SKIN & BONES ; C. HARTLEY

CHAPTER EIGHT

★彡

THE THREE looked around, horrified and confused. The bright lights were a rude awakening, a harsh reminder as to where they were. Slowly, Matilda lifted her head to look at Chris, searching his face, he looked back at her, his face a mixture of anguish and relief.

Out of the corner of her eye, to her left, she saw the figures of Mike and Sam. Sam covered her mouth in horror, taking slight steps forward. Mike's face contorted with shock and anger.

"Well wasn't that moving." Came the distinguishable voice of the psycho, only now he sounded like he was in the room instead of just in speakers.

Ashley shrieked upon seeing him, he was directly behind Matilda, who was trying her best to stay still. "We had a confession of love, a sacrificial lamb..." He hummed, walking over to Chris, the whole time he'd stood behind Matilda, Chris had been glaring at him, but now with the psycho in front of him, he shrunk. "Shame we had no blood though, isn't it? Maybe we should fix that."

Without warning, the psycho slammed down on the button leading to Matilda's gun. All at once there was a cacophony of yelling and cries of terror, Matilda hadn't managed to close her eyes in time.

However, instead of having a bullet in her brain, Matilda was met with water, ice cold water that dripped down her forehead and onto her lips. "What?" She breathed out, her heart was racing, on the edge of being face to face with death, her head was spinning, she felt nauseous.

"What the fuck?" Chris said shakily, his shoulders tight and sore.

The psycho chuckled. "Come on Christopher, you didn't think I'd put real bullets in these things, did you?" His hands moved to the sides of his mask, in a swift movement he removed it, revealing the smug face of Josh Washington.

Matilda stared dumbly, eyes wide and red, mouth parted, her lips dry, cracked. She tried to speak but nothing came out, she was void of sound. Her eyes moved to Chris, who looked completely broken, he sunk in on himself as he watched Josh move around.

"Josh?" He said quietly.

Sam stepped forward, hand falling to her side. "Josh!" Her voice was mixed with anger, she rushed to Ashley, quickly making work of the knots keeping her tied.

"Josh..." Mike moved to Matilda's chair, he looked at her before he moved to the back, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. He was quick to undo the rope, she felt her body begin to fall forward, she hadn't felt this weak before, Mike moved his hand to her shoulder, keeping her upright.

Ashley sobbed, rubbing her wrists and body she looked at Josh with terror and confusion. "Josh?" She choked out. Sam had now moved to untie Chris.

Josh smirked, clapped and began laughing, he paced. "Good, good, good, you all remember my name! How'd that feel, huh? Did you enjoy being terrorised and humiliated? Panicked?" His eyes flickered to everyone around him. "The same things my sisters felt a year ago today? Except they didn't get to laugh it off, nope! No no-no, they're gone!" He sounded manic, his hands moved animatedly by his head.

"I don't know if you noticed this Josh, but none of us are laughing." Mike extended his arms out, looking around himself.

Slowly blinking, Matilda looked up to Josh, her eyes felt heavy as she looked at him. She'd never seen him like this before, Chris had told her Josh sometimes had gone 'off the rails' but he was never specific, and she was sure he didn't mean anything like this. "Josh, why would you do this to us?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, her throat still raw.

Josh tutted. "Aw come on, Tilly." He exaggerated his voice. "It's good to get the heart racing right? And race they did, I mean every single one of you just pitter pat. It felt so good to play puppet master! The-the gore and the makeup and no second takes no-no first take best take only people!"

He spoke as if he needed to verbalise every thought he was having. He looked excited, ecstatic, practically bubbling with enthusiasm as he kept speaking, rambling. "Hook line and sinker, for every little stinker!" He finally finished, he looked at them like he was expecting applause.

The nausea in Matilda's stomach had only gotten worse, she placed a hand on her chest, and began to twirl her necklace between her fingers, as if it would calm the situation.

Sam gripped the back of Ashley's chair, glaring at Josh. "Josh, why are you doing this?"

Mike scoffed, turning to briefly face Sam. "Don't even ask this squirrelly little nut," He glanced at Josh. "he's got no clue. He's out of his fuckin' tree." He ran a hand through his hair.

"He-he's not well..." Matilda muttered, looking away the moment Josh's eyes met hers.

"Yeah he's definitely off his meds." Chris added. He looked gaunt, haunted.

Josh laughed, but it wavered. "Aw c'mon guys, revenge is the best medicine!"

"You're done." Spat Mike.

"Mike, he's sick." Chris said, defensively of Josh, he glanced up at Mike.

Josh stammered. "You guys are gonna thank me, I mean- you guys are gonna be internet sensations!" He slapped his thigh, making Matilda jump.

"The cameras..." She muttered, looking over to Chris, then Ashley.

"That is right my dear Mattie," Josh clicked his fingers. "you better believe this little puppy's gonna go viral ladies and germs. I mean we got undying confessions, we got love triangles, we got sacrifices, we got- we got blood, we got damsels getting out of distress, we got scream queens-" He pointed at Matilda and her brows furrowed, feeling exposed. "Matilda, seriously, you gotta bottle that scream up and send it to the bank, baby, because wow."

The more Josh spoke the more Matilda felt sick, everything she'd gone through, the blood she spilled, the horror she faced, all for internet clicks? All for Josh's twisted own version of revenge? Of catharsis? She leaned over the side of the chair, throwing up nothing but bile.

Mike, who was still beside her chair, raised his brows, worry etched into them, he stepped behind her and began to rub her back, he even moved her hair from her face. Something he'd done once before after she'd partied too hard with Jess and himself.

"Oh come on, it's not like anyone got hurt." Josh said, finishing his monologue for good.

"She sliced her fucking wrist open because of this shit." Chris said pointedly, gesturing toward Matilda.

Mike stood up straight, his hand on Matilda's shoulder. "Nobody got hurt? What are you talking about you asshat, Jessica's fucking dead!" He gripped her shoulder as he spoke, an attempt to comfort her with the abrupt news.

"What?" Matilda and Josh spoke at the same time, each with the same amount of shock.

Mike nodded, he tightly blinked, holding back tears. "Yeah... I followed her... Ran fast as I could— she was barely hanging on when I got to her and then it fell the whole thing just— but you'd know all about that wouldn't you?" His lip twitched with anger.

Josh stepped back, holding his hands up in surrender. "Wh-what?" He repeated, he looked distraught, like Jess' fate was never apart of his plan.

"D'ya hear me? Jessica is dead." Repeated Mike, he moved towards Josh with barred teeth. "And you're gonna fucking pay you dick!" He yelled, punctuating his sentence by hitting Josh in the head with the butt of what appeared to be a gun, Josh fell to the floor, unconscious.

Relationship with Mike: Increased
Relationship with Josh: Decreased

Brave: Decreased