Barely Alive - Josh Washington x Reader

Chapter 32

"J-Josh..."

You couldn't describe the silence anything other than scary. The way Josh stared down at his friend was forcing you to break out in a cold sweat, and before the taller male could actually do anything, you had stepped in between the two of them.

"Chris... Josh isn't what he used to be. He's different. He changed unlike you." Your words were everything but dishonest. While Josh had managed to improve drastically, Chris still kept his usual cowardly stand.

"Have you seen him, Y/n? Why are you talking bad about me?" He defended himself, as if he was the victim. You immediately motioned towards Josh, who raised an eyebrow behind your pointing finger. A scoff fell from your lips in response to Chris' words, and you couldn't believe he actually thought about Josh as a monster. If anyone was acting like a monster, it was Chris and the rest of Josh' so called friends.

"He was just trying to get away from captivity. Now that I treat him like an actual human being, he's improved a lot more than back at the hospital, where they treated him as if he was some kind of dangerous animal."

Chris' eyes widened, and now it was his turn to snap at you. No matter how much he loved his sister, he could not believe that she was actually taking the side of this creature, instead of trusting his brother. You really were special in a way, but which kind he couldn't tell.

"Look at him! His claws, his teeth. He's a predator, and when he smells blood, he'll rip you to pieces." His eyes seemed to grow even darker than before, and the hatred he felt towards his ex- best friend only seemed to increase the more you defended him. A frustrated groan fell from his lips, and he couldn't keep to himself anymore. With rough hands he grabbed your wrists, and you scoffed as he forced you to look up at him.

"You're coming with me. You're not safe here, and you'll thank me once you get out of here alive." He eyed Josh for a seconds, wondering if he had understood what he had told you. It wasn't only that he wanted you to stay away from Josh, something else was happening, and Chris needed you to stay clear from the battlefield that was nearing Josh. 

"I'm not going. Let. Me. Go." You responded through clenched teeth, trying to pry your wrists from his firm grip. The grip on your arms wouldn't falter, and Chris seemed very determinded to take you with him. He had completely forgotten about Josh' presence in favor of taking you towards safety. But he was quickly reminded of him when Josh harshly grabbed his collar and lifted him from the ground with ease. Josh by no means wanted to hurt his friend, but if he was going to take you away, he'd destroy him if he must.

Chris' let go of you, both hands now on Josh' claw as he was forced to face him. His once best friend, looked at him, hesitancy glistening in his diverse eyes, before loudly screeching into his face. Chris turned silent at this, limbs shaking at the intensity of Josh' vocal cords. Chris could barely breath, and he struggled in Josh' grip. His dangling feet tried to kick him, but it was no use.

"Leave." Was the only thing Josh managed to tell the guy, before dropping him back onto the ground, watching as he scurried away from him. He really was a coward. 

"Aren't you ashamed?! Don't you feel bad for leaving your friend like this?! This is all your fault, Josh is sick! He didn't know any better back there!" You yelled at Chris, tears welling up into your eyes and blurring your vision. You needed Chris to change his mind, togive up his act and help you take care of him, because even though you cared about him, you were exhausted from constantly staying by his side.

Chris shook his head, rose from his position on the ground and turned to you. He was still hiding something, you could see it. From his posture to the look in his eyes, he wanted to spill a secret, but he didn't until he had reached the front door, and turned back to give you and Josh one last look.

"They're coming for you. I wasn't the only one who though about visiting his house."

Then it hit you. Chris was a decoy, he was trying to keep Josh in here until they arrived. Who was going to come was uncertain, but you were a hundred percent sure Josh couldn't take them all. So when Chris left, you turned to Josh.

"We need to leave. Right. Now."