"Hey!" I called.
"Sam!" Mike joined me for her name.
She screamed, startled, "Mike, Ness," she rolled her eyes at my soft giggle and Mike's half-grin, "oh, gosh, you both look terrible," she noticed the way I held my chest and throat and was worried but she didn't say anything.
"Yeah? Well, we need to get inside," I squealed, feeling the Wendigos' presences, feeling them closing in on us.
"Yeah, we'll look worse if we stay outside any longer," he dared to take me by the shoulders but I pulled away only to grab a rock.
"Move, Sam," I cringed, glaring in the slightest. I tossed the rock into the glass that made up the window in the door, wincing as the shards flew everywhere.
I quickly pushed lingering shards away to fall to the ground inside and out, making a smooth opening for me to slide my arm inside to reach the lock from the inside.
Click, "got it," I told them, shifting to quickly open the door and beckon them inside.
Once they were inside, I locked it back, just in case. I heard Sam sigh and I knew she was going to ask about Josh, and then why I kept cradling my chest and throat, why there were red marks around my throat, and why I spoke so hoarsely. Then the words came out of her mouth: "What happened to Josh? And why are you holding your chest and throat like that, Ness?"
I sighed with difficulty, "Mike, you wanna explain that," I moved away from the two to lean against the wall, trying to make my chest not hurt as much. God, what did Mike do to me?
Mike looked down at the ground, "a Wendigo got him," he said simply, explaining Josh's absence immediately.
"Oh God," was all Sam said in response, "what about Ness?"
I winced when she said my name, my breathing was off, squeaks could be heard and I wasn't doing it on purpose, "oh, God, what did you do to me, Mike?" I couldn't help but ask since I was unconscious at the time he saved my life.
Mike felt anxious for many reasons, one was the words I chose to question him, "look, you were unconscious and like, I had to bring you back," he said as if it was his job to resuscitate me back to life, "I may have been a bit too rough but look-" he moved toward, demanding my full attention and he got it, "I had to save you," he said firmly, "I failed Josh. I failed Jess, even though she's alive. I wasn't going to fail you, Vee," he told me and I felt my heart physically cry.
Sam was a bit confused, "what happened? Why was she unconscious?"
I looked away from them both, "I-I was helping Josh, and Mike was pulled under the water. I freaked out, went to find him and," I sighed heavily, "Hannah popped out of the water and wrapped her hand around my throat," I could barely explain but Sam had asked, "I don't know what it was or why she did what she did but she threw my away, toward Mike and took Josh instead," I frowned, looking down, "from the force of the throw, I couldn't get back to my feet, I couldn't move,�� I paused a moment, visibly crying.
Mike looked pained to see my cry like this, I could feel his heartbreaking in the slightest then I felt Sam's heart cry and it made me feel worse.
"Mike saved me. He pulled me out, he resuscitated me, he got me back. I don't know how he did it because I could feel myself slipping further into darkness," I furrowed my brow, wincing at the pain in my chest, holding a hand to the spot where my heart was beating rapidly.
"That's horrible," Sam whispered, "good thing Mike didn't leave you," she said happily, turning to him, "huh, you are a hero after all," she smiled as if she shipped us together.
"Well, I- I mean, she's my friend and- like she's your best friend, and Chris' and Ashley's, so like, I couldn't let her die," Mike was trying not to reveal how he felt about me, and he was doing a mediocre job of it.
Sam smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder, "you saved her life, Mike, you're a hero, whether anyone thinks you are or not, you are," she assured him, patting him gently before removing her hand.
I couldn't help but smile through my pain at Sam. She didn't tell him how I've felt for the last five or six years but she did let him know that he was a hero and made it sound like I would think of him as a hero for the rest of my life, which was true. He would always be one of my heroes.
"Well, shouldn't we look for the others, make sure they're safe?" I piped up, forcing myself up off the wall, slowly moving toward the two.
"Yeah, we definitely should," Mike agreed.
"Of course, Ness," Sam agreed.
"Let's go then," I said moving toward the basement.
We moved through the theater, small talk until we got to the door. We started to hear screaming and shouting. Suddenly, Chris came barrelling through the door and that's when I knew shit was hitting the fan. Mike grabbed a hold of my hand and it seemed he wasn't going to let go nor did he care if anyone saw it. I was too scared to pull away from his grasp.
"RUN, YOU SONS OF BITCHES, RUN!" That was Chris, coping one of our favorite sub-characters from one of our favorite movies ever: the American by the name of Henderson in Stephen Sommers' The Mummy.
Emily pushed Ashley into the door to run faster but they both made it out safely as we saw many Wendigos appear in the hall. Sam quickly rushed to close and lock the door as Mike pulled me out of the theater shouting for Sam to run. We all ran upstairs, trying to reach the front doors but suddenly everyone stopped in their tracks. Sam was lagging behind us so she didn't see what we saw. Mike still had a hold of my hand and he squeezed it, assuring me that he wouldn't leave me. I already had a plan forming in my mind but everyone needed to be out of the lodge first for any of the ideas in my mind to work.
We were standing in front of the staircase that led upstairs as Sam rushed past and abruptly stopped in her tracks, realizing what was on the ceiling fixture.
Mike whispered to her, "don't move."
I added, "it's like the T-Rex in Jurassic Park, it's vision is based on movement."
We all stared at the Wendigo, standing very still.
Slowly, Mike moved us backward toward the others but stopped after a few paces. There were so many of them, what was I going to do to get my friends safely out of this damn lodge? I hadn't a clue, yet.
Suddenly, two Wendigos screeched and began to fight, the taller one won, throwing the other into the fireplace, breaking something and causing gas to enter the lodge. I could already hear Mike's thoughts before he even looked at the uncovered light bulb. I tugged on his hand and shook my head firmly. That was not an option for him, I wouldn't allow him to do such a thing. He gave me a grumbly expression but reluctantly agreed.
The same two Wendigos began to fight again, leaping toward each other as I motioned for everyone to move toward the front doors, slowly, very slowly. This time the taller one won by slamming the others head into the floor and then ripping said head off the body with a mighty pull.
Chris was the first to exit, running as fast as he could to get out to the snow.
Next was Emily, terrified out of her mind.
Finally, Ashley was out of the house.
Good. Good, good, good. Now I just needed Sam to go and then Mike, and then I could light the fucking lodge on fire. Mike had my bag, having taken it when he revived me from my unconscious state but I still had my lighter. I had hidden it in my front jeans pocket when he wasn't looking. I still allowed Mike to hold my hand but only for now. To allow the others to safely make it outside, Mike and I distracted the Wendigo and then Sam took over, shouting at it. Then hid behind a column.
The Wendigo screeched in frustration with each time it heard something. Then finally another showed up and caught its attention. Sam had to hide once more, catching the same Wendigo's attention as I let go of Mike's hand. He looked at me, confused and hurt. I shook my head at him very firmly, gesturing for him to go, to get out. He realized what I meant by that and he shook his head, wincing at me. He wanted to cry, he thought he was going to lose me again but I merely smiled at him and dared to touch his cheek, assuring him I would be okay. He reached up to touch my hand, tearfully it seemed but he reluctantly moved away from me as I released his cheek. He was on his way, now I just needed Sam to get out. Mike was out of the lodge, slowly but surely, he had gotten out.
Finally, it was time to give Sam the window she needed to get out. I made eye contact with her and my eyes told her to run and not look back when I took attention of the Wendigo. She seemed to nod with her eyes at me and I knew she knew what I meant her to do.
"HEY, YOU!" I screamed at the Wendigo, using the same line from Jurassic Park the Lost World, catching the Wendigo's attention and bringing her over to me. I knew which one it was before she even came near me. "RUN!!" I yelled at Sam, who did as she was told as Hannah grabbed a hold of my throat, screeching at me. I made eye contact, "if you really wanna kill me, you better do it now but let them live, they've been scared enough," I told her, speaking softly, "or you can let me go and I can free you, I can free you from this pain," I told her and she eyed me, seeming to understand the words 'free' and 'pain'.
Hannah screeched in my face one more time before dropping me to the ground. It was a combination of my words and another Wendigo catching her attention. I quickly shot up to my feet and made it to the front doors as Hannah fought the other Wendigos, giving me time to get to the doors. I was scared, I didn't know if I could do this but then I turned to see my friends, all crying in the snow.
Chris and Ash were on the ground, he was holding her back to his chest. Emily was sitting in the snow, near the two. Sam was kneeling in the snow by Mike's legs, he was standing, shaking his head at me, not wanting me to do whatever was on my mind.
I frowned at them, sighing contentedly, knowing that this had to be done. I had to protect them, I had to save them, I had to free Hannah. My countenance turned solemn and I smiled lightly. I pulled out the lighter from my pocket, I stared Mike in the eyes as I waved goodbye to them all. I swallowed hard and smiled sweetly at him, mouthing 'I love you' to him.
'I love you' he mouthed back, actually crying in front of everyone as Jess and Matt came up, holding each other behind the rest.
I smiled, I knew in my heart that they were safe, I waved once more for them before flipping the lid open on the lighter and turning back to face the many Wendigos that were crawling toward me. I breathed in through my nose and then out through my pursed lips with closed eyes before opening them, "go to hell, fuckers!" I screamed as I lit the lighter and threw it into the lodge.
In mid-air, the lighter exploded, then the entire lodge exploded. I turned back to face my friends as I was thrown forward toward them, knocked unconscious once more before landing in the snow at Mike's feet. I looked dead. My face had new open wounds, every opening on my head was bleeding. My eardrums had been broken so there was blood leaking out of my ears, my eyes were bloodshot, the cartilage in my nose was shattered so blood was also pouring from my nostrils. I had bitten my tongue, almost in half, in mid-air as I was thrown backward, so blood was pouring out of the corner of my mouth, too. My skin had little patches of second-degree burns like my hands had hours before when I grabbed the burning Wendigo trying to save Mike.
I could feel and hear everything but I couldn't open my eyes and I couldn't breathe as well as before the blast. I could feel Mike drop to his knees and pull me up to his chest, he slapped my cheek, trying to get me to wake but Sam told him that wouldn't help, she feared I was dead. Jess began to cry from behind Mike and she shifted into Matt, who was confused, his mouth open in complete shock. Emily was cringing at the moment not because Mike was holding me but because to them, I was dead. She and I may not have had a real friendship but I had saved her life, twice so she felt pain at the thought of my death.
Ashley was sobbing, very loudly, screaming my name. She could barely believe what I had done, much less that I had sacrificed my life for them but she also couldn't believe that I had lost my life because of what I had done. She tried to crawl toward me to help Mike revive me but Chris, the most distraught by the whole thing I had done, held her back, needing her so. He held her to his chest, pulling her to him, to embrace her, tightly. She shifted to cry into his neck and he burst into tears himself.
By this point, everyone was crying in fear and pain. Even Emily shed tears for me as well as her fear. Mike was also sobbing, he was at a point where he didn't care if Jess saw that he had fallen in love with me. He had already made up his mind that he would tell her the truth and hope for the best, hours ago.
Jess was quite alright with it since she had started feeling the same about Matt and she believed that he felt the same as she did. She and Mike would need to sit down and explain the nights for each other then and come to a decision on where their relationship should go. They had already made up their minds that they were going to form a friendship and allow themselves to be with the ones they wanted to be with, the ones they loved.
The group of us stayed like that as the morning light shined over us and a helicopter's whirring wings sounded overhead, having found us by the burning lodge. They picked us up and saved us, taking us back to Beachcastle City, to the hospital, since one of us was badly injured.