Post Dawn

30. Confrontation

Later in the evening, Emily had taken Josh into his bedroom and let him sleep in there. He had tried to tell her that he could sleep on the couch but she gave him a look that made him agree to sleep in the bed but just for tonight.

Chris had gone to bed in Emily's room along with Ashley a little bit after Josh had and that left Emily sitting on the couch.

She had laid down on the couch and fallen asleep soon after everyone else had gone to bed but then was later woken up the same night.

She heard something from the kitchen and shot straight up. Her eyes were wide as they adjusted in the dark trying to see what was going on.

She looked into the kitchen to see someone there. She wasn't quite sure who it was considering all she could see was the left outline of a person's body.

"Ashley?" Emily called out. She wasn't sure if it was her but she assumed it was considering the figure in front of her was skinnier then Josh or Chris.

"Shit." Ashley whispered this to herself in hopes that Emily would forget ever hearing anything and just go back to sleep. After a few seconds of neither of them moving Ashley realized that this was gonna last all night if she didn't say something back.

"Yeah, sorry I woke you up." Ashley finally responded.

Emily rolled her eyes in the darkness at Ashley, knowing she couldn't see her. She hadn't really tried thinking of what happened to her on the mountain. She tried to conceal everything from the doctors. Including a scrape that started at her shoulder and down to her chest.

She hadn't tried to acknowledge that everyone on that mountain was decidedly against her. Even if it was for a few minutes. Sam was the only one she could exclude from that statement. But even she was willing to stand by if Mike shot her.

And Mike, Emily knew Mike had a lot of shit he had gone through but shooting her? In cold blood in front of all of his friends? She didn't think he had it in him. But in that moment, when she had looked into his eyes she saw a man who had gone through more then what any of them had. Seen more than they had.

And in that moment, she feared for her life. Mike was the puppet master and Emily could only lay there and pray that he would reconsider. Ashley had been a playing part in the scenario. She had egged Mike on from the very beginning, her being the one that pointed it out.

She wanted her gone. She wanted her shot. Emily felt a twinge of guilt for slapping her and then pushing her off to the side when they were all running from the Wendigos. But in that moment, she thought she should do exactly what Ashley had done for her.

Throw her life away even if it was for a few seconds. She regretted it the moment she had done it. But she wouldn't tell anyone. She assumed they knew her reasons.

Now she felt a wave of anger run over her. She tried to ignore it. To forget everything that happened. But she couldn't. It was the one thing she couldn't block out. Even if she had blocked it out for a second, she was always angry at Ashley. She couldn't change that.

"Just, go back to sleep." Emily said coldly. She laid back down on the couch, her back facing the back of the couch as she shut her eyes tightly to try and block out anything Ashley had said.

It didn't work. "Emily, can we- can we talk?" Ashley asked.

Emily didn't say a word. She didn't move. She didn't want to. And she didn't want to talk to Ashley, especially if it was what she thought it was.

Ashley didn't seem to wait for a response and then continued what she wanted to say.

"I know you're still angry at me. And I don't blame you. I would be doing exactly what you are if the situation was reversed. But I was scared. I didn't know what was happening and I just spoke without really thinking. And I thought at the time that you being out of the lodge was the best thing to do."