Jason
11:57 a.m.
6 hours past dawn
Interrogation Room

The light in the room has been beating down on my face for the past three minutes that I've been in this room. All this guy in front of me had been doing during that time was just look down into his notes.

I look like complete shit. My face is covered in dirt, grim, sweat, a small bruise, and a nasty cut going over my left eye while my clothes were a little burned. It's probably only been six hours since the rescue team had found my friends and I from that awful place.

"Alright, Mr. Culton. What do you remember about last night?" he asked. Man, he probably thought I would go insane any minute now.

"Man, look. What I saw, is something you don't want to deal with. It does not matter how strong you or the police or anyone is. What I saw will kill you in seconds without hesitation." I had to get out of here, but I knew that he had to get some answers before he can let me go anywhere.

"Noted. Now tell me. Do you mind describing what it was that you saw?"

"I don't think I can at the current moment sir. I'm still trying to figure out how some of us made it back alive."

"Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that some of your companions had died last night?" I nodded my head as I rubbed my eyes a bit. My vision was becoming more blurry by the minute and I could kill for some rest.

"Alright. I'm sorry to hear that. If you don't mind me asking, can you tell me your story about what happened last night on Blackwood Mountain?"

"Yeah, I'll tell ya. It actually started a whole year before this had happened. Back when Hannah, Beth,and Pierce were still with us. Before Hannah turned into that... thing."

Jason
1:00 a.m.
One year prior
Lodge

We were all at the lodge. Chris and Josh were passed out on the counter surrounded by various beers while Beth, Pierce and I had just came back in from chopping firewood for the night. Christopher Hartley grew up with Joshua Washington and I back in grade school. Beth Washington was one of Joshua's sisters and Pierce was my younger brother. We were just finishing up our conversation over the 'End of the World' scenarios when we arrived.

"Once again, dear brother, you've outdrank us all. All hail the king." The three of us had a laughing fit after that for a couple minutes. I looked out the window of the kitchen and saw something walk away. It looked like a person but I couldn't tell.

"Hey, Beth? Anyone else supposed to be here?" "There shouldn't be. Dad said it would only be us this weekend. Why?" "Nothing. I thought I saw someone outside." With that, sheexcused herself to go to the bathroom to 'freshen up' while Pierce and I headed out into the living room area to place more firewood into the fireplace when I heard this discussion happening.

"C'mon guys. This is horrible prank. I mean, don't any of you think that this is going to far?" a blonde suggested. This was Samantha Giddings, or Sam for short. This girl is the best friend of Hannah and Beth Washington as they grew up together. The prank she is talking about is something planned by the others.

"Hey, Hannah was making moves on Mike. I'm just looking out for my girl, Em." This was Jessica Riley. She knew that she had the curves to make any girl jealous or any man have nosebleeds less they grew up with her. She is, currently, is the best friend of Emily Davis.

"I mean, it's not her fault that she has a huge crush on Mike." Sam had a point. Everyone liked Michael Munroe, the campus heartthrob and one of the best partiers I know. We've hung out quite a bit throughout the years and damn he's an animal. The man is not afraid to tell his girls what Saturday's are for and he is a full go for a full send. Whoever invented foldable tables must be banking millions right now. He is the current boyfriend of Emily but he is not real sure he wants to stay in a relationship with her. I can understand why though. She, in all honesty, is just a bitch who only thinks about herself. I can't stand her half the time.

"Guys. Leave Hannah alone. She has her own right to like other people, and that person just so happened to be Michael. So just leave her be." I didn't want nothing to do with the prank, but I didn't want to see Hannah getting hurt because of it.

"Oh just shut up, Jason. We need to show Hannah why she can't have Michael in the first place." And of course, I'd do anything to shut Emily up.

"Hey, lay off Emily. Just because you couldn't meet up to my brother's expectations doesn't mean that you can get all mad." True. Emily had one of those high school girl crushes on Pierce for awhile but I never paid attetnion to it. Mainly becaue I never really liked Emily.

Looking over, I see Matthew Taylor and Ashley Brown looking a little unsure of the plan. Matthew is the campus football player, the Safety to be precise, and he doesn't really like to participate in these little things; but here he is, holding the camera. Ashley is actually Chris' crush and I know she likes him as well. She usually is too afraid to do things like this because she never wants to upset her friends.

"Matt, Ash? You sure you want to partake in this?"

"Jason, please don't."

I stopped looking at them and just looked at the rest of the group, minus Sam, knowing she will not even help in the slightest. "Alright. Who am I to change the minds of others. But if she runs crying, don't say I didn't warn y'all." And with that, my brother and I turned around and went back to the fireplace to warm up from the freezing weather out there, while I heard the footsteps retreat up to the master bedroom.

As I put the last log into the pit and started the fire, I sat down on the couch and enjoyed the warmth, Pierson already being on the reclining chair. A half a minute later I felt a shift in weight on the couch right next to me. Opening one eye, I see Sam sitting down next to me as she leans into my side.

"You alright?" I asked, after all, she was my best female friend alongside the Washington Twins, and as well as my person of interest. Yes, I'll admit. I like Sam as if that wasn't obvious enough. I figured she knew as I always threw flirtatious comments her way and she would return them sometimes.

"I don't know, Jase. I mean, this prank that they're pulling on Hannah might just ruin her, you know? I mean, I can't even find her to tell her not to go there. Most likely because she already went once she heard where Mike wanted to meet her." I don't think I've ever seen Sam this upset. She looks torn over the fact that once her best friend goes into that room, she can't help her from there.

I placed an arm around her as we sit on the couch, blanket draped over the two of us keeping the other warm.

Interlude
1:04 a.m.
Bedroom

"Mike? You in here?" asked Hannah as she entered the master bedroom. Looking up, she saw her crush, Michael Munroe staring at her on the otherside of the bed. Unknown to her, Ashley and Jessica were hiding beneath the bed, Emily behind some curtains, and Matthew in the closet holding the camera.

"I'm here Hannah."

"So how do you want to start this?"

"Well, I thought we could start with some making out, and see what happens from there." he replied. She only smiled as she started to unbutton her top. By this time, poor Ashley and Jessica couldn't hold in there laughter as little giggles came from their mouths, alerting Hannah of the other people in the same room as her as they all came out of their hiding spots.

Hannah only held a look of disbelief and betrayal on her face as she ran out of the room and out the lodge, alerting Jason, Sam, Pierson, and Beth; who just recently came from her bathroom break.

"Josh! Josh, wake up!" Beth tried shaking him awake but the man didn't move a muscle as he continued to rest his head on the counter.

"Guys, I think there's someone outside! What the-" on Beth's way to the living room area, she sees everyone coming down the stairs and out to the doors. Everyone but her sister.

"-nah! Hannah!" Sam cried out, hoping her friend would hear her.

"Hannah, come on! You'll be freezing out there without a jacket!" Jason called to the fleeting girl.

"C'mon H! Don't run out like that!" Pierce shouted for his crush.

"It was just a prank, Han!" Emily not-so-apologetically said. Figures, she wanted Michael all to herself and no one else.

"Yeah. A pretty shitty one at that." Jason replied to her snarky tone, only for Emily to bitch him out again. "Excuse me?! That was comedy gold right there!"

"You guys probably just ruined her life! How the fuck is that comedy gold pranking?! No! By this point it's not even counted as a prank. That was just fucked up Davis." With that, Jason walked back inside to grab his coat, but was stopped by Beth.

"Jason? Where's my sister going?" The look in Beth's eyes just killed Jason on the inside.

"She ran off because everyone else played a terrible prank on her. I'll go out to look for her. Make sure no one else leaves the house." Jason wrapped her in a hug which she returned.

"Just make it back safe, okay? Josh would kill me if you two didn't return." The two teens shared a laugh at that as they broke away from the hug. Jason ran off after Hannah and everyone else returned inside.

"Jase!, I'm going with you. I can't leave Hannah out there all alone and I'm pretty sure you'd want some company." Pierce told him, already coated and ready to go.

"Alright then. But we best hurry before she goes too far." And with that, they headed out, hell bent on finding the other twin of Beth.

Jason
1:16
Woods

It was cold, a blizzard was covering the ground faster than we can move. "Pierce! You go to the west side! I'll check the east! We're gonna cover more ground that way!" He nodded and we went in our directions, hoping to find anything.

It was fucking freezing outside, nothing I could wear would stop me from freezing up out here, but I tried my best to keep my hands, feet, and head warm so I could at least move.

A butterfly flew by as I was walking. It was black. Leaving it be, I continued walking until I nearly fell of a cliff. Looking around, it was a dead end, only way to go was back and I knew she couldn't have gone this way unless she fell off. Hopefully Pierce had an easier time than I did. A couple deer guided me back to the cabin, and I could only hope that my brother was back with Hannah, otherwise I'd feel guilty.

Interlude
2:36 A.M
Cabin

Sam and Beth just sat down by the couch, talking to each other and trying to stay positive.

"Do you think they found her yet?" Beth was pouring tears left and right. She should've went and gone after her sister but she was frozen stuff as Jason went in her place. He was like the older brother that Josh, her and her sister needed but didn't have. Always looked out for them when they needed it and made sure they were never in too much trouble. She was also worried about Pierce and was hoping he didn't get into any trouble.

"I do hope so. But hey. You don't need to worry about them. They're probably on their way back with Hannah as we speak right now. And besides, Jason's been taught how to track and survive outdoors." Sam had every ounce of trust in her friend, but she still was worried. As if just tracking a person wasn't hard enough already, they were also doing it in the middle of a snowstorm. Her friend Hannah was one of her best, next to Beth and her love interest Jason. She was worried that they would freeze to death out there. If Hannah died she would blame herself for not being able to find her in time. If Pierce died, she would feel awful for Jason. If Jason...

Sam shook her head, not wanting to finish that last thought. Instead she got up and went to grab a glass of water for herself and her friend.

She looked at her reflection in the water and studied her look of worry. She knew that something bad was going to happen, and she could see the tears in her eyes as she continued praying for her friends. She was about to head back but she saw movement outside the window, walking with a limp was someone walking back to the cabin door. She sprinted to the front and opened the door for whoever it was and in came Jason stumbling through the door.

"Jason! Oh my god, are you okay?!" She picked him up and rushed him to the couch. He looked worse for wear and was freezing to the bone.

"Y-Yeah I'm good. J-just get a fire going quick and put me next to it. F-fucking colder than Emily out there." The poor guy was shivering like crazy as his friend put more logs into the fire and set him next to it. Beth walked in and saw him and immediately rushed over to him.

"Jason! When did you get back-what the hell happened to your leg?!" There was a tear in his left pant leg and blood running down his leg.

"Fucking bear or something. I was walking with a deer looking for Han when I got attacked. The deer almost escaped but then disappeared and I rushed back here. Is there hot tea or something? Damn I need something warm."

"I'll fix you a mug. Stay right here." Beth walked back to the kitchen and Sam and Jason spoke to each other.

"Did Pierce come back? Or Hannah? Or both?"

"What do you mean? Weren't you two together?"

"I said that we should split up so that we could cover more ground. I only hit a dead end on my side. I was hoping he at least made it back, at most with Hannah both in good condition."

"I'm sorry. We haven't seen either of them." "Then they're still out there. I can't move much out there and we have no idea where they went. Notify the Park Rangers or the police. Let them know that two people haven't been seen on Blackwood mountain since 1 AM."

After that, Beth came back out with a mug of hot chocolate, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and gauze. She handed him the mug and started tending to his wound.

"Beth, I'm sorry. I couldn't find her out there."

"I know. I heard. I can only hope Pierce has better luck."

They sat there for the remainder of the night. Beth went back to a guest room, not wanting to be in hers and Hannah's bed until they came back and left the two alone downstairs.

Jason
3:00 AM
Cabin living room

We sat back down next to each other in a comfortable silence. With everyone back in their rooms. We just stayed like that, my arm draped over her shoulders and her leaning onto me. It was nice, but I started to worry, worrying about Pierce and Hannah and what could be taking so long.

Another hour passed and it was already four in the morning. Sam nearly started to cry for her friend while I just sat there, not hearing anything as I started to really stress out as my brother should've found her.

"Jase? Do you think they'll be alright?" She was nearly in tears. I pulled her into a hug as she cried into my chest.

"I hope so, Sammy. I hope so."

We never saw them after that. The two had gone and disappeared into the night, never to be seen again. I never really talked to anyone from that group because of the incident. The only exceptions being Sam, Chris, Josh, Beth, Ash, and Matt. The former four because they never even took place in the prank and the latter two were the only ones that actually felt sorry for what they did.

Once my parents found out about Pierce, they blamed it all on me. My relationship with them just went downhill after that to the point where we never even talked. But I understood why they felt this way. They just found out that their son was missing and had never been found and I was at the last place that he was known to be. But it got so bad between us that I no longer saw them, even after returning for a few weeks. I stayed with Sam and her family. They welcomed me with open arms and I never returned to the place I once called home.

I left the Giddings house half a year later, starting college as classes were starting up. Since I came here in fourth grade while everyone else was in third and having met the group through Pierson, I left early for my classes while they still had their Senior year to finish up. I got a scholarship for Texas A&M which was a couple days away, considering we all lived in California, I wasn't complaining though, I've needed Texas back into my life. I majored in engineering and Musical arts and took Mathematics and Writing as my Minors. I didn't see anyone else, except for Sam over video chat, for a while. Josh and Beth never picked up my calls and Chris was too busy with work and hanging out with Ashley to talk. After a few months though, I even started talking to Sam less and less, before I knew it. I didn't see her for another three months.

Going to college was a little rough on me because I didn't have anyone I could rely or trust. I talked to a couple people here and there but I didn't have anyone to help me through the pain of losing my brother and having to deal with the fact that Hannah's disappearance was partially my fault, because I didn't help them or find her as she ran into the night. Life just sorta went downhill for me. I even bought a small Glock handgun, and was going to shoot myself until I heard my laptop ringing. The caller ID was registered under a certain Samantha Giddings. When I picked up, I didn't try hiding the weapon and she found out. The first thing she did was start to ask why I had one in the first place and I had told her the truth. She never knew what was going on behind the scenes and talked me out of it. She eventually came down to visit and helped me out a little bit. She had to leave, for school of course, but she pretty much helped me back into the game and not a day went by that we didn't talk over the phone.

Before we knew it, a whole year has passed since the incident and it was time for the annual winter getaway again. I hoped the outcome would sure as hell be different than the year prior. Unfortunately, I didn't get my wish. And now, I sit on the bus, watching the trees go by and hearing the news about the two missing teens that still haven't been found for a year. Samantha by my side as we shared a pair of headphones and pulled up to the entrance of the Washington Mountain Estate.

-End Prologue-

And the prologue is over with after 2400 words. Y'all let me know what you think and if I should change the plot. Later