CHAOS THEORY.
HANNAH WASHINGTON.

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February 2015

     "Hard to believe that... thing used to be a person." Sam mumbled.

Willow nodded, staying quiet as she walked between Mike and Sam. They had been making their way down to the nest, sticking closely together in order to have as much light as possible. Since Mike had used the gun to barricade the door behind them, Willow had given him the flashlight in her pocket.

She had attempted to turn her own headlamp back on, but unlike Sam's, Willow's was unfortunately dead like she had figured it was.

"Yeah, maybe a miner..." Mike trailed.

"Maybe someone who worked in the Sanatorium?"

Mike huffed a laugh, "There was so much weird shit happening up there that wouldn't even begin to surprise me."

Willow nodded in agreement, blinking slowly. She had a slight pounding in her head from the fall when the Wendigo attacked them. She was sure it wasn't a concussion, but then again she was a history buff, not a medical student.

"What kind of weird shit?" Sam asked.

"Someone was capturing the Wendigos." Willow whispered, wrapping her arms around her waist. Part of her wanted to assume it was the guy with the flamethrower, before he died, considering the amount he knew. It would make sense. Right?

Mike nodded, glancing down at her for a moment, "Yeah, had 'em all tied up in these restraints and.. we saw some real fucked up shit."

"Wow."

"Pretty sure we let them all out when we blew the place up." Willow sighed, digging her nails into her palms.

They were screwed if they didn't get the cable car keys and get the hell off the mountain fast. But Willow felt like they had a better chance blowing up the barrels than if she had just shot the Wendigo, considering there was another one right behind it that wouldn't get injured since Willow was not that quick of a shot.

"Smooth move." Sam said softly, noticing the look on Willow's face.

Willow shrugged. She stood by her choice. It was a split-second decision and probably had been one that saved their asses in the moment. It just meant they had to find Josh and hope they don't run into anymore trouble until then.

They continued walking in silence for a moment.

"I think we're close." Sam mumbled, walking in front of Willow and around Mike as she glanced around.

Willow agreed, there seemed to be a small set-up just ahead of them. Ropes lined the side after the wall they had just passed ended. If they weren't at the nest already, they had to be right by it.

"How can you tell?" Mike asked.

Sam shook her head. "I don't know.. I just feel really terrible all of a sudden."

Willow walked slowly behind Mike and Sam, feeling queasy as she glanced over the side, where there was an opening between the roped railings. The water was still, but the darkness of it made Willow anxious. Sam leaned down to her right, picking up something. Willow didn't look, assuming it was another totem.

Curling her toes in her beaten up boots, Willow looked down at it for a little bit longer before glancing around. She hadn't even noticed that the two of them moved from beside her, walking over to where Mike and Sam had wandered.

The area they were in seemed like a dead-end, which meant that their only way through had to be the water. That sucked. Willow was already feeling the cold with the lack of her jacket to help and getting into water was surely going to make things worse, and not just for her, but for Mike and Sam too.

"Guys... is that what I think it is?" Sam calls out lowly, walking toward an arrangement of rocks at the back of the dead-end.

Willow had caught up to Mike, practically touching sides completely as they walked to the edge while Sam climbed over some of the rocks.

"Shit.. looks like a grave." Mike said, sharing a look with Willow.

Sam picked something up, running her fingers over it before turning to the two of them as she climbed back out. Willow felt her stomach churn the second Sam held out the item. She recognized it immediately.

"Oh god.. this is Beth's! This is her watch!"

"What?" Mike said, reaching for Sam's hand. "Let me see..."

Sam glances behind Willow, causing the girl to turn and look herself. Her brows furrowed.

"Look," Sam gestured to where she and Willow were looking, moving closer to her, "there was a cross here."

"So this is where she was buried." Mike stated.

Willow almost rolled her eyes. That was pretty obvious, but given everything they've been through tonight, they could afford to say confirmations aloud. It helped.

"But who dug her up?" Willow asked, a pit forming in her stomach. Her anxiety had started spiking the moment the thought crossed her mind and she hadn't been able to stop herself from saying it.

That was the million dollar question.

Could it have been Hannah? Someone had to have buried Beth and Willow was sure that the flamethrower guy wasn't much for formalities. But if Hannah buried her, why would she dig her back up?

Unless...

"Let's keep moving." Mike knocked her train of thought away, glancing back around toward the water, shining the light around. His free hand tugged at Willow's sleeve as he gestured for the two girls to follow him.

Sam took the lead back over to the opening along the rope rails. Willow was hesitant to even step on the wooden planks that lead to the water. Sam hadn't even hesitated to sit down on them.

"If there's no other way across, then fine. I'm going in." Sam mumbled, sliding herself to the edge of the planks as Mike followed her lead.

Mike sat down on the planks, going straight into the water. He glanced back up at Sam, who now seemed to be hesitant, and then to Willow who looked ready to drop from exhaustion. He smiled softly at Willow, reaching his free hand up. Willow sighed, sitting in the same spot as he had, grabbing his hand tightly as she slid herself into the water immediately.

If she hadn't done it right away, she would've ended up talking herself out of it. Something she probably should've done before ever walking into the mines earlier in the night.

A shiver ran down her spine from the cold while her feet stung a little. It didn't help that she had only started feeling the effects of the storm an hour or two prior. She tightened her grip on Mike's hand, punching him with her free hand when she felt his body shake slightly with laughter.

"Come on," Mike voiced softly to Sam, "it's okay."

"You sure?"

"Well," Willow breathed, as she shrugged shakily, "we aren't dead yet."

"Famous last words." Sam retorted. It reminded Willow of Harley.

Harley. Shit.

Things had taken such a turn and she had told him that things were going to be fine for the night. And there was still a chance that when he showed up in the morning to pick her up that she could be dead. Shit, indeed.

Sam slid into the water, shivering immediately.

"It's freezing, I can't feel my fingers." Sam mumbled.

Willow nodded in agreement. But at least she had Mike's body warmth ─ which may not be much, but it was just enough ─ from where they were still holding hands as they started treading through the water. Mike was still in front, keeping Willow and Sam sort of behind him as they walked cautiously.

The bottom of the water shifted lower, Willow now up to her upper chest in the water as Mike lead her through the water.

"Holy shit." She mumbled as another chill run down her spine.

"Wait a minute," they both glanced back to Sam, "I thought you'd reached the deepest part."

Mike made a face, "I didn't say that. I said it was okay, meaning like there weren't any sharks or anything in here."

Willow rolled her eyes.

"Sharks, great! Thank you." Sam called out.

Not paying attention to where Mike was leading her, Willow was a little surprised when they found a ledge to get up on. She glanced around, they had gone toward the left side of the water wheel. She thought they would've been going to the right, where there was a door that she could vaguely see in the faint light they had.

Willow didn't focus on that much as Mike helped her out of the water. She dropped his hand, wrapping her arms around her waist in an attempt to get some warmth back into her body. She was shorter than both of them, meaning more of her was in the water, especially in the deeper parts.

She hated being short.

There wasn't much on this side of the wheel, only a file that looked like it had been taken from the sanatorium. Sam reached down and started looking through it.

Willow didn't try reading it from where she stood, closing her eyes as she took in a deep breath. Mike wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing his hand up and down her arm as he tucked her into his side.

And Willow didn't need to try reading what the papers said, considering Sam had started to read them aloud.

"I'm sorry Beth.. I have no choice. It's the only way I can survive anymore." Willow took in a sharp breath. "If someone finds this, I'm sorry. I had to.. I had no choice."

They had already determined that Beth died in the fall and Hannah hadn't, burying her. And then finding the grave, especially after Emily found Beth's head.... it was clear someone dug Beth up. It wouldn't have made sense for it to be anyone but Hannah, except a Wendigo, but it seemed like all but one had been locked up in the sanatorium.

Willow found herself right back in the train of thought she had been in before Mike got them to cross the water.

"What does it mean.." Mike trailed off. "Jesus..."

Willow was pretty sure it meant that Hannah got desperate.

After all, the only way to become a Wendigo was to eat human flesh and Beth was the only thing Hannah had with her. She couldn't bring herself to voice it, but Sam did it for her anyway after turning the page one last time.

"Oh god.. It makes sense. I think.. Hannah dug up Beth. It was Hannah!"

Willow felt Mike shake his head.

"No that's─ that's ridiculous─"

"Michael.." By Sam's tone, Willow was sure Mike looked upset, "Michael it has to be. It's the only thing that makes sense ─ Beth died in the fall."

Willow cleared her throat. "Hannah would've been the one to bury her."

Sam nodded, gestured to Willow, whose eyes were now open as she glanced up at Mike, pity swimming in her eyes. She knew how much Mike beat himself up over their disappearance.

"Goddammit..Goddammit." Mike grit his teeth.

"Hannah was down here.. for.." Sam trailed off.

Willow cleared her throat as Mike protested. She gave him another look as a wave of exhaustion washed over her. He didn't look at her.

"She would have been starving.." Sam picked back up her train of thought, trying to get through to Mike, "She would have been desperate."

Mike cursed.

Willow glanced around. Her stomach was twisting again. "We need to find Josh. We don't know how much time we have."

Sam and Mike nodded, the latter taking his arm off from around her shoulder as he moved to get back into the water first. Sam followed after him, both of them waiting for Willow. Mike's hand was up in the air again for her and Willow took it without hesitation as she slipped back into the ice cold water.

Another shiver ran down her spine.

Mike squeezed her hand as he kept the flashlight above the water, lighting the short way they had to the other side. The ground seemed even enough, but with the way Mike seemed to grow just a bit shorter in front of Willow, she knew the ground had to dip again. Mike stopped, sighing.

"It's getting deeper." He called loud enough for Sam to hear from behind them before he turned to look at Willow, holding out the flashlight for her to take.

Willow's brows furrowed as she grabbed it, their hands disconnecting.

"You're getting on my back. You're already practically soaked to the bone and we don't need you going under if it just gets deeper, so hop on."

Mike gave her a deadpan look as she opened her mouth to argue. She closed it, nodding, gripping the flashlight tightly as Mike crouched a little, turning his back to her again.

Willow wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing her body to jump. She felt the wind get knocked out of her as she hit Mike's back, his hands gripping her thighs under the water. A shiver ran up her spine and this time she was sure it wasn't from the cold water. Ignoring it, Willow shifted to hold the flashlight so that it still shined ahead of them.

In the time it had taken Willow to get up on Mike's back, Sam had caught up to them. She had been hanging back, still thinking over what they just discovered.

Willow gave her a small smile from Mike's back as Mike started walking forward again. The right side wasn't far away, only a few more feet.

The ground dipped a little more for a moment, before rising again.

"Okay, okay.." Mike mumbled, nodding, "Hey, it's sloping up again. We're gonna make it."

Willow giggled softly, unable to hold it back at the tone in his voice, trying to make light of the situation they had found themselves stuck in. First the sharks, now this.

"Oh my God, don't jinx it!" Sam said as Mike approached the ledge.

The ground, and Mike, were at the right height for Willow to slip right off of his back and onto the ledge without issue. Mike seemed to think the same thing, turning around to let Willow hop back up onto the ledge, the flashlight still in her hand.

She climbed up to her feet, holding out a hand.

Mike took it, using Willow to help pull himself up. Once he was up, although still on the ground and not standing, Willow held out her hand again for Sam, doing the same thing. Mike had stood up completely by the time Sam had enough of a balance to finishing getting up on her own. Willow handed him back the flashlight.

"Come on, come on, we made it."

Willow glanced around at they all tried shaking off water.

Hopefully they wouldn't have to get into another body of water again. Unless it would be their only way out. This sucks, Willow said to herself as they moved away from the ledge.

There was nothing much on this side of the wheel, but unlike the journal Hannah had made for herself, this side had a door, which meant something had to be beyond it and Willow could only hope Josh was that something. They needed those keys to get the hell off the mountain before more of them died.

Mike wrapped his free arm around her shoulders again as Sam approached the door, trying to give her some warmth. His hand rubbed up and down her arm again as Sam unlocked it. Instantaneously, they were all soaked once more as water rushed through the door, opening it wide.

"Whoa!"

Willow grunted as she fell back into Mike, something having hit her feet. He hadn't been expecting it, the two of them falling back. Sam seemed to have also been hit with something, only a few feet away from them, but still standing.

Sam let out a small scream.

Going to look at what knocked them over, Mike shook his head, turning her head to look at him before she could see what it was.

"Wha─" Willow breathed out, but Mike shook his head again as he tried to steady his breathing.

"You said you didn't want to see more dead bodies tonight." He glanced at whatever it was again. "Jesus... she.... It's Jess."

Mike stumbled over his words some more while Willow climbed shakily to her feet, keeping herself facing him. She reached out for him, helping him up as he stared down at what Willow assumed was a head, given how small the object had been. It wasn't a full body, but Mike had assumed correctly when Willow said she hadn't wanted to see another dead body ─ it may not be full, but that meant even more than she did not want to see whatever had happened to her friend.

Mike ushered Willow toward the door, where Sam had stumbled toward, making sure she didn't look down.

Willow held back a gag as she looked past the doorway as they walked through it, turning and facing Mike as she shook her head. Mike's hand on her back went toward the back of her head, keeping her head facing away from the hanging bodies as he helped her walk.

"You see that..?" Sam's voice got quiet as Willow assumed she looked up to see who was hanging.

They got closer, but Willow refused to look away from Mike's form, even if she was closing her eyes. Her stomach was churning just at the thought of dead bodies. Jess was one of them. Willow assumed the flamethrower was another. Hopefully Josh wasn't one.

"Yeah..."

"..bodies..."

"Yeah. yeah, a lot of them. Oh.. Oh my God.." Mike tucked Willow closer to him.

Sam cried out while Willow pushed away from Mike and turned away, hopefully no longer facing the direction the bodies were hanging. She slowly opened her eyes as Mike claimed he was going to be sick, relief flooding her at the site of wooden boards in front of her.

Willow almost got the courage to look and see who all was dead, if any more of their friends had met their fate while they had gone off in search for a way off the mountain, when something caught her eyes between the boards.

She stepped closer, trying to peer through the cracks.

"I think I see someone.." Her voice was loud enough to get Mike and Sam's attention.

Was it Josh? Willow hoped it was. It was hard to tell in the dark. She still had no clue who else was hanging, and she knew it had to be more then two bodies, she was sure she had seen more in the brief glance she had seen, and if Josh was still alive and moving then she wouldn't have to mourn one more friend tonight.

The person's voice carried over to them.

"No..no no...no no no.. I don't... I don't take orders from you..."

It was Josh. Josh, who seemed to be having some sort of hallucination. Willow gulped.

"Josh!" Sam called out. He didn't seem to hear her through the boards.

"There's a door here." Mike gestured for them to follow as he pushed it open.

Willow stopped herself from glancing over her shoulder as she followed behind Sam after Mike. Josh was still rambling as they approached him.

"Hey.." Mike tried getting his attention. "Hey Josh!"

Josh cried out, "You can't tell me what to do anymore!"

Willow's brows furrowed. What was he talking about? Who told him to do stuff? What was he seeing?

"Josh? Buddy?"

Mike and Sam slowly approached Josh, Mike's hands out in front of him. Willow stayed back, wrapping her arms around her stomach. She watched as Josh continued to ramble on about nonsense, while Mike and Sam tried to find a way to snap him out of it without setting him off. They had no idea what was going on with him.

Before Willow knew it, Mike was slapping Josh in the face. "Josh!"

Her eyes widened, her mouth gaping. As much as she wanted to scold Mike for resulting to violence, it had worked.

"M..Mike?" Josh stammered.

"Josh.. Hey, man─" Mike was still slightly shaking Josh as he spoke.

Josh cut him off, looking scared. "Don't h-hit me, p-please─"

"You were deep in it, man. Full mental jacket."

Willow hissed lowly. Not the best words to use, probably. Josh didn't say anything.

"We didn't think we'd get you back..." Sam trailed off, before perking up a bit, "Josh.. Hannah was down here for.. weeks.. a month? She dug Beth up!"

While it probably wasn't the best time to tell him given his current state, Willow understood that maybe telling him something about his sisters would ground him, keep him sane enough to get off the mountain. Plus, they never knew if they'd get another chance.

"Sam.." Mike warned her.

Sam shot back at him, "Mike.."

"Let's just get the fuck out of here, please." Willow called to them, getting their attention. They had to keep moving.

Mike nodded.

"Okay.." Sam turned to Josh, who hadn't seemed to realize Willow was also there, "Josh, do you have the key for the cable car?"

Josh nodded, pulling them out of one of his pockets shakily and handing them over, "Y-yeah.. here."

"Oh, good." Willow mumbled in unison with Sam as she moved to join them finally.

Mike seemed to notice how much she was shaking, taking her under his arm again. There was no way Willow wanted to get in the water again if there wasn't another way out. She'd figure out a way if there was no other option.

Sam pointed above them as she moved closer to that direction, "See that over there? That means there's a direct way out. C'mon."

Willow sighed in relief. She didn't have to get in water again. At this point, she was more likely to freeze to death than get attacked by another Wendigo. She felt Mike move away from her and while he hadn't been offering much warmth it had still been some. She glanced over her shoulder. He was just helping Josh. Willow followed Sam to the wall, while Mike helped Josh.

"There's no way Josh is gonna make it up there." Mike said as they stood in front of the bottom of the wall.

Willow glanced up. Part of her wasn't sure she could make it up there in her state, but it was better than the water.

"Okay." Sam breathed out, turning to them, "If you can help me up, I can go back to tell the others we're okay."

"Yeah.. Yeah, good." Mike glanced at Willow.

"You bring Josh back the way we came and we'll all meet at the lodge." Sam continued, not noticing Mike's glances at Willow.

"Go with Sam." Mike nudged Willow.

Willow wasn't going to argue, but the way he had said it was like he wasn't going to give her another choice in the matter. She didn't like that.

"Why? What happened to not wanting to separate too much?"

"Going along is suicide." He shot back, giving her a look. "Besides, like I already said, you're soaked to the bone and with the way you're shaking.. if you get back in that water, you might get hypothermia if you don't already have it. I'm not risking that, Will. Go with Sam."

Willow sighed, nodding. He was right. Plus, if anything, Sam and Willow would be more likely to reach the lodge first, which meant Willow would have more time to get warm. Maybe call Harley.

"Be careful." Mike said, helping Sam up the wall first.

"You too." She called as she started climbing slowly, to wait for Willow.

Willow curled her toes in her boots, hugging Josh quickly and then Mike. The hug with the latter lingered for a moment, for the warmth he was giving off or for another reason, Willow didn't want to figure out. She pulled away, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Be safe, don't die." Willow winced. "Bad choice of words, but statement stands."

Mike smiled softly, getting into position to life her up like he had Sam, "C'mon."

Willow nodded.