Okay, so I first wanted to start off by saying I'm so incredibly sorry for not updating this story. I lost all muse for it and as you can see from my other works on here, that happens often. I'm hoping this new found muse will stay for a while, but I also don't want to get your guy's hopes up. So, all I can say is please to kill me and enjoy.

Also, I wanted to say to Kuromei Aibyouka that I noticed your drawing and I loved it! You are a fantastic artist and I just want to give you all the hugs! I love fanart and I have to give you credit for actually bringing my muse back for this story. So everyone thank Kuromei Aibyouka for that! Okay, and finally, cliffhanger over!. ENJOY XOXO DANI 3

warning: suggestive language

disclaimer: I do not own the characters or story of Until Dawn besides my oc Charlie and her story.

I broke down.

I was crying harder than I ever had before. It was as if I was finally alive again. I could finally breathe. The desire to even want to again was back. All because he was there, in front of me. Real. It didn't even cross my mind that it meant he was the one behind all of this. That didn't matter. What mattered was that he was actually breathing.

I rock in my chair to get closer, calling out his name as if it were in worship. It was then that I felt hands on my wrists, pulling at the loose tape. I don't even glance to see who it was, it didn't matter. Josh was all I could see.

Everyone called out to him, but all he did was laugh. He glanced at me briefly and when he would his laughter would falter. Instead, he kept his eyes on everyone else. I didn't realize it then, but his eyes were different when they were focused on the others. I couldn't see the real Josh in them. They were wider, if that were even possible, dilated and focused. But even that didn't get through the 'Josh is alive' fog I was in.

"Oh, very good! Every one of you, got my name!" He calls out as he walks over near me.

My eyes travel over every inch of him, making sure he was real. He had to be real.

"And after all you've been through, good, good-good-good. I mean, how does that feel? Right? Do you enjoy feeling terrorized? Humiliated? I mean panicked? All those emotions my sisters got to feel one year ago. Only, guess what? They didn't get to laugh it off! No! Nope! Oh no no no they're gone!"

The minute my hands were free I was at his side. I was glued to him; body against body and I was never letting him go. Euphoria fell on me as the heat of him that had kept me warm this whole year was back when I thought I'd lost it forever.

"I thought you were dead!" I cry into his collar.

I feel his large hands as they rub lovingly onto my back. He squeezes me back, his head also placed in my neck. The moment however was cut short when Mike pulls me away and flush against his chest, carrying me over to my brother who then takes over keeping me away from Josh.

A whisper of, "Are you crazy?" from my brother was ignored as I looked on and tried to pull myself from his restrictions. But, yes, I'm pretty sure I was crazy.

"I don't know if you noticed this, Josh, but none of us are laughing!" Mike says behind me.

"Oh come come come come. Why the long faces? Come on!" Josh continues. "It's good to get the heart racing every now and then, right? And race they did. Every one of you, just pitter-pat, pitter-pat. I hope you appreciated my little phantasmagorical spectacle! I mean, no detail too small! No opportunity missed! It was such a delight to play the puppet master to all of your Pavlovian panic! And all that gore? I mean, gore, there was gore galore! Fake bodies...I mean, God, that shit was expensive! And no retakes! Nope, nope, nope, only double takes. Oh you should have seen your faces. Hook line and sinker for every little stinker!"

I had began to notice the relief began to dwindle with every little word he spoke into anger and betrayal. The way he spoke about pretending he was dead as if it didn't kill me for real. It was like he didn't care that he was playing with emotions, mine specifically as ifI meant nothing to him! Like he didn't see anything wrong with making me believe that he was dead! And then torturing me with these elaborate mechanics to think my life was in danger and the lives of my friends and family. And as the relieve left and the anger seeped in I found my own self moving away from him without the restraints of my brother as the realization that this wasn't Josh at all. As if he was truly dead. This man wasn't him. I'd seen Josh lose it, but he was never harmful or vindictive when he lost his grip on sanity. He was never not himself.

My heart retched, it wanted to leap through my chest and away from this hurt. I wanted to rewind to when I thought he was gone because at least then I could ignore the pain to survive for my brother. But there was no shutting it off when you were assured your safety as the threat turned out to be your own boyfriend. It would be a miracle if none of us wound up as out of touch as Josh after this. I'm certain I would welcome it.

"Josh." The disgust in my voice almost made me wretch. Never would I have thought this tone would come from me toward the man I love. And love I still did because the worst part was how much love still filled my broken heart as I looked at him.

His green bugs look at me and the hurt in them was enough to make me bow my head. He can't make me feel guilty when he just conned us all. I wouldn't allow myself to feel bad.

"Why did you do this. How could you?" The tone didn't leave my voice and it was almost scary how leveled my voice was. I wanted to scream and kick and punch but the thought of hurting him was enough to make me sick. There was a phantom of thought that I might have when he'd tied me down and it made my gut wrench.

"Don't even ask this squirrelly little runt. He's got no clue. He's out of his fucking tree." I hear Mike say near me.

I look at him as if it finally dawned on me. He wasn't taking his meds.

I had suspected it when he was always taking his alone time away at the cabin, it scared me even. But I figured he was looking for closure. Come to find out he was looking for revenge that I though he never wanted.

"He's definitely off his meds." I say towards Josh accusatory. "Josh this is why the doctor says to take them. Look at what you've done!" I almost scream as I gesture around to the may or may not be real dangerous weapons above our heads.

The familiar wetness was back on my cheeks and I wipe it away violently as I look at my shaking hands on my stomach.

"Aw come on, babe, revenge is the best medicine!" Josh says. I hear shuffling in front of me and his boots come into view.

I hated myself for craving for him to reach out and touch me as another part of me wanted him to keep his distance.

"You're done!" I hear Mike say and it puts me on edge.

Mike was a physical guy. When he meant done it was more like he was gonna kick the shit out of you. And the thought of Josh getting hurt had me on protection mode.

I turn to look at Mike, my eyes in slits as I almost growl, "He's sick. He needs his meds not your fists, Mike!"

Mike looks at me and a brief passing of understanding graces his dirt covered face.

I felt a little more at ease…Until familiar hands touch my cheek. I hadn't meant to flinch away but I did and the look on Josh's face was heart breaking. I should have felt less bad about it but I had come to the understanding that he wasn't completely his self. At least for the time being that thought alone would help a small amount in this betrayal.

"Tell me you brought your medication, Josh." I whisper, almost as if talking calmly and quietly would bring him down from whatever high he was on.

"What?" He says backing up slightly. "Come on, you guys are all gonna thank me when you guys become internet sensations!"

"Wait, what…?" My face scrunched in confusion and realization all at the same time.

"Oh, you better believe this little puppy is going viral lady and germs." He continues on his enthusiastic explanation. I mean we got unrequited love, we got, the heroine who's struggling with the loss of her one and only love, we got...we got blood!"

I had to swallow back the vomit that wanted to be set free as he explained is if it were a movie and not real devastation that I had just gone through. He conveniently keeps his attention on every patron in the room besides me. I wasn't sure but when he looked at me he came back from reality, even if for just a split second. All I wanted was him to float back down and stand by my side but he almost seemed too lost.

"I don't think there's enough hard drives in China to count all the views we're gonna get, you guys!"

"At the expense of our feelings!" I scream at him, unable to take much more of this!

Mike couldn't keep quiet any longer either, replying, "What are you talking about you ass hat? Jessica's fucking dead!"

We all sat silently at the revelation. I looked desperately at Josh, searching for any sign of guilt or admittance. But there was none, just genuine confusion. He couldn't have done something like that. Josh or insane-Josh he wasn't capable of murder!

"What?" He said.

"Did you hear me?!" Mike says as he begins to walk almost menacingly towards Josh. "Jessica is dead."

My mind didn't decide to step in front of Josh, my body and heart did. I knew Josh would never kill anyone, even in an act of revenge.

"Michael he didn't do it!"

I hear Chris scream as my words leave my throat.

"Get out of the way before you get hurt, Charlie!"

"And you are gonna fucking pay you dick!" Mike screams as he pushes me, sending me into the table, and pistol whips Josh all at once.

Instantly Josh is out on the floor and the second I squirm from my brothers arms I'm at his side.

"Josh!" I look up at Mike, my eyes in slits.

"What the hell's wrong with you?! He didn't hurt anyone!"

"Oh yeah? And how would you know? Were you in on this?!" He accuses.

"Are you sure it's not you who's out of their mind! You didn't even give him a chance to defend himself before you go capital punishment on him? He said he didn't do it!"

"Back off Mike, Charlie was with us the whole time! She's not fucking crazy, she wouldn't do something like this!" Chris defends me as he also makes a wall with his body between me and an imposing Mike who stood over me.

"You're both fucking blind! This murdering bastard killed Jessica, and for what? Who knows what's going on in his fucked up head! I mean you're defending him, Charlie, after he made you think he was dead and and filmed you as you grieved, that's the guy you're defending."

"Yeah? And like you're any better Mike? You think filming Beth while she was vulnerable, and making her run out into the cold where God knows what happened to her and her sister makes you any better?" I scream with tears in my eyes.

"Look, I know you're confused right now, but your boyfriend's a murder, and he can't stay in here with us. We need to call the cops and tie him up somewhere so he can't fuck with our heads anymore!" Mike says.

He sighs and places a hand on his hip.

With a more calm voice, he adds, "He's dangerous, Charlie."

"You don't get it do you? He's not…"

What did I say? He's not him? That was true, but Josh has never been completely gone. He's had moments of clarity, where he knew right from wrong. I saw it when he would look at me. He knew and he continued at all costs. He included Chris, Sam, and me even in this act of revenge when we didn't have a part to play. Was this Josh? Is this him and I just want an explanation, an excuse, to keep loving him and forgive him?

"I don't want him near me," Ashley says as she looks at Josh with malice.

"It's a good thing he's knocked out then," I say dryly as I absentmindedly stroke his hair.

Mike was right, I was confused. Very confused.

"Why the shed? There are a million rooms in this house. He'll freeze!" I argue as Mike begins to tie up a zoned out Josh as he leans against me.

I didn't have the heart to push him away. Maybe when he was more conscious.

"Serves him right." I hear Chris mumble in the corner.

I roll my eyes at him. He's decided to jump on the let's hate Josh wagon, which I can't really blame him for. I was hesitant to hitch a ride but I sure was loading my cargo on board, at least half of it. I was still pretty divided. One second I love him more than ever, the next I just want to hold him, then slap him and then tell him I hate him for putting me through literal hell.

He was starting to come to a little more as each loop around his wrists became tighter.

"Because it'll make everyone feel...safe."

"Yeah because being tied up he can surely terrorize us from the far corners of this massive house."

"Charlie." My head snaps to Josh as he spoke my name.

"Don't talk to him Char." Chris says angrily as he walks over to me. "Don't talk to her man, you've put her through enough."

"I know." Josh hangs his head as the nods sounding as if he's genuinely regretful. "I didn't-"

"I said don't talk to her." With that Chris grabs onto my arm and tries to lift me away from my boyfriend.

I don't stop him and I don't look to see how Josh reacts. Once I'm up it was Mike's turn to pull up a resistant Josh.

We all walked up from the basement after we were given directs from Josh on how to get to the main floor. Of course it wasn't really voluntary with Mike threatening him every other word.

We make it up to the top and the boys head for the door. I don't give it a second thought to follow after them but it must not have been expected as both Mike and Chris stop to look at me quizzically.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mike says.

"Woah, Charlie, you can't come with us," Chris adds.

"Why not? You think I can trust you two to get him there safely? No telling what you'll do to him." I accuse, more towards Mike than Chris.

"What are you his bodyguard now?" Mike deadpans. "Look at that, your girlfriends taking up your job, way to be a man." He condescends to Josh.

"Are we going or are you guys going to listen to me and keep him inside?"

"Charlie no-"

"Stop, Chris, I'm going so let's just go."

The guys share a look and silently have a conversation before they open the cabin door and we are met with the biting cold outside.

We made it down the path I remember taking with Chris before we saw the horrible sight that brought about all of this. The shed was a dreaded place for me. Even though the memory wasn't real the pain sure was. I wasn't interested in remembering it too vividly. Though that feeling of losing Josh would forever be engraved in me.

Josh struggled the whole way, having to constantly be pushed just to get him walking by Mike. I didn't interfere, deciding to let him take some of the punishment but I didn't feel any better about any of this.

"Guys! Guys, come on...seriously, this is crazy, you know?" Josh tried to reason halfway down the path. "Charlie!"

"Shut up," Mike says before I can answer the calls of my boyfriend.

Was he still my boyfriend? Could I still be with him after this? I came into this relationship knowing he had his problems, loving him and accepting him in spite of them. But I'd never been thrown into their depths full swing before. I never really knew how bad it could get.

I didn't even know it would ever have involved me even if he did snap because I trusted him. I trusted that love, as cliche as it was, would concur all only to be sorely let down in the worst way possible. So, was he my boyfriend? Were we really anything besides a passing year of good, bad and the worst? A lesson well learned and absorbed for later use when picking another mate?

The very thought of being with someone else made my head spin. I didn't know where we went from here but I did know that it wouldn't be that easy to just throw this away. Besides, right now wasn't the best time to reflect on our future together anyways.

Instead I turn my attention to my brother. Chris had been oddly quiet. It didn't dawn on me that he too might be as confused as me. Josh was his childhood friend after all. I mean, sure, I was in love with him and his maybe, maybe not girlfriend, but Chris opened up to him just as much as I did. Chris had trusted Josh for as long as I had loved him. In that moment I began to feel less animosity towards my brother for his anger with Josh. He had just as much right as all of us.

As we kept walking, however, the anger slowly started to grow more apparent on my big brother's face and I knew by the way he stared at Josh that the anger was seconds away from completely bubbling over.

"Why'd ya hit her man? Why'd you have to fucking hit her?!" And just like that, he was in Josh's face and a punch had been sent square to Josh's jaw.

I hated being right!

"What are you talking about?" Josh asks as he falls to the ground.

"You punched Ashley you piece of shit!"

Josh struggled to get back on his feet before he looked to Chris.

I had actually managed to forget that fact in my revelation of the psycho masked man being Josh. Gosh, forgiveness wasn't going to be easy it seems.

"I got so mad."

"You don't hit a girl. You just don't." Chris says calmly. He looks over at me and I was sure he was calm until anger etched back on his face and he facing Josh again with a vengeance.

"You're lucky you didn't hit my sister or you'd be dead right now."

"I would never hurt her!" Josh screams confidently back at Chris. I could almost swear I saw a glisten of a tear in his eye. "I love Charlie." He looks at me and our eyes meet but I force myself to look away. "Dude...dude. Chris...Bro…I-"

"I'm not your bro."

Mike begins to push on Josh to move again. This only sparked Josh's anxiety.

"Where are we going? Where are you guys taking me? Charlie?"

"We're locking you up,bro." Mike answers and he pushed Josh down into the snow.

"What?!" Josh says, panicked.

"So you can't do anything stupid before we call the police in the morning."

"Come on! I didn't do anything-"

"Are you serious, bro?" Chris says flabbergasted.

"You're a goddamned murderer is what you are," Mike says.

"He said he didn't do it, Mike!" I defend as I walk closer to Josh.

Chris tried to hold me back but I managed to get in front of Mike to make sure he doesn't get pistol whipping happy again.

Mike begins to try and stalk up to Josh who keeps walking backwards to get away. I'm in the middle walking in front of Josh to keep Mike at bay and Chris is like a second skin on Mike to assure my safety with the somewhat crazed man.

"I didn't do it. Michael, please! Just listen to me, man! I did not hurt Jessica-"

"Are you insane? Like, really? Do you not understand what you've done?" Chris interjects.

"I'm a healer, man!" Josh screams erratically.

My heart jumps and my body follows. I move away as I watch my Josh descend once again.

"I bring people together! Not like you two assholes!" He continues.

I reach out a timid hand in a vain attempt to calm him. I've never seen him so upset. He sighs and looks at me, his eyes soulful, clear and pleading all in one. It's so enticing I almost give in.

"Calm down Josh. We'll figure it all out in the morning." I promise.

"I didn't do it, babe." He pleads. His eyes were sorrowful.

I nod and reach out for his cheek. "I believe you. But you did hurt people."

With that, my hand fell from his face and I let Mike take the lead.

"That's enough," Mike says as he pushes Josh forward and out of my reach. I slink back to my brother and follow after.

As we reached the shed Josh seemed only to get worse.

"You only see what you wanna see! You're blind!"

"Stop talking!" Mike says, frustrated. He runs to Josh and pulls him down. I'm at his side trying to pull him off.

"Get off of him, Michael!" I scream as he points the gun at Josh.

"Dude." Chris tries.

"It's not my fault you suckers can't take a joke!" Josh says from the ground.

"Josh stop you're making it worse!" I scream.

"Oh, oh wait, did I hurt you? Did you just feel a little...little bit of pain? Right now? I am so...so...sorry!" Mike says into Josh's ear as he digs his knee into his back, Josh screamed indignantly.

"Get off of him Mike! He's not doing anything!" I say as I push as hard as I can on the giant that is Mike.

The sounds of pain from Josh were enough to bring that prickling feeling you get when you're on the verge of crying. I bite my tongue to keep the tears away, I couldn't' let them see me cry.

"Jesus dude…" Chris says.

"Stop! Michael...I'm sorry…man. I can't tell you how sorry I am that something happened to Jessica but I swear, I swear to you I have no idea what happened to her…" Josh says as Mike lets up on him.

I was supposed to be angry with Josh not crying over him any more than I already have. I was beginning to feel just as crazy as Josh. Maybe we were meant to be.

"Shit, Mike, this, I don't know, something feels really wrong here, man," Chris says seemingly from nowhere.

I was starting to feel like it wasn't an us against them situation anymore and that took a significant weight off my shoulders.

"Are you joking?" Mike says, a little betrayed.

"I...I'm just having a really hard time figuring out that he would like, do anything to hurt Jess." Chris continues.

I almost wanted to hug him because for all Josh's mania he didn't do anything to any of us to actually physically hurt us...Well, besides Ashley, but he didn't actually murder anyone.

Mike steps closer to Chris and my body is ready to run to be my brother's wall if need be.

"I saw what he did to her. With my own eyes. This-" Mike says louder, gesturing to his blood tattered clothing, "this is her blood!"

I expected Josh to proclaim his innocence once again. Instead, he laughs quietly as if there was something truly funny.

"Can't we all just get along?" He says in a sing-song kind of voice.

If I wasn't convinced before I was now; Josh was coming unhinged.

Mike picked him up violently and Josh cries his disapproval.

"I'm not dicking around," Mike says in aggravation.

We all begin to walk the last couple feet towards the opening of the shed.

"This isn't right. Nope. This isn't how it's supposed to go down." His words growing from a whisper to himself to him turning and addressing us with a somewhat slurred speech.

I was finally beginning to see how bad it could be and I was sure it was going to get worse before it got better.

"You're just a bunch of bullies." He continues as Mike walks towards him to push him inside.

I hated to agree with Josh at a time like this but history showed that Mike, at least, had bully tendencies that I hadn't witnessed since the twins disappeared last year. It's crazy how our true natures always seem to find a way to come out in one situation or another.

"You can't hang out a guy just to dry like this, guys-" he almost sounded sane for that split second and my heart soared because I thought I'd gotten a glimpse of the real Josh before it came crashing down once again as he continued on his erratic speech, "Not like you got the guts to really do anything about it anyways!" He says as he gets in Mike's face with every word.

Mike had finally had enough and pushed Josh down to his knees.

"Oh, stop it! You're the biggest coward there is!" Chris decides to chime in from the door.

"I did something." Josh begins and I'm worried about what might come out of his mouth. "I made you believe in the world I created! And I showed you parts of yourself you were too afraid to visit."

"You manipulated us, you tricked us, you hurt your friends and worst of all your girlfriend, and you did it all while you hid in the shadows. You're a coward, Josh, that's all you are!"

I ignored the pain all these words brought. Everyone was just making this so much more confusing. I didn't even know what to say or think anymore.

I make my way closer to Josh, just out of his sight to make myself available if Mike wanted to go too far once again. He pulls him up quickly and heads to the post in the middle of the room. He struggled but Mike had always been the strongest in our group and over powered him easily. He sat him down and with the assistance of Chris they attempt to tie my struggling maybe/maybe not boyfriend to the post.

"Can't tie 'em up if they just wiggle around-" Josh said in a whimsical voice as he squirmed in the chair to keep the two boys from tying him up. "Leave me a little wiggle room, huh?"

With an aggravated sigh Mike yelled out, "What does it take to shut you up?"

"Ow! Not so tight, okay? Not so tight, okay!" Josh calls out as they finally get him tied to the post.

"Guys you don't have to hurt him to keep him secured-" I protest but am stunned when I listen into Josh as he continues to talk to what seems like no one and nonsense.

The boys both walk next to me and we huddle just in front of Josh who I'm sure was too gone to care what we had to say.

I watched on in a quiet sadness as I see what Josh has been reduced to. I'd never seen it before. He'd gotten bad but he'd never showed it to me. I'd only heard the scattered versions from his parents who only added the necessary information. Enough of which wouldn't send me running for the hills. I never knew it could get this bad though and it had me reevaluating if I even truly knew him at all.

"What in God's name is he talking about?" Mike says as we huddle.

Josh's erratic words drone on in the background.

"This is hard to watch," Chris says.

Imagine how it felt for me.

"He ever say this kind of shit before?" Mike says and it takes me a minute to realize he's talking to me.

I mean, why wouldn't he be? I was his girlfriend...Or, was I? If anyone was to have seen him like this it would be me. That thought alone made me question everything we were as if this whole situation didn't already have me doing just that.

"No," I say meekly as my eyes watch Josh and a tear threatens to fall from my eyes.

"Stupid, stupid, Chris and Ash, Chris is an ass." We all begin to focus on Josh as he begins to talk more clearly. "Ashley's a dumb-dumb," he says laughing.

Chris beings to move closer and I move with him just in case.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said you're a dummy, dummy," Josh answers with a crazed and childish laugh.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Oh, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that you liked me," Josh taunts in a higher pitched voice as he stares on at Chris.

"Stop," Chris says uncomfortably.

I grind my teeth as I watch on. I was angered that Josh was taunting my brother but I didn't have the heart to do anything about it. All in all Josh was sick. He didn't know what he was saying or doing. Or maybe that's just what I needed to believe. The confusion was becoming anger as he just got worse and worse and yet I still haven't found the right way to handle any of this. I was so useless!

Josh smacked his lips together to create the faux sound of kissing before continuing his taunting, "You know what that sound is?" He says almost calmly, "That's the sound of never kissing Ashley, you pussy!" He screams suddenly and unexpectedly in anger.

"Stop," Chris yells as he picks up a discarded stick off the ground and lifts it as if to strike Josh. My hands are on his shoulder before he can strike and he stops dead in his tracks.

"You may as well have Ashley sleep with Mike, I mean at least he's got some notches on his belt. Or better yet me."

That stopped me in my tracks as I furrow my brow at him and wait for what I'm sure will be one of the worst things he says tonight.

"You know, treat her right." he says as he bucks his hips in the air suggestively. He then looks at me with an almost predatory look and adds, "just ask your sister."

I had to jump in Chris's way to stop him as he screamed, "I'm gonna kill him!" And for the first time tonight I truly believed he would.

"You're fucking pathetic Christopher!" Josh yells out into the commotion.

"Don't listen to him, it's not worth it," Mike says beside us.

I place my hands on my brother's heaving chest and can't bare to look him in the face as I do. I could feel his eyes on me, asking if what Josh had implied was true. I didn't need to disappoint him anymore than I'm sure I already have.

I kept my back to Josh. I couldn't believe he had said any of that. Every word that he said, everything he does was like a slap in the face. I didn't know how much longer I could stand here and listen to this.

"Oh come on babe, what we did was nothing to be ashamed of." He says and he almost sounded like himself.

I turn to look at him because I thought maybe he'd come to his senses.

"We, we're in love. It was magical. The way you screamed-"

I felt Chris push passed me best he could without hurting me and was inches away from his fist meeting Josh's face once again before Mike pulled him back with his arm wrapped around his shoulders in a quick lock.

"Do you want to die you sick fuck? Is that what all this is Josh?" Chris screams as he's pulled away by Mike.

I could only glance at Josh as his eyes settled on my brother. I couldn't believe he would use us as a way to hurt my brother, like that's all we were good for. I started to feel like I might need a shower to wash off this invisible dirt I felt was creeping in. What we had felt unclean or at the very least unclear. After a moment of letting the air thin out Josh finally filled it.

"Mike, Mike, Mike," Josh repeated over and over trying to get his attention. "Mike!"

"What?" He finally replied.

"What happened with Jess, Mike?"

Mike shifts uncomfortably before answering, "you know what happened."

"No, no, I-I don't...I got a problem, Mike," He says slowly. "I don't remember killing Jess."

"Christ." Mike mumbles next to us.

"I mean, like, I feel like I would remember killing her, you know? She's so soft." He leans forward in his restraints. "And she'd probably got like a really tight bod."

My jaw flexed and I turn my head away from him and his words. This wasn't my Josh in there anymore.

Mike, angered, jumps forward, gun pointed and ready at Josh's face. I feel the air leave in a deep scream from my throat as I watch immobile from my brother's side.

Chris was quick to react. He lifted the stick and let it swing nice, swift and clean on the gun, immediately disarming Mike. I felt as if my heart finally had enough strength to finally start pumping as I watch the gun hit the ground.

"Seriously." Mike says.

I almost feel like laughing. He was really surprised that Chris disarmed him when who knew what Mike was capable of. I think after all of this we didn't really know what any of us were capable of. None of us truly knew each other. Maybe that was Josh's whole point.

"Wh-what?" Chris stammers.

"Did you think I was really going to shoot him?" Mike asks surprised.

"I-I dunno." Chris says.

"Come on Chris, you know me better than that!" Mike sounded so offended by this when really Chris was completely right to do what he did. We didn't know each other anymore.

We all hear a gitty laugh as Josh repeats Mike, "Yeah, Chris, you know me better than that." He says in a playful voice.

"Do we really know anyone anymore?" I mumble as I sweep my eyes over Josh before they find their safe spot on my brother.

"Ah, yeah, well...just next time give me a heads up, alright?" Chris finally says.

"Oh, you poor little piggies. You can't even get your good cop bad cop routine to work." Josh taunts. "Leave it to the pros, bros!"

"Why don't you two go back to the lodge and make sure everyone's alright." Mike finally orders. "I'll stay here with this lunatic until morning."

I scoff as I stand my ground.

"You really think I'm gonna just leave you in here with Josh? You?" I say flabbergasted.

The guy who thinks Josh killed his girlfriend, one he just put a gun to his face? I'm supposed to trust that Josh will even be alive in the morning if he's left out here with him?

"Ohh, sleepover, can we order pizza?" Josh mocks. "Oh but if Charlie stays, you might need to leave the room Mike."

I don't watch what I assume is a suggestive wiggle of his brows. Instead I just watch my feet indent the soft snow beneath me.

"No. You're going with Chris." "You're coming with me." Chris and Mike say at the same time.

"I don't get a say in this?" I argue but I know it's useless.

Chris would drag me back to the lodge if he had to. Besides, as I thought more on it, the less I wanted to keep witnessing Josh's descent further and further into his madness. I already had a hard enough time stomaching this anyway. I just didn't trust Mike.

With that I stepped, what I hoped was assertively and not just a short girl trying to seem tough, up to Mike.

My face was stern as I spoke, "One hair out of place…" I couldn't really think of what else to say but I could tell he got the message as he nodded and looked away.

I then moved closer to the door, my back turned to everyone as I waited on my brother.

"You sure you're okay?" Chris asked, I assume Mike.

"Yeah. I wanna know everything's fine back there." Mike answers.

"You're right." Chris agrees. "See you in the morning."

I hear the stick fall with a soft cling on the ground and soon Chris's arm is around my shoulder, guiding me on the long trail back to the lodge. I focus on the sound of our matching steps to keep my heart from breaking as I left it behind in the shed for the second time tonight.