Sleep Paralysis - Josh Franchesci, You Me At Six AU (COMPLETED)

1.1

R O S E ' S  P O V

'Now what are we gonna do with you?' Josh chuckled, cracking his neck. His hands oozed with Max's blood, dripping and shining in the light. He raised his left arm, reaching towards me. My body flew towards Josh, falling into his embrace. He pinned me against the wall, his hand around my throat. I felt myself squirm at the feeling of Max's blood and my skin, tears brought to my eyes. 'It's obvious you're not going to abide to my wishes, so I think I need to remind you who you belong to,' he snarled, throwing me over his shoulder. I screeched, kicking and hitting him repeatedly. He only chuckled darkly, throwing me onto my bed.

"LET ME GO!" I cried, fat, hot tears treating down my face as Josh tied my wrists to my bed with t-shirts. I sniffled, furrowing my eyebrows. "This is a waste of time, you could just put me under paralysis." I hiccuped as he climbed on top of me. He flicked open his switchblade, ripping off my shoes and pulling my jeans off.

'It's more entertaining to hear your screams and watch you struggle pathetically,' he cackled, tying my ankles before pressing the cold blade against my thigh. I shrieked as the blade cut my skin, the vibrant red against my pale skin acting like a beam of light. I dug my nails into the palms of my hands as he carved up my thigh, the sound of my blood hitting the sheets and Josh's rapid breathing making me feel sick. I bit back my screams and cries as much as I could, not wanting to give him his satisfaction, but the feeling of him slitting my skin made me cry out in disgust and pain.

'It's okay, baby. All done,' he teasingly cooed, resting his hand on my thigh to close for comfort. He reached over, untying one of my wrists. 'Surely this will be a pretty fucking clear message, right?' he snarled, grabbing my head and forcing me to look at my brutalised thigh. Despite the thick blood covering my thigh, I could see what the slits said: 'Josh'. Although they weren't extremely large, I could tell they would scar if not treated properly. My body shook, tears falling out of my eyes.

'Beautiful, isn't it?' he smirked, admiring the sadistic vandalism. His fingers became bloody as he traced the slits, some sort of psychotic, fascination in his eyes. 'Now no man will touch you, Rose - not even Dan. It may be the twenty first century, baby, but the respect for other men's property will never die out,' he mused, crawling back on top of me. I attempted to push him off me, but he pinned down my free hand. He kissed me aggressively, grabbing my breast as he pressed his body against mine. I squirmed underneath his body, feeling extremely violated and uncomfortable. His hand moved down to my bum, squeezing tightly and moaning into my mouth. I felt a bulge against my crotch, making me freak out and bite down onto his lip.

'Fuck!' he yelled in pain, releasing my wrist. I pushed him off me, untying my other wrist and ankles. 'Rose, you are in so much trouble,' he growled, standing up. I leaped off my bed, bolting into the bathroom. I locked the door, falling to the floor as I clutched my bleeding thigh. My body trembled as he banged against the door, a chill running down my spine.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I screamed, sobbing loudly. The banging stopped abruptly, giving the door one last shake. I pulled myself up, opening my medical cabinet and grabbing gauze, anaesthetic. I wet a towel, wiping away the blood to reveal his name. I bit back a sob as I poured the anaesthetic over the wound, not crying because of the pain, but crying because his name was on my skin. I was marked. I wrapped up my thigh before limping into the tub. I lied down, closing my eyes.

---

My eyes fluttered open, my thigh throbbing and throat raw. I lifted myself out of the tub, my body aching. I limped over to the sink, washing off all the dried blood and makeup off my neck and face. I stripped down and had a shower, cleaning all my cuts as I cried once more. Why? Why do I have to be his item of possession? What did I do in life to deserve a fate like this? I dried myself, sterilising my cuts and applying fresh bandages before making my way to my bedroom. I dropped my towel, pulling on my underwear.

"Ah, fuck - sorry, Rose," I heard Dan exclaim, making me jump and quickly cover myself up. I turned towards the doorway, seeing Dan standing there facing the hallway.

"What the hell? What are you doing here?" I questioned, quickly pulling a t-shirt and pair of tights on.

"Uh, I-I texted you all morning, asking if you wanted to get breakfast but you didn't reply. I got worried after a while so I came over," he explained. I shook my head, laughing softly.

"You can turn around. What time is it? I was really exhausted when I got home, so I pretty much was out instantly," I lied, giggling at the red faced boy in front of me.

"It's eleven forty-seven," he told me. Already? I walked to the front door, grabbing my phone out of my purse. It was dead.

"Are you okay? You look really... shaken," Dan asked as he entered the room, concern in his eyes as he studied me. I chuckled, rubbing my arms.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be fine? We had a good night, and I was exhausted-" He cut me off by holding my face in his hands, gazing into my eyes with sadness.

"Rose, you're not okay - you're crying," he whispered, wiping away my tears. I sobbed into his arms, clutching onto his t-shirt. He wrapped his arms around me as he kissed my temple repeatedly, mumbling words of comfort to me. He picked me up bridal style, carrying me over to the bedroom. We laid in bed together as he plaited my hair and let me calm down.

"I-I had a r-really bad episode l-last night. H-he carved my s-skin, a-and it f-felt so real! I could feel the b-blood, the b-blade!" I exclaimed, looking into his eyes in desperation and fear. He leant down, kissing me softly as he held my face softly.

"I won't ever let you be hurt, okay? Never," he promised, caressing my cheek. He kissed me a few more times before cuddling with me for a while.

I hope Kelly's hypothesis is right.

I pray to God it is...