Help me

Recovering Everything That Was Lost

"Hello, Josh." A calm voice comes from above and he backs into a corner.  "I am doctor Frazier. I am going to help you. Why don't you eat?"

Josh was happy to eat. He grabbed an arm and ripped off a chunk. He was about to take another bite but he felt bile rise up in his throat. He fell to the floor and threw up. 

"There we are, listen, Josh. Every time you eat flesh , this will happen. Here have some real food." A latch on the floor opened and a tub of food was pushed in. He moved away from it and took another bite of the arm.

Yet again, Josh puked. This time more violently.

"You will learn, Joshua" 

***

Eventually Josh gave in. He picked up the tub and drug it to his corner of the room. 

"Josh, inside are cooked steaks, normal food."

He took a bite and expected to throw up. When he didn't puke he finished off the first steak and then came the whole tub. 

"You are learning, Josh." Everyday he was brought a new tub. His hunger began to fade and the steaks would come in less amounts each time. This is when memories returned. After days of eating regular food his memories came back.

"Wh-where am I?" The intercom turned on but no voices came. Then it turned off. The metal door opened and a nice looking man entered. The doctor doesn't look as menacing as Dr.Hill does. 

"Hello, Joshua. Its time to start the real treatment."

Josh was moved into a room. This had a bed and house hold utilities. Not fit for a monster but for a human.

"Hello Josh, how are you doing today?"

"I" He takes a moment "I'm still confused" 

"I am here to answer your questions."

"How did I get here?"

"A group containing six professionals and one of your friends found you eating human flesh and brought you here." He could remember seeing someone he knew, someone who came for him.  One of his friends. 

"Who, who was it?"

"Chris."

Josh's heart swelled. Chris had come back for him. Josh nodded slowly. He could figure out how everything else had happened.

"Josh, have you thought about eating people recently?"

He swallowed thickly. 

"Please be honest."

"Yes" He slouched into his shoulders.

"I see" The doctor pulled a bottle out of his pocket and put his hand out. "These pills will help. When you get cravings, take one."

He took the bottle and turned it over. "O-Okay." 

"If you need anything press this button." Dr. Frazier taped a little metal button next to the door.

Josh nodded as the doctor left. This was basically prison. He was not aloud to leave the room, at least for now. He took one pill after his first craving. It was terrible. The pill tasted awful. It left him scraping his tongue clean. Yet, he followed through. He wanted to get better. He wanted to see his friends and tell them all how sorry he was. He put them through hell by just bringing them up to the mountain. All because he had stopped taking medication. Never again, was all he could think as he took another bad tasting pill just after the urge to consume human. 

After a bit the doctor let him out with the other patients. He wore a medical mask over his nose and mouth. His eyes had cleared and healed. He had slight scaring around the eyes. Each gash on his face had become a scar. 

Josh had cleaned himself though. No more blood. He had clipped his fingers. The other patients avoided him at all costs. Good thing too. Whenever he mingled he took a pill. The bad taste reminded him that human flesh was not good. Always made him nauseous and that feeling made him remember eating human flesh and puking it up.

Josh spent a lot of time in the doctors office. He was prescribed medication for his schizophrenia and psychosis. He took those daily. After a while he stopped having cravings. The doctor told him to keep the pills on him, just in case. 

"Josh, how are you doing?"

"Better, doc" He smiled.

"Good, good. You have made great progress." The doctor flipped through notes. "Do you feel like you would be alright on your own?"

"I suppose" He fidgeted.

Dr. Frazier seemed to notice this. "Hmm. Well we will release you to someone for safety. Who do you want to be released to?"

He couldn't count on his parents. They had never been the same after Beth and Hannah. He was certain they wouldn't understand or believe his condition enough to take care of him. 

He couldn't count on his friends either. Except one. Nobody else had come up to get him, to even check. Except Chris.

"Chris, I want to be released to Chris."