"ASHLEY!! No no no no..." Â
"Please, God no please..."
He falls to his knees, clutching the little pink hat in his hands. He had just seen her only a mere five minutes ago. And now, she was gone, forever. He clutches his chest, the tight feeling becoming unbearable as he chokes out a sob.
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"Chris! Chris!" your voice breaks the blonde hair boy out of his violent sobbing. You don't know how long he's been there- on his knees muttering incoherent phrases.
"Chris, hey, hey look at me please", you beg, grabbing his chin gently, your shotgun hitting the ground with a thud. Your heart clenches at the sight- the usually happy, carefree boy you had been best friends with since forever, was broken down so badly that you weren't sure if he'd ever be able to be repaired again.
"Chris, come on, please, you have to tell me what happened", you whisper, stroking away his tears.
"A-ash", he mumbles out before a new wave of grief hits him hard. Then, you notice something in his hands- the pink beanie, sprayed with crimson blood. You cover your mouth. How could Ashley be dead? Without hesitation, you cling onto Chris's shaking form as you both let your tears go.
*rattle* *rattle*
You immediately look at the direction of the sound., but Chris doesn't seem to notice it.
*rattle* *rattle*
Again, you try to locate the sound. But, it stops suddenly, and an eerie silence fills the mines.
"Oh my god", you whisper, feeling immensely scared. Â
... ... ... CRASH!
You scream as you see a Wendigo jump from the trap door only a little ways from where Chris and you are. You jump back instinctively and grab the gun. Chris, however, being in his grief-stricken state, didn't react as fast, causing the Wendigo to pounce on him. Not only did the sight of Chris being pinned helplessly underneath the monster frighten and scare you, but the fact that his face had no emotion whatsoever hurt more. He had given up, you knew that for sure.
Without any moment wasted, you pull the trigger, the bullet ricocheting off the Wendigo's head. The force, however, knocked it off of Chris and stunned it. Chris, though, just lay there, tears streaming down his face.
"Fuck! Chris come on!", you yell panicked as you run over and try to lift him up. He won't budge though. The Wendigo, on the other hand, was standing up, screeching loudly.
"Please, oh my god! Chris! I'm not leaving you, please we have to go NOW!", you scream, grabbing his arm and trying to drag him away. But, you were too late. The Wendigo grabbed you this time, pinning you down. Before it could strike you in the throat with it's razor sharp claws, you zeroed in on the black, familiar tattoo on it's arm. "Hannah?", you whisper, tears soaking your face. The creature halts, and you see something flash in it's clouded eyes. It suddenly notices the little tattoo on your wrist, which is identical to the one on it's arm.
Before Hannah and Beth tragically went missing, you and Hannah were best friends. You did almost everything together, including getting matching tattoos your senior year in high school. You both decided to get a butterfly, because Chris always rambled about the "butterfly effect" and how he was very lucky to be friends with the Washingtons and you.
Soon after noticing the similar ink imprinted in your skin, "Hannah" released you, speeding off away in the mines. Why she had spared you and Chris, you would never know, but you were glad there was a little part in there left of the past Hannah. Once she was gone, you immediately jumped to your feet and ran over to Chris.
"Chris, Chris, please we have to go. There might be others, come on, bud, please", you beg. Finally, after a few moments, you were able to get Chris to his feet. Supporting his body weight slightly, you and him ran through the mines, away from Hannah, away from Ashley.
"There there..."
"Shh, it's ok"
"It'll be alright",
Your voice, soft as silk, reassures the broken, damaged boy gently, giving him promised hopes that'll he'll be okay.
And, deep deep down, he hopes you're right.