chapter eight:
sharp pains

eight/seven hours until dawn

Hazel normally hated sleeping on Josh's bed, it always reeked of aftershave and hair gel. Not that he used those often but tonight it just smelled like nothing, even a hint of Josh was left on the blankets. It truly had been ages since the boy came here, the lodge used to be their safe place and now it was empty.

She held the blanket close around herself and she let out a soft breath. She didn't hear the door creak open or see the figure slowly emerge from the shadows of the hallway. She was at peace for the first time since showing up here, the room full of darkness and the warmest blankets. She heard the clock ticking every so often as she let her feet move downward to stretch.

She felt fingers grabbing at them, her socks slipping off making her giggle softly. "Josh, is that you messing with me again? You know I don't like sleeping without socks on". She sat up before he could slip the other sock off, she could barely see now that it was darker outside. "Josh?" She screamed as the masked man lunged at her, his gloved hands grasping at her mouth to silence her.

She panicked as a gas mask was pushed against her face, she couldn't breathe. She clawed at their hands as her lungs slowly filled, and she felt drowsy as she began to slump into the bed. Despite her weakened state she kept weakly clawing at their hands and for a brief moment she could've sworn she heard a muffled "I'm sorry" being spoken in the darkness.

Hazel was disoriented when she blinked her eyes rapidly "hello, and thank you for joining me" she frowned deeply as the voices around her slowly became less hazy. "Oh my god! Josh! Wake up! Hazel! Can you hear me!". Her wrists burned and her body ached as her head dangled weakly down.

"Huh...? What...? What is this?" Josh tugged at the restraints on his wrists as he looked around in panic. "Hazel! Oh god! Haze, can you hear me! Why won't she wake up man!". Chris shoves himself into the door but it won't open "tonight we're going to conduct a little experiment. A sort of test".

Hazel let out a weak breath as she tried to open her eyes but she was exhausted and still drowsy. "What the hell is going on! Is she okay! Ashley is Hazel okay!" Ashley struggled as she turned her head.

"I don't know, I can't tell if she's awake or not" the room was freezing and despite Hazel's jacket still being on she couldn't catch any warmth. "Now for this experiment, we'll need the cooperation of our three test subjects. Joshua and Ashley, and of course the lovely Hazel". Chris panicked as he shoved himself into the door again "oh god, it won't open!".

"But we're going to need more than one brave participant to help decide,which subject will live, and which will die". Hazel inhaled sharply as she moved her head back, she could hear Josh and Ashley panicking beside her as she tried to process what was happening around her.

"Please. Please, everyone calm down. It's all very simple. Christopher, you will find a lever placed directly in front of you. All you have to do is choose who you will save! The other two will simply perish, the choice is yours". Hazel groaned as she moved her hands weakly "what's.. what's going on".

"Hazel, oh god.. Hazel!" she leaned her head back more as she blinked "where am I". Her eyes widened in terror as she saw two thick saw blades turn on "what the fuck! Josh! What's going on!". She tugged more harshly, crying out as it dug into his skin.

Chris panicked "I don't know what to do! Oh fuck!" he grabs the lever his breathing heavy as he looks at the three people in front of him. "There's gotta be a way to stop it.. I can't do this! You're all my friends!".

"Bro, we've been through so much, come on I don't wanna go out like this! If not me then at least save Hazel! I know we haven't been the best of friends lately and I've been kinda messed up and everything but I'm getting better, man I swear! You don't have to do this, just help us out of here".

Hazel cries as she watches Chris tug the lever "Shit no! I didn't mean it". The blades begin to spin faster "ah I see. You have chosen to save Ashley" Chris panicked as he tried to rip the lever apart.

"I thought we were friends, man! Why would you do this!? What the fuck Chris!" Josh panics as the first saw begins to move towards him. "I'm sorry! This madness, please, Josh!". Hazel screamed as the second saw began to move toward her "what no! Christopher! Please! I can't die! Christopher!".

She tugged at the restraints harshly as she screamed, Josh screams "no! Oh god what did I do!". The blade moves closer to Josh and Hazel cries out "Joshua!". Chris pounds himself into the door more roughly "oh god! Chris, get us out of here! Please!".

Hazel screams as blood splatters into her skin, her eyes widening in horror as she watches Josh be ripped in half. Ashley sobs loudly as Chris yells out angrily and kicks at the door. When the second blade spins faster and starts to approach her she screams out, she tugs at her restraints harshly as it gets closer.

She had hoped by some miracle this was all some sick nightmare and she'd wake up on Josh's bed. Yet she didn't, she couldn't think straight her body was going into shock as she looked at Josh. She looked at the blade as it taunted her and got closer and closer.

She heard Ashley's sobs and could hear Chris angrily kicking at the door still. She only knew one way to hopefully get out of this, if whoever it was had any sense of empathy. With the blade literally almost a hair away from giving her the same fate as Josh, she screamed out at the top of her lungs desperately.

"I'm pregnant!" The blade stopped, but she felt the tip of it cut her jacket roughly in the front as the door swung open. Chris ran inside so fast cutting her restraints as she fell downward, he caught her as she cried. "Ashley don't look" he untied Ashley next the girl sobbing "why can't I look, Chris? Please tell me he's okay, please!". He helps Ashley and the girl screams out in terror at the sight of Josh.

"Shhh, we gotta go, okay? Find the others" he held onto Ashley and looked at Hazel who was on the ground still. "Hazel we shouldn't stay here, it's not safe. Are you hurt?" she wiped at her face "no".

She grew tense when he touched her shoulder and she hunched forward throwing up. It tasted awful and Chris helped her stand up when she was done. "It's not safe in here, what if they try coming back". Hazel held onto herself, she didn't know what to say and everything was still spinning around her.

Chris helped the girl outside as she cried, Matt and Emily saw the trio and quickly ran forward. "What the hell, whose blood is that?" Chris rubbed at his face "Josh...". Emily and Matt frowned "Josh what? Dude? You're not making any sense".

"He's dead, right in front of us man!" Emily looked at Hazel sensing the girl's distress. "There's a maniac, and he was- there was a saw... and it was either them or Ash and I didn't know what to do!". Chris cried as he held himself "cut right through him and- spilling out fucking everywhere. Hazel was gonna be next, but it like broke or something",

"What! Oh my god Chris what!? Hazel what the hell happened, none of this makes any sense". Emily looked at the trio in front of her, Ashley was a sobbing mess as she held herself. Chris kept insisting he killed Josh and it was all his fault it happened.

While Hazel was just dead silent, her eyes almost glazed over with fear and shock. She didn't say anything let alone try to explain what happened. "No, this is insane. We need to go get some help. Matt we should go get help like right now".

Matt scratches at neck "Em, we should look for the others" Emily rolled her eyes "Mike and Jess are off 69'ing each other and who knows where Sam is". Hazel looked up weakly "she's taking a bath".

Her voice sounded scratchy from screaming so much and truth be told the exhaustion was still lingering. Emily nodded "okay we can work with that, get everyone else together. But if there's a maniac running around I think we need to get some help, too, right? I mean we can't just wait around to be next".

Matt sighed "but what about.." Emily shushes him by grabbing his arm "why are we still talking about this? Let's go! You three go to the lodge, get Sam, then find Mike and Jessica. We'll try to find help".

"Where do we go exactly once we get everyone?" Emily rolled her eyes at Chris's statement "Switzerland for all I care, obviously the lodge Chris. Me and Matt will go there once we get help, let's just hope that maniac doesn't get any ideas".

They walk off and Chris grabs a hold of Hazel who looks ready to pass out. "Come on, let's get you inside where it's warm" she clings onto Chris's arm as they slowly make their way back towards the lodge.

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authors notes:
Writing this made me realize everything in this game takes course in 10 hours, ain't no way. Like yeah that's still a long time but damn, the pace in which things happen is so fast and yet it's all 10 hours in total. I'm so gonna make a bunch of fics for this fandom just because I can, I've loved this game since it first came out and it's top tier. Doing my all death play through next and it's gonna be epic. Enjoy!