#ahsley until dawn

[admirationandromantics]

Going overboard, 1: Memento Mori

Okay, so first the prologue, and now the first chapter. As I've said before, not all chapters include a Josh-interactions because of accuracy to the game, so you'll just have to live with it. If you haven't read the Prologue, go to my profile, then the masterlist, Josh Washington. You'll find it there. Get ready for tomorrow!

❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀--✽--❀

Chapter 1: Memento Mori

After what happened up on the mountain last year, Josh didn’t stay in touch. At first we all tried to talk to him, help him, but we gave up one after another. He talked with Sam a lot. I think she did the most she could until he cut contact. I didn’t want to put too much on him, and we all were in grief as well, so it probably was the best solution. 

Sam and I had regular coffees. It helped us both. We shared stories about them, and she told me about everything which happened that night. The prank wasn’t about me, nor Josh. Not even Beth, but she still had to suffer the consequences. Poor Beth, and poor Hannah. We all knew she had a thing for Mike, but setting her up like that was not okay. I now despised them all, Jessica, Emily, Mike, Matt, Ashley. Matt was such a sweet guy, I couldn’t imagine him standing there with a camera, recording everything. For me though, Ashley hurt the most. I loved her, I truly did, but I cut contact quickly after I got to know about the evening. She sent me a bunch of texts, begging me to talk to her. She was sorry, she was drunk, caught up in the moment, and everyone was doing it so she felt like she had to. She never knew that the aftermath would be as bloody as it did. I still didn’t text her back. 

A month before the anniversary of their disappearance, Sam got a video message from Josh. He invited her up to the cabin again, stating that this would be a way to honour their memory, and relive the experience, but with a good ending. There would be booze, partying and just making new memories. Based on the video, it seemed like he asked everyone in the old group. Everyone except me. I felt hurt. Betrayed in a way. I was one of the few he talked to, cried to. Our relationship didn’t evolve after the event, but I was still there for him, trying to comfort him. Sam told me that I should come with her, but I declined. If he didn’t want me there, it was okay. She couldn’t understand why, but she kept being insistent, urging me to give it a chance. I didn’t have to be there the whole time, and if I wanted to, I could leave the very next day since the bus went through the area once every day. 

It would be good to talk to Josh, maybe even if he didn’t want to. I was selfish, I knew that, but I had to see him. I wanted to see how he was doing, how he was feeling. This also made me think of Chris. He would probably be there, and I hadn’t kept in touch with him either. I felt bad, but at the same time, we weren’t that close. I knew that he still hung out with Ashley sometimes, and maybe that made me a bit afraid. Maybe she would try to contact me through him? Maybe I wasn’t just selfish. Ashley also needed to talk. Talk to me, clear the air. I would let her. I finally agreed to come with Sam up to the cabin. 

***

The bus is empty, except for Sam and I of course. She didn’t pack much, and I didn’t either. I figured that I wouldn’t stay long. I just needed to talk to people, get some weights off my shoulders. The radio is playing, and no surprise, it’s about Beth and Hannah. I hold my composure, trying not to cry. The trip is long, and I end up sleeping on her shoulder for a good amount of it. Sam is watching something on her phone, but I don’t peek. I simply look out the window. There is an eerie feeling to these mountains. I felt the same last year, but this time it feels stronger. The black trees are covered in snow, untouched by animals. 

Finally we reach our stop. The sign says “Blackwood Pines” and hadn’t it been for last year's events, I would still love the name. Being here for the first time felt magical, straight out of Narnia, joining a winter wonderland of mystery. Now, I feel nervous. The air isn’t as fresh, the ground not as hard and the snow was too white. Instead of smelling winter, I smell something musk, like a dead animal or rotten meat. I look over at Sam, and I think she notices too. 

We start walking in silence, through the gate and up the trail. As we walk, she stops. 

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” I whisper, getting anxious. Maybe it’s a wild animal, a wolf or a bear. 

“Hello!?” Sam shouts, and my eyes widen. Why would she do that, what if the animal looks at us as a threat now. I look around, expecting something to pop out, but it’s silent. 

“Sorry, I probably just thought I heard something,” she says, continuing walking. She notices my tenseness. 

“Are you okay?”

“No, absolutely not” I state, looking around again. 

“Hey I get it, this is weird, but we’re doing this for Josh right,” she starts, taking my hand, stopping me. 

“I hate to say it, but you need to relax. Nothing bad is going to happen, and people are just being friendly”

“I know, I know. I just can’t shake off this feeling that there’s something here”

“It’s because of last year. We’re all still thinking about it, so we know how you’re feeling”

I look up at her. She’s right, I’m not alone in this, and we’ve both been there for each other the whole year. 

“Yeah, thanks for the talk. It’s just… well, weird”

“It is, but I think this is good for you. This trip could be a way for you to let go, get some closure. They both would’ve wanted that for you” she says, before pulling me into a hug. I breathe, and some of the tension lifts. Thank God I still have Sam. When we pull away she looks at me, smiling. I smile back, before looking behind her. My mouth opens, eyes widen and my breath hitches. I grab her hand, holding hard. 

“S-Sam, c-c-careful. Stand s-s-till,” I whisper. She holds her breath while searching my face for answers. 

“Boo!” I shout, punching her with both my hands. She screeches, jumps and I feel her pulse in her hand. 

“Got you” I laugh, while she’s still trying to compose herself. 

“Fucking asshole” she says. I can’t stop laughing. 

“You know, you’re going to ‘wolf wolf’ me.”

“I can live with that” I continue laughing, before starting to walk again, her following after. 

“I’m joking, that was out of line, sorry” I say after a while. 

“At least you got to see my ‘frozen’ face”

“Yeah that’s why I laughed” 

We reach the gate, and a piece of paper is pinned on the lock. 

“The gate’s busted, climb over -Chris” 

“I guess we have to climb,” I state, looking at the gate. There are big spikes on the top of the gate, so I look over at the side. It’s a stone wall. 

“Right up my alley” Sam says enthusiastically. Of course it is. 

“I’ll give you a lift first if you take my bag” she says, already taking off her bag. 

“Fine, just don’t throw me over with those strong climber-arms of yours” I reply, taking her bag and making my way to the wall. She puts out her hands and I grab somewhere safe on the wall. She helps me get up, and I jump down the other side, looking up, waiting for her. 

“Gosh, the stones are cold” she complains, finally getting to the top. 

“Should’ve worn gloves” I smile, showing off my red-covered hands in a theatrical manner. She laughs before hopping down. I give her backpack back, and we continue up. 

When we finally arrive at the cable car station, the place seems empty. I see a couple of cars in the parking lot, but don’t want to check who they belong to. One of them must be Josh’s. I walk up to the bench, noticing a backpack and a ringing phone. My curiosity is immense, but I don’t touch it. Sam notices who’s bag it is. 

“Hey Chris!” she yells, looking around for him. 

“Hey guys” he answers, and we both turn around. He seems older, more harsh than the year before, but I don’t comment on it. 

“How are you ladies?”

“Well, as you can expect” Sam answers, still smiling. I smile as well, keeping the mood light. I don’t notice how much I’ve missed him before seeing him now. Something in me breaks a little. 

“Oh, so, I found something kind of amazing”

“What?”

“I’m not gonna tell you got to see for yourself” he smiles, grabbing his backpack and leading us around the house. We get to the other side where we’re met with a shooting range. Barrels and bottles stacked for hitting, as well as bags hanging from the trees. 

“Ta-da! Pretty rad right?” Chris exclaims, loving this a bit too much. Sam forces a smile, guns are not a source of happiness for a pacifist. 

“A gun range on the bottom of a ski lodge” I comment. “How… nordic?”

Chris picks up a gun before looking at me. 

“Well, have you met Josh’s dad?”

“Yeah”

“Then we shouldn’t be surprised” he says before turning and aiming the gun. I hold my breath, not comfortable with this funny clumsy guy holding a death-weapon. He shoots the bags and one of the cans. I’m kind of impressed. 

“Nice shootin Tex” Sam teases, not impressed. I guess it would take something better than shooting to impress her. She fakes an annoyed look before turning my way. 

“Wanna try?”

“You know what, sure. It’s been a while” I say before taking the gun from him, taking off my backpack and laying it beside me. 

“You’ve done this before?”

“Josh has taken me shooting several times, not hunting though, luckily” I smile, remembering how close we felt the first time he showed me how to use it. 

“I bet that’s not the only thing you two have done” he comments, a smirk on his lips. 

“Haha, funny guy” I tease back. Sam holds her laughter. I shoot a couple of bags, stopping when a squirrel jumps on one of the barrels. 

“I guess that’s our sign to start going to the lodge,” I say, leaving the gun and grabbing my bag. 

“Jeez, I wish Josh would take me shooting,” Chris says, and I smile. 

The cable car is coming, and Sam makes her way over there. I use the opportunity to grab ahold of him. 

“Hey Chris, about this year-” I start, but he holds a finger up, signalling for me to stop. 

“I get it, if I were in your shoes I would’ve done the same”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s weird being back, but I’ve been wanting to clear up everything. We should keep in contact, even though you don’t want to talk to Ashley, I understand”

“When did you become such an understanding gentleman,” I tease, punching his arm and start walking. He lifts his arms in the air. 

“Haven’t I always been?” And I laugh at him. 

We all get in the cable car, and it starts moving up. Chris starts talking about how he and Josh met, and I pay close attention. I’ve only heard this story from Josh, and I love getting the different story-perspectives. 

***

We arrive at the top, I stand and try to open the door. It will not open. 

“Uh, guys, I can’t get the door open.” Chris tries, but can’t manage either. His response is to smack the window. 

“Ahh, what the hell!” I hear someone say. Jessica. I compose myself. 

“Jess! Over here, open the door!” Chris shouts. I see her through the window, and I bite my lips from having to look put together. Don’t look like a bitch, don’t look like a bitch, don’t look like you have anything against this piece of scum. I keep chanting in my head. 

She opens the door, and we all thank her. As we walk out, Chris starts whining. 

“Oh my god. I thought we were goners. Another ten minutes in there and I would’ve chewed off my own leg.”

“Aw, sick Chris,” Sam comments. 

“Look, I’ve got a lot of meat on my bones. This is all muscle down there.”

Sam rolls her eyes. “Yeah riiiiiight”

“Keep telling yourself that Chris,” I add, clapping him on the shoulder as I walk past him. He lowers his voice to a whisper. 

“Well, we all know who’s bone you want to jump…”

I turn around, mouth agape and eyes threatening. He immediately puts his hands up in defence, walking backwards two paces. 

“Just jokes, just jokes” says, voice cracking. 

“Dickhead”

“Notice how I’m not going to make another joke about that,” he answers. I quickly make a snowball and throw it at him, hitting his chest. Sam places herself between us, arms tense as if waiting for someone to attack. 

Chris uses this opportunity to snatch whatever Jess is holding. 

“Well, well, well… What do we have here?”

“Chris” Sam starts. He opens it, a surprised look on his face. 

“My goodness! Seems like someone has a crush on our good friend and dear class president Michael Munroe.” Shit. That’s not good. 

“Chris,” I threaten. 

“And what kind of sizzling erotica might our Jessica be capable of imagining, I wonder…”

Before he’s able to see more, Jess quickly snatches the item back. 

“If you must know-” she starts.

“Mike and I are together now.” We all look at each other. 

“Drama,” Chris answers. 

“No, pretty cut clean actually. Em’s out, I’m in,” she explains. I look over at Sam. She doesn’t know what to say. Luckily, Chris breaks the awkwardness. 

“Well, we should keep going” 

“You go, I’ll be waiting here for a bit”

“Waiting for Mike?”

“Just go”

We oblige, walking further and leaving her behind. The trail is quite big and visible. It’s comfortable to walk on. As we turn a corner, I see the cabin. The cabin where Josh is, where Ashley is probably waiting. The cabin which was the last place two of our best friends were seen alive one year ago.

[taylorshope]

Ahsley Until Dawn Ashley Until Dane Qdhley Until Dwne Ahdley Untivl Fawn

[queenofbaws]

a concept more than a prompt, but id enjoy your thoughts on the potential for until dawn to switch the character plots for joshs prank. instead of josh fake torturing chrid and ahsley, he sets up mike emily and matt and jess to go through choosing who lives and who dies.

oh man, i LOVE this...........i also love the tacit sort of suggestion that it would be chris, ashley, and sam sent to the guest cabin at the beginning to get them out of the way. i'd like to imagine they just have like. a really tense game of scrabble before shit hits the fan, meanwhile the others are having the worst night of their fucking LIVES in the lodge..........................

full disclosure: i am literally now fully OBSESSED with this idea, and what's under the cut is going to be 100% me talking to myself and just spitting shit out, so if you've come here for cohesion, i am so sorry.

THE OUIJA BOARD PRANK

i'm torn on this one, and here's what i mean:

i think with all these people (5 instead of the 3 we see in-game), it would be 100x easier for josh to pull his fuckery with the board itself. however. i also think it would be easier for them to write it off as someone trying to creep them out/scare them, and at the end of the day, who's gonna get saddled with that blame???? well. probably josh. he is, after all, kinda spooky.

i think this prank was easy with chris and ashley for the same reason ALL the pranks are easy with chris and ashley: they TRUST josh, and are also, um.

FAIRLY GULLIBLE. chris isn’t big on the idea at first, but when he sees josh get upset by the board...well, he does start to fold a bit. i don’t think the others would be quite as quick to glom onto josh’s emotional state, though they’d probably feel a sense of guilt/discomfort with him because of what happened to the twins.

i can 100% see the gang (i keep wanting to call them the all thats aklsdjfkljsdklfj) getting freaked out. i can. ESPECIALLY if they see the quick flash of the spooky ghost girl that we as the audience see but chris and ashley seem to miss in the game. i can absolutely see it scaring them, but i can ALSO see it backfiring ROYALLY in josh's face and making them more suspicious of him. emily and jess specifically i could see rounding on josh and accusing him of fuckery. i think it would be easier for mike and matt to laugh off, too, like "AW MAN! you got us!" and maybe even assume it's like...him getting even for the twins, in a way? but then they'd be way less likely to accept what happened later in the night as legit, so...HMM.

if the tables were turned, i think he'd have to ditch the ouija board, honestly. i don't know that it would end up being a viable option, UNLESS it was a divide and conquer sort of situation. even then, though, i'm just not sure any one (or two) of the gang would trust josh enough to believe he WASN'T fucking with them. HMMMMMMMM.

THE SAW PRANK

god help me, i feel like...........i feel like one of the biggest changes...........josh would need to make............to the prank(s) in general...........is.............keeping mike/matt from just............tearing them down.

you strap either of those beef boys down for the saw prank? neither of them are 90lb soaking wet ashley - they're going to do some kind of damage there. you strap either of the girls down for the saw prank? you're telling me they're not going to team up and knock that fucking door down??????? genuinely i feel like so much of the saw prank was SO heavily dependent on chris and ash being...like...they are...which is to say, uh, hmm. less than prime physical specimens, and also panicked beyond reason because (ostensibly) this is a really, REALLY hard choice for chris and ashley knows that!!!

it's probably a significantly less difficult decision for these 4. it would still be nerve-wracking i'm sure, i mean, they do still think someone's dying and it’s not going to be FUN, it’s going to be traumatizing either way, but............if it's between josh and them..............................

i think this one COULD, IN THEORY, still work fairly well IF josh could convince one of them to be an accomplice...but WHO???? and HOW????? oh god help me, now i very much want to see any combination of this.......the guys trying to pick between the girls, the girls trying to pick between the guys, matt and jess choosing between emily and mike, matt and emily choosing between mike and jess, emily and mike choosing between matt and jess, mike and jess choosing between emily and matt.........alksjdfkksjdfklasjdfkjdsf THE DRAMA OF IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!! (and the fallout whenever someone's picked!!!!!!! you're telling me you don't think emily would go full-on psycho, mask and all, if she was chosen to get sawed???? PLEASE!!!!!)

THE GHOST IN THE BASEMENT PRANK

this one? beautiful. *chefs kiss* gorgeous. some minor changes like locking the basement door behind them, fucking with the electricity, blahblahblah, and this, i think, would be PERFECT. and i think it would be perfect for a few reasons:

1. depending on who's stuck down there with who, be it the whole gang or just a few of them, nothing leads to heightened emotions quite like fear. maybe the first big moment where emily and jess reconcile? or get ANGRIER at each other?? mike and matt reaching a boiling point with each other OR exchanging one wordless look, nodding, and deciding fuck it, whatever bad blood they got can wait? matt and jess showing their dynamic? emily and mike working together while picking at each other???? the entire group having to put shit aside and work together or self-destruct completely???? sign me up for ALL of that.

2. the. fucking. guilt. so like i said, i think the ouija board prank is ehhhhhhhhh for a lot of reasons, but i think if you showed these four a convincing hannah-beth ghost??? oh i think there'd be an effect. i think there'd be...a big effect. unlike with chris (who wasn't part of the original prank on hannah), i think even the nonbelievers of the group would have a hard time getting over the hurdle of their guilt for what happened to the twins if faced with literal fucking ghosts of them.

3. springboarding off of point 2 up there, imagine ANY of these four finding the dollhouse. just close your eyes. consider it. emily going pale and silent. jess grimacing and immediately closing it again. mike knocking the dolls over as soon as he realizes what he's looking at. matt not being able to look away. just. it's. so. good. and hannah's diary???? hannah's fucking DIARY. them seeing hannah's unbridled excitement at ALL of them hanging out, and then dealing with knowing what happened only hours after??????????????????????

i'm lying on the ground. i'm staring at the ceiling. i want it so badly.

THE BATHTUB PRANK(?)

i am hesitant to call this one a prank mostly because it feels very incidental, but for all intents and purposes of exploring this beautiful au, let's ask ourselves: WOULD any of them take a bath in these circumstances??? perhaps!

would they be taking a bath ALONE???

DOUBTFUL!!!

two warring couples involving warring best friends desperate to show each other that they've moved on and don't need each other??????????? i think bath time becomes its own battleground, honestly.

that being said, would i pay good money to see either mike or matt running through the lodge in nothing but a towel yelling "GUYS? GUYS???? THIS ISN'T FUNNY! OH HA HA, YOU GOT ME NAKED, REAL NICE, NOW COME OUT AND QUIT BEING DUMB!!!!"?

yes.

yes i would.

here's another familiar problem with bathtub prank though: josh is probably going to get the shit knocked out of him in the resulting chase through the lodge. sam did it. i think any of these four would do it. the DIFFERENCE is most of them probably aren't going to give him one crack to the head and bolt - i feel like more than one of them would like. idk. knock him the fuck down and then, uhhh

take.

the.

mask.

off.

and then we have a full scooby-doo reveal WAY too early in the game, and who wants that??? not josh, that's who.

THE SAW PRANK 2: ELECTRIC (GUN) BOOGALOO

this one suffers, i think, from a lot of the same issues as the first saw prank, so at the risk of making this even LONGER than it already is, SEE ABOVE!

additional wrinkles: who's he giving the gun to???? i mean, like...really???? which one of them's getting that gun? do they all get guns??? do two of them get guns???? where are these guns coming from????? is it all four of them around the table and 3 need to die? does only 1 need to die??? what are the parameters????? if anyone (read: emily and jess) has gone through any sort of bonding/reconciliation during the night, this could have PROMISE, but........i'm still not feeling TERRIBLY confident in it being pulled off effectively.

additionally, in the original saw prank 2, josh was, if you think about it, LUCKY that it was only mike who took it upon himself to knock him around after his big reveal. are you gonna look me in my eye and tell me mike AND matt AND emily AND jess aren't all four gonna go ham on that boy the MOMENT they're unchained????????? his insurance isn't PREPARED for a claim of that size.

ASSORTED FINAL THOUGHTS

all in all, i think MOST of josh's pranks would have to be changed/reworked in a fairly major way to menace these kiddos instead of the nerds. honestly i think the saw pranks, as they currently are, really WERE designed with chris and ashley in mind specifically, and would therefore be most effective on THEM. however. if there is one thing in life i have, it is faith in josh washington, so i'm sure he’d be able to find a way to do it AND give the resulting pranks that silent hill-y personalized torment touch if he really put his mind to it.

i think sticking to the hannah-beth haunting angle is probably the STRONGEST way to go in terms of an overall through-line, maybe even more so than the outside threat of The Psycho. i think drilling down on their guilt would be way more effective than focusing only on their FEAR, and i do think he'd be able to accomplish that...again, if some tweaks were made. the vengeful ghost angle i really, REALLY like for these four, and i think it would lead to some ideal inter-group chaos as they tear each other down and then build each other back up again when they see their backs are really to the wall.

mostly, though, MOSTLY, i am now CONSUMED WITH IRE (of the joking, and not literal kind XDDD), because HOLY SHIT i have so many things on my to-write list right now but i?????????????????? really want to keep thinking about this??????????? a lot??????????????????????????? and im genuinely not kidding when i say i’m going to be rolling this one over in my head until i’m able to settle on pranks that i like. and then i’m going to shriek like a banshee because i’m going to want to write them. and...............................and i love this so much. thank you for twisting my brain like this, i’m like. fully obsessed with this now askdjflskajdlfkjsdkfj