Josh only grinned, eyes darting around wildly as he wriggled against his restraints. ''Right, right, right, right... still... can't tie 'em up if they just wiggle around-''

Chris took a step forward. ''Josh, dude—''

Josh gave him a wicked grin. ''Leave me a little wiggle room, huh?''

Mike clenched his jaw, clearly reaching the end of his patience. ''What does it take to shut you up?''

Josh flinched as Mike tightened the ties, whining, ''Ow! Not so tight, okay? Not so tight! I can't wiggle around... Plastic ties, that's where it's at, yeah.''

Mike exchanged a glance with Chris. ''What... in God's name is he talking about?''

Josh looked in front of him, as if he was out of it. ''Plastic ties, plastic ties. Way more effective for hostage-type scenarios.''

Chris groaned, looking away. ''This is hard to watch...''

Mike nodded. ''He ever say this kind of shit before?'' he asked, glancing at me.

I watched Josh closely, searching for any trace of the friend I knew. ''There's something... different about him now,'' I muttered, almost to myself.

Josh snickered, his eyes darting between us all. ''Guaranteed for at least three hostages, or your money back!''

Chris's face softened with concern. ''No,'' he answered finally. ''I've never seen him like this...''

Josh ignored us, muttering under his breath. ''Everybody is stupid, stupid, stupid... Chris and Ash, Chris is an ass, Ashley's a dumb-dumb...''

Chris stiffened, his eyes narrowing. ''I'm sorry, what did you say?''

Josh looked at him. ''I said you're a dummy, dummy.''

Chris took a step forward, his fists clenching. ''What's wrong with you?''

Josh only laughed. ''Ohh... Ashley...'' He imitated a sweet, mocking tone. '''I never imagined in my wildest dreams that you'd like me...' ''

Chris's expression darkened. ''Stop.''

Josh grinned wider, enjoying every second. ''You know what that sound is? It's the sound of never kissing Ashley, you pussy.''

''Stop!'' Chris shouted, but Josh continued, relentless.

''Yeah, you know? You might as well let Ashley sleep with Mike. At least he's got some notches on his belt, you know? He'll treat her right! You're fucking pathetic, Christopher.''

Chris's anger flared. ''You know what, you dick?! That's also the sound of you never kissing Cora, because every chance you had, you blew it by being a weirdo! You think she's gonna want you after what you did to us? To her?!''

''Excuse me?'' I muttered, taken aback by Chris's outburst, but the focus was quickly back on Josh.

Chris grabbed a wooden board, lifting it high. ''I'm gonna beat his fucking head off—''

I stepped forward, trying to calm him down. ''Don't listen to him, Chris. He's lost his mind.''

Josh, still grinning, turned his attention to Mike. ''Hey, Mike. Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. Mike!'' he called, tauntingly, ignoring everyone else as he fixed his gaze on him.

Mike barely held back his anger. ''What?''

Josh's grin widened. ''What happened with Jess, Mike?''

Mike's jaw tightened. ''You know what happened.''

Josh shook his head. ''No... No, I don't... I got a problem, Mike... I don't remember killing Jess...''

Mike looked at him, his face full of disgust. ''Christ...''

Josh leaned forward, his voice dropping to a murmur. ''I mean, like, I feel like I would remember killing her, you know? She's so soft... and she's probably got like a really tight bod...''

That was too much. Mike's rage flared as he whipped out his gun, pointing it straight at Josh. ''Shut your fucking mouth!''

Before he could react, Chris swung the board, knocking the gun out of Mike's hands. Mike turned to him, startled. ''Seriously?''

''Wh-What?''

Mike sighed, shaking his head. ''Did you think I was gonna shoot him?''

Chris glanced away, embarrassed. ''I... I dunno...''

''Come on, Chris, you know me better than that.''

Josh smirked, turning his mocking gaze on Chris. ''Yeah, Chris. You know me better than that.''

Chris rolled his eyes, frustrated. ''Yeah, well, just... next time, give me a heads up, alright?''

Josh chuckled darkly, looking at both of them. ''Oh, you poor little piggies. Can't even get their good cop bad cop routine to work. Leave it to the pros, bros.''

Mike looked back at me and Chris. ''Why don't you both head back to the lodge and make sure everything's alright? I'll stay here with this lunatic until morning.''

Josh's face lit up with a grin. ''Oooh! Sleepover! C-can we order pizza?''

''I'm staying. You guys can go back.'' I stated leaving no room for argument.

Chris hesitated, glancing at me. ''You sure you're okay?''

I nodded, doing my best to keep my expression calm. ''Yeah, you two are more use at the lodge than me.''

Mike gave a half-smile, almost teasing. ''Even though I've seen you fall more than three times tonight, I trust you with this.''

He handed me the gun, and I took it. ''Thanks,'' I muttered, watching as they exchanged one last look before heading out. That was the worst moment to admit I've never shot a gun before.

The silence that filled the shed was suffocating once they were gone. Josh broke it first. ''So... are we gonna order pizza?''

''Shut the fuck up,'' I snapped.

Josh's smirk faded, and he shifted his weight, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before he nodded, his shoulders sinking. ''Oh... okay.''

I took a step back, finally allowing myself to drop into a chair at a safe distance from him but close enough to keep him in view. His head dipped down, eyes on the floor, but after a long pause, he looked up, his gaze falling on my leg.

''Did I do that?'' he asked softly, his tone almost childlike, his eyes fixed on my bruised knee.

''What?'' I muttered, thrown off.

''Your knee,'' he clarified, pointing with a slight tilt of his head.

I followed his gaze. ''I fell when I was getting Jessica help,'' I replied quietly, half to myself, the memory flashing back in my mind. 

Josh leaned forward, the shadow of an earnestness I hadn't seen in him all night crossing his face. ''But you know... I would've never hurt Jessica. Or you,'' he added, voice softening. ''Especially you.''

''Joshua—'' I began, but he cut me off, words tumbling out like a plea.

''I really didn't want you hurt tonight.''

I moved my chair closer, positioning it directly behind him. I wanted to keep him in sight, without him looking at me, but his eyes kept searching for mine, his head twisting back towards me. I shook my head, exasperated. ''Just... stop, okay?''

Josh turned again, his expression almost hurt. ''Why don't you want to look at me?''

A knot of anger and frustration twisted in my stomach. I pressed my lips together, fighting to keep my tone steady. ''Because you're sick, Josh. You need serious help.''

For a moment, I thought he might lash out. But he just looked away, his expression slipping into something I couldn't read.

''I didn't mean for anyone to die,'' he murmured, almost to himself. ''I just wanted them to feel what my sisters felt—''

''Guess what, Josh?'' I interrupted, my voice cracking with frustration. ''I've felt what they felt—twice already! Don't you think that's enough? But no, you still had to keep going... and hurt me even more, right?''

He winced at that, his voice barely a whisper. ''No... Coco—''

''Save it, Josh.'' I glared, feeling the sting of betrayal cut through me. ''Turn your fucking head around.''

He did as I asked, slowly turning to face forward again. A tense silence filled the room, broken only by his low, uneven breathing. And then, quietly, he began humming a song under his breath. It was the first song I sang on stage in the theater.

I swallowed, forcing myself to keep my voice steady. ''Did you stop taking your meds?''

Josh's head tilted slightly. ''Oh, so you do want to talk to me now?''

I clenched my fists. ''Just answer the question.''

''Yes.'' He laughed softly. ''Yes. I had to. They told me to.''

''Who did?''

He paused, looking down. ''They did... you did too. In my head.''

I took a slow breath, the ache of sympathy creeping up despite my anger. ''Josh...'' I hesitated, but I forced myself to continue, ''Can you promise me one thing?''

His eyes flicked up, eager. ''Anything.''

''Promise me you'll get help after we get out of here.''

He seemed to consider it for a moment before he looked back at me, a faint smile tugging at his lips. ''Pinky promise?''

I rolled my eyes, feeling a reluctant smile tug at the corner of my mouth. ''Yeah, or... whatever.''

''No, no,'' he corrected, a hint of his old self returning. ''You're doing it wrong. We need to hold pinkies.''

With a sigh, I leaned forward and extended my pinky. He reached back awkwardly, twisting to grasp mine, his hand trembling. In that moment, he looked almost vulnerable, like the friend I once knew.

''Don't let me down again, Joshua.''

His face softened, and for just a second, the madness seemed to slip away. ''Never.''

But the fragile peace shattered as a piercing scream tore through the night, echoing through the shed like something from a nightmare. Instinctively, I shot to my feet, adrenaline flooding my veins. Josh jerked, his hand reaching out blindly to grab for something, anything, to hold onto—his fingers clutching at my coat.

I spun around, wrenching myself out of his grasp and raising the gun. The scream still echoed in my ears as I stared into the darkness, scanning the room and gripping the gun tightly, heart pounding.

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