A/N: This story was previous known as "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Hot." Just to clear up any general confusion.

CHAPTER NINE

"JO~OSH!" she called into the dark mining cavern. "Where are you? It's Clara!" Her voice echoed in the tunnels.

Where had he gone? They said he was going to be here. It was frustrating. She wasn't going to let those things kill him! He was hers.

"Josh Washington! Stop playing hide and seek! It's not fun, anymore!" No, it was annoying.

Drip. Drip.

Would he be somewhere near water?

She followed the sound to a small underground lake. There didn't seem to be any way around it. Without a second thought, she slipped her phone into her bra before jumping in. The water was cold and murky. At the bottom, she could hear something brittle shatter under her shoes.

"Are you there, Josh?"

Nothing.

A small alcove to the right caught her attention. She waded over and pulled herself up. The cold water was nearly at a freezing temperature when the breeze hit her. With shaky hands, she pulled her phone out and turned on the light. There wasn't much here, except for a raggedy notebook.

She nonchalantly flipped through the pages. From the contents, she could only gather that it belonged to Hannah. The lost woman had dug up her own dead twin and ate her. How disgusting… The last few entries weren't even legible. All Clara could make out was a repetition of the word, "Hungry."

She thought back to the Stranger. He mentioned how cannibalism resulted in some sort of curse. Perhaps a mutation? These creatures were all been human at one point. It was disturbing, yet fascinating in its own right.

Dropping the notebook haphazardly on the ground, she jumped back into the water.

"Josh!" she called out again. The other side of the lake finally came into view. She followed the tunnel. Many forks led to dead ends. There seemed to only be one direct path. "Josh!"

Where was he?

She rounded the corner heard a distinct voice. "Josh!" A familiar figure was shouting at nothing. She hurried over to him. "Josh!"

"I trust you… I trust you…" He was facing her, but he wasn't talking to her. He wasn't seeing her.

He seemed to be speaking to the imaginary phantoms in his head.

"Josh!" She slapped him hard on the face.

His glazed over eyes cleared and he began to sputter. "C-Clara, wh-what… Why did you do that?"

"A bit of head trauma could reset the brain… You were lost in your mind," she explained. "Who were you seeing?"

Tears immediately welled up in his eyes. He fell to his knees and hugged her around the wait. "Clara. Clara. Clara. You're real? Are you real?" He pressed his face against her wet trousers.

She stroked his hair. "Of course, I'm real. I'm here, Josh." Her voice was soft. She didn't want to frighten him. He reminded her of a frightened animal – lost and confused, but volatile. She wasn't sure if he was going to lash out at her or not.

"They won't stop," he sobbed. "The voices… Hannah… Beth… They're always talking to me. Why couldn't I help them? Why…? I loved them so much, Clara." He was an absolute wreck. His eyes were bloodshot. The bags underneath them almost made him look like the living dead. His hands had mussed up his hair so much that it was completely sticking up on end. He looked silly.

She continued to run her hand through the dark locks, until it was back to its proper place. "I know how much you love them. They knew it, too."

"Don't leave me, Clara," he begged, nuzzling her damp jeans. "I need you…"

"Do you love me, Josh?" she whispered.

He hummed and nodded. "I love you, Clara. You're the only thing that makes sense. You make the voice go away."

"Do you want the voices to go away forever?"

He nodded, again. "Please. Please…"

…

Sam and Mike could hear the two voices travelling through the mine shafts. They were relieved to know that Josh wasn't alone and that he was alive, but how had Clara gotten there before them? Why hadn't she stayed with the others where it was safe?

At first, their hearts melted when they saw the two locked in an embrace, as unconventional as it was. In a way, it looked as if Josh was clinging to his saviour – worshipping her. Then, their eyes travelled to the woman. She was like a warrior. Her posture was almost regal. She was holding a knife.

They were glad that Clara was smart enough to bring a weapon along with her. With those creatures on the loose, it wasn't safe to be unarmed. These thoughts, however, quickly disappeared when Mike pointed out how the glinting blade was positioned near Josh's neck.

"I can make it all go away, Josh," they heard Clara promise their sobbing friend who was oblivious to the knife that was a breadth's length from his neck. "Look at me."

Josh peeled his face from her jeans and peered up with wide, chocolate brown eyes. He was like a precious, little puppy. "Help me. 'Love you, Clara. Please, help me."

"It's okay. You can finally be at peace, now." Clara shifted her hand, ready to plunge it into the soft flesh when a loud bang and pains hot through her arm. Her aim veered off and the knife became buried in his shoulder, only an inch away from the wound that she had previously wrapped for him.

She turned to see Mike with a handgun pointed at her. A small chunk of her arm had been stripped off. The whites of her bones were painted red by the blood that was bubbling out of the opening.

"I didn't think you'd find us," she told them, clutching her arm. "Took you a while."

Josh was groaning in pain on the ground beside her, but she ignored him and tried to pull the knife back out. As she leaned down, however, Mike had already moved closer, the gun was pointed at her head, now.

"Get back!" he demanded.

She raised her uninjured arm and took a step back. Sam was immediately by Josh's side.

The sight angered her.

"Why?" the blonde asked. "I thought you liked him and he just said he loved you!"

Clara sneered at them. "I don't think he has the capacity to love anyone, Sam. Don't you also have a crush on him? I've heard you guys flirt – a lot. Nothing's ever come out of it, no?"

Sam pursed her lips before looking away.

"Answer me, Sam!" she roared. "I've also seen him flirt with Jess and Ashley. That's all he does. He plays with your heart – tell you what you want to hear and then stab you in the back. He'll keep hurting you and hurting you and hurting you. I'm not going to let it happen to me. I'm not going to let it get me killed. I'm not my mother." She was breathing heavily. Her vision was completely blinded by her anger and hatred.

"You're not making any sense!" Sam shouted at her.

Clara snarled and pointed at Josh. "His mother just couldn't keep her bloody legs closed. That fuckin' whore! This is the spawn who ruined my family."

"What you're doing doesn't justify anything, Clara," Mike tried to reason. His gun was still trained on the deranged redhead. "He hasn't done anything to you or your mother."

"Don't talk to me about justice. There's no such thing. There is only revenge and the feeling of their hot blood running down your hands. That is the closest thing to justice." Clara could still see it in her head as if it had only been hours ago. "Father got to see what happened. He came home drunk like he usually did. Mum was crying like she always did. Everyone was in their natural state. All, except me. No, I decided that I wasn't going to keep letting him hurt us. When his back was turned, I stabbed him. Over and over and over and over, again."

A sick grin stretched across her lips. "Mum stopped crying. She finally stopped crying and it was because of me. She came down, saw what I had done for us and she had the best sleep ever. She just took a nap right in front of me."

Mike swallowed. Even he was unsettled by her story. She had completely lost it and he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to pull the trigger when the time came. Fortunately, before he had to make a decision, she turned around, immersed in her own memories.

"I loved her so much," she whispered. "I had done everything for her. He was bogey man and I got rid of him, so why did she leave me?" her voice cracked as she lamented. "I loved her and she left me! I don't understand… I had risked going to jail for her! I risked my entire future… And she fuckin' slit her own wrist! Fuckin' coward!"

She began to pull her hair, muttering under her breath and shaking her head. "I loved her… I loved her…"

"Clara…" Sam took a deep breath as she tried to figure out what was happening. "Did… Did Josh's mum do anything else? I know that… that your dad cheated on your mom with her, but what you did – isn't it a little extreme?"

"Extreme?" Clara swiftly turned to look at Sam with fire burning in her eyes. She shook her head. "What was extreme was how Bob Washington ruined us after he found out his whore of a wife was cheating on him. Father lost his job. Mum lost hers. It was all his fault! Apparently, he has quite a lot of influence in London… Who would've thought that a canuck could cause so much damage…" She let out a mirthless chuckle. "Do you know what I thought when I heard of those Washington twins on the news? Karma. The Washington family was finally getting theirs and I was going to watch them burn."

"You don't mean that," Sam told her. "I know you were hurt, but I've seen the way you look at him. You like him as much as he likes you. Yes, I … I had a crush on him, but that was before the incident and you're right, he does flirt a lot, but he's not the same with you. Don't you notice that? He's a completely different person when you're around. When the two of you are alone?" Sam's voice shook. She was frightened of what the other woman could do. "He told me how much he liked you over the summer."

Clara seemed to slightly calm down.

"Look at me in the eyes and tell me that you don't feel anything for him? That you don't feel the same way?"

"That doesn't mean anything…"

"He loves you, Clara!" Sam told her. "He trusts you."

Her entire body seemed to deflate and she fell into a sitting position. "Of course, I do," she whispered. She thought back to all the times they've spent together. There hadn't been a time that she could recall being happier than when she was with him. He made her happy, annoyed, excited, flustered, and angry. He made her feel so much. "But I can't. I've seen and experience what love does and it's poison." She burned her face into her hands. "I can't afford that. All I have is this… this hate. I'm afraid if I let it go, I wouldn't be able to feel anything at all. That I'd lose myself. I wouldn't be me."

A hand touched her elbow and gently tugged it away from her face. Before she could even open her eyes, cold, chapped lips pressed themselves on her own.

She shuddered and moaned in contentment when a hand ran through her hair. As he pulled away, a whimper escaped her lips. "Josh…"

"I love you, Clara. I wasn't lying."

"You can't," she cried. "You can't love me. I'm… I'm a monster. I'm not better than these monsters. I might as well stay here an – "

"No!" he shouted. The pain in his eyes mirrored hers. "I love you. You're not a monster. We both just need a lot of help. I think… I think we can do it together."

She covered her mouth and let out a sob. "I'm so sorry…"

She gingerly touched where the knife had impaled him. Funny how this was the first time she's regretted harming another person.

"I guess we're even, now." He grinned at her concerned look. "You helped me when Ashley stabbed me and now you – " He stopped when she began to cry harder. "Hey! Hey, I was only playing."

She shook her head. "A-Ashley… I was… I gave them to Ashley – the scissors," she whispered. "I thought she was going to kill you with them. I thought you'd die, but when you came back hurt, I just.. My head keeps telling me to kill you, but my heart hurts when you're hurt. I'm so confused…"

He held her close. "Dr. Hill will help us. He's good at it. He can do it."

Clara looked down. That's what she thought too, but look at her now. She was still a bloody psychopath.

"Besides, now I have some cool battle scars."

Suddenly, a loud screech startled the tour of them. Mike checked the ammo to his gun before ushering everyone to start hurrying out. Whatever issues that they still have would have to be dealt with later.

"Wait, the cable car keys. Do you have them?" Sam stopped him before he could move another step.

Josh searched around his pockets and handed them over to Sam. He was as eager to leave this place and they were.

The blonde pocketed them and continued onward. They needed to hurry out.

Clara and Josh stayed close to each other while Sam and Mike checked the situation ahead. Clara's steps were slow and staggered. The blood lost was starting to get to Clara. Her head was spinning and her vision was wavering.

Josh tugged at her whenever she began to lag behind. "We'll make it out of here, okay?" There was so much guilt and regret in him. No matter what Clara had intended to do, it was his fault that they were here in this cave and on this mountain. If only he could've let it go – listened to the doctor when he said that it was a bad idea. He should've stopped when things began to get out of hand and Ashley stabbed him, but he didn't. That was why he couldn't bring himself to hate the redhead who was leaning heavily against him. They were more similar than either of them would admit and more similar than anyone would like. They were just two sides of the same coin.

"Hey, I think that's a direct route out." Sam pointed to a location ten feet up where light was filtering through. "If you give me a small boost, I'll go tell the others what's happening."

Mike agreed and up she went. He turned to the two injured party. "We'll have to cut back through the lake. Stay close. I don't want to have to look for you guys, again."

The two nodded.

Josh helped Clara down into the water and pulled her with him. She wondered how much longer she'd be able to stay awake. Every few steps, her knees buckled. The only thing holding her up was Josh and the density of the water.

"This way." Mike gestured to the left when a form burst out of the water.

It screeched loudly, taking hold of Josh's head. Clara stared at it in shock. "No!" she screamed. She looked around for something to ward it away, but found nothing. Instead, she remembered the notebook she had found. "Hannah! Hannah?" She had to gamble. Hannah probably turned into one of these things. If this was her, perhaps it would be more lenient. "That's Josh. Your brother." Where had Mike gone? Josh needed their help! "Please, Hannah."

The thing screeched in her direction, but didn't let go.

With a burst of adrenaline, she cut through the water and tackled the creature's mid-section. It dropped Josh before flinging out an arm that hit her in the face. The force was enough to throw her to the side, completely dazed and motionless with her face in the water.

Josh furiously tried to wade to her. The creature let out one more tremendous cry behind him before disappearing back into the darkness. He didn't know why it left, but there was no time for him to contemplate on it. Clara still hadn't moved and the bubbles that signified that she was breathing had dissipated.

He pulled her out, frantically checking for a pulse.

It was weak.

He pressed on her chest, willing her to breathe, again. "Come on, Clara. I can't lose you, now." He pinched her nose and breathed into her. "Live for me, Clara. Live for me. Please." Tears welled up in his eyes. "I can't do this without you."

He regret asking her to come here. He regret hurting her with the prank. He even regret what his family had done to her.

He remembered that time. His father was furious and demanded to ruin the Kennedy family. It never occurred to him then that he would fall for the daughter or even get to meet her.

Now, she was fuckin' dying in his arms and he still couldn't seem to do anything right.

"You won't be able to save her, Josh, just like you couldn't save me." Beth was standing right in front of him as he tried desperately to revive Clara.

"Shut up!" he shouted. "I'm not listening to you anymore. You're not real! You're not real!" He continued CPR and suddenly, Clara began to cough up water. She gasped and panted, taking in as much air as she could. "Clara!" He gathered her into his arms, sobbing.

He could feel her shaking form against him. His eyes scanned the cave.

His sister was gone.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I've also decided not to be mean and leave it in a cliff-hanger. Clara's still alive! Would you all hate me if I ended it with Clara supposedly drowning to death?

Despite this, I can't guarantee how long Clara would be alive for. I mean, Josh never made it off the mountain in the game, did he? Would you guys like a happy ending or a sad ending?

So, this is also the moment where it's escalated quite quickly, despite finally revealing Clara's past and thoughts in the previous chapters. I hope you guys didn't think the confessions were too random. I personally think there's a thin line between love and hate. Josh seemed to have already taken a liking to Clara in the very beginning and Clara… well… Who knows what really goes on in her head?

And I'm sorry, I just needed to add the "two sides of the same coin" for a friend. If she ever reads this chapter… Haha. Please, don't hate me. Kudos to anyone who knows what I'm referring to.

Thank you to Solleo93 and Dusk-deerfluff for reviewing! You guys are amazing! I'm kind of glad that you were surprised with the twist of events. I think all stories need twists and mine is just a little more twisted.

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

I do see an end coming soon. Probably not the next chapter or the one after it, but soon. I'm kind of sad that it's coming to an end so soon. I've never posted chapters so quickly before to any story, but this one just came quickly.

I've also gone back to the first couple of chapters and did a bit of editing. I noticed some silly typos… I know I'm prone to them a lot. I'll try to get around to editing the rest soon!

Echo