After that moment of silence, we all moved toward the ledge and slid back into the water, no use lingering here. We continued forward which would have been to our right before we had detoured. We groaned in disgust to ourselves until we reached the ledge farthest away from the places we had just been. The water level was rapidly changing as we made our way closer to the ledge. The two were able to get up so that they could pull me up onto the ledge, all of us groaning from the strain. Finally, we were all where we needed to be and we could go through the door that was labeled as dangerous.
Yay.
Sam moved to open the door but it came open with water and a severed head, startling us all to the ground. I moved to Mike's side, grabbing a hold of his arm and he pulled us up to our feet, wrapping his left hand around my right. We all moved through the door, and I realized whose head that had been when we saw a hanging body with no head. I squeezed Mike's hand in fear, and we both winced.
We all felt like we were going to be sick but I could hear a familiar voice from behind us and I tugged on Mike, "do you hear that?" I demanded.
"I think I see something," he said in reply as we looked through the gaps in the wooden wall.
Sam moved to join us and we could see Josh, muttering to himself about how he didn't take orders from someone or something.
"Oh God," I whined.
"Josh," Sam said.
Mike moved to the door and pushed it open, Sam and I quickly followed. "Hey, hey, Josh," he said to him.
"You can't tell me what to do anymore!" Josh was crying.
"Josh, honey," I cried softly.
"Josh, buddy," that Mike.
But he merely repeated the same words, give or take.
"Josh," I cried, "honey, please, talk to us."
He began to repeat the word 'okay' and the phrase 'I trust you' while looking in our direction which confused us all because we had no idea what was happening. Then it hit me, Josh was hallucinating!
Again.
I had to deal with it a few times before....
"What's wrong with him?" Sam asked.
"He's hallucinating!" I cried.
"Josh!" Mike slapped Josh across the face and jerked him to get him to come out of the hallucination.
"M-Mike?" Josh looked at him, then to Sam, "S-Sam?" Then to me, "N-Nessie...."
"Yes, it's us, it's us, honey, it's okay," I assured him.
"P-Please, d-don't h-hit m-me," Josh stuttered at Mike.
Mike felt bad but like it had to be done, "well you were in it deep, man. Like Full Mental Jacket deep," he said.
"Yeah, Mike was just helping, it's okay, honey," I assured him again.
"We weren't sure if we could get you back," Sam said relieved.
"Vee, ask about the cable car," Mike said firmly before anyone could say anything about Beth and Hannah.
"Yeah," I nodded at him, moving closer to Josh, demanding his attention, "Josh, honey, listen to me," he nodded, "do you have the key to the cable car?" I asked of him.
He nodded his head vigorously, "yeah," he said, pulling it out and giving it to me.
I immediately handed it to Sam before pulling Josh to me, "you had me so worried, Joshua," I cried as he wrapped his arms around me, slowly.
"I-I'm sorry, N-Nessie," was all he could say.
I pulled away, smiling through my tears, "it's okay, honey, don't apologize," I told him, "you don't need to apologize, you're safe now, that's all that matters," I assured him.
Sam was gesturing upward toward the path to freedom of this place but there was no way that we could get Josh up there or me with my burned hands. Sam suggested that we get her up there and she could get to the others, assure them that we were okay and we were coming back.
"Seeing as you have the cable car key, you could get things set up for us, so we can quickly leave," I added to which Mike and Sam agreed.
"You two bring Josh back the way we came and we'll meet at the lodge before heading straight to the cable cars," Sam said.
"Be careful," we said as Mike helped her up.
As soon as Sam was up enough where I knew she wouldn't fall and need us, I told Mike to lead the way and I would take care of Josh. We were on our way back the way Sam, Mike, and I had come to find Josh.
"You didn't have to hit me so much, Mike," Josh said suddenly.
Mike cringed, "uh, yeah, sorry, man. I thought you had killed Jess and I was too busy thinking of that to listen to Vee," he admitted apologetically, "I was wrong, I am sorry," he added.
I smiled, "thank you, Mike."
He merely nodded at me.
We moved back the way we came until we were at the ledge with the water. Again. I cringed but I told Josh it was the only way and we all slid down into the murky water. We all moved toward the other ledge. I was beside Josh while Mike was ahead, scouting around and waiting for us since Josh was slow and I had been tasked as his assistant.
Suddenly, Mike cried out in fear before slipping into the murky water and disappearing. "MIKE!" I screamed his name, fearfully before the only sound left was my erratic breathing, "Josh, stay here, stay here, honey, I'll be right back," I told Josh to stay put as I moved to swim over to where Mike disappeared, looking for him but that was when a smooth white Wendigo appeared and grabbed me by the throat before I could dive in.
I choked, looking into its eyes, seeing Hannah's eyes, "p-please, Hannah, M-Mike," I struggled to plead to her and she seemed to narrow her eyes at me before turning to Josh.
"NO! You're not real!" He screamed.
Hannah turned back to me, seeming to remember my eyes, and threw me toward the place Mike was hiding. I fell into the water with a splash as Hannah grabbed Josh by the throat and carried him away, back to where we found him while he screamed in protest for which was all I could hear. I was under the water for so long that I had lost consciousness.
Everything was black.
Until....
"VANESSA!��
I gasped awake, throwing up water, turning on my side. We were on land, damp land but land indeed. I let the water drain from my body, coughing profusely. I was conscious again but what had happened?
Suddenly, arms wrapped around me and pulled me upward, embracing me tightly to a chest. My own chest feeling as if an elephant had accidentally stepped on me, my breasts were numb and my ribs felt like they were broken. I was confused by the embrace for only a moment but then I realized it was only Mike.
Instantly, I burst into tears, wrapping my arms around his neck, my face in his collarbone. I didn't care that my ribcage was broken due to Mike giving me CPR, I just didn't.
I had thought I was dead but Hannah recognized me....
I thought I had drowned but Mike saved me....
So many thoughts were running through my head but I couldn't focus on any of them.
"Oh my God," his voice seemed to cry, "I thought I'd lost you too," he said and I felt his lips on my head, he had kissed my wet hair.
I couldn't speak.
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't think.
All I could do was hold Mike and cry into his jacket, soaking the cloth with my tears.
"Vee," he said my name softly, I could hear the worry in his tone.
I swallowed, hard, "y-yeah?"
"Oh thank God," he held me tighter, "I thought you were dying in my arms for a second there," he tried to laugh it off but couldn't.
I chuckled before crying, my throat hurt, "I-I'm okay, Mike, I'm o-o-kay," I assured him, "th-thank you, for saving my life," I managed to spill through my cracked lips.
Mike kissed my hair again, "you're welcome," he replied in a soft, loving tone.