Until Dawn

Chapter 8: It's Been A Long Time...

     I'd let my eyes slip shut after about five or ten minutes of silence. Josh's body was still slumped over on the stool, his head lolling against his chest. My brother, Mike, had taken up pacing almost non-stop and I could currently here his footsteps going toward the entrance again. He'd stop for a moment, before turning and heading back the other way. My mind had had time to wander between now and then, I wasn't sure Josh had actually done anything to Jess. But if he hadn't, somebody had. which meant that we were still on a mountain with someone else. 

     A loud scream pierced the air, my body tensed at the sound. My eyes flashed open and I scrambled to my feet. Mike glanced at Josh then me.

     "Crap... what now?" 

     "Go." Mike's gaze landed on me. 

      "What?" He asked. I pointed out the door. 

     "Go! Go see what's going on!" I urged him. 

     "I'm not leaving you alone with him Robin." Mike insisted shaking his head and walking toward me. I stepped back. 

     "I'm not going to leave him alone Mike, he's messed up. AND knocked out, just... go see what's going on... then come back ok?" I pressed my hands softly into his chest, momentarily drawing from his warmth. 

      "I... ok... just stay here alright? Be careful." He murmured looking down at me. 

     I offered him a tentative smile before pushing him toward the opening. He gave me a final glance before jogging out into the snow. I watched for a moment before marching over to Josh. I knelt in front of him and pressed my fingers against his throat, his pulse jumped again and again to meet my fingers. Carefully I cupped his head and lifted it until I could see both sides of his face. I scanned his skin, looking for a lump where the stick had come into contact with his skull. 

     "Josh?" I whispered carefully letting his head slump back down. "Joshy...?" I whispered again, shaking his shoulders softly as I did. 

     "Mmmm--" His eyelids fluttered, like he was dreaming. I let out a deep breath and leaned back on my heels. Footsteps in the snow alerted me to Mike's return. 

     "I was just checking the dam--" I began, turning to face my brother. But instead my throat pinched shut about half way through the sentence. 

      It's skin was pale, almost the same color as the snow, save for the spots that littered it's figure. Rotting pieces of flesh hung from it, pieces peeled away. In other spots veins lifted to become fully visible under the white... flesh? I attempted to swallow, but it felt like I was trying to swallowing a bowling ball. The creature crept closer, lowered onto all fours with it's long spider-like limbs. The skin was pulled taunt and smooth over it's skull, where a pair of milky white eyes watched me. I felt my skin crawling, and I was certain every inch of my body was covered in goose pimples.

      "Hannah......" I breathed out, my eyes had found a small black butterfly on the creatures shoulder. My gaze shifted to it's face, to those cold white eyes. "Hannah?" I repeated softly. The creature seemed to be analyzing me. I didn't even have time to gasp before it's figure was inches from mine, it's long fingers wrapped around my throat tightly. I groaned and clutched at it's hand, trying to pull the vise-like grip away from my air pipes. 

      I shuddered as it screamed in my face. My stomach churned. It's breath smelled like a can of rotting garbage, not to mention the staleness overall. I closed my eyes and hoped that it was so focused on me, that it wouldn't notice Josh slumped over maybe a foot from us. Even though I'd only seen the jagged teeth that jutted out in rows, I could still see them clearly. I could picture them sinking into my throat and ripping it out, my blood cascading down my body like a stream. But even that thought was lost to the darkness as the back of my head connected with something hard.