TWO HOURS UNTIL DAWN

CORA; TUNNEL TO SANATORIUM; 05:16

THE COLD OF the tunnel seeped into my bones. Somewhere in here, Mike was out there on his own, and the thought alone quickened my steps.

''Come on, guys! Hurry up! We gotta find Mike. Come on,'' Sam urged as she led the way ahead.

Behind me, Chris stumbled, letting out a faint groan as he clutched his leg. He looked pale and I slowed my pace to match his.

''Hey... ahhh... I'm kinda gimping out here, guys,'' he said, his words coming out in pained gasps. ''I think maybe you should go on without me.''

Ashley spun around. ''Oh God, Chris. Are you gonna be okay?''

He nodded, waving her off weakly. ''Yeah, yeah! Just go on... I-I can't keep up with you macho ladies.''

Ashley scowled, crossing her arms. ''Oh God, Chris, just stop it, okay?''

Chris raised a hand in surrender, giving a small, tired smile. ''Listen... just go on ahead, okay? You gotta warn Mike. I'll be right behind you. I just need a breather.''

Ashley hesitated, glancing at the rest of us, then finally relented. ''Alright...'' she whispered.

Chris leaned against the wall, catching his breath as we moved on without him. I felt a pang of worry leaving him behind, but there wasn't much choice. We had to reach Mike.

At the end of the tunnel, Sam reached a heavy door, tugging on it. ''Oh, shit. Mike must have locked it behind him. Crap!'' She tugged again. ''There's gotta be another way in.''

Just to the side, I noticed the faint outline of a manhole cover, half-buried in grime. I pointed it out, stepping closer. ''How about this?''

Sam tilted her head. ''Huh.''

''Got a better idea?'' I raised an eyebrow.

Sam shook her head, a smirk tugging at her lips. ''Good point.'' With a grunt, she grabbed a nearby rusted pipe and wedged it under the manhole, managing to pry it open. I leaned down, grabbing the edge with her, and together we hauled it to the side.

Ashley grimaced as she peered into the dark hole. ''Okay... um! This is the last place I'd wanna be in right now.''

Sam shrugged. ''So, who's going first?''

Ashley glanced over her shoulder. ''Ha.''

Emily gave her a wry look, gesturing to the hole. ''After you.''

With a resigned sigh, Sam climbed into the manhole. ''Not so bad,'' she called up. ''You think this is the tunnel to the Sanatorium?''

Ashley rolled her eyes, mumbling, ''Of course it is. Where else would it go?''

I followed, climbing down. Emily came down just behind me, her breath hitching slightly as she descended.

Ashley lingered above and glanced back toward where we'd left Chris. ''I wanna make sure Chris can find us. Hey, maybe if I leave some marks along the way, he'll be able to follow us—''

Sam looked up. ''Err...''

Ashley hesitated, then shrugged. ''You know what? You go on. I'll catch up.'' She dug into her pocket, scratching a small arrow into the concrete next to the manhole before vanishing into the distance.

After a few tense minutes in the tunnel Ashley's voice rang out from behind. ''Oh my God, I am so glad to see you!'' 

Sam turned around. ''Glad you're safe.''

Ashley pointed up ahead. ''Look... look there!''

Sam raised her head, her gaze following Ashley's finger. Up ahead was a battered ladder leading upward—but as we got closer, it became clear it was far from usable. The rungs were rusted through, broken in places, and hanging on by what looked like little more than luck.

''The ladder's toast,'' Ashley stated. ''We're never going to make it up there!''

Sam clenched her fists, her gaze fixed on the wall next to it. ''No, no, no... I think I can... I think I can do it. It's like... a rock wall. I'm gonna keep going.'' She glanced back at the rest of us. ''You should head back to the lodge. I've gotta get Mike.''

Ashley nodded. "Good luck!"

I stepped forward. ''Wait, I'm coming with you.''

Emily's brow knitted in surprise. ''You sure?''

I met her gaze. ''You know damn well I'm not going back without knowing if Josh is okay.''

Emily gave me a small, understanding smile, reaching out to give my arm a brief squeeze. ''Be careful.''

I returned the gesture, squeezing her hand before letting go. ''I will.''

With a quick nod, I turned back to Sam, who was already sizing up the rock face. We both started climbing, Sam leading the way.

''You're really stubborn, Coco,'' she said.

''And that's just the beginning of my good side,'' I replied, trying to keep my tone light even as my hands slipped on the damp rocks. The thought of finding Josh—and answers—pulled me forward as I tried to push my fear aside.

CORA; MINES 05:35

SAM STEADIED HERSELF, gripping the rough, uneven rocks. Her breath came in shallow bursts as she stretched to plant her foot on a narrow ledge. Just as she leapt to a wooden board protruding from the wall, a sharp crack split the air. The board gave way beneath her, splintering, but Sam's fingers locked around the remaining edge, holding her steady.

''Careful,'' she breathed, casting a quick look back at me.

I grimaced, eyeing the distance I'd have to cover. ''I should've paid more attention in P.E.,'' I whispered, more to myself than to her.

Despite my nerves, I planted my foot on a jagged rock and pushed off, reaching for the remains of an old metal structure. The cold metal dug into my fingers, but I held on, using the momentum to pull myself up to the ledge beside Sam. She shuffled to her right, her foot finding another hold, and launched herself onto a rocky outcrop with ease.

''We're doing great so far,'' she called over her shoulder.

I nodded, feeling my confidence build as I climbed higher. Setting my foot onto a rusted rebar jutting out from the rock, I hauled myself up, finally reaching the top alongside Sam. We paused, sharing a triumphant look.

''We beat you,'' Sam murmured, more to herself than to anyone else ''I fuckin' beat you.''

She leaned forward, squinting through a hole in the wall that gave us a glimpse of a metal door up ahead. ''Uhhh... Okay then,'' she said before nodding for us to keep moving.

Together, we moved down a dark, narrow path.

''Hello?'' Sam called softly as we rounded a bend.

Sam instinctively reached for a gate and tried to wrench it open, but it wouldn't budge. Her gaze darted around until she spotted a shovel leaning against the wall nearby.

''Yeah, that's right,'' she whispered, gripping the shovel and using it to force the gate open.

I held my breath as she struggled with the gate, her muscles straining. ''Come on, come on, you can do it,'' I urged, hands clenched at my sides.

Finally, the gate gave way with a loud groan, and Sam pushed it open, leading us through as we moved closer to the metal door.

A few steps in, we were jolted by a loud, sudden rumble. I looked up just in time to see a cascade of rocks tumbling down behind us, the impact shattering the path we'd just crossed and sealing it off completely.

''Ahh! Jesus!'' Sam gasped, stumbling forward.

I heard a low rumbling sound echo through the cavern, something unnatural. My heart pounded as I scanned the mines. ''What was that?'' I whispered.

We ventured further down the narrow passage, and strange sight caught our attention, it was a mystical symbol etched into the stone, with a human skull placed eerily beside it.

''What the...'' Sam whispered.

We continued, careful to keep our pace steady. Suddenly, a large rock detached from the wall in front of us, crashing down and splitting the path in two. The floor beneath our feet trembled, and instinctively, I reached for Sam, pulling her back just in time. She shot me a quick, grateful look before we kept moving.

We turned, preparing to press on when we heard a distinct noise from behind us. Something—or someone—was close. I gripped a heavy metal pipe I'd found on the floor, holding it tightly as we dropped down into the next section.

Just then, Mike burst through a nearby door and stumbled forward, breathing heavily.

''Goddammit! Stay out there!'' he yelled, slamming the door shut behind him. 

''Mike!'' Sam called out.

Before any of us could react, a Wendigo leapt toward him, snarling. I didn't hesitate.

''Hey! BITCH! OVER HERE!'' I yelled, swinging the pipe with every ounce of strength I had, the metal cracking against the Wendigo's brittle bones. I struck again, feeling the force of the impact reverberate through my arms as the creature crumpled, finally falling still.

Panting, Mike quickly slammed the door shut, bracing himself against it as he caught his breath. He glanced at us with wide eyes. 

''Whoa. You alright?'' he asked, looking between me and Sam.

I let out a shaky laugh, still catching my breath. ''Yeah, we're alive.''

Mike shook his head. ''The hell are you two doing here, anyway?''

Sam stepped forward. ''I was gonna warn you about the Wendigos.''

Mike raised his eyebrows, an ironic smirk tugging at his lips. ''I think I got it.''

Sam nodded, glancing down at the crumpled creature we'd just taken down. ''Yeah...''

Mike's gaze shifted down the darkened corridor, his face hardening. ''Let's find a way down to where this fucker lives.''

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