Just another exploration video (Solby)

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They both knew this would come eventually. The day they should look over the footage of what happened that night.

Sam tried his damn best to avoid this, he didn't want to watch it back, no he didn't want to see it. Colby wanted to see but at the same time he was petrified.

Although he couldn't remember everything, he was scared that if he were to watch it and remember, he'd be as traumatized as Sam. He wanted to be strong for Sam, because god knew Sam needed someone to be strong for his sake.

Elton had already watched the footage before they returned, he was the only other person that had experienced the shit they've gone through, maybe not firsthand but he's seen what they went through.

A lot of what was captured was a major confusion and horror to him. Elton wasn't really one to get swayed by these things but what he saw made his blood run cold. He couldn't begin to imagine what Sam and Colby were feeling when they were there but he could tell this wasn't some kind of 'abandoned hospital joke'.

"I don't want to see it", Sam shook his head roughly and Colby sighed, looking over at Elton who watched from his position at Sam's door. "We need to see what happened Sam... If we could just-"

"I don't want to see what happened! We were there Colby! I don't want to replay what happened at that shithole!"

"You know..." Colby traced his fingers over Sam's knee. "If this footage is convincing enough, we can get this place burnt to the ground", Colby gave Sam a encouraging look.

"That's... Good... But I don't want to watch it back Colby... If you're so determined to see it, you can go watch it alone."

"I don't want to watch it without you, I need you there with me, we're in this together aren't we?" Colby muttered softly and took Sam's hand, intertwining their fingers.

Elton felt so out of place at that moment, he had watched the two grow closer and closer each day. He thought they depended on each other too much. He wasn't sure if this was just them 'falling in love' or if this was turning into an obsession because of the truth they knew together. Losing each other could destroy them heavily.

"Do you want to put the video up online?" Elton perked and the two looked at him in surprise, like they had forgot he was there in the first place.

"I-I don't know... Maybe that would make the situation seem ingenuine... We-We can take it to authorities before considering publishing it to any social media site..." Sam spoke after a moment of thoughtful silence.

"What if authorities accuse us of just being some 'kids' playing some kind of joke?" Colby mumbled, his free hand on Sam's knee with his thumb gently rubbing into the skin.

"They'll be even more sure that it's fake if we give in the footage after putting it online! Besides, how can it be fake to the police? They see the video, unedited and compare that to our time spent in the hospital? What kids would go through so much trouble to broadcast pain, trauma and fear for some 'joke'!?" Colby squeezed Sam's hand gently to tell him to calm down.

"What if your fined for breaking and entering into private property?"

"Fuck Elton! We'll pay the fucking fine! I want that fucking place burned to the ground or at least demolished!" Sam screamed at him, momentarily losing himself in his outburst of rage.

"Sam, easy", Colby said softly and Sam closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and exhaling. "I don't want to rewatch the footage... You do what you want with it but I only want us to get our justice, as long as that place stands I can't ease up", Sam pulled his hand away from Colby's and crossed his arms over his chest while turning his head away from them.

Colby could tell there was no getting through to him and he sighed as he looked back at Elton with a defeated stare.

He was going to have to see for himself.

___________

Most of it didn't make sense, going from a happy go lucky funny YouTube video to sudden turning grotesque as the night progressed. It started going to shit from the moment Sam cut his hands on the window and after the elevator incident.

Slowly things were starting to make sense in Colby's head, but the more he understood, the more frightened he became which caused him to start wondering whether maybe not knowing would've been for the better.

It reached the point where he and Sam were huddled against the wall, the camera was facing the room but you couldn't see much above knee level. Things fell apart and broke which soon seemed to disappear in a flash. It was surreal.

One moment the floor was covered in glass and broken pieces of furniture and the next, in a snap, it was gone. Just vanished.

Elton watched Colby's expression more than he watched the recording, he could see the varying emotions he reflected which confirmed any of his suspicions. Of course he had second thoughts about this video, they were very small doubts but they washed away when he watched Colby review the scenes. Those expressions were genuine.

At some point, Sam had hobbled by and vewed from a distance at the doorway, he lingered silently, noticing that neither Elton nor Colby were made aware of his presence.

He watched the scene where he was left in the car after Colby had gone back inside, the camera was facing more of the dashboard than Sam. You could only barely make out that Sam was looking for a phone and called Katrina.

Involuntarily, the side of his fist rammed into the wall as he listened to that conversation that Katrina and simply brushed aside. The betrayal burned through him even now and it repelled him entirely.

Colby flinched and looked back, Elton doing the same, now made aware that Sam was present. Elton paused the video quickly and looked back with an apologetic expresion, knowing that Sam hadn't wanted to watch back in the first place.

Sam sucked in a deep breath and hobbled over, his hands red and raw from gripping the handles of the crutches to carry his weight around. "Sam... You don't-"

"It's fine, it's not so bad from here..." Colby moved over in his seat to make space for Sam but was surprised when Sam took a seat in his lap instead, resting his head against Colby's chest.

Elton nor Colby said anything about it and continued the video, moving onto Sam's call with Elton and with him screaming at something in the window which the camera caught a slight view of but not enough to be able to decipher what it was.

Sam flinched and turned his head to face Colby, looking into his eyes before leaning closer and burying his face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his soothing aroma.

He stayed like this for the rest of the video, only using his hear to figure out what was happening, he could see it all in his mind perfectly. Those emotions of worrying over Colby, thinking that he could have lost him. It sent a unbearable burning in his chest and his body began to shake as tears surfaced in his view.

He felt Colby's arms envelope around him and he instantly felt safer, wrapping his own arms around Colby. He couldn't bear going through that again.

Losing Colby would be the end of him.

He could lose anything and everything, his mind, his reputation and his body but not Colby. He couldn't lose Colby if it was the last thing he ever did.

He would rather die.

_________