welcome to the game // joshler [✓]

reinventing the wheel to run myself over

when we got back upstairs, we noticed that time really had slipped away from us. it was late into the evening, around 8 or so, and jon had decided to get us something to eat.

he left me alone in his room for a few minutes, giving me time to ponder and really consider everything that jenna told me back there, and how she looked awfully terrified.

she mentioned how sarah was still involved with the cult, so i assumed brendon was too. but if that was the case, did tyler know about it? all of it didn't make a lot of sense, nor was it adding up at all in my head.

plus there was the whole monkey house thing with tyler happening tomorrow night, which seemed to be getting closer and closer by the second. time was catching up with me, and now i didn't know what to do or how to fix it.

if only ashley was here to help me right now.

my thoughts were interrupted when jon came back in the room, holding what seemed to be two sandwiches on rye bread in his right hand. from where i was sitting on the bottom bunk, slightly hunched over, he handed me one and sat down in front of me on his mini fridge.

"thanks," i smiled, taking a bite of whatever was in the creation. frankly, i didn't care, i was starving after not having any food for days on end. jon returned the gesture by smiling, and taking a bite out of his, as well.

for a few seconds we sat in silence, just eating. i finished mine fairly quickly and was already feeling parched. either out of pure coincidence or jon had just read my mind, once i was done, he opened the mini fridge he had been casually sitting on the whole time, and got a chilled water bottle out and handed it over to me.

"dude, you're like-- psychic or something." i lightly joked, he chuckled, but finished eating first before i started a conversation. as he was taking out a water bottle for himself, i spoke up, "jon, by any chance, do you know who a guy named dallon is?"

he was opening up the bottle to take a sip, when my question had put a pause on that action. he stared at the ground for a minute, before looking back up to make eye contact with me again.

"i-- uhh..." he trailed off for a few seconds before mumbling under his breath, "yeah, i know." which was followed him taking a long sip of his water.

i noticed how unsure he looked and sounded, and really wondered what it was about. was there something that i didn't know, and wasn't actually supposed to know about it?

i tried making eye contact with him again, "d-do you know is he's okay?" he stopped drinking his water, nearly finishing the whole thing, before answering with a shrug, "maybe... i don't know."

at first, my heart rate was steadily increasing my the second, "you don't know if he's okay?" i needed clarification, jon just shrugged again, still staring at the ground below us.

"is there something--?"

my question was interrupted when there was a knock on the door, jon quickly jerked his head and sprung up from where he was sitting. he got closer to the door, "who is it?"

"peter lewis kingston wentz the third, now can you open the damn door?" we heard petes voice from the other side of the door, jon was hesitant, but still opened the door nonetheless.

pete came halfway into the door frame before speaking, "jon, buddy, baby, did you take my keys?" he asked, his voice sickly sweet, but it was obviously sarcasm.

jons eyes widened, but he quickly regained his composure, "huh--? o-oh yeah, i took 'em to get ice cream from the closed off pantry." he lied, handing him the keys back after taking them out of his pocket.

pete looked pretty suspicious as he glanced over to look at me before responding back to jon, "is that right?" he asked, jon nodded, "well alright then, you two better hit the hay soon anyway, you know the rules, jon."  he then dismissed himself from the room.

as jon closed the door behind him, he leaned his body loosely against it, sighing a heavy breath of relief with his eyes pressed shut. he then opened them to look at me again, as i had the same worried expression on my face.

"that," he said with emphasis, "that was way too close." jon then stopped leaning on the door to walk over to the bed again.

"d'ya think he bought it?" i anxiously wondered, jon shrugged, "let's hope to god he did." he tried assuring the both of us.

with that, jon grabbed the pillow from the bottom bunk i was sitting on and tossed it onto the top bunk, thus switching both pillows, and i couldn't help but question it, "why're you moving your pillow?"

"well for one," he started off, "you're gettin' mighty comfy on my bed, so you can have it now,"
he chuckled, i did the same, "and two, you heard what the boss-man said, time for bed soon."

i gave him a confused look, "you take orders from him?"

jon let out another sigh and nodded, "yeah," he responded, "i kind of owe it to the guy-- it's a really long story." he went on to vaguely explain.

i wasn't sure what to tell him, nor how to feel about it. due to how they were built, it looked like jon could easily pummel pete into a pulp if he had to, so why would he take orders from him?

with these thoughts in mind, i watched as jon walked over to shut the lights off and he hopped up to the top bunk, using the metal bars of the bed frame to help him up further.

"g'night." i heard him say as he got situated in the bunk above. i said the same, and went on to try and somehow sleep in this foreign environment, and it did work.

for a while.

__________

i couldn't tell how much time has passed, but i assumed it was a while after i originally fell asleep. not sure how or what woke up to begin with, but there was a reason for it.

when i tried to fall back asleep, something in my mind kept telling me to stay awake, i had to stay awake for something. and it became clear in a few minutes time.

there were three, soft and steady taps on the door, forming some sort of pattern. this went on for a fee more seconds until it abruptly stopped, and i saw something thin get slid under the door.

withstanding a lot of procrastination and fear, i carefully got up and took the flashlight off jons decaying, wooden dresser. turning it on, i saw what was slid under the door was some sort of envelope with something written on the front,

"for jishwa"

i gulped a hard swallow, my heart now violently pulsating with anxiety and overwhelming fear. with my hands now shaky, i picked up the note with my free one and ran back to my bed, as to not disturb jon, let alone whoever was on the outside of the door.

i put the flashlight in my mouth, holding it with my teeth being it's grip, and i opened the unsealed envelope. there was a neatly vertically folded piece of paper on the inside, in which it read,

"oh well,
more fun for us
tomorrow night."

confusion flooded over me, until i felt something noticeably placed inside the folded paper. i carefully unfolded it, only to have neatly cut and i brushed strands of golden blonde hair fall into my hand.

and that's when i knew i was in trouble.