chapter twenty-two —
the final showdown.

Mike and Sage trudge through the snow silently as they made their way back to the Washingtons Lodge. Was it even the Washingtons lodge anymore? Sage was pretty sure that Josh's parents would most likely end up selling the lodge after the events of tonight, all of their children were now dead and the lodge was a just clear reminder that Josh, Hannah, and Beth were not coming back.

No matter how much people hoped that they would.

The wind howls as snow continued to fall, the duo ignoring the screeches from the Wendigos echoing through the air as Sage crosses her arms over her chest as best as she could, a shiver running through her because of her now soaked clothes due to what had happend just minutes ago.

   Oh God.

  Sage's breath hitches as the brunette suddenly stops in her steps, gaining Mike's attention and causing the man to stop too while turning to look at the brunette in pure concern.

  She looks to Mike with wide eyes as it finally hits her in full force, Josh was dead.

Joshua Washington was dead and it was her fault — Sage didn't even try to save him and now he was dead, his body somewhere in the mines and most likely never to be found.

It was her fault.

" Mike. . " Sage mutters as she finally makes eye contact with him with eyes full of tears, her brown eyes dark with the despair that she felt but wouldn't show at the moment. " Did we do the right thing? Leaving Josh there to get killed and hiding? Is he dead because of us? "

Mike frowns at how desperate Sage looked for an answer to a question that he had no idea how to answer. He believed that he had done the right thing by tugging Sage behind the rock beside him and making sure that the two of them kept quiet, the Wendigo didn't get them because of him.

He just didn't have enough time to even try to help Josh and make sure Sage would be okay, it had been a split-second decision that he had to make and Michael Munroe believed that he had done the right thing.

He had picked Sage, saving the brunette that he had just gotten back only hours ago.

" We did the right thing, okay? " Mike wraps an arm around the shorter girl's shoulders with a frown, his mood somber. It was a decision that he'd have to live with and run over everyday in his mind about how he could've maybe saved Josh also. " I couldn't risk all three of us dying to the Wendigo. . "

" Josh is dead though. " Sage frowns up at Mike as she sighs deeply and wipes away unshed tears. " Like he's not coming back ever, it's not some stupid ass prank that he planned like last time– "

" When this over, we'll tell the cops that Josh is in the mines and that they need to look for him, " Mike tells her quietly as he kisses her temple, giving Sage comfort in a time that she very badly needed it.

" And Jess. . If the cops don't find her when they come. " Sage adds as the two start walking further towards the lodge, Mike nodding quickly as he frowns – he hoped that Jess was alive and didn't suffer the same fate as Josh and their other friends.

Sage and Mike's conversation ends there, Mike's mind racing with the thought that Jess was still alive and Sage trying her hardest to get the image of Josh's head being crushed out of her head.

They had lost four, maybe five, of their longtime friends tonight and had no moments to grieve, it sucked.

  Sage shakes her head and effectively gets the images of Josh's last seconds alive out of her head for right now as she spots a blonde figure in the distance at the door leading inside the lodge and shouting loudly, hoping to get the attention of the people – the person still inside.

It was most likely just Emily left inside if Sage was correct.

The two speed up in their walk to the lodge, hoping to catch Sam before she got inside and left the two alone outside as they got closer and closer to dawn and closer to being rescued. The blonde somehow doesn't notice or hear the two behind her until they got just feet away from Sam with Sage reaching her first and placing a hand on Sam's shoulder to gain her friend's attention.

" Sam– " Sage starts but is cut off by Sam jumping out of shock as she turns to look at her and Mike while holding back a hiss at the pain running through her arm.

" Shit, Sage! " Sam cries out as she looks at Sage and Mike in surprise while coming down from the shock at being surprise from them appearing behind her suddenly. " Oh god. You guys look terrible– "

" Gonna look worse if we stay out here, " Mike tells Sam quickly as Sage picks up a rock from the ground before moving around Sam and smashes a hole through the door, sticking her hand in and unlocking the door in a matter of seconds, " Come on! "

The three walk inside quickly with Mike closing the door behind them before Sage, Sam, and Mike all paused infront of it as they looked at each other and examined the lodge in hopes of seeing where Emily was, wondering if she had come out from the basement yet.

" Okay, guys. . what happend to Josh? " Sam looks from Sage to Mike as she asks the question breathlessly.

" The Wendigo got him. " Sage answers quietly before taking a deep breath.

" Oh god, what an awful way to go. . " Sam says sadly while frowning, her headlight being the only light shining throughout the lodge.

Sam then moves over to where Sage and Mike stood and reaches up to turn on the lights, said lights being turned off quickly by Mike after being turned on.

" Not good. " Mike tells Sam with a shake of his head.

" What do you guys think we should do? " Sam asks as she crosses her arms over her chest, the blonde out of ideas of what to do as she stood there.

" We need to check the basement, " Sage speaks up, her voice showing the urgency she felt, " Em might be down there. We didn't see her. . body in the mines like everyone else, she has to be in the basement or somewhere in the lodge. "

  She gets a nod from both Sam and Mike making Sage lead the two down the stairs and towards the basement, where she hoped Emily was waiting for them. The trio just needed to get her and never look back, none of them were dying to return to the mountain.

" How do you rate our chances of survival? " Sam's voice rings out as they step foot into the cinema room.

" I'm trying not to think about it. " Mike mutters in response, the three pausing in their steps as they reach the door leading to the hallway towards the basement. The screech of a Wendigo echoing through the air as a figure is then seen running towards them.

" Go! Go! We gotta go! " Emily shouts as she runs towards the three and quickly past them as she then exits the room with the Wendigo coming towards them.

  " Run! " Mike shouts urgently as he grabs Sage's hand and the two immediately follow Emily's lead, Sage looking out of the corner of her eye and seeing Sam turn and lock the door to the basement with the Wendigo just inches away from her before her and Mike reached the steps to see Emily already halfway up them.

Her, Mike, and Emily all quickly run up the stairs leading to the main floor, hoping that they had escaped the Wendigo down in the basement.

  They may have escaped that one, but they were in for a shock as soon as they ran onto the main floor and spotted the Wendigo ontop of chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Sage pauses in her spot next to Mike, her breath hitching in her throat as she freezes in place. She sees Emily out of the corner of her eye and is thankful to see her friend not moving a muscle also.

" Don't move a fucking muscle, " Mike mutters as shock ran through all three of them as they stared at the Wendigo hanging from the chandelier, none of them moving at all.

None of them wanted to die tonight.

  A snarl escapes the Wendigo as it scans the room looking for prey while Sam then suddenly runs into the room and freezes in her place almost immediately at the sight of the Wendigo.

Mike then repeats the words that he had uttered to Sage and Emily to Sam as the four stood frozen in place, another snarl escaping the Wendigo as something they couldn't see caught it's eye.

  Another Wendigo appears from out of nowhere, most likely the one from the basement and had finally broken through the wooden door, it perches itself on the railing of the staircase leading to upstairs as it screeches, it crawling onto the floor as the Wendigos snarl at each other.

The two then start fighting as the four humans stood frozen as they watched the fight in shock. One of the Wendigos overpowers the other, throwing it through the staircase then at the fireplace which then broke a gas pipe because of the force from the Wendigo being thrown at it.

The injured Wendigo quickly recovers and crawls up the wall with the other quickly following after it as Sage, Mike, and Sam all stare at the broken gas pipe, a nearby lightbulb, and then light switch next to the door. The three all share a nod, they all knew how crazy the plan was but it would work.

The injured Wendigo is quickly killed by the other Wendigo, effectively ending the fight and gaining the surviving Wendigo's attention as Sage, Mike, Sam, and Emily all inched towards the door.

Their plan had to work. It just had too.

  " Hey! " Sam shouts and gains the Wendigo's attention as Mike runs to the lightbulb and breaks it after a moment of struggling.

  Sage and Emily share a glance and a nod, the two running towards the exit and escaping quickly, even if Sage didn't want to escape without Mike.

The two let out gasps as they land on the snow and on their backs, their eyes on the lodge as they waited with baited breaths for Sam and Mike to come running out and the lodge to be erupted in flames.

Minutes later, Sam comes running out with Mike seconds behind her as the lodge erupts into flames behind them and the Wendigo inside is then burned alive.

Mike lands next to Sage as Sam lays on the ground next to them, the four silent for a moment until they all heard something.

A helicopter.

Sage lets out a laugh of disbelief as she glances at the three friends surrounding her.

They had made it.

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authors note.

ya'll,,,,, the epilogue's next ):