Post Dawn

25. Attack

Chris stayed on the other line of the phone where Emily had hung up on him as he stayed silent. He hung up the phone too and then turned to Ashley who hadn't heard what she had said.

"What?" She asked him, worry already showing on her face.

Chris's mind raced as he realized just what could be happening right now. Josh was a Wendigo. If it was true, Emily was dead. She was as good as dead at least. She wouldn't leave Josh, he knew the two had gotten close.

Ashley got up and briskly walked over to Chris and put her hands on his cheeks. "Chris." His name pulled him out of his thoughts as he looked at her.

His lip started trembling as he tried his best to keep himself calm. But he couldn't. He couldn't think about it without being on the verge of tears.

He started sobbing as he fell into Ashley's arms. His shoulders going up and down without his control. Ashley didn't know what to do. She stayed there trying to hold Chris up and herself up at once.

"Chris what-." Another sob went through him as he started to compose himself slowly.

He was still sniffling as he quietly spoke. "Josh. Emily thinks he's turning into a Wendigo and I can't. I just can't think about it. Him and then the other Wendigos that are coming down from the mountain. Are we even gonna be able to make it through this again?" He asked.

Ashley furrowed her eyebrows and tried to think about something to say but she didn't have anything. She didn't say a word.

All she did was pull Chris in closer and wrap her arms around him tightly. She didn't want to let go of him. She thought if she did he would break into a million pieces. He was so scared.

She was too. But if she started to cry then they would both go tumbling. "We will." She said.

Chris took in a breath through his sobs and then very slowly broke away from her.

He then fell onto the couch and kept taking deep breaths to stop his crying. Ashley sat next to him and then wrapped her arms around him again.

"I just wish last year never happened. I wish we could go back and make sure it didn't happen. Then we would've- I don't know. Maybe we would've been safer." Ashley said. Chris nodded and then put his head on Ashley's.

"I know." Chris managed to say. The two stayed like that for a while and didn't say a word to each other.

~~~~~~~

Matt had stayed in Jess's room for hours it felt like. He had been making sure she slept the whole night. And if she did wake up that he would be right there for her to make sure she was alright.

It hadn't been long for him to fall asleep as well. Maybe 30 minutes at least. Next to him, Jess had been dreaming. She wasn't sure what to make of it at first.

"Well hello Miss Riley." The man greeted. She didn't say anything to him. He didn't present himself as being a nice man. He didn't even seem to be trying to give her that impression.

"Well that's not a very pleasant greeting." He said with an abnormal smile forming.

"So tell me, what's been on your mind?" He asked her. Now she had to respond to him.

"Nothing. I've just been trying to get better." She said.

There was a slight pause in conversation as the man leaned forward in his chair. "Now now Miss Riley. You don't expect to get better with lying, do you?" He asked her.

She scoffed at him. "I'm not lying."

"Another lie." He said. She began getting agitated. She didn't say anything to him as she crossed her arms.