Salvation [Until Dawn]

❄️ Chapter 9 ❄️

"You did this to yourself, Joshua," Gwendolyn said, meeting his green eyes. "You should've talked this out to me, but you didn't. I came to look for you, but you didn't talk to me, Joshua. Why did you do this? You're not like this... you're better than this. I know you didn't murder Jessica but all this...? You are better than the rest of them, this isn't you,"

Joshua stared at her, and Gwendolyn could see the cloudiness in his eyes clearing up but Michael took the opportunity of his sudden calmness to drag him over to the stool sitting next to a pole, and shoved him to sit on it. And that seemed to take Joshua back to his incomprehensive chattering.

"Okay... Tying me up now... okay..." Joshua muttered, moving around. "Right, right, right, right... still... can't tie 'em up if they just wiggle around –" He wiggled around strangely.

"Josh," Christopher interjected, trying to help Michael with tying him up. "Dude –"

"Leave me a little wiggle room, huh?" Joshua said.

"What does it take to shut you up?" Michael demanded.

"My snowdrop – Ow!" Joshua exclaimed as Christopher tightened his binds to the pole. "Not so tight, okay? Not so tight, okay! I can't wiggle around. Plastic ties. That's where it's at. Yeah,"

"What... in god's name is he talking about?" Michael asked, now a bit freaked out.

"Plastic ties, plastic ties," Joshua went on. "Way more effective for hostage type scenario,"

"This is hard to watch..." Christopher said as he finished tying up Joshua and walked over to where Gwendolyn and Michael were standing, their expressions twisted.

"He ever say this kind of shit before?" Michael inquired.

"Guaranteed for at least three hostages, or your money back!" Joshua continued in a strange voice, as he was a circus master trying to appease his audience.

"No, I never seen him like this..." Christopher trailed off.

"He's not been taking his medication," Gwendolyn spoke up finally. "Stopping your medicines, especially the kind he had been taking... it's not good for you," She walked over to Joshua.

"Be care, Gwen," Michael said as the pale-blond female got on her knees in front of Joshua so she was closer to his face. Joshua looked down at her.

"Wen..." Joshua whispered when he noticed the younger girl in front of him. "Gwen... Wendy... Wennie... Gwennie... Gwendolyn... My snowdrop..."

"Joshua," Gwendolyn said in a kind but firm voice as she pulled something out of her pocket. "I've got your medicines, okay? You're going to take them, right? For me... for your snowdrop?"

Joshua only nodded in a trance as Gwendolyn quickly got out the pills onto the palm of her hand and reached up to them into his mouth. No matter how bitter they were, Joshua gladly swallowed them.

"There you are..." Gwendolyn breathed. "Here, I've got water for you, too," She got up, unscrewing the bottle and holding it against his lips. "Come on, drink... yes... that's it... good job..."

"So, that's what takes him to shut up and calm down?" Michael asked wearily.

"It'll take some time for his medicines to really kick in," Gwendolyn said. "I haven't given him a dosage that might shock him. Stay with him, one of you – don't leave him alone here. Or take him to the lodge with yourself,"

"Fine, I'll stay here with him until morning," Michael replied. "But where are you going, Gwen?"

"I'm going to go look for Emily and Matt, and radio through the fire tower," Gwendolyn said. "No – I'll go on my own, I know this place better than any of you, trust me, I've got the map in my head,"