He's Back For Josh
Summary: Josh's uncle comes home for a visit and methodically tears his nephew's life apart.
Hey guys! I've split up this chapter into two. The next chapter is the graphic stuff, so if you don't like it, you don't have to read it. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Clears throat and looks around distractedly…Alright, alright—they boys aren't mine!
Chapter 7 – Presence
"No!" he gasped. His eyes widened at the presence at his door. He rubbed his eyes, not believing who he was seeing. It was a mistake. It had to be a mistake.
"Well, won't you welcome me in, Joshy?" A sudden wave of sickness passed over Josh as the voice spoke deceptively sweetly.
"You," he whispered faintly, blanching. What was he doing here? What was he doing here? He was a part of his past. He couldn't suddenly come back now.
A tall man stood on the threshold, leaning on the doorframe carrying a large suitcase. His brown hair—which matched his tailored Armani suit—sat almost delicately on top of his balding head. His features were sharp, as were his cold, murky eyes. His piercing hawk-like gaze unsettled Josh immeasurably. If one didn't know him, he looked to be a wealthy, but mediocre looking man in his early forties.
"Josh?" His dad walked towards the door. "Who is it? Ah, Will! You're early!" Walter enveloped the man in a hug. Josh couldn't believe his eyes. He stumbled back to the dining room table and sat heavily, his mind blank with shock. His dad invited him? Why? Memories threatened to resurface as his dad introduced the man. He fought back a wave of nausea.
"Guys, this is William, Josh's uncle," Walter beamed at his family as all but Josh introduced themselves amiably.
Josh gripped the edge of his chair until his knuckles turned white. He tried to maintain some semblance of calm, while all he wanted to do was leap away from the table to somewhere—anywhere—far away from this man. His head started to pound painfully, and his stomach clenched.
"—Staying with us—" His father was talking. No! That couldn't happen! It couldn't! It was just a nightmare, and he would wake up soon, and he would have to throw a pillow at Drake to wake him up…He would laugh at himself for thinking that this abomination had returned to his life…
"Josh?" a familiar voice echoed in his tormented mind. "Josh?"
"Huh?" he blinked his eyes, and saw that he was still sitting at the table, and everyone was staring at him.
"Pass the sourdough," his mother asked.
Josh passed the bread with shaking arms, risking a glance toward his left. His uncle was still there. This was not horrid dream he would wake up from—no, this was real. He swallowed the bile that was rising in his throat, and bit his lip hard. He could hear a faint roaring in his ears, like the crashing of large waves on a shoreline.
"Excuse me," Josh threw down his napkin, and nearly knocked over his chair in his haste to get away from the table. He ignored his father's insistence that he stay at the table, and the odd looks his mother was giving him.
He rushed upstairs dizzily, his breath coming in great shuddering gasps. He scrambled into his room, and shut the door quickly. He hastily locked the door, and then slammed his back against the door, gripping the door handle tightly with one hand as it was a life-preserver and he was drowning in a sea of anguish.
"What in the world?" Audrey asked, puzzled. Both Drake and Megan gaped open-mouthed at the stairs, as though they expected Josh to do something equally surprising, like cartwheel into the dining room.
"Sorry, William. I don't think Josh is feeling too well at the moment." Walter tried salvaging the situation.
"Is everything alright?" William asked, feigning concern. A tingle of excitement raced through him. This was going to be so much fun…
Walter scratched his head in confusion, but reached for his fork.
"He'll be fine…" Nevertheless, he sent a worried glance upstairs. Silence filled the air for moments, thick as butter. "Sit down!" Walter plastered a smile onto his face. "Whatcha been up to?"
Josh heard the door open later that night. He had reluctantly unlocked it after reasoning that Drake would have to come in at some point. He tensed under the sheets as he heard someone enter the room, but relaxed as he realized it was Drake dragging his feet across the floor.
"Hey, how come you never mentioned your uncle? Dude, he is so awesome," but Drake quieted after he saw that Josh was sleeping. He shrugged, and climbed into his bed.
Josh had snuck under the covers, pretending to have fallen asleep. He refused to talk, partially due to his fear that his uncle, if he had the right to be called that, would hear. He had banished, or rather hidden, his nightmares quite successfully.
He hadn't dreamt of him in nearly a year, due to the different life he led. But as the lights clicked shut, Josh's mind involuntarily ripped open the secrets he had so carefully hidden. The dark memories Josh had locked into the recesses of his mind now overwhelmed his mind like a flash flood drowning everything in its wake, and leaving only ruin behind. Now, with his abrupt presence, Josh couldn't stop the relentless stream of flashbacks and nightmares that swept him into a viciously whirling vortex.
It would begin again.