Barely Alive - Josh Washington x Reader

Chapter 29

I wrote around 5000 words, but I split it up in a few chapters so it fits with the other ones. The rest will be posted throughout the week.

You nodded at his words, but remained silent after he spoke. The longer he walked, the more recognisable the streets became. The dimly lit coffee shops you used to go to, and even the small library at the corner where you found your favorite book were right in front of you. After weeks without having a sense of a regular lifestyle, it was almost surreal to pass these streets so casually. Your normal life was right in front of you, and you could almost taste the pastries that you usually bought before school at the little bakery on the corner. Those were good times, and everything changed when Chris decided to bring you along to that cursed lodge.

"Y/n..." A hum fell from your lips in response. Your arms were loosely hanging around his neck, body completely relaxed. Josh sauntered through the now somewhat less busy streets. Some people stared, but others gave fond looks, seeing how he carried you on his back. 

"Y/n..." He repeated, and this time you lifted your chin from his shoulder and answered with a "Yes, Josh?". 

He pointed towards a house. It was rather big and could almost be called a mansion. You were a hundred percent sure Josh lived there, and that was where he was about to take you. His steps slowed down the closer you came towards his home, and you could feel his body tense as he eventually reached the steps that led to the front door.

His head tilted upwards and inspected the walls and windows with a hidden sadness in his orbs. You knew his parents would probably not be home at the moment, Chris mentioned that Josh was always on his own... well, after his sisters died. 

"Shall we go inside?" You offered, pointing a finger towards the dark wooden door in front of you. A small growl came in response, and you felt the support of his arms under your thighs disappear. You hopped off his back, and stretched a little, smiling at Josh who looked back at you. He swallowed thickly and even if he did hide the nervous movement, your eyes clearly caught the tense expression on his face. One of his hands reached out towards the doorknob and slowly twisted it.

"Josh, I'm pretty sure it's locked." Asking for a key would be a stupid question at a moment like this. You both knew none of his belongings had been brought back, and he had to live with his torn overalls until you found something to replace it with.

You now noticed how much Josh had changed in a few days. In this light you could see how his eye was returning back to normal, and even though he was still freakishly tall, you couldn't see his bones sticking out of his skin. After all these days of being locked in a dark room, no source of light and getting fed things similar to dog food, he still managed to turn back to normal. The tear in his cheek was still there, and you were sure that was never going to look like before. It was as if he had a whole other jaw, with teeth of a predator.

"Do you have a spare one lying around somewhere?" It was almost a comical sight as his eyes brightened at your words, and he crouched down to retrieve it from under the mat. He held the key in the palm of his hand, before extending it towards you. You grabbed it from him and slid it into the keyhole to twist the locked door open. 

There was silence between the both of you as the door opened. Your eyes peered inside, curious about what kind of home Josh would be living in. Josh seemed just as curious as you, as if he was afraid things had changed, or the place was trashed. But instead it was dark, a little dusty, but overall looking like an average home.

You both stepped into the house, door closing itself behind the both of you. Josh' hand found the light switch on the right side wall, and flicked it upwards the let the lights reveal the interior of his home.

You could hear a gasp coming from Josh, and you turned towards him to see him staring at his own home with tears in his eyes. It must have felt so relieving to finally return home after being taken away and treated like an animal. Now he was back and probably felt a little more humane yet again.
You grabbed his hand, making him jump at the sudden gesture. You chuckled and gently ran your thumb over his knuckled.

"Take your time, I'll be here waiting on you okay?" He nodded, walking into the living room and leaving you on your own to wait for him at the entrance. You looked at the wooden stairs on your left, which had big steps and curved satisfyingly so it reached the second floor. You sat on the third step, and rested your feet on the first. 

You could hear the sound of Josh' nails trailing lines over the marble counter in the kitchen. Small whines or growls fell from his lips whenever something personal hit him.
After waiting for a short 50 minutes, Josh returned to you and looked down at you with tears leaking from his eyes. You rose from your position on the steps and took his hand to lead him towards the living room. You claimed a corner of the couch, in front of the tv that was way too big to be considered average, but on the other hand; the Washington's weren't average.

You sat down, and pulled him into your side. At first he was slightly confused, but once you pulled him against you and started to caress the back of his head with your fingers, he relaxed and curled himself into your side. The first 10 minutes were full of tension, and even a little awkward. But it only took you 4 words to make him break down completely.

"You can cry, Josh."