|| ELEVEN ||
The fireplace is warm against my back. We moved back upstairs after my altercation with Josh. Chris and Mike now have him with his hands bound behind his back and are walking him out to the shed where he faked his death. Mike said something about keeping him there until morning, when we can get down off of this mountain. I had wanted to go with them, but they told me "no".
My heart aches; Josh had wanted this weekend to reconnect with his friends - at least, that's what he'd told me. Now I know he'd really brought all of his friends up here to scare the shit out of them to get revenge over what happened to his sisters last year. I'm still confused as to why he brought me with, considering I wasn't involved in the prank that happened last year and he mostly kept me locked up in a bedroom, but I'm too tired to contemplate it anymore. I'm too tired to do anything. I just want tonight to be over.
"Are you doing okay?"
Ashley's voice makes me lift my head. Is she talking to me? Considering her eyes are looking directly at me, I'm going to assume that's a "yes". I fake a smile. "I'm fine. I should be asking you the same thing, though. What happened to your eye?" The area around her left eye is turning a deep shade of purple-black. I'm pretty sure I know the cause, and I don't really want confirmation, but I do want her to know that I'm acknowledging how Josh's actions have affected everyone, not just myself.
Her fingers lightly graze across her black eye. "Um, I stabbed the psycho - Josh, I guess - with a pair of scissors, and he punched me." She shrugs a little, directing her gaze to the floor. "I deserved it, I guess."
As she speaks, my blood starts to boil. "You didn't deserve it," I say coolly. Both Ashley and Sam look over at me with wide eyes. "Josh deserved it for what he did to you. To both of you."
"I-I'm gonna be honest, Charlie," Sam says, giving me an attempt at a smile. "I didn't expect to hear that from you." When I merely blink at her, she goes on. "I just mean that you're closer to him than any of the rest of us are."
I shrug and turn toward the fireplace, watching the flames lap at the wood, heating my face up. "That doesn't mean I can just excuse what he's done, friends or not." My voice is quiet.
"You'd just be the most likely to defend him."
I stare down at my hands. "How do you defend this?"
We sit in silence for a while after that, the only sounds being the wind howling outside and the crackling of the fireplace. Briefly I wonder how Emily and Matt are doing, and if they got help like Ashley said they were going in search of. It's bound to be some form of governmental authority that shows up. I hope they don't arrest Josh when they get here. I know what he did was wrong, incredibly wrong, but he is sick. It's inexcusable what he did, but he needs professional help, not to get locked up in a cell.
The front door opens a while later, bringing in the whistling sound of wind funneling through a small opening. Footsteps cross the room towards us, but I can't be bothered to lift my head. The fatigue is staring to set in now that all of the excitement is over. You'd think with all of the drug-induced naps I've been subjected to tonight, I'd be at least a little more rested. The pain in my head has returned, a dull throbbing at the back of my skull. At least I can move without feeling dizzy.
"Hey, Charlie?" Chris is standing beside me, looking down at where I sit on the floor. There's snow in his hair, slowly melting the longer he stands beside the fire. He gives me an awkward wave. "Doing okay?" I nod. "Alright, um, just making sure."
I glance around the room. It's just the four of us in here. Mike and Josh are nowhere to be found. "Did you leave them at the shed?" I ask, tilting my head back to look up at Chris.
He nods and goes to sit beside Ashley on the couch; Sam scoots aside to make room, eyeing the pair with a small smile. The way he went about it was insane, but Josh may have actually done something to get his two friends together. "Mike said he was going to stay and keep an eye on Josh until morning," Chris says. "We've got him tired to a pole in the shed. He shouldn't be able to do any more harm from there."
Part of me believes that Josh learned his lesson and wouldn't cause any more harm regardless of whether he's tied up for not. The other part of me is unsure. Josh needs help - mental help. That's the only thing I know to be true about the situation right now.
Chris has his hands clasped together in his lap and is staring at me. Even when I make eye contact with him, he doesn't look away. "What?" I ask. Now his face turns a light shade of pink and he looks down to the floor. "Chris, you look like you just killed the neighbor's cat. What's the matter with you?" Am I being too short with him? I don't feel like I'm in a bad mood; I just really want it to be morning already.
"I hit him," Chris says, his voice quiet. He almost sounds embarrassed. "Josh. I hit him right in the face. I didn't - I didn't mean to, I just kind of did it."
"What for?" Sam asks.
Chris glances at Ashley from the corner of his eye, the blush deepening on his cheeks. "Because he punched Ash, and that's not right." He locks eyes with me now. "I'm sorry."
I shrug. "You don't have to apologize to me, dude. You didn't do anything wrong." He shrugs. "What, did you think I'd be mad?"
He smiles softly. "Maybe a little."
I laugh a little and lean back on my hands, stretching my legs out in front of me. "Punch whoever you want, man. But if it's me, I'm gonna have to fight you."
Everyone laughs, and it's like the tension in the room loosens up a little. I mean, until Chris opens his mouth again. "Mike seemed a little unhinged, didn't he? Like I'm not the only one that noticed that, right?"
"No, I saw it too," Sam says. "I figured it was because of what happened to Jess."
"Was he acting strange at the shed, too?" Ashley asks.
Chris grimaces. "He kept threatening Josh with that gun he brought along." My body stiffens. Chris left Mike alone with Josh, knowing that he was pissed off about the Jessica thing? Like he senses my sudden anger, Chris rushes to continue. "I knocked the gun out of his hand at one point and he said he wasn't actually going to shoot Josh." He shrugs again. "We couldn't exactly get our good-cop-bad-cop routine right. But I don't think Mike will actually hurt Josh. He may be a little angry, but he's smarter than that."
Ashely turns toward me, her big eyes wider than usual. "Do you think Josh actually killed Jessica?" she asks me in a hushed voice.
I guess I hadn't really stopped to think about that before. Mike had mentioned Jess's death so quickly and without hesitation tried to hit Josh with the butt of his gun that it just kind of flew over my head and off my radar. It's hard to think clearly when you're stopping a weapon with your hand.
"Charlie?" I guess I was quiet too long. Sam's chiming in now. "Do you think he did it?"
I shake my head. "He was at either the lodge or the shed the whole time, wasn't he?" Three blank stares. "I don't know how far the guest cabin is from here, but I don't think he would have been able to get form here to there without anyone noticing him. Between being himself, that thing that happened in the shed, and tying up the three of you, I just don't know how he would have had time to go after Jess, too."
That's logically speaking, anyway. The logistics of the situation prove that Josh wouldn't be able to get to the cabin and still pull off his pranks with that much ease. But that's just logic. The pathos, the emotion, tells the same story, just in a different way. Josh would never intentionally hurt someone. None of his little pranks tonight actually hurt anyone. I mean, Ashley said that Chris was made to choose between her and Josh as far as who would get cut in half, but Josh must have known Chris would never choose him over Ashley, regardless of how great of friends they are. Did it make him sad when he realized he was right?
Even later on, when I was just about to expose Josh, I heard gunshots. When I ran into the room, Chris had a gun in his hand. It doesn't take much to put two and two together and figure out Chris had tried to shoot the "psycho". But there wasn't a scratch on Josh, and I know Chris is a pretty decent shot. Sam told me what went on at the shooting range back by the cable car station. The gun shot blanks instead of real bullets. It wouldn't have harmed anyone. He wouldn't have harmed anyone.
Well, he punched Ashley. But she did stab him with a pair of scissors...
"We know him better than this, guys," I say quietly. "He might be a little crazy right now - " Ashely scoffs. "Okay, a lot crazy. But we know him. Josh wouldn't hurt anyone, let alone kill someone."
"Charlie's right," Sam says, sitting up a little straighter. "There's no way Josh did it. Something else must be going on up here. We've just gotta find out what it is."
My brows furrow immediately. Um, no, we don't have to figure out what it is. If something really did get Jessica, and it wasn't just a bear or something, we probably shouldn't go after it. That seems like the complete worst idea any of us could possibly have. I sure as hell don't have a death wish; I'm not looking to die tonight.
A shrill scream splits the air, making all four of us jump. We're on our feet in seconds, rushing toward the front door. There's pounding coming from the other side of it, along with panicked shrieking. "Let me in, let me in!"
"It's Em!" Sam says.
Chris takes off at the front of our little group and is therefore the first one to reach the door. "Let her in, quick!" he says, unlocking the door and yanking it open.
Emily was leaning hard against the door, so as soon as it opens, she falls to the floor. "Shut the door!" she screeches, scrambling toward where Ashley and Sam are reaching for her. "Oh my God, shut the door!"
Chris shuts the door just as Sam and Ashely get Emily to her feet. They lead her toward the couch, Chris and I following closely behind. Chris's eyes are wide. "Em, are you alright?"
"I didn't think I'd make it," she rushes out, leaning heavily on Sam.
"You were screaming bloody murder," Chris says. He glances over his shoulder to see if I'm still behind him. I am.
"Are you okay?" Sam asks.
Ashley wraps an arm around Emily. "You look totally wiped."
Emily starts to explain, but everyone is talking over each other and she can't finish her sentence. "There was something - "
"Where's Matt?" That's Ashley.
"Come sit down, sit down." Sam.
Emily tries again. "Something's out there!"
"Did you guys split up?" Ashley is still more concerned about Matt than the fact that something was clearly coming after Emily. I'm starting to get a little annoyed. She has something to say, and no one is listening.
Emily flops onto the couch, Ashley and Sam taking the seats on either side of her. Chris remains standing, and I come to a stop at his shoulder, folding my arms across my chest. Emily still seems like she's in hysterics. "A monster, it's a monster!" she shrieks.
That gets everyone to stop. Sam and Ashley both looked like they were about to say something, but at Emily's words, their mouths just hang open, speechless. I have to admit, I'm a little surprised to hear her say "monster". I was expecting whatever was chasing her to be a bear, or something.
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Chris asks, being the first to speak up.
No one is rushing to talk over each other now. Not yet, at least. "I said there's something out there!" Emily is adamant.
Ashley glances at Chris, who gives her a smile, and then looks back to Emily. "Like what?" she asks.
Sam reaches across Emily's lap and pats Ashley's hand. "Ash, relax." Then she turns to Emily. "It was Josh, it was all Josh," she says soothingly.
Personally, I think that sounds ridiculous. How could Josh have been chasing Emily back to the lodge if Chris and Mike have him tied up in the shed? There's no way Mike would let Josh get loose. Clearly something else is going on.
"No, no, no, no, listen to me!" Emily insists, her voice rising.
"We got him tied up, he can't hurt you," Sam says, talking over her. Does Sam not realize how contradictory her claims are? Am I the only one really paying attention?
"No, it was after me." Emily has successfully gathered everyone's attention once more. She had mine from the beginning. "A-and it wasn't human," she says quietly. Sam and Ashley's eyes widen.
Chris runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. "Hold on," he says. He clears his throat. "Wait, Em, where's Matt? Is he okay?"
Emily's expression changes instantly from one of terror to one of unbridled fury. She shoves herself off the couch and stalks past Chris and I toward the fire. "I don't want to talk about that fucking sack of shit," she snaps. Now my eyes widen.
"Wow," Chris says quietly, raising his eyebrows at me. I shrug.
Emily whips back toward us, eyes blazing. "He left me! He just fucking abandoned me when I was hanging off that goddamned tower about to die."
"What tower?" Sam asks. She is ignored.
"And then I fell into this terrifying freaking mine shaft and he was just gone!" Emily's hands are balled into fists.
Chris again tries to get some real answers out of the conversation. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what mine shaft?" he asks. Glad to know I'm not the only one confused about the mines. Why are there mines, and why didn't I know about it before? You'd think Josh would have used some scary ass mine shafts for his prank. Opportunity missed.
Emily ignores Chris's question and keeps going. "There's something else." Her voice drops, and she heads back for the couch, settling between Sam and Ashley once more. Her eyes are downcast. I've never seen her like this. "I found this little like, it was almost like a camp, with these marks on the wall and - and this little broken wooden cross and it - it had..." She trails off for a moment, swallowing hard. It takes a few seconds for her to speak again. "It had Beth's name on it. I think they fell down there. A-and I think Beth died from the fall."
The effect on the rest of them is apparent. "Jesus Christ," Chris says, exhaling slowly. Sam stares down at her feet. Ashley looks like she's close to tears. I never knew Beth and Hannah personally, but I know how much Josh loved them and how affected he was by their disappearances - and deaths, as we know now. What an awful way to die...
"Oh God," Sam says, rubbing her forehead with one of her hands. "Poor Beth."
"Listen," Emily says, drawing everyone's attention once more. "In the tower, there was a radio, and I got through to someone, but that was right when the tower collapsed."
Rapid footsteps come toward us, along with a loud "Em!" Mike rushes into view, grabbing Emily and pulling her into a hug. "You made it."
"Oh God, Mike," she says, leaning into him. Chris looks at me, once again with raised eyebrows. Yeah, I don't know either. Kind of a warm welcome for someone you're not supposed to like very much. Strange, but I don't say anything. It's not my place to.
"Yeah, barely," Chris says, referring to Emily making it to the lodge.
Mike lets go of Emily and steps back, looking toward the only other guy in the room. "What about Matt?" he asks.
"We're trying to figure that out," Ashley chimes in.
"And there was this 'monster' that was chasing her," Chris adds.
Mike shakes his head and grabs Emily by the shoulders, shaking her a little. "She's all messed up, guys. Emily?" He shakes her again. "Hey, Em?"
I'm a little annoyed by how condescendingly he's speaking to her, but before I can voice my indignation, a loud bang sounds from the front door and everyone freezes. There are six pairs of wide eyes in the room. "Whoa," Chris says quietly.
Mike is a little more abrasive. "Who the fuck can that be?" He drops his hands back to his side and inches toward the direction of the front door. Chris follows him.
"Josh?" Ashley offers. My heart skips a beat. Please.
"Jess?" That comes from Chris.
Mike is quick to shut him down. "It's not Jess." Awkward.
Chris makes a face and looks down at his shoes for a moment. "Sorry, man. But who is it?"
Mike shrugs. "I don't know. We should check it out."
Chris reaches out with one finger and gently pokes Mike's shoulder. I fight a smile. What a goof. Be serious, Charlie. "I got your back," Chris says.
Mike smiles briefly. "Good."
oOoOo
"Semester's like half over. Gonna pass all your midterms?" I take a sip of my coffee and flip to another page in my statistics textbook. Why do I need statistics to get a degree in political science? I feel like I won't need to know standard deviation as a lawyer. Stupid math gen eds...
"You're grumbling to yourself again," Mike says with a laugh. He reaches across the table and closes my book with one finger. "Why don't you take a break from that? You look like you're about to bust a blood vessel."
I roll my eyes. "I'm not good at math. This is literal hell."
Mike grins and takes a drink from my coffee. He finished his a long time ago. "Take a break, Charlie."
I sigh and set my pen down on my notebook. "Fine. I'm tired of studying anyway." Mike smiles triumphantly. "You didn't answer my question, Mr. Munroe."
Now he shrugs. "Yeah, I think I should be fine to pass all my midterms. I'm still in the introductory classes, y'know? Those aren't especially difficult. At least I don't think so."
"Well, I believe in you, in any case."
He laughs. "Thanks."
The two of us have been meeting up for coffee every once in a while. Mike's a pretty cool guy, and I like listening to the stories he tells about Josh, Chris, and their other friends - mostly Josh, but the other stories are fun, too. They seem like a great group of friends to have. I'm excited to meet the rest of them. Strangely enough, when I'm hanging out with Mike, I miss Josh a little less. Gives me something to fill up my empty time with. When I'm distracted, I'm okay.
"Michael? Who's this?" says someone from above me.
I lift my head. There's a girl standing beside our table, her black hair pulled up on top of her head. There's a smile on her face, but it seems strained, and it doesn't quite reach her eyes. But she's not looking at me; she's looking at Mike.
Mike looks like he'd rather be anywhere but here right now. He shoots me a look before turning to give the girl a strained smile. "Hey, Em. How're you doing?" He's got that fake-nice voice going on - the mom voice. You know what I'm talking about.
"Who's this?" the girl repeats. Her already forced smile is faltering.
Mike rubs the back of his neck, shooting me another awkward look. "Emily, this is Charlie."
He puts a lot of emphasis on my name, which confuses me. But she seems to understand. She visibly relaxes, the fake grin softening into the faintest hint of a real smile. "Oh, this is Charlie? Okay." She turns toward me, fully looking at me for the first time. She offers a hand. "Hi, I'm Emily. I've heard a lot about you."
Oh, so this is Emily. Josh has told me about her before. "The bitch of the group" were his exact words, I believe. Chris had agreed with him at the time. She doesn't seem too bad, though. Right now, anyway. The look she was giving Mike when she first came over left a little to be desired, but she seems okay now.
I shake her hand. "From Josh, I'm assuming?" She smiles a little wider and nods. "Of course. He's told me about you, too. It's nice to finally put a face to the name."
She smiles sweetly and drops my hand before turning her brown eyes to Mike. "Flunked out of your classes yet, Michael?" she asks, with a little more venom than necessary. Clearly there's something going on that I don't know about. "I'm surprised you're even awake right now."
"It's like two in the afternoon, Em," Mike says. "And no, I'm doing pretty well in my classes. I'm assuming you're acing everything?"
"Of course I am," she shoots back. "You could be, too, if you didn't waste your time socializing in this coffee shop. You don't even like coffee."
Mike rolls his eyes. "We can't all be top of the class, Em. I'd rather spend time with my friends than constantly worry about my grades." His eyes harden. "And I do like coffee. I've been drinking it for years, something you'd know if you ever bothered to care about anyone but yourself."
I sit back in my chair and grab my own coffee, taking small sips as I watch the exchange unfolding before me. Josh had mentioned something about Emily and Mike in the same context, but I can't remember what it was. Probably not something positive. Kind of entertaining, though. I've been in worse situations than this.
"Your bitchiness is making Charlie uncomfortable," Mike says, dragging me back into the conversation.
I lift my hands with a shrug. "Nah, I'm not uncomfortable. Bitch away, man."
The barest hint of a smile flashes on Emily's face before her expression sours again. "Stop trying to make me look bad in front of other people," she snaps, latching her eyes onto Mike's.
"You're doing that yourself," he shoots back.
Okay, so it's not that hard to figure out their relationship from here. I can't believe it took me this long. "So, let me guess." Both of them stop bickering and look at me with raised eyebrows. I smirk at Mike and indicate toward Emily. "Ex-girlfriend?" He nods slowly, that look resembling a caged animal slowly returning. Emily is scowling and looking like she'd rather reach out and punch him.
But I'm laughing. Oh, this is going to be fun.