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Coming back to the lodge was a horrible idea on all accounts. No one was prepared to come back and face the mountains, no one was prepared for what they would find there- or rather, what has found them.
Michael let his eyes wander around the disheveled little shed, eyeing the hooks that hung from the ceiling, some cages and other metal tools, blood stains… Jess. She was gone now. Though, could he consciously let another come into harm's way tonight? Or death's door? Sure, Josh was acting like a psychotic prick, but did that mean he deserved to die? His eyes grazed from the old wooden walls of the shed to Josh’s writhing form underneath his binds. It was… sad. He didn’t need this, it wasn’t helping him.
Michael sighed as he stared at him and his pained face. His heart felt heavy in his chest suddenly, and he felt his chest tighten. Sam or… was it Sam? Someone had mentioned before Josh was on medication. Maybe there was a method to this madness. Josh jerked around suddenly.
“Miiiiike. Mike mike mike mike…” He started uttering, his head hanging as his shoulders twisted and turned, trying to free his hands. Wiggle room. He didn’t continue for some time, focusing mostly on the rope that tied him to the post and keeping his balance on the stool he sat on, however, he had stopped suddenly. It made him stand upright, fearing something was wrong. “Sometimes, sometimes I still see them, Mike. You know that? They come to me still, I let them die, Mike.” He could hear the self-depreciative smile even as the other was hunched over. “They won’t leave.”
“You been… have you been taking your meds? Pal?” Mike added, approaching the other and squatting in from of him. Christ he just? Didn’t actually know what to do here. This was a situation he couldn’t have ever even began to prepare for. He didn’t know if he was responding correctly so far. Hell, he knew he wasn’t, he didn’t need to kid himself here. He needed to at least make an attempt at fixing this.
Josh shook his head, struggling with his arms again. He hadn’t dared to look up yet, they couldn’t look each other in the eyes. He was in pain, cold, upset, hungry, everything was starting to settle in on him at once. His stomach panged and his chest was tight and so was his throat and he felt like he couldn’t breathe and he just wanted to go home now. This wasn’t how this was supposed to happen. It was just a fun little joke. He was supposed to get revenge and feel better. He was supposed to get Ash and Chris together. Now Jessica was dead. Michael said it was his fault and maybe it was. Everything, when you boil it down, was his fault, somehow. He sniffled and lifted his head in the slightest when he felt warm hands on his arms.
They were leaving, Michael had decided this. He couldn’t bear to watch this anymore. He moved forward to reach around the other, untying the rope from where he was. Sure, he could have gotten up, but he needed to know Josh knew he was there and there for him, most of all. He’d been fucking everything up all night long, he needed to do this. They couldn’t just sit out here any longer in the blistering cold with both of them scratched up, bruised, and bloody. Josh needed help, not to be tied to a post in a shed. It was the least he could do here.
He struggled with untying the rope from where he was, but he felt a serene sort of comfort as Josh rested his chin on his shoulder. Wet, he knew why, shaking, for reasons he knew, but it made him feel better about this situation. He was going to walk Josh back to the lodge, get him something warm to change into and curl up in, then they’d settle things out. Get Josh home and maybe to a hospital to get him checked out.
“I trust you…” Josh murmured, eyes only slightly glazed. He was zoning out, but Michael knew he was still there and conscious of what was going on. He felt guilty somehow. He shouldn’t have blamed him for Jessica’s death. He shouldn’t have thrown that on him like he did, or scared him while Chris was still there. He pointed a gun at Josh’s face.
“We’re going to get out of here, alright? We’re going to walk back down to the lodge. You can hang on me if you need to.” He figured that telling him what was happening was a good idea? He really didn’t have experience here, but he was trying his best. Would Josh forgive him was he actually, well… in his right mind. “Is that okay?”
“Okay. I’m okay. I’m okay.” He still clung to him somewhat as he stood. He stumbled, off balance from anxiety was what Mike assumed. He didn’t ask for help but Mike decided to pitch in anyways, hooking Josh’s arm around his shoulders. He held his pistol in his free hand, prepared to face off with whatever sort of creature was lurking in the mountains. Prepared to defend his friend.