Lost Creek, Colorado was the last place Sam wanted to be; he was still reeling from the death of his girlfriend on top of the last minute decision to start hunting again after vowing to quit.

to say his mind was an amalgam of emotions would be a gross understatement, yet he refused to pay it any mind and instead focused on the task at hand, putting all his attention and energy on the case that had taken them to the little town—a string of missing hikers in Blackwater forest.

cooped up in the shanty looking hotel for the next several days, Sam had tasked himself with researching the disappearances of each hiker and going through his father’s journal in search of any hints as to what monster they’d potentially be dealing with.

despite his best efforts, images of Jessica continued lingering in the depths of his mind and crept up on him just as he was getting immersed in his task, reopening the wounds left behind by her untimely demise and adding on to the mounting grief Sam was struggling with.

in dire need of some fresh air, Sam abruptly stood up from the bed and abandoned his research, walking out of the hotel room and down the walkway to the stairs, making a feeble attempt at calming his racing heart.

not paying attention to where he was walking or who was around him, Sam’s shoulder ended up bumping into someone who was walking past him, causing them both to stumble and Sam to finally snap out of it.

“that was my bad, i wasn’t paying attention.” Sam apologized, only to pause when he saw the person standing in front of him, mouth slightly agape as they stared at each other.

“{{user}}?” he spoke their name quietly after a few moments of silence on both their ends, in disbelief that he was staring at someone he’d considered a best friend growing up despite the constant moving around.

“it’s been so long. how are you?” he asked them, now fully attentive of them; he wanted to know everything that he’d missed in the last several years that they’d lost contact after Sam stopped sending letters.