Chapter Text
No one ever talks about it anymore.
No one talks about the prank that was pulled that led to Hannah and Beth’s deaths.
No one speaks about when the panic started to set in, when they all realized the twins weren’t coming back out of that snow storm like they thought.
No one ever mentions having to wake Josh up from his drunken sleep to tell him his sisters were missing and the way he refused to think anything except that his friends were playing a prank on him at first. Not until he sobered up and the police arrived in the morning when the storm was over.
They certainly never reminisce about that night they all went back to the cabin either.
Most of all though, they never talk about Josh. Not in front of Chris, anyway.
Not like it matters, they hardly get together anymore. After that night they all sort of went their separate ways, only holding onto meager communication through a message or meme now and then.
The only one Chris actually kept in regular touch with was Sam and to a smaller degree Ashley for a while. He liked to think Josh was a ghost following him around, teasing him about how he should have gotten to the “bone-zone” with Ash but no matter what he wished, he never felt that presence over his shoulder.
No, instead Chris had only drifted away from the girl who he had a crush on for what felt like forever and focused his attention on his schoolwork. It was easier that way. Seeing Ashley reminded him too much of seeing her and Josh stung up like pigs waiting to be gutted, the flashes of blood and organs all too fresh in his mind. Not to mention she hardly wanted all that much to do with him anyway after he blatantly chose to save Josh, not her.
And yes, he knew that had been Josh in the end behind that psycho mask.
He knew he should be angry, resentful even, towards his best friend and yet…he couldn’t bear to be. He had been for a while, but then the fury only blanketed over top a swamp of worry and guilt. Below all the anger was the guilt.
Oh, the guilt.
Chris hadn’t stopped feeling it since he survived the mountain with everyone else. Well, nearly everyone.
Josh was still up there, probably dead and eaten if not by those monsters then by the wildlife up on the mountain. They could have saved him but they just left him there, Chris left him there.
He felt sick.
He often did nowadays but now, as he rode an empty bus back up that familiar, snowy road towards Blackwood Mountain, his stomach twisted in on itself more than it had this past year at all.
“This is your stop, kid. Why are you going up here again?” The bus driver asked, his voice gruff as he parked to allow the blonde off.
Chris grunted as he stood up, his limbs felt molded to the floor of the bus but he trudged on regardless. He made it this far, he couldn’t turn back now. Even if he wasn’t entirely sure what the hell he was doing in the first place.
“Just…visiting an old friend’s grave.” He answered, backpack slung over his shoulder as he maneuvered towards the front of the empty vehicle.
“You sure you wanna go up there? Some terrible things gone on up there, heard it’s haunted.”
Now that was funny.
The blonde scoffed, stopping long enough to glance up at the old bus driver. He immediately regretted it, the worn skin and scarred face reminded him too much of The Stranger with the flamethrower that helped them. The one Chris had watched be decapitated before his very eyes.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Trust me, I’m not afraid of any ghosts.” Then, with that, he hopped off the bus and crunched through the snow towards the ski lift.
From there, everything became numb. It was like he was on autopilot, entering the lift and sitting in silence. He couldn’t even enjoy the nice view as the sun rose from the dips of the snowy hills in the distance.
Somehow, amidst his empty thoughts, he managed to semble some form of conscious control to think-
“What the fuck am I doing here again?” He groaned, dropping his face into his hands.
What was even his plan?
He wished he knew. All he understood now and what was enough to get him to make the long trip there was the guilt and Josh. He didn’t have much of a plan but he knew he wanted to visit his old friend one last time, even if he didn’t have a body.
He knew Ms. and Mr. Washington had sent up search parties to find their son, hopefully alive but more realistically his body. But, Chris hadn’t heard any word of success and he took that to mean there was nothing left to find.
That didn’t stop the guilt from eating him up. He could have saved Josh, he tried! He had gone back for him in the shed! Who could have predicted fucking wendigos for fuck’s sake? That didn’t stop the stink of dread that crept up each and every time he thought about how scared and utterly helpless Josh must have been when one of those horrible creatures dragged him out of the shed.
He shivered and jumped when the lift came to a jerky stop at the top of the mountain. Well, there was no turning back now. That’s what he told himself anyway.
The walk to the lodge was as long and cold as he remembered.
“Ugh, fuck…why do rich people have to be so damn convoluted?” He complained, smacking a branch out of his way as he moved through the trail. He absentmindedly noticed how clean it was despite no one really being up here in who knows how long. He wouldn’t put it past the Washingtons to have their own personal trail cleaner to shovel snow out of the way just for the hell of it. Unless…
“Your parents still looking for you, bro?” Chris asked out to no one, the only reply was the crunching of fresh snow beneath his feet. He liked to imagine Josh could hear him though, wherever his spirit was. “I thought they gave up ages ago…after the first couple of rescue missions, I didn’t think…well, maybe they just stopped telling me about them.” He grumbled. He would have liked to know but he guessed that he could understand why the Washingtons decided against it. No use in giving him false hope over and over again.
He had actually wanted to join in on the search but with his injuries and all he had gone through he was strictly forbidden from it.
Now, here he was, against doctor’s orders and without telling a soul. He couldn’t risk them trying to stop him.
“It’s been a hell of a year without you, Josh. You fucking idiot.” Chris mumbled, pulling his coat a little tighter as he walked. He’d be lying if part of him wasn’t pissed that his best friend went and disappeared on him, just like Hannah and Beth had two years ago now.
The blonde trudged up the trail, reaching the familiar passage that would lead right up to the ruins of the lodge. What was once a staple of the Washington vacation home, left a smoldering pile of ash and wendigo dust…or at least that’s what he had expected.
As he continued forward and the spot he knew all too well came into view, he froze and stared up at a brand new, clearly remodeled version of the old lodge, right there on top of where the old one had been.
“What? What the hell? When did they do this?” He asked incredulously. Well, obviously they built it again this past year but why? Surely they couldn’t possibly want to continue using it after losing all three children to this horrible place?
Deciding not to waste anymore time, Chris bounded up the rest of the way towards the fresh building and took the steps two at a time onto the porch. He caught sight of a surveillance camera up in the corner and cringed. So much for not being found out but…he squinted closer and it looked…off, for some reason. Huh. Actually, was the wire cut? Weird. Oh well, all the better for him.
With that he grabbed the handle and what did he expect? Of course it was locked. No biggie, he knew the Washingtons well enough and…yep, there we go. A spare key under a fake rock, three bushes to the left. As always.
As he turned the lock and the door clicked open, he silently hoped that any security system was off like the camera outside. Judging by the lack of alarms going off as he pushed his way inside, he was in luck.
“Huh…” He mumbled, glancing around and if he hadn’t known this place burnt to the ground then he would have never guessed it was a new building at all. In fact, it was impressively similar to the old lodge, right down to the art on display and the family photographs around. “Don’t fix what’s not broken, I guess…”
Further in, the blonde found the bathroom, same spot as it used to be, and helped himself. Then to the kitchen, surprised to find anything even remotely edible left in there but it was actually, somehow, stocked full. Sure a few drawers were open and the pantry looked like a tornado hit it but other than that the entire thing was…normal.
Normal, normal, normal…until he reached the door to the basement.
He stared at it with a deep frown. “What the fuck?” He grabbed one of the many locks that now kept it locked…from the outside. Only none were currently locked at all and in fact, they looked brand new and the wall beside the door frame looked as if it had been patched.
Okay, seriously creepy.
Instead of venturing down into the murder basement, Chris explored further, into the Washington's office. He felt a little bad snooping, but he mostly hoped to find out about any progress in finding Josh’s body or why on earth they decided to build the lodge at all.
“Bam!” He threw up his hands as he plopped down in one of the overly cozy chairs in front of one of the desks. For a moment or two he pretended to write as if playing a serious role in a movie but the excitement quickly faded from that. It reminded him too much of how he and Josh used to fuck around. So, he took a quick look but instead of spotting some juicy papers or even a bill for whatever ridiculous amount they paid for this whole place, Chris frowned once again as he slowly picked up an orange bottle.
“Ugh, gross.” He complained, quickly wiping the dust off the top and blowing it away. “Huh…antipsychotics…Joshua Washington? I don’t remember him taking these but I guess…I guess there was a lot you didn’t tell me, huh, Joshie boy?” He set the dusty bottle back on the desk, staring at it with his frown in place for a few moments longer before he got up.
“Whatever. Sorry, Josh. I know this isn’t what I came here for, buddy. Just trying to figure some things out, okay?” Chris spoke to the air as he trailed back into the living area of the lodge. “I hadn’t planned on staying too long but if the lodge is back…well, it makes a good enough plan B if I don’t get shit done in time.”
With that, the blonde checked his phone. A little bit past ten in the morning. He was making good time so far, he might actually get this done before the last bus out of there.
“Alright, buddy…time to go. Let’s see if we can’t get this done in time, yeah?” He said, closing the door behind himself and setting foot back into the snow.
From there, his journey was simple. Find the best spot, build a cross, carve Josh’s name into it, and give him one last toast with cheap beer. Simple!
“God…this place is a lot creepier when you’re up here alone.” Not to mention what they all went through the winter before. That didn’t exactly help with the creep factor, even in the sunlight.
A million and one people would call him insane for coming back up this mountain but he couldn’t get it out of his mind. Josh hadn’t had a funeral, a service, hell his parents hadn’t even gotten a get together or invited him over to reminisce. How is a guy supposed to go from having his best friend since third grade one minute then totally gone the next without any sort of closure? That’s what was nuts!
So to hell with it, all the wendigos were gone now anyway. That’s what he had been told, that they were all killed or blown up in the lodge 1.0. Mike rejected this idea but Chris wrote him off as paranoid and came anyway.
It took some time exploring but eventually Chris settled on a small cliff, off to the side and away from much else. He passed the “cozy cabin” Jess and Mike had once ventured to, its window still shattered and by now snow and an assortment of wildlife seemed to have gotten inside. There was little there of note and it was nowhere near nice enough for Josh’s memorial so the blonde kept going until he ventured off the path just enough to find this spot. Through some trees and overlooking an embankment. A quick peek off the edge showed him a bit of a ways down, a creek flowing not too far away and in the distance the forest spanned out and opened up into the blue hue of the mountains farther out. It was the perfect spot to remember the good times.
Remember them he did too, as Chris threw his book bag onto a fallen tree and began to rummage through it.
“Ah, ha! Here we go, bro. First things first, let’s crack one open. Aaand, booya.” With a bit of finger dancing flare, Chris popped open two bottle and clinked them together. “To bros, forever, man.” He declared, taking a quick swig from one and pouring some out of the other. “Right…right. Gotta finish up here before we get wasted, huh?” He grunted, carefully placing the bottles into the snow.
With those sitting up, Chris moved on and pulled two pieces of wood out next. What? The man came prepared. He was on a mission and he sure as well was not going to waste precious time by trying to find two nice planks of wood on the mountain. What he did want to do up here, however, was carve Josh’s name into one of them and plant the other firmly into the cold Earth.
“Ahh…just like boy scouts, right, Josh?” He asked, moving his fingers to work against the wood. “Remember that time we were camping in like, what? Fourth grade and had to roast marshmallows, but you were scared of the dark so you just hugged me instead of going to find a stick? Haha, man. I ended up having to share mine with you instead…” The humor fell off his lips as the name formed on the wood he held. Weirdly, it felt like a lifetime before he realized he had zoned out, snapping back into reality with the plank halfway hanging out of his palm. “Oh fuck, sorry buddy. Where was I? Oh, right.” He lifted the plank and nodded in approval of his work after a quick inspection.
“Lookin’ good, broski. Now we just gotta…and, done!” He announced, a few nails here and there and a makeshift marker with Josh’s name was done. Now, at least, his friend had something. He wished it was more but what more could he do? No, this was the best he had and with that in mind he walked to the edge of the cliff and made sure the marker would stay in place, planted firmly in the earth.
It was there, sitting in the snow in front of a wooden cross with his best friend’s name on it that Chris finally let himself cry.
“Fuck, fuck, you fucking idiot, Josh.” He hissed into the cold, still air.
It felt like hours passed once more, the only thing moving was the wind and eventually Chris as he reached back to grab the opened beers. What was meant to be one last pour out for Josh quickly devolved into trying to drink these feelings away. Not that it had worked at all this past year but it didn’t stop a man from trying again.
Two bottles down in only a few minutes, that had to be a new record of some sort. He was hardly keeping track though, stumbling to his feet after the tears left icy trails upon his face.
“Goddamn it, Josh…I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I didn’t notice you were hurting as bad as you were. I’m sorry I couldn’t go back and get you out of the mines, I tried, man, I tried. They wouldn’t let me look for you, man. I’m sorry I’m a shitty friend.” The blonde curled in on himself, holding his head as he sobbed. “I’m sorry, man, okay? I-I didn’t want you to…I wanted you to escape with us, buddy.”
He rubbed at his face, stumbling towards the marker a couple steps. “I’m sorry, Josh, I’m so, so sorry…” He whispered, repeating like a broken record, crying as his feet tried to move but couldn’t seem to work out how.
Then, suddenly, he felt himself falling forward but instead of hitting cold snow, he realized much too late as he tripped over the ledge and tumbled down onto the unforgiving earth below.
Without warning, everything went black.