S-Sam?"