LIABILITY ━━ until dawn.

chapter xvi.

chapter sixteen –
officially together.

Sage quietly follows after Mike once again, her thoughts all mushed together as she tried her hardest to process what had just almost happend. She watches Mike open the door that lead to the inside of the Sanitorium, holding back a smile as he steps back and lets her walk in first.

" Thanks, " Sage says quietly as she heads inside of the Sanitorium and immediately stopping and turned to look at Mike and repeating her words. " Thank you. "

" You said thank you twice. " Mike tells her as he furrows his eyebrows in confusion. He had no idea what Sage was talking about.

Sage lets out a sigh as she looks up at Mike, feeling smaller than she already was compared to him. " Thank you for not killing Em. " She bites her lip before continuing, " I. . I know that you could have if you truly believed that she was a danger to us. "

Mike runs a hand through his hair as he remains silent for a moment, his thoughts all jumbled together as he tried his hardest to comprehend what he had almost done just moments ago.

" I did believe that she was a danger to us. " Mike reveals as he stares down at the brunette, " I was so close to pulling the damn trigger. " His heart hammers in chest as he clears his throat as he reveals why he hadn't shot Emily, " If you hadn't talked me down and made me see that maybe her bite was just a bite then. . I don't know what could've happend. "

Sage furrows her eyebrows once again as she tries her hardest to figure out what to say. She was the reason that Emily wasn't dead? It was crazy for her to think that her telling Mike a few words had made him step down from pulling a trigger and having the blood of his ex-girlfriend on his hands.

Choosing to not reply, Sage turns to continue the walk towards the Chapel, which was their main goal, and made it a few steps but was quickly stopped as soon as Mike started speaking again.

" Jess and I broke up. " Mike blurts out, the reveal being the reason that Sage had stopped so quickly. He continues to speak as he watches Sage turn around to look at him, " Earlier tonight before. . " Mike trails off as he tries to find the words to describe what had happend to Jess. " Before she got taken by the wendigo. She said that she knew there was something between us, that we should figure out exactly what that thing was. " He pauses for a second as he walks closer to Sage, " That whatever me and her had was just a filler as I tried to deny the feelings I had for you. "

Mike ends up being a foot away from the brunette, whom looked up at him in surprise. Silence surrounded the duo, who had not stopped staring at each other as Sage tried to figure out what to say to Mike's reveal.

Finally deciding that maybe words wouldn't be an appropriate response to Mike, Sage inches forward and presses her lips against his to show how she truly felt about him. Her hands found their way wrapped around his neck as she balances on her feet, their height difference being the only struggle they had at the moment. Sage smiles into the kiss as she realizes one thing, the sparks between them were still there and that made her the happiest she could be during this night.

" God, " Mike groans out playfully as he finally pulls away after a moment, he grins down at Sage, " I forgot how short you were. "

Sage lets out a gasp before continuing to smile, " Hey! " She pushes his shoulder before shaking her head. " I forgot how much of a bully you are, Mike. "

Mike looks down at her with a fond smile as he cups her face in his hands as he speaks quietly, " After we get off this mountain, I'm not letting you out of my sight, these, " He pauses to gesture to all of the injures scattered all over her body, " are never happening to you again. That's a promise. "

Sage only continues to smile, the thought of her and Mike officially dating had her heart hammering in a good away and butterflies filling her stomach, but the voice in the back of her mind reminded her what was truly going on.

Josh had most likely been taken or killed by the Wendigo that had most likely also killed Jess, and that shook Sage to the core. How could one thing, that shouldn't even exist, be the reason that most of their friends would most likely end up dead?

" Hey, " She's shaken out of her thoughts by Mike's voice to see him standing next to the door leading to the chapel, his hand stretched out as he waited for her. " You coming? "

" Yeah. " Sage nods with a small smile as she quickly intertwines her hand with Mike's as the two enter the chapel before faltering in their steps.

The Sanitorium's Chapel was in a worse state than it was just hours ago and the duo standing in the middle of it could only look around in shock.

What the hell had happend in just a few hours?

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authors note.

hi my babies are togetherrrr and i'm so happy abt it! the next chapter should be out soon if i'm motivated lololol. also sorry if ya'll got a bunch of notifications because of me changing the layout oop! hope you guys have a good day/night! 🥺🖤