To Reverse a Curse

Chapter 6

(Three weeks later)
    "Chris!" I hear Ashley call from upstairs.
    I look at the basement stairs, and I put my hand of cards face down on the table I'm sitting at.
    "Were you aware she was coming?" Dr. Hill asks, looking up from his own hand of cards.
    "No," I say, standing up, "This is weird,"
    "You better go see what she wants," Josh says, hands outside the cage, holding a hand of cards.
    "As long as I can trust you guys not to look at my hand when I leave," I joke.
    "You have my word," Dr. Hill says.
    "I make no such promises, Cochise," Josh says, winking.
    I chuckle, and I head up the stairs. I find Ashley pacing in my kitchen, arms crossed muttering to herself. "Yeah, Ash?" I say, walking up to her, "What's up? You look upset,"
    She scoffs. "Like you care," she mutters.
    "Whoa," I say, raising an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"
    "Everything!" she shouts, "Everything that you're doing is wrong! It's like you care more about that...that...THING than me!"
    "He isn't a 'thing'," I say, "It's Josh. And I don't care more about him. I care about you both, in different ways. You're my girlfriend, he's my best friend,"
    "Yeah, well, he's a monster," she says, harshly, "What do you expect to do with him? Keep him as a pet?"
    "We're going to return him to normal," I say.
    "'Normal'?!" she practically screams, "He's insane! You...you're insane!"
    "He was just having a bad time on the mountain, okay?" I yell back, "And he wouldn't have been if you hadn't done that stupid prank last year!"
    "Don't you DARE throw that back in my face!" she yells, "You're just as guilty as me!"
    "No, I'm not!" I yell, "I was passed out when you guys decided to embarrass Hannah! That was just wrong! You guys were supposed to be their friends! Now look where that's gotten her!"
    "Yeah," she says, "You pay more attention to things like Josh's family, and Josh's sisters. You don't pay attention to me,"
    "Don't make this about you!" I say.
    "Why not?" She shouts, "I'm supposed to get attention from you! We're dating, for Christ's sake!"
    "Because it makes you sound shallow, like Emily!" I shout in her face.
    She glares at me, eyes filled with tears. "Then, maybe," she says, "I shouldn't expect so much from you. It's over, Chris. We're over,"
    "Fine," I huff, "Good riddance. Get out of my house,"
    She looks at me, confused, like she had wanted me to react differently, like she wanted me to get on my knees and beg for her not to dump me. "Fine," she says, and she turns around. She stomps out of my house, not even turning back, and she slams my front door shut.
    I glare at the door, tears of anger filling my eyes. I go back down into the basement. I know that Hill and Josh had heard us, because they're staring at me, their eyes wide.
    "H-hey, Cochise," Josh says to me, like he's trying to comfort me, "You good?"
    I sigh, sitting down. "No," I say, "Ashley just dumped me because I'm trying to help my best friend. She called you a monster,"
    Hill slowly nods. "Maybe this is for the greater good," he says, "she doesn't seem to be the best of people,"
    "She really is a nice person," I say, "I don't know why she lashed out like that. Maybe because of what happened with the wendigos up on the mountain,"
    "Traumatic experiences can make people do strange things," Hill agrees, "Well, let's just keep moving onward and upward, then, huh? Joshua, do you have any Jacks?"
    "Go fish," Josh says, "Chris, do you have any threes?"
    "You looked at my cards!" I say, looking at my hand.
    "I swear to you I didn't," Josh says smiling.
    "I can confirm that," Hill says, "He didn't look at your cards,"
    I chuckle and shake my head as I place one of my three threes onto the table, in front of Josh.
---
  Later that night, I'm sitting on the kitchen floor, leaning against some cabinets. I couldn't sleep.
    Images of Ash tearing out my heart with taloned hands kept plaguing my dreams.
    I cross my arms and rest them on my knees. I rest my forehead on my forearms, and I close my eyes. I start to shake with sobs. I can't stop myself. I feel so hopeless. So alone.
  "Chris?" I can hear Josh call from downstairs, "Is...is that you?"
  I look at the basement door, which is slightly open, and I stand up. "Yeah," I call down.
  "Are you crying?" he asks.
  "Yeah..." I say.
  I hear him sigh. "Come down here," he says, "please?"
  I nod, and I stand up. I walk down the basement stairs, and I approach him. I sit in front of the cage on the floor.
  He looks at me, worried, and he reaches his hands through the bars of the cage. He wipes tears from my cheeks, and then he puts his hands on my shoulders.
  I sigh, and place my hands on his elbows. I lean my head between two bars of the cage.
  He does the same, and I feel his forehead touch mine. "Everything will be okay, Chris," he mutters, "I'm here for you,"
  "Thanks, Josh," I say.
  "No problem, Cochise," he says.