.₊꒰ 🪓 ꒱:⩩┆( 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙬𝙣 )⊹.*

𝑇𝐻𝑅𝐸𝐸. ☠︎︎    𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙤𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩

⸝⸝ ʚ 🪓 ! ⌗ °• ━━━━━━━━━ 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑳𝑶𝑾𝑬 𝑺𝑯𝑰𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑫 𝑭𝑹𝑶𝑴 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑫 𝑻𝑶 𝑻𝑶𝑬, 𝑹𝑬𝑮𝑹𝑬𝑻𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑺𝑯𝑬 𝑯𝑨𝑫 𝑵𝑶𝑻 𝑻𝑨𝑲𝑬𝑵 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑶𝑷𝑷𝑶𝑹𝑻𝑼𝑵𝑰𝑻𝒀 𝑻𝑶 𝑷𝑼𝑻 𝑮𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑺 𝑶𝑵. She wasn't even sure if she had remembered to put gloves in her backpack, and at this point, everything that happened prior to her arrival felt like a blur. The tips of her fingers were growing slightly numb and red, matching her nose. While she loved the cold and the snow, she did not want to see her fingers drop off. Safely tucking them in the sleeves of her jacket was a good enough solution for now.

"So, ladies. How are we planning on breaking into my parent's lodge?" Josh questioned, adding on to what Chris had suggested about finding a window of some sort and making their way through.

"I never said I had a plan. It was just a suggestion." Chris shrugged, leading the way whilst Josh and Marlowe followed closely behind. The girl was too busy zoning out and focusing on the different crunch each of their boots made against the snow. But, while she zoned out, she could hear the faint screech of something in the air. It was far away, but it still captured her attention.

She stood in the middle of the path, Josh and Chris walking ahead while she stared into the abyss of pine trees. What on earth was making that noise?

"Hey! Earth to Marlowe!" Josh said, waving a single hand in front of her vision, and she finally snapped out of her zone, "zoned out there for a second huh?"

Marlowe's eyebrows rose while she crossed her arms over her chest to huddle against herself for warmth, "yeah... I keep hearing some screeches or something. Any idea what kinda animal makes those noises?"

He stood for a moment before scratching his head, "unless it's a mutant squirrel, I'm sure it's just the wind. Now, come, come, little Lo. We found a way in that isn't technically breaking in."

⸝⸝ ʚ 🪓 ! ⌗ °• ━━━━━━━━━ "𝑹𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻, 𝑺𝑶 𝑾𝑯𝑶❜𝑺 𝑮𝑶𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑰𝑵 𝑭𝑰𝑹𝑺𝑻?" 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑳𝑶𝑾𝑬 𝑨𝑺𝑲𝑬𝑫, 𝑴𝑶𝑽𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑯𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑺 𝑼𝑷 to her face to blow hot air on them while the trio looked at the smallish window in front of them.

"How about you? You're small," Josh encouraged.

Immediately, she shook her head, "no way am I going first. Who knows what's waiting on the other side ready to eat us? I vote Chris. He was the one that found it."

Chris stood with his arms extended in offense, "come on, guys. Why am I the sacrifice?"

"That's just how the cookie crumbles, Christopher," Marlowe shrugged before nudging him toward the window, "now be quick. Whatever's hiding by that window is probably growing hungrier by the second. You might have a higher chance of survival if it hasn't reached max hunger."

The blonde man sighed as he accepted his defeat. Josh tapped Marlowe on the shoulder and raised his hand, to which she happily gave him a high five while Chris dragged over an empty dumpster dusted with snow. It took him a few moments to climb up the dumpster, but Marlowe helped to keep it steady so he wouldn't go rolling down the way they came. Pushing the window open, Chris peeked through before awkwardly climbing through the window.

Marlowe and Josh both flinched at the sound of something hitting the floor. Or... someone. She climbed on the dumpster, Josh also joining her, and peeked through the window. Chris was splayed out on the floor, groaning on his back like a helpless turtle that had been flipped.

"Damn, Chris. Nice Landing!" The girl joked, giggling to herself before climbing through the window. She, however, was much more cautious than Chris and landed safely on her two feet. By the time she was in the cold and dark room, Chris was back on his feet while rubbing his back like an elderly man.

      Chris grunted, stretching his arms as his face contorted, "should have paid more attention in climbing class."

      "You mean "gym"?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, you know, with the climbing up the rope." Chris groaned, rubbing his head before the light above them exploded, shattering into hundreds of mini shards of glass. One shard grazed the skin on Marlowe's cheek, allowing a small drop of blood to slip from the wound.

      "Oh shit, Lo. You okay?" Josh asked, pointing at her face. Her fingers gently swiped the blood from her face before rubbing her fingers together so the blood would merge with the dead skin cells, that way she wouldn't have to wipe her hands on her clothes and risk the chance of getting blood on them.

      "Yeah, it's just a small cut. Not like I'm gonna die or anything. Anyways, is that normal?" She asked, "you know, for the lights to just explode?"

      Josh shook his head.

      "Was it me that did that? Did my fantastic climbing skills blow the light bulb away?" Chris joked, laughing at his own joke in the process. He faced the other two, only to see their unamused faces. "I thought it was funny..."

"I, uh, I don't think so... but here, use this to help you see," Josh picked a lighter from his pockets and tossed it through the window to Chris, who caught it without fail. He ignited the flame and waved it around for a little while as Josh formed a plan. "Hey, you two! I just got an awesome idea."

"What is it?" Marlowe questioned, only half her face seen from the orange light of the flame.

"Okay, so. I am PRETTY sure that I've got some deodorant in one of the bathrooms... you could use THAT with the LIGHTER." Josh explained, emphasising the key words to make sure it would get through Chris' head.

"I don't- I don't follow. How's a stick of deodorant gonna help?" Chris shook his head, completely and utterly lost.

Marlowe slapped her hand to her forehead, "he means a can of deodorant, you idiot. Homemade flamethrower for the doorknob."

"BINGO! You have hit the jackpot!" Josh pointed at the girl with finger guns. He tapped the window frame, "alright, I'm gonna go sort something out. You two up for hunting around the dark for a little bit?"

"Not really! But we'll do it anyway!" Marlowe stuck both of her thumbs up at Josh before glancing over at Chris. The man shrugged. They were in here anyway, and it'd be pointless to get a new plan as the weather got worse.

"Godspeed, pilgrims," Josh said, saluting as they watched him disappear from the windows opening. When he was gone, the pair faced each other before looking at the abyss in front of them.

"So... do you happen to remember your way around this freaky ass place?"

"After a year? Nope. It honestly looks bigger and scarier than last time, or is that just me?" Chris rambled, and Marlowe practically clung to his arm as they wandered through the cobwebbed-covered halls.

"Great. That's really good." Marlowe mumbled under her breath. A shadow in the basement caught her eye, and she detached from Chris. Small noises were coming from one of the shelves, so she chose to investigate. She flinched as one of the cans was knocked on the floor, followed by a scurrying rat. She took a deep breath. She was just being paranoid, right? Upon turning to find Chris where she had left him, he was gone. "Hey, Chris?"

Alone, and with no lighter, Marlowe wrapped her arms around her body while she wandered through the darkness of the halls. Squinting her eyes made her believe that she could see better than when she didn't squint. When turning around a corner, she saw a figure with a lighter. Sighing, the girl was just happy she wasn't completely abandoned.

"Chris, dude. Never leave me in the dark again." Marlowe grumbled as she stood behind him.

He investigated an object on the floor, pointing the lighter at it, "any idea what this is?"

"I think it's one of those totems. The ones we used to find outside a couple years back," Marlowe crouched beside Chris as he picked it up from the floor, turning it around in his free hand.

𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝗱𝗴𝗲

𝖺 𝗉𝗂𝖾𝗋𝖼𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆 𝖿𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗂𝗋 𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾
𝖿𝗅𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝗉𝗎𝗌𝗁𝖾𝖽 𝖺 𝗀𝗂𝗋𝗅 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗋𝗍, 𝖽𝖺𝗋𝗄 𝗁𝖺𝗂𝗋
𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗋. 𝖻𝗎𝗋𝗇𝗌 𝗌𝖼𝖺𝗋𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽
𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗂𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗐𝖺𝗒 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾.

      "What's it doing all the way inside the lodge?" Chris questioned, placing it back on the ground.

      "No clue. Maybe it grew legs and walked."

      He turned and looked at Marlowe with disappointment.

      "My bad, I was just tapping into your type of humor buddy," Marlowe patted him on the back, "anyway let's get going before they all freeze to death."

      She gently nudged him to be in front of her. she felt much more safe knowing that he was in front of her. That way whatever could possibly jump out would eat him instead.

      "Y'know, I don't really like the way you're walking behind me. It's like you're using me for bait or something." Chris mumbled, and Marlowe shrugged knowing that he couldn't see her.

      "Damn it, you read my mind, Christopher... would you prefer for us to walk side by side and hold each other's hand?" Marlowe said sarcastically, her snicker getting cut short as she crashed into Chris' back when he came to a halt. He read a couple of torn pieces of newspaper whilst she held her nose, rubbing it in hopes that it wouldn't feel as sore.

      He disregarded the newspaper and continued walking with Marlowe walking close behind, and the pair finally made it to the main area of the lodge. When she stumbled across a portrait of the Washington family, her heart sank. They all had a smile on their faces, and here she was... in their home after assisting in their disappearance in some way.

      "Hey... Let's keep going," Chris guided her away from the portrait.

      This time, Marlowe took the lead and Chris walked behind her. While she didn't have the lighter, it was far easier to see in the main section of the lodge than the basement. They walked through the hallways of stone walls, and a once-opened door on their left closed slowly without them going near it.

      "Now, you see, Chris. Doors don't usually close on their own, do they?" Marlowe speculated before placing a hand on the doorknob, twisting and pushing it open. Her hand left the knob and she performed a karate stance with her eyes closed. When she opened them, there was nobody there.

      "Nice moves you got there, Lo. Are you going to karate chop someone to death?"

      "I'll karate chop you to death in a minute and run through the house to find this stupid deodorant can myself." Marlowe hissed jokingly and continued to make her way through the doorway, stepping into a much larger room compared to the tight hallway.

      Together, the pair made it to the living room, observing how most of the sofas in the area had been covered with a protective sheet in order to prevent dust.

      "How far away is this bathroom?" Marlowe whined, looking over at the fireplace. She couldn't wait to light it up later. She was running out of patience.

      "Okay, let's just quickly go upstairs to one of the bathrooms. There's always another chance to look at everything in the lodge." Chris encouraged, and Marlowe agreed.

      Two flights of stairs later, they had finally made it to the top floor. Although she hadn't been here for a while, Marlowe lead the way as she was sure she remembered where the bathroom was located. However, just in case, she pushed every door they came across and took a peek into the room. She pushed open one final door, seeing the bathroom they had been desperately searching for.

      Marlowe celebrated, waving her hands in the air. "The deodorant better be in here or I swear to god I'll... AHHHHH." She screamed as she yanked the cabinet open, falling onto her back as some sort of wild animal leaped from the cupboard and landed on her chest. It wasted no time in jumping out of the door, leaving Marlowe on the floor with heavy breathing. Chris screamed more than Marlowe had, waving his lighter around in the process. "Oh, my god! What the hell was that? Chris! I could have died and you just stood there!"

      She angrily snatched the deodorant from the cupboard and threw it to Chris.

      "But, you didn't die so it's all good. Besides, what if I would have died too?" Chris wiped the back of his hand on his forehead.

      "Then we both would have been dead, duh," Marlowe nudged the boy, causing his glasses to tilt slightly before he fixed them. "Let's just hope this flamethrower works."

      Marlowe jogged down the stairs at a brisk pace, and Chris followed closely behind until they made it to the front door. She spotted Ashley looking through the glass, watching as the pair made a flamethrower to get the doorknob loose. After a few moments, Chris passed the can and the lighter to her before opening the door with his bare hands, cursing as he slightly burnt himself.

Moving out of the way so that the others could come through the door, something quickly scurried past, causing Chris to scream. She spotted the animal that had jumped on her and moved back so it wouldn't attack her again.

"Damn, that thing freaked me out." Chris sighed, and Marlowe stared at him soullessly.

"Oh, it freaked you out? The thing jumped on my chest!" Marlowe exclaimed, adjusting her backpack on her shoulders.

"What was it? Are you two okay?" Ashley laughed between her words while Chris rubbed the side of his face with his hand.

He looked behind him, gestured to the path the animal had taken, "it was like a... bear or a tiger or something-"

"Aw, it was just a cute little baby wolverine!" Sam spoke in a mocking tone, and Marlowe let out an exhausted laugh.

"A wolverine? That thing was the size of a bear when it was on top of me."

"That sounds extremely sexual, Lo," Josh joked, winking as he appeared from nowhere.

Marlowe shook her head, gently hitting him as he walked by with bags in his hands.

She had now encountered her new fear. Searching for deodorant.

⸝⸝ ʚ 🪓 ! ⌗ °• ━━━ '' - «🕸»‧₊˚𓍯 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚
╰┈➤ i'm writing quick as hell because i just wanna hurry up to all the wendigo drama bruh. i think that's one more chapter away