chapter thirteen – revelations.

She had to be dreaming.

Josh had been behind the torture that her, Mike, and all of their friends had endured tonight and he didn't look atleast a little bit guilty about it. Hell, he looked ecstatic to see how they were going to react.

Sage couldn't believe it.

Her first ever best friend, the one that had admitted to once having a freaking crush on her last year, had knocked her out! What the hell had she done to him?

Anger bubbled in her chest as Sam and Mike both immediately rushed to untie Chris and Ashley from the chairs as they all stared at Josh in shock. Sage could barely look at Josh as she felt her face starting to ache, a friendly reminder from Josh's earlier knockout punch, as the anger inside of her continued to build.

So, Sage did the one thing that she could think of at that very moment.

She rushed around the table, too fast for Mike to grab the shorter brunette, and immediately punched Josh causing everyone to stop themselves from spitting out their questions.

" How could you? " Sage shouted as she shook out her hand to dull the ache. She stared at Josh in fury as he only grinned at her, it being obvious that he was most likely not all there mentally. She then started hitting his chest out of anger, the tears in her eyes showing the true emotions that she felt. " Fuck you! " She repeated the words after each hit, her voice cracking after a minute from what her best friend had done finally hitting her.

Sensing the soon to be breakdown that could be happening from Sage, Mike quietly walks behind her before grabbing her by the waist and taking her back to behind the table as Josh spat out blood from Sage's earlier punch while laughing loudly.

" Josh. . " Sam, Chris, and Ashley all echo as Mike tries his best to calm down a obviously upset Sage while Josh continues laughing.

" Oh, oh, very good! Every one of you! " Josh's voice is full of glee as everyone watches him in shock. " Got my name! And after all you've been through! Good, good-good-good. I mean how does that feel? "

Sage's heart hammers in her chest as she slowly starts to calm down, Mike's arm wrapped around her helping significantly as they watch Josh quietly.

" Right? How does it feel? Do you enjoy feeling terrorized? " Josh stares straight at Sage for a moment, flashes of him trying to chase after her into the woods coming to his mind as he continues his rant, " Humiliated? I mean, panicked? All those emotions that my sisters got to feel once one year ago! Only guess what? They didn't get to laugh it off! Nope! No no no! They're gone! "

" I don't know if you noticed this, Josh, but none of us are laughing. " Mike spits out, tensing up as he thought about Jessica lost in the mines or her body being lost in the mines.

" Oh come, come-come-come-come. Why the long faces? Come on! It's good to get the heart racing every now and then, right? And race they did, I mean, every one of you, just pitter-pat, pitter-pat! I hope you appreciate my little phantasmagorical spectacle! " He starts to go on and on about he created everything, " I mean, no detail too small! No opportunity missed! It was such a delight to play puppet master to all of your Pavlovian panic! " Josh continues to beam as he rants while everyone looks at him in shock or disgust, " And all that gore? I mean, gore, there was gore galore! Fake bodies. . I mean, God that shit was expensive! And no retakes! Nope, nope, nope, only double takes! You should have seen your faces. Hook, line, and sinker for every little stinker! "

" Josh. . " Sam trails off as she tries to figure out what to say. She looks at him in shock, " Why are you doing this? "

" Don't even ask this squirrelly little runt. He's got no clue. He's out of his fucking tree. " Mike spits out making Sam nod, she was seeing no reason to question Mike's choice of words at the moment as she looks over at Sage standing with Mike's arm still wrapped around her.

" Well, he's definitely off his meds. " Chris states making Sage raise an eyebrow, she had been quiet ever since her outburst since she didn't trust herself at this moment.

" Aw, come on you guys. Revenge is the best medicine! " Josh grins, his voice still full of glee.

" You're done. " Sage spits out, her anger getting the best of her as she remembers what had happend to Jessica as Mike nods in agreement.

" Sage, he's sick– " Chris tries to explain to the brunette, but she wasn't listening.

" What? Come on, you guys are all going to thank me when you become internet sensations! " Josh continues to smile.

" Wait, what? " Chris asks as he looks at Josh in confusion, still not standing up from the chair.

" Oh you better believe that this little puppy is going viral ladies and germs. I mean we got unrequited love. " Sage rolls her eyes at the obvious shot at Chris and Ashley or herself and Mike, she had no idea. " We got. . we got blood! I don't think there's enough hard drives in China to count all the views that you're gonna get, you guys! "

Mike pulls away from Sage, his grip on the gun resting his belt loop tightening. " What are you talking about, you ass hat? Jessica is fucking dead. " He spits out as Josh's smile finally falls as the reveal.

" What? " Josh asks, his gleeful mood faltering.

" Did you hear me? " Mike questions bitterly as he moves around the table, Sage noticing that he had pulled the gun out but decided to not stop him. He needed this. " Jessica is fucking dead, and you are going to pay you fucking dick! " Mike ends up smacking Josh with the butt of the gun, knocking him out immediately.

" Good riddance. " Sage mutters with a frown.

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" Are you okay? " Mike asks her quietly, them only a few feet away from where the others stood. He grasps Sage's hand as he looks over her bruised knuckles.

" No, " Sage shakes her head making Mike frown, but he continues examining her hand. She hisses as his thumb runs over a nasty looking cut on her knuckle, " I will be though, Mikey. Just. . not now. " She smiles slightly at Mike, hoping to get him to stop frowning and succeeds in doing so.

She glances over to where Chris is tightening the bounds on Josh's hands before glancing over to where her and Mike stood looking impatient, Sage figured that he was waiting for Mike so they could escort Josh to the shed that he would be held in until dawn when the police could come.

" I gotta. . " Mike gestures towards where Chris stood over a knocked out Josh aimlessly as he drops Sage's hand before she nods knowingly. He quickly kisses her temple, making her smile once again, before walking over to Chris and tugging Josh up with Chris's help.

Sage watches quietly as she then moves to stand next to Sam and Ashley while she thinks about everything that just happend and where Matt and Emily could be.

Hopefully they were okay.

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authors note.

sorry for the wait! hopefully this makes up for it. you guys got mage content and mike slowly starting to not be so confusing lololol.

also if you guys are fans of shameless or telltale's the walking dead, i published fics for both of them!