Once the doors were closed, the four of us trekked across the snow-covered ground toward the shed. It was a small journey but one we had to endure. I had rope in my backpack should Josh's mind flip a switch and he became too rowdy for me to handle. I continued to fill his head with the promise of going home soon, to keep him occupied but once we were just a few feet from the shed, things took a turn for the worse....
Josh started whining, letting go of my hand and rambling about how he knew my plan, that I was gonna let Chris and Mike tie him up, and I cringed, "oh, why do you do this to me now? Now, of all the times in the world, you had to choose now?"
I was complaining, I shouldn't have been complaining but I was complaining, I was very irritated with his timing.
Suddenly, Chris remembered when Josh hit Ashley when he had the mask on, "Josh, why'd you have to hit her? Why'd you have to fucking hit her?!" He went too far with his pain and punched Josh in the jaw, knocking him down to his knees.
"Jesus, Chris, he's not well. You can't demand answers from him and expect to get any," I interjected, trying to defuse the situation.
"What are you talking about?" Josh asked, apparently not remembering.
"You fucking punched Ashley, Josh!" Chris refreshed his memory.
"I got so mad," was all Josh could say for himself as he got back up.
"Josh, honey, that was very wrong," I scolded him.
"You don't hit a girl!" Chris said in response to Josh, "you just don't."
Boom!
Long-term Friendship....
Ended.
Right there.
I could tell.
"Let's just keep moving." I told the lot, "come on, Josh," I tried to get him to move toward the shed.
"Where are we going, Nessie?" Josh asked, "where are you taking me?"
Mike moved to open my bag, handing the machete to Chris and pulling out the rope I had in there. Chris was utterly confused by the motion but held the machete until there was an opportunity to put it back in my backpack. Mike started on Josh, tying his hands behind his back as Chris put the machete back in my bag and zipped it up.
I placed my hands upon my face and sighed, this was not working out as I had planned, "why does nothing ever work out the way I plan it? Why, why, why?" I groaned in frustration.
"We're locking you up in the shed," Mike said simply, pushing him toward the shed.
"Mike, don't be so rough," I sighed once more, "it's for your own good, Josh."
"It's so you can't do anything stupid before Vanessa and I have found Jess, Matt, and Em," Mike explained, actually trying to be nice to Josh for a moment.
"Come on, guys, I didn't do anything-" Josh pleaded.
"Are you serious, right now?" That was Chris.
"Honey, you are not well, you need to be isolated. You can't go around scarin' people, it's just not right," I tried to make Josh understand.
"You're a damn murderer that's what you are," God, he was still on about that?
I wished he would just stop. "Mike, stop it, that is not true!"
"I didn't do it.... Michael, please, listen to me, I didn't hurt Jessica!" That was Josh.
"Dude, Josh, do you not understand what you have done?" Chris was focusing on what Josh had done.
"No, he doesn't," I looked at Chris, "he's sick, mentally sick, he doesn't know what he's doing but he /is/ telling the truth about Jessica!" I eyed Mike who was practically fuming at this point, "Mike...."
He merely shook his head and continued to roughly push Josh toward the shed, "let's go!"
I sighed, closing my eyes, shaking my own head.
Finally, the situation was defused enough to get Josh to the shed, Mike had taken over the responsibility of getting Josh to move since he wouldn't move for me anymore. I was shaking my head and trying to think of a way to get Mike to realize that Josh was telling the truth about Jessica, that I was telling the truth.
How was I going to do that?
How? I needed to figure out a way soon or Mike was going to kill Josh. I felt it in my gut, I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let anyone else die.
Not after Beth.
"You know you only see what you wanna see, you're blind!" Josh said randomly.
"Stop talking," that was Mike.
Josh continued on, rambling and Mike pushed him to the ground, hurting him. Chris wasn't okay with this, he was very mad at Josh but he still didn't like where this was going. I screeched in frustration, what in the Yearth was I going to do with Mike right now?
Mike let him back up whilst Josh swore that he had no idea what happened to Jessica which was the truth, whether Mike wanted to believe him or not. Chris chimed in feeling something was wrong, which there was, Mike was being an asshole again.
"Can't we all just get along?" That was Josh.
"Shut up, Josh, you are not helping your situation that you put yourself into," I snapped at him, "and Mike, why don't you stop and think with your brain for a second instead of your fucking dick!"
I may have lost that new friendship but at this point, I didn't care. This was not okay, what he was doing to Josh was not okay. I had to put an end to it. Mike pulled Josh back up, snarling at him and it made me angrier. He pushed him toward the shed, we were closer now. Josh rambled on about how this wasn't how it was supposed to go down and that we were a bunch of bullies, antagonizing Mike and Chris.
"Josh, you don't know what you're talking about," I snarled, not caring about appearances or anything else, I was done with this petty bullshit, "so shut the fuck up and stop provoking Mike!"
"Oh you're the biggest coward there is," that was Chris.
More ramblings of a delusional and broken young man.
"You manipulated us," Chris corrected him, "you tricked us. You hurt your friends, and you did it all while hiding in the shadows, behind a fucking mask."
Mike pulled Josh up once again, pulling him toward the stool by the post. Josh tried to resist but Mike was stronger. I moved to help him sit down, "sit down, Joshua," I said firmly.
"Oooooh, my full name!" He was obviously enjoying this.
"Shut up, and sit still," I snarled at him.
Chris came over and started to tie him to the post while Mike and I tried to keep him still but he rambled on about what we were doing and started wiggling, "Josh, sit still, fucking a," I groaned at him as Chris finished, causing Josh to yell about not tying it so tight, then again began to ramble.
"Vanessa," Mike turned to me, "what in the fuck is talking about?"
"He's rambling, Mike," was all I said.
"Man, this is hard to watch," that was Chris.
"Has he ever said this kind of shit before?" Mike asked us.
"No, I have never seen him like this," Chris turned to me.
I sighed, they might as well know, "he's been doing this since April," I admitted, "rambling like a crazy man, I don't even know who he is anymore," I shook my head as Josh started to antagonize once more.
"Chris and Ash. Chris is an ass. Ashley's a dumb-dumb," Josh was grinning sadistically.
I smacked my forehead at this, letting out a frustrated growl.
"I'm sorry what did you say?" Chris had to comment.
"Well, I said you're a dummy, dummy," Josh replied simply, letting out a goofy laugh.
"What is wrong with you?" Chris asked a very dumb question.
Josh started in on Chris' feelings for Ashley, making kissy noise and saying that that was the sound of never getting to kiss her, "you might as well let Ashley sleep with Mike. At least he's got some notches in his belt! He'll treat her right!" He began to move his body provocatively.
I moved to slap him across the face, "HOW DARE YOU, JOSHUA!" was all I could say, moving away, shaking my head once more.
Mike merely shook his head, "well, sorry to burst your bubble, Josh but I wouldn't sleep with Ashley," I would kill him if he did, and he knew it.
"You're pathetic, Christopher," Josh said to Chris before switching to Mike, being annoying with his name before Mike acknowledged him only to ask about what happened with Jess; Mike simply replied that he knew but he shook his head, "I don't remember killing Jess, I feel like I would remember killing her, you know?" He got a devious look on his face, "she's so soft.... and she's probably got, like, a really tight bod," that pushed Mike over the edge.
He pointed the gun right at Josh's face and I squealed in protest, "Mike, stop it! Just back away! Chris can take over from here, let's just go!" I grabbed onto his bicep, "Mike, please, I promised to find Jess, right?" I reminded him of the promise I made him and he lightened up, pulling away.
I turned to Josh, "you, keep your mouth shut and don't provoke Chris, got it? Because I don't wanna come back and find you bleeding or worse," I warned him before moving to push Mike toward the exit, "we'll be back for you two, I promise," I promised Chris, who settled in for the time being.