Josh POV
I feel like I got ran over by a truck and left for dead, the amount of strength its taking me to attempt to lift myself up. I'm pushing, but my body isn't moving, I'm eventually able to peek my eyes open to realize I'm lying in the snow. Every so often I would try and see if I can get up but nothing, not even a muscle would twitch. Each effort felt like it was draining me more and more, I've seen the sun go down a few times I lost count after a while, frozen in the snow. These days it's just been me this snow and the howling wind carrying them, whipping and nipping at my body. The pain I felt eventually went numb, I couldn't think of anything but who would be able to find and help me. I started to think about Hannah and Beth and how this may be how they are right now. I start to feel helpless I start giving up on myself, on my sanity. Laying here pinned to the freezing snow… helpless, it's hard to find a ray of hope. I start thinking I'm never seeing my friends again, Chris, Mike, Ash… Sam…
I try to move but still nothing, I can hear a voice and I immediately try with all my might to get up. I see my hand move and I keep pushing up trying to lift my body, it felt like pins and needles all over my body but I have my arms moving. I start to crawl forward with my head low, I think about my friends and for a split second I felt like I heard Sam's voice say my name. Josh we can't lose you too. I look around and don't see anyone, I keep pushing forward. I feel my arm fall forward I didn't even realize I reached a cliff. I panicked internally when I felt some sort of presence behind me, the rocks under gave and I start to fall. I tucked my head as I feel myself tumbling down on sharp rocks and ice mixed with snow. I can feel myself getting cut but after a minute become numb to the pain. When I feel myself stop, I lift my head my vision adjusting to my new surroundings, the more things become clear I realize I'm in some sort of cave, but it's hard to tell being surrounded by darkness. I start to hear a voice and I feel like my heart tremble deep in my chest. It sounds like Beth. I don't know why but I start walking forward toward the darkness, almost like it was drawing me in. I can hear her voice becoming clearer the further I went in. My heart is vibrating in my chest at this point, but I continue moving forward. "Josh!" I turned and see Beth running toward me her arms wide as she embraced me, "Josh! I'm so glad I found you! We have to find Hannah and get out of here!" I can feel myself lean into her embrace taking in every second, even though she was frantic. "Let's go" she says leaning back and tugging on my arm to follow her deeper into the darkness. After a few of turns I pull back on her arm she turns to me with a worried look on her face, before I could get a word out; we hear "Beth!" Beth grabs my arm and we continue running toward Hannah's voice. I have many mixed emotions right now; I'm over joyed to be with my sisters again but I know this isn't real. But is it wrong that part of me wants to stay wherever it is that I am, just so I don't have to go another day without them.
We took so many twists and turns I lost track of how to even go out the way we came from. Hannah comes into view she's on the ground feeling around. I see the side of her face and notice I don't see the frame of her glasses. I start looking around until I see her black frames at the corner of my eye and go over and pick them up. I inspect them quickly, seems like there not broken when I turn to hand them to her I froze. Dropped her glasses, I stood horrified her eyes are gone, she turns her face toward me "What's wrong Josh?" my knees buckled and I drop to the floor. Beth picks up her glasses and turns to put them on Hannah. "y-y-your eyes" I say stuttering, Beth turns and looks at me and her face looks like she was skinned alive. "B-Beth!" I say standing up freaking out, "No this isn't real!" Beth and Hannah stand and start walking toward me, Hannah speaks up first "Josh we miss you-" Beth chimes in "stay with us Josh" I'm walking backwards until I feel myself hit a walk and when I turn I see a hallway next to me. I hear Hannah's voice again, "Please Josh" I turn to her even missing her eyes she looks and sounds like Hannah…but I can't. "YOUR NOT REAL!" I turn and make a run for it, I take twists and turns that kind of seem familiar but some of them I completely guessed on. I can feel my heart beating out of my chest, I turn and see I'm approaching a dead end. "Shit" I turn to try to back track and see my path is blocked.
"Joshua, are you ready?" he says walking toward me, I start to feel a sharp pain in my head the closer he comes. I suddenly have these deep feelings of hatred but not quite but more so vengeful, I find myself thinking of Chris and Ashley and start to feel angry. What is happening to me? "Motivation" I look over at him and see Hannah and Beth behind him at his sides. They say in unison "For us… Josh" he touches my head and I feel frozen, as all these images flood my mind. I can hear him laughing, "This is what they get" Beth says, "Fucking jerks" Hannah continues. I start to feel so weak almost as if they are draining my energy out of me. I fall to the floor when he removes his hand from my head, I'm breathing hard struggling to hold myself up I feel so weak. "Do you understand what you must do?" I look up at him and see all these flashes of a very intriguing idea for a prank. I look up at him suddenly feeling a surge of renewed energy, I smile while looking at him and simply say "The grand finale".
Chris POV
I look over at Sam sleeping in the corner on the recliner, she has been by his side through this whole ordeal. The doctors won't tell us much since we aren't his family, and I've been in contact with his parents. But all they are doing is calling every so often to see if he's awake, or to talk to the doctor briefly. I gently nudge her shoulder whispering her name, louder with each time I had to repeat it. She started stirring, and peeks one of her eyes open and quickly looks over at Josh quickly and see him still asleep. "You should go home and get some rest" she shakes her head No "He needs us here when he wakes up" I put my hand on her shoulder "Sam I know your mom must be worried sick. I'll take the night shift, come early in the morning so I can leave to shower and nap tomorrow." She looks over at Josh with a worried look on her face, I know she doesn't want to leave him. She reaches into her pocket as we hear it as it vibrates again and looks at it standing up. "I have 12 missed calls from my mom." She goes over to Josh and kisses him on the forehead, and whispers something to him. Turns to me "I'll be back in the morning, if he wakes up before-" I intervene raising my hand to stop her worrisome rampage, "you'll be first person I call" she looks over at him one last time, and walks out the room slowly closing the door behind her.
I walk over to the bed Josh is laying and look at him just lying there, I overheard some things that the doctors were saying to his parents on the phone. Something about some adverse reaction from his medications, and he did mention that he had gotten back on them. I see he was telling the truth about that. They've been pumping him with different things in his IV and he has yet to wake up, and they don't know when that will be. I sit next to him on the bed, and just say how I feel, "Hey Josh, I don't know what's going on with you man… But I want you to know that I am here for you. We all are here for you whenever you need us… Especially Sam, she is worried about you man. I had to practically force her to go home to rest since all she wants apparently wanted to stay here all night. I wish I had the guts to do what you did with Sam with Ashley… I just don't want to get rejected and ruin our friendship. I tried a few times but when it came down to it, I just freeze up every time. I just don't want to blow it, but your right if I don't do or say something soon I'll lose her to someone who is able to say how they feel about her." I hear a knock on the door and turn to see who is coming, I see a woman peak in and introduce herself as the overnight nurse and she was just coming in to do his vitals and meds. I move over to the side and let her do everything she needed to do. I start to check my phone so I don't feel like I'm staring at her while she does what she must do.
Ashley: How's Josh doing?
Ashley: Well whenever he wakes up please let me know.
Me: Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. No he's not awake yet. A nurse is here checking on him and giving him some more of his medicine.
Ashley: Is Sam still there?
Me: No she went home not too long ago. I relieved her of duty.
Ashley: How noble of you.
Me: you know me, I'm always a giver.
Ashley: Really? Ha! Besides that, any word on Josh's condition?
Me: We're still playing the waiting game unfortunately.
I hear the nurse cleaning up the station she has with all the vials and needles she used on him. "Are his vitals good?" I ask curiously, she turned and said "his blood pressure was slightly higher than when he came in but not by a significant amount. I'm going to take it again in a minute just to make sure the numbers were accurate." I nod my head, as I feel my phone buzz in my hand and look down.
Ashley: This is crazy he's been knocked out all day.
Me: Tell me about it. But it's when he's ready to wake up, then he will.
Ashley: Well aside from Josh how are you holding up?
I looked at my phone slightly taken back at the actual concern she's showing not only for Josh's well-being but mine as well. I push my thoughts to the side and write it off as me reading too much into the text.
Me: I'm fine, tired, and hungry that's all.
Ashley: Do they have one of those pull out couch beds?
Me: I wish! I'm stuck in a recliner for the night.
Ashley: Well good luck with that! Night!
There go the thoughts of my well-being out the window, gone just as fast as it came. I shake my head as I see the nurse finishing his blood pressure and typing in his online medical chart, she turns to me "do you need any extra pillows or blankets?" I eagerly nod my head "I need all the cushion I can get to deal with this recliner tonight" she walks across the room into a cabinet and grabbed two pillows and as thick of a hospital blanket she could find. "Can I ask you a question?" she asks handing me the pillows and blanket. "sure" I get up and start tossing them on the recliner leaning it flat "were you there that night?" I froze, I know exactly what she was talking about. I can't say that this is the first time this has happened. many people who recognize us or know our names will eventually ask us about that night, it's in everyone's nature to be curious. I can't even be upset I just sigh and say "I was there that night. But unfortunately we were passed out drunk, when… it happened." I say looking over at Josh when I say we. She was hanging on my every word, she looked the ground "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that was inappropriate" she said apologizing walking toward the door. "It's okay" I say over my shoulder getting into my makeshift bed for the night. She walks out the door letting me know if I need anything she's the press of a button away. I look over at Josh lying there not moving and just pray that tomorrow he's awake.
A/N: My chapters may slow down from weekly to every couple of weeks, I'm a mom of 3 and work full time and I just started my semester. But I'm going to try to keep this going at a decent pace. But also follow me as an Author I'm going to be posting some One Shots in this category as well as others. Thank you all so much for reading. I hope you all are enjoying it, and hopefully like where it goes.
