glorious dawn

tag, you're it

Sam walks out of the room, her hands clasped firmly around her suitcase, and sighs. Behind her, Ashley shuffles around beside Matt and Mike. Her face is still wet, and she's still whimpering quietly. Her fingers are strangling themselves in her shirt while her face twists up and--

Sam just wishes everybody was okay. Seriously, first there was that dumb prank that she was going to let them go through with, and now... now this . The only reason she knows any of what Chris and Ash had to go through is because she heard some of it firsthand, with one of her best friends sobbing on her arm for the last few hours. And-- And Sam means that Ash is a wreck -- sure she's not crying anymore, but that might even be worse. At least then she was actually talking, instead of just... just staring . And who knows how Chris is doing right now.

Actually, that's kind of why she's going down to the basement first. Ashley already seems kind of touchy about going down there, and if Chris is still panicking then this will all go to hell again in a heartbeat.

Sam sighs again, tosses Ashley a small smile, and then starts her walk to the basement while the others go pack up the rest of their things. The sun is dipping below the horizon now, the sky turning a pale gray behind the covered windows, and if they want to be in that basement before night falls then they need to go now .

By the time she's descended the stairs, she still isn't sure what to expect. By the time she's opened the door, her heart has plummeted already.

When she slowly peeks inside, the heavy door creaking behind her, she doesn't know whether she wants to cry or not. Because Chris isn't good. And, by looking at him, neither is Josh. Great.

The two of them are sitting on the floor, Josh's back to the wall and his head craned up to stare at the ceiling. His face is pale -- paler than normal -- and he's closed off. He just looks so miserable, his eyes shining while he leaning up against the hard wall, and Sam just hopes he gets some sleep before all this is done; because Josh is worried . She can tell. And Chris ...

"Hey," Sam whispers. She tries to shoot them both a smile. It doesn't work, but she tried. "Is he doing okay?"

Josh flinches at the sound of her voice, but after seeing who it is just shrugs and gives a crooked wince. Shifts slightly and pets at Chris' hair.

... Chris is curled up at Josh's front, his arms crushed to his chest and still shivering; his fingers tangle up in Josh's shirt, while his face is buried into Josh's neck. Sam can't see him very well, not from this angle, but even from here she can see his heavy breathing, the streaks of tears on one of his cheeks, the splotch of wetness on Josh's shirt where Chris' head is lying. Josh has his arms wrapped around him and one hand at the back of his head, gently petting him while they both fall apart.

Josh clears his throat. Shrugs again. "As 'okay' as he can be. He's asleep, I think."

Sam nods. "That's good. After all that running around he did, I don't blame him."

Something sits heavy in her chest, but she pushes it aside and places her heavy bags down on the floor out of the way. Then she sighs, walks over to the two of them, sighs again, and sits down at Josh's side. There's a silence, then. Something harsh and weighty sits in the air, broken only by the sound of walking around upstairs, and for a few seconds Sam just studies Josh's face, the way Chris fidgets in his sleep.

Slowly, she looks into Josh's eyes, and gives a wan smile. "What about you? Are you okay?"

Josh shrugs, his teeth pulling at his lips. "Just fine."