"Wapahki."

MikexSam one-shot.

NOTE: "Wapahki" means "tomorrow" in the Cree indian language, which is the tribe that settled in the area where Blackfoot Mountain is located.

Everyone.

They'd lost everyone.

He and Sam were the only ones left, Michael Munroe realized as he made a mad dash away from the door that led to the basement. He and Sam had decided to go check the basement for any survivors, and they'd found a pack of Wendigo racing towards them instead. Everyone... they'd lost everyone.

And, Mike thought abysmally as he stared up at the huge dangling ornament in the center room of the cabin, he and Sam might be next. The blonde came racing after him and as soon as she saw him standing still, she skidded to a halt, preparing to ask him what was going on. Before she had a chance to say anything, Mike shifted his gaze over in her direction and whispered, "Don't. Move. Don't... fucking... move... a muscle."

Sam, smart girl that she was, did as she was told, and stayed perfectly still. They both did. The Wendigo were searching, that was for damn sure; Mike could see their ugly little faces turning this way and that, seeking movement. As long as he and Sam were still as stone, they wouldn't see them.

But they couldn't stand there all damn night. So, what to do? Think, Mike, think, he scolded himself; he had to get them both out of this, and fast. Otherwise these Wendigo would be having dinner soon, and he and Sam would be the main fucking course.

The Wendigo began moving, still searching; and although he could feel his heart beating out of his chest, Mike stayed perfectly still, barely daring to breathe - and he desperately hoped Sam could do the same. For some reason, he was more concerned about her safety than his own. If one person had to survive this nightmare, it was her. He needed for it to be her... and himself, too, if it was possible.

The Wendigo swinging on the large spherical decoration jerked its head in Mike's direction and he silently cursed; he knew he hadn't moved, so what the fuck was going on? Then, he heard movement behind him, and he used his peripherals to catch the figures entering the room. Apparently, the three Wendigo from the basement had finally gotten through the door Sam had locked and were now on the prowl. Jesus hot sauce Christmas cake... how many were there, now? Five? Six? Too many. Things weren't looking good, either way.

But instead of joining the hunt, these new Wendigo began... what the hell? Were they... facing off with each other? It was apparently a Wendigo show-down, and this main area was the ring. Mike couldn't decide if this bettered his and Sam's chances for survival or worsened them. The Wendigo began fighting, clawing at each other and screeching; God, they were fucking ugly. It was hard to tell they'd ever been human. One of the beasts threw the other across the room and it landed near the fireplace, its fall causing a gas line to knock loose. Mike could hear the 'hiss' as the gas started filling the air. Suddenly, the gears in his brain were turning again, and idea after idea formulated in his mind as he examined the room.

Finally, he settled on one idea: crack open the light bulb on the far side of the room to expose the wires inside - then when they were ready, they could simply turn on the lights. But instead of lighting up figuratively, the entire fucking cabin would literally light up. It would burst into flames and every single one of those hideous bastards would go down with it. It was a good plan... if either one of them could move without the Wendigo noticing. Mike glanced over at Sam and met her eyes; very, very faintly, she nodded, indicating that she understood. This caused a grim smile to curl his lips. Sam was a damn smart girl, and it was only because of their combined teamwork that they'd made it this far. He owed her his life - so he'd save hers, if it was the last damn thing he did.

Looking around, Mike noticed that the Wendigo were still fighting each other. Since they seemed occupied, he slowly, very slowly, began moving, keeping his footsteps as quiet as possible. He had a mission now, and nothing was going to stop him from completing it and getting them both out of there. He continued glancing around with each step, making sure that if he needed to, he could freeze - and that was when he noticed that one of the Wendigo had spotted Sam. Apparently she'd mis-stepped or accidentally moved, and Mike stopped and waited, holding his breath. The blonde was doing a remarkable job at keeping her composure while staring a blood-covered, snarling Wendigo in the eye - her bravery sent a thrill down Mike's spine. It was riveting to watch her, and at the same time it was nauseating. If he lost her too... he might as well throw himself into the fire. For a moment, he thought of drawing attention to himself to save her, but he was closer to the light bulb; he was the only one that could do this. The only one.

Finally, Mike reached the lightbulb and closed his fingers around it, wincing. This was gonna hurt - but it couldn't be worse than being ripped to shreds by a Wendigo, right? As quietly as he could, he popped the bulb, shattering the glass. The shards dug into his skin and he'd have a hell of a time picking them out later, but for now, he was triumphant -

- until the Wendigo that had previously been staring at Sam turned its ugly head to look directly at him. Mike met those cold, blind eyes and felt a fear crawl down his spine, rocking him to his very core. He stayed perfectly still despite his shaking breaths and as the Wendigo drew closer, trying its hardest to find him, Mike could feel himself growing more desolate. This was it. This was the end. He only hoped Sam would take the chance and run towards the light switch at the front door, sending them all up in flames and saving herself. But she stayed where she was for a moment. 'Damn it, Sam, what the hell are you doing?!' He thought, his dark eyes watching not the Wendigo, but her.

Then: "HEY!"

Mike's eyes widened in shock as the Wendigo screeched and abruptly turned around to square off with her again. Sam... she was... she was saving him. She was putting herself at risk to save him. Mike could be a hero when he wanted to be, and he could definitely put others before himself when push came to shove, but he was also very smart and knew that if he hesitated now, he would be making a mockery of her efforts and they both might very well end up dead. Feeling a flutter in his chest that definitely wasn't fear, he began inching towards the front door, knowing Sam was smart enough and capable enough to keep still until the Wendigo became distracted.

When Mike finally emerged from the cabin into the snow, he felt instant relief. He was safe. He was alive. He'd made it through this fucking joke of a night. But when moments began to pass, he felt his chest grow cold with dread. Bile rose up in the back of his throat and tears stung the corners of his eyes. What if Sam hadn't...? No. He had to have faith. Sam was the strongest and most capable girl he'd ever met, and -

- and here she came, flipping the switch, running out the front door, and tripping down the stairs, right into -

- right into his arms. Mike instinctively grabbed the blonde, holding her to him, and he wasn't sure if that was out of relief or to protect her. Suddenly the entire cabin went up in flames and the explosion flung both of them back into the snow; Mike landed on his back, and Sam landed on top of him, due to his arms being so tightly wound around her. "Fuck!" he cursed, pain nearly blinding him. His back had hit something hard when he landed - possibly a rock.

Sam almost immediately got off of him and helped Mike up, grabbing his arms with firm and steady hands. Turning to face the cabin, they watched as the flames engulfed the entire structure; dying, otherworldly screams echoed faintly on the wind and several licks of flame separated from the cabin to trail off in the wintry air, dissipating. Their hands brushed, and Mike's fingers curled around hers, giving her hand a squeeze and refusing to let go. For some reason, it felt natural that way. After all they'd gone through, the grip of her fingers and the warmth of her skin comforted him in a way nothing else could. Overhead, they saw some flashing lights and the faint sounds of a running helicopter. Mike lifted his eyes to the sky and as the chopper got closer, the wind from its blades stirred up the snow and whipped their hair in every direction.

Sam turned her head to meet his eyes and Mike almost immediately forgot about everything around him; everything except for her. Her eyes were startlingly green in the moonlight and the glow of the fire gave her skin a warm hue. His breath caught and a multitude of emotions welled up within him; relief, attraction, joy, anger, sadness, desolation, desperation, anguish. He wasn't sure which one was the strongest or which one he should act on. Jessica... Emily... Matt... Chris... Ashley... even Josh... they were all gone. Their friends were dead. Mike didn't know what to feel or what to do. All he knew was that Sam was alive... and so was he. He gave Sam's hand a squeeze and felt one given in return. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes and he wasn't sure whether they were tears of relief... or tears of sorrow.

Everyone.

They'd lost everyone.

But Mike and Sam would live through tomorrow... and they had one another.