Until Dawn

3.1 - Isolation

EIGHT HOURS UNTIL DAWN
Location: -----
Time: -----

Y/N

'Huh?' When I came to, I noticed that I wasn't in my bedroom. "The fuck...?" I muttered as I tried to move, but couldn't. I noticed that I was "...upside down?" I queried as I looked at my foot. They were tied up. I looked at my wristwatch and read the time. "0130? Two hours have passed...I was out for that long?" I questioned myself as I continued to hang in the air.

I looked down at the snowy ground and saw a note. 'That note'll have something for me...or at least explain what's going on.' I noted as I tried to shimmy my foot out of the rope. I noticed that the rope was tied around my shoes and not my ankle. 'This'll be easier than I thought...' I told myself as I slowly picked myself up and outstretched my fingers to my laces. I pulled on one as I felt it loosen.

'Almost there...' I thought as I dropped down to rest. I grunted as I went up again and unlaced the other shoe. 'Brace for impact!' I told myself as I slipped out of my boots. I landed softly into the ground as I crawled towards the note. My stomach turned when I saw the font on it. I started to read it.

To Y/N L/N,
Hello. You don't know who I am, but I know who you are. As soon as you wake up, all of your friends have already met their doom. What do I mean their doom? Well...you're a smart man, you know what I mean.
Sincerely,

I flipped the paper on the other side to see that it was blank. 'I need to head back to the lodge.' I told myself as I stood up and took my phone out. I turned the flashlight on and started to walk in the forest. With no sense of direction...and with no service...

. . .

"This is-!" I started as I dropped my hands and looked over at where I was. I felt my hands shake as I was at the clifftop. "How did I get here?" I asked myself as I felt myself drop onto the snow. Beth's words repeated in my head...It's not your fault...it's theirs...

'But it was my fault, Beth...I knew I could've saved you two...but I froze...I'm sorry...I'm really sorry, Beth...and Hannah...' I started to feel tears come down from my eyes as I gripped onto the snow. I then heard a scream, but it didn't sound human. I turned and froze. I watched as the creature slowly walks towards me.

'I...I can't move...' I told myself as I eyed the creature. Then, the creature screamed in my ear as I stayed still. As it was walking around me, I noticed something on its right upper arm. 'A butterfly tattoo...?' I queried as I watched the creature shout at my face and run away.

When I no longer felt its presence, I slowly stood and grabbed my phone. I shined my light over the path as I remembered the way back because of the incident. I couldn't help but wonder about the tattoo on the creature's arm.

'The only person I've seen with that same tattoo was Hannah. But that creature didn't look human at all. It looked like Gollum from Lord of the Rings, though...' I thought to myself as I saw the set of stairs I took before. I walked up to it and continued to think. 'But, let's think for a moment Y/N if that creature was Hannah...then Beth would be the same...but there's no way of knowing. I watched both of them fall to their deaths...so how could this be? And creatures like what I just saw...I must have just hallucinated. Yeah, let's just go with that.' I finished as I ran up the lodge.

I rammed into the door as it opened easily. It was all too quiet. "Chris?! Ashley?!" I started. "Josh?! Sam?! ANYONE?!" I shouted but it was still too quiet. I then noticed lit candles on the stair railings and a balloon that had an arrow on it.