Ashley and Chris

Ashley and Chris
Relationship	Friendship/Love Interest Partners (Determinant) Rivalry (Determinant)
Status	Dating (Presumed, Determinant) Enemies (Determinant)
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“	Ashley, none of it was wasted... Every second that I spent with you, was the only thing I ever wanted to do with my time.	”
—Chris

Ashley and Chris is a friendship, determinant relationship, and potential conflict in Until Dawn.                                

Overview

Study-partners Ashley and Chris are very close friends with a secret mutual crush on each other. However, both sides are afraid of confessing their feelings, Chris fears failure and worries if Ashley will still be his friend if he makes a move. Ashley believes that Chris does not reciprocate her romantic feelings.

Chris and Ashley enjoy each other’s company and like to joke around, such as when they joke about the monk costume. Their relationship is characterized by their nerdy, intelligent qualities (Chris loving technology and Ashley loving books) as well as their opposite strengths and weaknesses. While Ashley is more in tune with her emotions, Chris tends to be more practical and protective. Because of this, Chris provides grounding for Ashley when her paranoia and imagination get ahead of her, and Ashley reminds Chris of the more emotional pieces of a situation, such as when she talks about how the seance must have internally affected Josh or why Hannah would have run out of the lodge.

Throughout the game, they comfort each other and have the option to either enter a romantic relationship or betray each other’s trust, depending on the player's decisions.

Until Dawn

Chapter 1

While searching for Chris, Sam finds his bag and has the option to snoop. If she does so, she will take his phone and see an incoming text message from Ashley.

Chapter 2

Chris and Ashley have a short greeting upon his arrival at the lodge. Both Josh and Sam are aware of Chris's crush on Ashley and try to encourage the relationship. In an optional interaction, Sam asks Chris whether he's seen Ashley yet. Josh directly attempts to convince him to confess his feelings to her, teasing him by making sexual remarks.

After finding the spray deodorant needed to thaw the door, Chris opens the lodge up for those waiting outside. When a wolverine runs out of the lodge, startling him, Ashley joins Sam and Josh in teasing him.

Later, after Josh sends Chris and Ashley to find the spirit board together, Josh talks to Sam about Chris and Ashley’s relationship, indicating that he intentionally gave them some "alone time” and complaining that Chris would need a “gun to his head” before asking Ashley out. Sam responds that Chris and Ashley are sweet together and that she wishes they would just “get on with it already.”

Ashley and Chris later joke about a monk costume Chris found in the basement, with Ashley demanding to know what he’s wearing and Chris claiming he’s found his true calling. Ashley says she wants him to take a “vow of silence,” and Chris responds by speaking inaudibly.

Relationship status

• If Chris chose to be confident when talking to Ashley, their relationship will increase.

Chapter 3

Chris explains the rules of the spirit board, joking to Ashley and Josh that they both must “remove any item of clothing at [his] discretion.” After Josh leaves, Chris wonders if Ashley was controlling the pointer and she angrily denies it.

After the two find a secret room in the library, Ashley has Chris go in to take a look. In the room, Chris finds the Portrait Photo with the Threatening Letter on the back. He has the option to either tell Ashley about the clue or keep it from her to save her the distress. They then may have a conversation about all the clues Chris has found pointing to a Psycho on the mountain.

After being alarmed by Josh's screams from the kitchen, Ashley immediately follows the noise into the room. Once Ashley and Chris are separated by the door closing suddenly, Chris immediately starts ramming the door in order to save Ashley. When the door finally opens, Chris sees Ashley passed out on the floor then gets ambushed by the Psycho who knocks him out.

Relationship status

• If Ashley was apologetic during the seance, their relationship will increase.

Chapter 4

Upon waking up, Chris immediately begins searching for Ashley, potentially finding her bloodied coin purse as he looks. He heads outside and to the shed, calling out for Ashley multiple times along the way. Eventually, he hears her crying and follows her voice. The lights turn on, and he sees Ashley and Josh through a chain-link divider, tied up and opposite a saw blade. The Psycho gives Chris a choice on who he will save. Regardless of Chris's decision, Josh will be killed.

Chris unties a panicked Ashley and attempts to calm her down. The pair then encounters Matt and Emily outside, and frantically tries to explain what had happened to Josh. The group spits again; Chris and Ashley go to get Sam from the lodge, while Matt and Emily head to the cable car station to reach help.

Relationship status

• If Chris chooses to save Ashley, their relationship will drastically increase.

Chapter 6

In the lodge, Chris and Ashley search for Sam who is nowhere to be found. After checking the rooms upstairs, they head to the lower levels of the lodge. In the movie theater, Ashley tries to sympathize with Chris, saying she knows how hard it must have been for him to lose his best friend, and she thanks him for saving her. Chris responds with discomfort, not wanting to think about Josh’s death. If Chris had chosen to save Ashley in the trap, he genuinely tells her he couldn't have let anything happen to her. If he had tried to save Josh, he speaks in a guilty tone, claiming that he would save her again.

Due to the strange, creepy occurrences (such as a candle that lights on its own, a door that closes, and a figure Ashley spots), Ashley tells Chris she believes there’s a ghost with them, but he is skeptical of this. She says she wishes they could leave the lodge and find the others, but Chris says they must continue as Sam could be in trouble. They venture into the basement where they discover a dollhouse containing dolls depicting the friends’ positions the night Hannah was pranked. As they wander, they continue to clash over their differing opinions on the situation; Ashley still believes a ghost is trying to talk to them while Chris believes there is no ghost and there must be a less outlandish explanation for their experiences. After Chris and Ashley read Hannah's diary, a door suddenly opens, and they continue down old, dilapidated hallways, once a part of the original hotel.

Here, Ashley expresses more doubt about continuing, and Chris empathizes with her. They briefly discuss the prank, and Chris states that he doesn’t understand what Hannah was doing. Ashley tells him she knows how it is crushing so hard on someone, and Chris asks if that means the group is responsible for Hannah running away. In response, Ashley can be sympathetic towards Hannah by saying “who likes being made fun of?” When Chris states that nobody makes fun of him, Ashley says they don’t do it to his face. However, if Ashley responds dismissively, by stating that Hannah’s actions were an overreaction, Chris will tell her she is being harsh, and a wooden beam will hit him on the head. Ashley worries about him and he exclaims that he hates “this place” and that they should go.

After potentially finding more clues, Ashley hesitates again, scared about what they're walking into. Chris gives some words of encouragement and manages to persuade her to keep looking for Sam. Depending on the amount of clues they found, Ashley can voice her suspicions that someone is constructing a story for them while watching how they react. They will continue to find more clues, as well as a recording of the night the sisters went missing which they watch uncomfortably. Ashley either feels guilty about her role in the prank or is unrepentant, while Chris expresses some coldness over how happy Ashley looks in the video. At the end of the tape, a horrifying face appears and shrieks, startling them both. Ashley panics and Chris tries to calm her down.

They eventually find a trail of blood that leads to a heavy door. As Chris is opening it, Ashley spots a figure she believes to be Sam and is faced with the decision of either following Chris or investigating the figure. If she investigates, she spots the Psycho who turns and nearly sees her. No matter what, Ashley rejoin Chris and hear Sam cry out.

If Sam was captured, they'll find her unconscious on a chair. If she escaped, they'll both be confused at the dummy in Sam's place, wearing her clothing. While they are distracted, The Psycho creeps up behind them and eventually captures them both.

Ashley and Chris wake up and find themselves strapped into chairs with saws descending from the ceiling. If Ashley was punched by the Psycho, Chris will see her black eye and react furiously, claiming he’ll murder the Psycho. Ashley starts to accept that they’re going to die and expresses how it's not fair that she never got to tell Chris how she felt. When she says they’ve wasted everything, Chris disagrees. He shows he reciprocates her feelings by telling her that every moment he spent with her was the only thing he ever wanted to do with his time. He says he also should have just revealed how he felt. The Psycho then interrupts them, giving Chris another fatal choice to make: shooting himself or shooting Ashley.

If Chris aims the gun at Ashley first, she will plead with him to spare her, but if Chris aims the gun at himself first, Ashley will plead with him to give her the gun and let her make the choice to save him, since he had already "saved" her life in the saw trap scene earlier. Chris can choose to shoot Ashley, shoot himself or not shoot at all.

Relationship status

• If Ashley insists on seeing a ghost, their relationship will decrease.
• If Ashley is dismissive towards Hannah, their relationship will decrease.
• On the other hand, if Ashley is sympathetic, their relationship will increase.
• Chris and Ashley's relationship will increase regardless of Ashley's choice in going down the stairs.
• If Ashley is unrepentant about the prank, their relationship will decrease.
• On the other hand, if Ashley is apologetic, their relationship will increase.
• If Chris doesn't shoot Ashley, their relationship will become maximized no matter its previous status.
• On the other hand, if Chris does shoot Ashley, their relationship will drop to zero.

Chapter 8

Chris and Ashley's relationship status will depend on whatever choice Chris made in the gun trap. If he shot Ashley, they'll be at zero. If he shot himself or did nothing, it will max out. Either way, they both survive the trap because the saw blades stop and the gun is loaded with blanks.

When the Psycho reveals himself to be Josh, Chris and Ashley—along with Mike and Sam—listen to him gloat before he is knocked out by Mike and taken to the shed by Mike and Chris.

The pair will later listen to Emily—if she escaped the mines—and to the Stranger who informs them about the Wendigos. When Mike realizes that they’ve left Josh in danger, Chris wants to personally go bring him to safety. Regardless of their status, Ashley will always try to tell Chris to stay inside where it is safe, instead of heading outside to the shed. If Chris didn’t hit Josh, she claims that Josh let Chris down. If Chris did hit Josh, she says Josh deserved it.

When Chris is about to leave with the Stranger, Ashley will follow them to close the door. If Chris didn't shoot her, she will tell Chris to come back safe before kissing him. However, if Chris did shoot her, she will only stare coldly at him and not say a word.

The Stranger and Chris see that the Wendigo has already taken Josh, then the Wendigo shows up a kills the Stranger, forcing Chris to hurry back to the lodge. Chris's fate upon passing his segments with the Wendigo will depend on his status with Ashley. The scene also vary between the original game and the remake.

• If Chris did not shoot Ashley and survives his chase: When he reaches the lodge, Ashley will open the door for him, saving his life.
• If Chris did not shoot Ashley and is killed during his chase: Ashley will break down and start sobbing at the sight of Chris's decapitated head at the lodge door.
• If Chris shot Ashley and is killed during his chase: Ashley will cry at seeing his severed head and apologize, before regaining her composure and leaving to join her friends in the basement.
• If Chris shot Ashley and survives his chase:
  • Original game: Ashley will approach the door then step back, watching Chris as he asks for help. This results in his death. She will then tell Mike "it was too late" for her to react, and appears to be in a daze as if the reality of what she did had not settled in yet.
  • Remade game: Ashley will pace by the stairs and hesitates before eventually running to open the door. She adrives too late, resulting in Chris’s death. When he is killed, she cries for him.

In the safe room, Ashley's reaction to Chris’ potential death will also change regarding his decisions.

• If Chris did not try to shoot Ashley, she appears to be very devastated by his death, allowing her friends to console her.
• If Chris had shot Ashley, she reacts coldly to Sam’s concern, snapping: “I’m fine, Sam!”

If Chris survived and Emily was bitten, he and Ashley will both be worried about her bite. Ashley reacts with hysteria, telling Emily to leave, while Chris quietly says he doesn’t want to face another Wendigo. If Mike kills Emily then Ashley chooses to reveal that the bites weren't infectious, she will start to sob. Chris will try to comfort her, telling her she couldn’t have known. If Emily lives then Ashley chooses to reveal that the bites weren’t infectious, Emily slaps Ashley and Chris reaches out towards her.

Chapter 9

If Chris is alive, he stops to tell the group to go on without him. Ashley can either refuse to leave him behind or allow him to rest. If Chris was left behind, she will leave a marker pointing to the manhole to let Chris know where to go. The choice to leave Chris has several outcomes:

• If Chris is left, Ashley unlatches the trap door, and Chris does not follow the voice: Chris will be found, pulled up to the ceiling, and decapitated by the Wendigo.
• If Chris is left, Ashley does not unlatch the trap door, and Chris does not open the trap door: Chris safely rejoins the group
• If Chris is left, Ashley does not unlatch the trap door, and Chris opens the trap door: Chris will be decapitated.
• If Chris is left, Ashley unlatches the trap door, and Chris follows the voice: He will find Ashley’s bloodied beanie and start to sob, repeatedly denying that this is truly happening. They Wendigo will then appear and decapitate him.
• If Chris is not left: He will always survive. However, Ashley will always get the option to follow the voice and open the trap door herself. If she unlatches the door at all, she will be killed. If she avoids interacting with the trap door, both survive.

If one or both of them made it through the tunnels unscathed, they will go back to the lodge.

Relationship status

• If Ashley reassures Chris, their relationship will slightly increase.

Chapter 10

They can both be seen fleeing the Wendigo. Chris will always escape the lodge and always do so before Ashley’s opportunity to escape. Ashley can escape, be killed by the Wendigo, or be killed by Sam lighting the lodge too early. If they both survived the game, Chris and Ashley will watch the lodge burn together with whoever else survived.

Credits

During Ashley's interviews, if Chris had died in Chapter 8 and they were on good terms, Ashley will mention that Chris was her best friend and that they never had a chance to be together. If he shot her in the gun trial, she will claim she was too scared to move and watched the Wendigo tear him apart in front of her.

Chris’s interviews do not mention Ashley, however some of his cut interviews do. They indicate further, unused branches for the gun trap choice and for the choices in the mines.

Trivia

• Ashley and Chris are the only pair in the game whose relationship can either result into becoming a couple or a conflict.
• They are the only potential relationship in the game that weren't dating prior to the game's events.
• Chris and Ashley are one of two couples to have a song named after them on the game’s original soundtrack, the other couple being Mike and Jessica.
• Two devs, Jess Harris and Tom Heaton, have stated that Chris and Ashley’s kiss is their favorite scene in the game.

Quotes

• "You were looking at your phone, you dip! What are you tweeting!? 'Hashtag there's a freaking ghost after us?!" - Ashley to Chris after seeing a ghost in the basement.

• "I don't think I can do it!" - Ashley
  • "Yeah it's not looking good huh?" - Chris
  • "...I'm really scared, Chris." - Ashley
  • "I'm scared too, but... I got your back, okay? As long as you got mine?" - Chris and Ashley in Chapter 6.

• "Hey... Come back safe." - Ashley to Chris before he leaves to find Josh in Chapter 8.

• "Ash, it's okay, Ash... you couldn't have known." - Chris to Ashley if Mike had shot Emily and she confesses that Emily's bite was not infectious.

• "I can't believe Chris is gone. He was my best friend and... maybe I-... we never had a chance." - Ashley grieving over Chris' death in the Credits.

• "I couldn't move. I was so scared. And I saw it... tear him apart. Right in front of me." - Ashley if Chris died and tried to shoot her earlier.