Who We Were | Book One

29. One of Them

I could see the barrel of the gun out the corner of my eye. The thing that surprised me wasn't that the boy holding the trigger was smiling, it was that Josh seemed visibly unfazed.

"Jack, what are you doing?" He asked. 

I stood frozen on the spot. I could feel my stomach in my throat and my lungs felt as if they'd been emptied.

"Dealing with the problem," he spat.

"Problem?" I scoffed. "The only problem is what Liz is doing behind everyone's backs."

"Em, what are you talking about?" Josh scowled.

"You have no idea what Liz is doing, Josh!" I shook my head as the tears began to sting at my eyes. "What? You really think I survived a night in these woods." His brows furrowed but I cut him off before I could speak. "It was Liz. She strangled me then locked me in a fucking cage because of that note. They're gathering Infected-"

"That's enough!" Jack growled, pressing the gun closer against my temple.

Josh shook his head in disbelief. "You're lying... She wouldn't do that. She'd have no reason to."

"I've got a gun to my head, you really think I'd lie?" Creases lined his forehead as his eyes flickered between me and the gun. "You want me to prove it?" I pressed. "You were talking to Apollo the evening I was gone after you'd spoken to Liz. She said she had a map or something and invited you back to her van... You said yes." 

His eyes widened, confirming what I had been afraid of.

"Lo must've told you," he tried to reason.

"Josh, are you serious?" I breathed. "I was on the other side of the fence." 

"That's enough!" Jack yelled, kicking at the inside of my knee and sending me to the ground.

"Jo's dead!" I shouted, ignoring Jack's warnings. I noticed a flicker of recognition on Josh's face. "I know you said you don't know her, but I also know there's a lot you're not telling me."

"You're on some very thin ice here," Jack warned, gripping the gun tighter.

I turned to Jack where nothing but cool hatred flushed my body. "And you're speaking a lot about Liz wanting to kill me. I'm starting to doubt your commitment to her."

"I've got a very simple issue here," Jack exhaled. "You're still alive." He craned his neck to Josh. "You can't believe anything she's saying is true, right?"

His gaze was unwavering from mine as he spoke, shattering my heart further. "Not a word," he breathed. 

The air fell from my lungs and all the muscles in my body seemed to weaken. His words sat like a bad taste on my tongue and my numb body could not feel anything besides his betrayal.

"Josh..." I whispered. "Please..." I shook my head as a lump grew in my throat. I felt only hollow as my breathing became ragged. "Jack, I can just leave," my voice shook. "Nobody would know."

"You'd only come back and try something reckless." His eyes hardened and I looked to the ground, preparing for what was to come.

"I think she should see something first," Josh interrupted. Jack smirked and his lips pulled back further into a grin as the gun lowered from my temple.

"What do I need to see?" I scowled at both of them.

Josh dropped his head, giving a subtle nod in Jack's direction. "You're about to find out," Jack spat as he pulled the gun back and swung it against my head. My vision blurred and everything swirled before I saw nothing at all. My mind floated through an empty void of static until the whole world was silent.