When I wake up, everything is sore, but I'm not in pain really. It just feels like my body is covered in bruises. I look at my arms, and see that they're covered in bandages. My torso is also covered in bandaging. I'm not wearing a shirt, and I'm lying on my bed.
The curtains are closed, but the door is slightly opened, a small amount of light filtering into the room.
I look around, and see Chris sitting in a chair near my bed, asleep.
He's snoring quietly, and his glasses are slightly askew on his face.
I shift slightly, but stop. It feels like my joints are made out of rusted metal. Everything refuses to move without hurting. I groan in pain slightly.
Chris stirs. He sits up, rubbing his eyes, and adjusts his glasses. He yawns and looks at me. He smiles. "Josh..." he says, quietly, "...you're awake..."
I chuckle softly, but it turns into a short coughing fit.
He suddenly looks worried. He grabs me a glass of water, helps me sit up slightly, and drink it.
I smile at him as he sits back down. "How long was I out?" I mutter, my voice hoarse.
"Three days..." he says, "...I wasn't sure if you were going to make it..." tears rim his eyes, but he wipes them away, "Never mind that, though...you're okay..."
I nod. "Where's Mama Ostell?" I ask.
"I think she may be in her garden..." he says, "...do you want me to get her?"
"No..." I say, "...could...could you help me stand up?"
He looks mildly confused, and tries to hold me down as I sit up. "D-don't..." he mutters, "...you're still healing..."
"I'm fine..." I say through clenched teeth. It hurts to even move slightly, but I feel so useless when I'm in bed.
Chris sighs, and reluctantly helps me stand up.
This was probably a really bad idea. Every step I take feels like I'm stepping on Legos. I hiss in pain as I hold onto Chris' arm and shoulder as he has one arm around my waist, helping me stand. I'm taking slow, shaky steps toward the door of the room.
"Where are you going?" Chris asks.
"I...I just want to go outside..." I pant.
He nods, and slowly helps me through the house to the back porch. He sits me on a chair.
I see Mama Ostell in her garden, and she looks up.
She walks over to us. "Good morning, Joshua..." she says, smiling slightly, "...how do you feel?"
"Like shit..." I say, chuckling, "...but...I'm alive, so that's a plus,"
Mama Ostell laughs slightly. "Is there anything I can get you?" she asks, "Water? Something to eat?"
I sigh. "Actually?" I say, "I'd really like some lemonade..."
She smiles and nods. She walks into the house. "Christopher, could you come and help me?" she calls from inside.
Chris looks from the door to me and back. He smiles at me for a second, then enters the house.
I lean back in the chair and sigh, closing my eyes. I take a deep, slow breath.
Then, I hear a quiet whispering beside me.
I open my eyes to see a group of children gathered around me.
Finn smiles at me. "Josh!" he says, "You're alive!"
"You doubted me?" I chuckle slightly.
He smiles at me, and he goes to hug me, but pauses. He places a hand on my arm instead, smiling. He rubs my arms slightly with his thumb.
"Thank you, Askuwheteau..." one of the little girls in the group says.
"Thank you, sir," the little boy says.
Another little girl, maybe five years old, who has the thumb of one hand in her mouth, steps up to me, and places a paper on my lap.
I picked it up, and I see that it's a drawing of me playing with the other kids, all of us smiling. I smile at her. "Thank you..." I say.
She smiles back.
"Ok..." Finn says, ushering the kids into the house, "...he's hurt. He needs rest. We've bothered him enough,"
I chuckle.
Some of the kids wave to me as they leave.
I wave back. I turn back to looking out over the backyard, and Mama Ostell walks up to me with a glass of lemonade.
"The children adore you..." she says, "...and their parents hope that you're well."
I smile. "I'm glad everyone cares so much..." I say.
"Your other friends left..." she says, "...but Christopher opted to stay until his break from school was over. He wanted to see that you're okay..."
I smile.
"He's a good match for you..." she says, sitting in a chair next to me, "...have you known each other long?"
"All our lives..." I say, "...well...since third grade, at least..."
She chuckles.
I take a sip of lemonade. I smile at the sweet, tangy taste.
"So..." Mama Ostell says, "...the...the creature you killed? That...that was your sister?"
"No..." I say, "...my sister died a long time ago...that was only what was left of the twisted physical form of Hannah Washington...nothing more..."
Mama Ostell sighs. "Alright..." she says.
I sigh.
Chris walks out onto the porch. He smiles at me.
I smile back at him. "How are you doing, Cochise?" I ask.
"I'm alright..." he muttered, "...how about you?"
Mama Ostell stands up. "Here..." she says, gesturing to the chair, "...sit down, Christopher. I need to continue in the garden, anyway..."
Chris smiles and sits down in the chair, then pulls it closer to me.
I put my hand out, and he grabs it. "I'm alright, Chris..." I say, "...I'm just in a little bit of pain..." which was an understatement. I just don't want him to worry.
Chris sighs, holding my hand tightly. "We're all worried about you..." he says, "...the gang. Well...except Ash. Sam was panicked when I told them that you ran off on your own. Ashley...she actually wanted to call Animal Control..." he sighs, "...I don't know what her problem is...Emily and Matt were freaked out that you were even still alive. Jess was still in the hospital, so...I didn't get to tell her. I think Mike might have..."
I nod, rubbing the back of his hand with my thumb. "How is she?" I ask.
"Recovering..." he says, "...so...better,"
I nod again. I can't help but feel that this was my fault. I sigh.
Chris looks over at me. "You good?" he mutters.
"It's my fault..." I mumble, "...Jess being hurt...everything that happened up there..."
Chris sighs. "It's not your fault...you had nothing to do with the wendigos..."
I sigh. "It's my fault that they're dead..." I mutter.
Chris sighs and squeezes my hand slightly. "Dude...we talked about this before..." he says, "it's not your fault. Do you know whose fault it is? Ashley's. Jess'. Mike's. Emily's. Matt's. They were the ones who were part of the prank. We were passed out on the counter, remember? And Sam was against the prank..."
I nod. I sigh, a tear escaping my eye. I wipe it with my free hand. "I'm sorry, dude..." I mutter, "...I'm just...god, I'm not having a good day..."
Chris sighs. "It's okay, dude..."
I smile slightly, looking at him. "I'm glad you're here, though..." I say.
Chris smiles back.
---
(A few days later)
I open my eyes, breathing heavily. My eyes frantically look around my room, pitch black. I'm sweating. I try to steady my breathing. I sit up, and rub my forehead. My eyes adjust to the darkness of the room, and I stand up. I walk to the door of my room, and I walk out to the back porch.
The night air is cool, helping me to calm down.
I hate when sometimes you wake up to the stifling heat, almost like you are unable to breath.
A slight, quiet, snoring catches my attention, making me turn back to the house.
Chris is asleep on the couch.
I smile and walk over to him. I kneel next to the couch, and gently shake him.
He opens his eyes, and then turns his head to me. "Josh?" he asks, "What's up?"
"I had a nightmare..." I mutter. I hate how it makes me sound like a little kid.
He chuckles slightly. "Need someone to cuddle with?" he asks.
I nod.
He smiles wider, and sits up.
I sit next to him on the couch, and I hug him around his waist, burying my face in his shoulder.
He hugs me back, rubbing my back slightly. "Hey...guess what tomorrow is?" he says.
"Uh...no clue," I say.
"It's the day your parents see you again..." he says.
I pause. I had forgotten that I was going home tomorrow. "Oh..." I say, "...right..."
"You forgot, didn't you?" he asks.
I sigh. "Yeah..." I mutter, "...and now I'm extremely nervous..."
"Don't be," Chris says, "I'll be there with you,"
I smile. "Thank you..." I mutter.
He sighs, and lays down on the couch, pulling me on top of him.
I smile, holding him tighter. "I love you, Chris,"
He pauses.
I then realized that I had never said that out loud to him before. I feel myself starting to blush slightly.
"I...I love you too...Josh," he says.
I smile wider.
He runs his hands through my hair slightly.
I close my eyes, allowing myself to fall asleep, enjoying the comforting, safe feeling of being so close to him.
---
(The Next Day)
I get out of the taxi and stand on the sidewalk, looking at the front of my parents' house. My hand drifts up to the bear claw necklace that Finn gave me as a goodbye present. I sigh.
Chris stands next to me, and grabs my hand. "Ready?" he asks, quietly.
I try to take a step back. "I...I don't think I can do this..." I mutter.
He squeezes my hand slightly tighter. "It's alright..." he says, "you'll be fine..."
I take a deep breath, and I nod. I walk forward, letting go of Chris' hand, and I mount the steps of the front porch. I stand in front of the front door. My finger hovers over the doorbell for a second, my hand shaking slightly. I take another deep breath, and I ring the bell. I wait.
After a little bit, the door opens, and my mom looks out of the door. She looked bored at first, but then she looked shocked. "J-Joshua...?" she mutters. I see tears forming in her eyes.
I smile at her. "Yeah..." I say, tears filling my own eyes, "...I'm home, mom,"
She opens the screen door separating her and me and nearly tackles me off of the porch in a hug. "Oh, my God!" she cries into my shoulder, "They told us you were dead!"
"Well...I'm not," I say, chuckling, hugging her back, "So...you can stop worrying now..."
She laughs slightly. She pulls back from me, and holds my shoulders, examining me. "Is your hair longer?" he asks, tousling it, "And...is that a bear-claw?" She touches my necklace.
I chuckle slightly. "Yep," I say, "A friend of mine gave it to me,"
She smiles, and glances behind me. "It's good to see you, Christopher," she says.
"It's good to see you, too, Mrs. Washington..." Chris mutters.
"Come in!" she says, pulling me toward the door, "Your father is in the study. He'll be excited to see you,"
I scoff slightly. "Really?" I say, quietly.
"Josh, don't be like that..." she says, closing the door behind us once we're in the front hall, "...he's been worried about you,"
I roll my eyes. "Ok..." I mutter.
She shakes her head and leads me to the study. She enters before me, and I stay in the hall. "Bob..." she says, "...could you take a break from work for a second? I've got a surprise..."
My father sighs. "What is it, Melinda?" he asks.
She turns to me.
I walk into the room, and I smile at my dad.
He looks like he hasn't slept in ages. He stands up, awestruck. "Josh?" he mutters, a smile slowly creeping onto his face.
"Hi, Dad..." I say, waving slightly.
He walks around his desk and pulls me into a tight hug. "Where the fuck have you been?" he asks, not angry, but relieved.
I hugged him back. "Getting help..." I say.
He lets go of me, and places a hand on my shoulder. "Help?" he asks, "With what?"
I glance from him to my mom. "That...that's going to take a bit of explanation..." I say, "...and...we'd better go to the living room for that..."
My mom looks worried. "Why?" she asks, "Why do we need to go to the living room?"
"Because you're going to need to sit down..." I say, backing up slightly.
My dad sighs and nods. "Alright..." he says, and he and my mom follow me to the living room.
---
"So..." my father says, taking off his glasses and rubbing his face, "...you're telling me...that the mountain is..."
"Was..." I say.
"...Was infested with things called wendigos," he says, "and...Hannah was one of them, and...you still are one? How do I know you're not bullshitting me?"
I sigh. "Here...come out to the back yard with me..." I say, taking off my shoes.
Chris grabs my arm. "You really think you can do some...wendigo stuff?" he asks, quietly, "Mama Ostell said you still needed to recover for at least a week..."
"I'll be fine, babe..." I mutter, making him blush suddenly, "...I'm just going to show off a little to show my dad what I mean,"
He nods, still blushing.
I take off my coat and walk out to the back porch.
Chris, my mom, and my dad follow me.
I plan my path, examining the backyard. Then, quick as a flash, I dash out into the yard, running normally at first, then running on all fours. I jump onto the roof of a gazebo, from there onto the fence, and perch there. From there, I leap into a tree, and then I jump from there onto the ground in front of the porch, landing in a crouched position. I slowly stand up, breathing heavily.
My father is staring at me, amazed. "Ok..." he says, "...that was very...inhuman. I...I believe you..."
I nod.
My mom looks mildly horrified.
Chris looks like he's having some form of flashback, and I don't blame him.
I grab Chris' hand. "You good, Cochise?" I ask.
He looks at me, blinks, and smiles. "Yeah..." he says, "...I'm fine,"
"Wait..." my mom says, looking from me to Chris and back again, "are you two...a couple?"
I chuckle. "Sherlock has done it again," I say.
She chuckles slightly. "Elementary, my dear Watson," she says, smiling.
"Mothers always know," My father laughs.
"But...really?" she asks, smiling, "Well...I always knew it was going to happen...eventually,"
I laugh slightly. "Well..." I say, "you were right..."
She nods, and her smile drops slightly. "Wait..." she says, "does that mean...you're not staying?"
I shake my head slightly. "I'm gonna grab some of my stuff," I say, "and then I'm going to properly move in with him," I look at Chris.
He's blushing again.
My dad chuckles and pats my shoulder. "Well..." he says, "...at least you're happy. That's all I can ask for..."
I smile.
---
(Later that afternoon)
I'm sitting on the steps of Chris' back porch with him, Mike, Sam, Jess, Matt, and Emily.
A radio is quietly playing in the background, and we're all talking about random things.
Chris is leaning on me, and my arm is around his shoulders. He has his forehead resting in the crook of my neck.
"What do you think, Josh?" Mike asks me.
"What do I think about what?" I ask.
"I think we should do this more often," he says, "Just us, shooting the breeze, drinking beers..."
"Yeah," I say, smiling, "That sounds great..."
Then, I hear someone enter the house, and exit the back door.
Everyone, myself included, turns to see Ashley standing at the back door. The group is quiet. The tension is palpable, but I decide to break it.
I stand up, making Chris scoot away slightly, and I smile at Ashley. "Hey, Ash!" I say, kindly, "How are you?"
Ashley stares at me, and she starts to cry.
I put my beer down and walk up to her. I pull her into a hug.
"I'm sorry..." she sobs, "...I'm so, so, so, so sorry...I've been such a bitch recently...I...I didn't mean what I said...you're not a monster...you're not insane...I'm so sorry..."
I rub her back. "Shhh..." I say, "it's ok...I forgive you...you were just under a lot of emotional stress,"
She continues to sob, until she stops. "I...I'm happy for you..." she backs up, wiping her eyes, "...for you and Chris...you...you belong together..." She looks at the rest of the group. "Room for one more on the steps?"
I smile at her. I grab a beer from a cooler. I offer it to her. "Of course," I say, "The Party Gang wouldn't be complete without you,"
She chuckles and takes the beer. She sits down on the steps between Jess and Sam.
Sam wraps her arm around Ashley's shoulders and chuckles.
Ashley chuckles as well.
Chris pats her shoulder. "I'm glad you calmed down, Ash..." he says, "...I missed you,"
I sit down next to Chris again. "This is great..." I say, smiling wide, wrapping my arm around Chris' waist, "...all of my friends, all in one place, having a good time. That's all I ever wanted...and it seems shitty that we had to go through hell just to get there," I laugh slightly.
Mike and Chris laugh as well.
Ashley looks at me, and smiles sadly.
"You guys are awesome..." I say, "...and...I forgive you..."
Everyone looks at me.
"You were just being stupid teenagers..." I say, "...none of you could have guessed that they would have ran into woods...or that there were wendigos...it's not your fault,"
The tense feeling in the air dissipates, and I can feel everyone relax.
I sigh. I look off into the woods in the distance. Everything feels peaceful.
The world finally feels like it hasn't gone insane. It feels like it used to.
'Hannah and Beth would be proud of me...'I think to myself.
The End
YOU ARE READING
To Reverse a Curse
Fanfiction"When a human is desperate and craves food, trapped on the mountain in the fierce winter storms, when he has eaten nothing for many days, the Wendigo spirit will begin to possess him. Even the strongest man is weak to it. He will kill without remors...
