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CHRIS WAS FORCED to drag both Ashley and Florence out of the shack where Josh's corpse remained. Although Ashley was able to move on her own, Chris had to practically carry Florence out of the shack due to her sudden immobility.
Florence shut everything out. She couldn't hear any of what her shaken friends were saying to her, and she couldn't see anything other than the image of Josh's body flailing around as agonized screams left his throat. He was torn apart right in front of her, and now she couldn't even bring herself to move. Grief had become her.
━━━━━━━
Chris, Florence, and Ashley came across Matt and Emily soon after they exited that horrific murder-shack.
"What's wrong with Florence? Is she okay?" Matt motioned towards said girl, his eyes wide with shock as he looked at her. Her gaze was fixed to the ground and she wasn't moving at all, as if she were caught in some kind of daze.
Chris had slung one of her arms over his shoulders so he could help her walk with a little more ease. Her face was blank and her eyes appeared to be glazed over as though she were frozen in a daze. Her knuckles were scratched up and bloodied, as well as her right wrist.
Chris huffed, shaking his head. "Josh is dead. I-I-I killed him. I had to, there-there wasn't another way."
Ashley and Chris continued to shakily explain everything to Matt and Emily who offered to go to the radio tower, climb up, and get to the radio to call for help. Chris and Ashley agreed that'd be their best chance at getting the authorities on the mountain as quickly as possible. Taking the cable car would take far too long and time was of the essence now. Finally, Chris told them to meet him, Ashley, and Florence back at the lodge whenever they were done calling for help.
After they all made a solid plan, they split up with chaste goodbyes that they hoped wouldn't be their last.
Florence allowed Chris to drag her along through the snow and back to the lodge.
Her ears rang as random memories of her and Josh played through her mind, antagonizing her endlessly. His voice echoed in her head, almost causing her to look around for him due to its realness. She could hear him everywhere. She could practically feel his presence still lingering around her as if he wasn't truly gone — something she could only wish to be true.
Tears fell freely from her bloodshot eyes, the droplets falling unto her raw and reddened cheeks.
She wanted to go back to the shack and sit with Josh so she could tell him how sorry she was that she couldn't help him. Yet, she couldn't even bring herself to tune in to the hushed conversation she could tell Chris and Ashley were having.
