Start the song. It's Sinking Man by Of Monsters and Men.
***Trigger warning for the aftermath of what happened between the last chapter and this one. Be safe.***

Tyler was clearing all of his white clothes out of the closet when Josh and Ashley came in. He looked over his shoulder in surprise when he heard Ashley sobbing. She was wearing Josh's shirt, and he was holding her. Judging by the tear tracks on both of their faces and the numb expression on Josh's, he'd assume that was because she couldn't walk on her own.

"Josh?" Tyler asked tentatively as he turned to face them fully, slowly approaching them. "What happened?"

"Take her," Josh whispered, his voice trembling as he held the sobbing girl out to Tyler anxiously. "I can't...I'm gonna throw up."

Tyler took Ashley, who clung to him with a death grip. Surprisingly, she hid herself away from Josh, sobbing against Tyler's shoulder. Before he could ask any questions, Josh ran out of the room. The sound of vomiting followed not long after. Sobs echoed down the hallway.

"I want my mom," Ashley sobbed out. "I need my mom."

Cradling her closely, Tyler sat down on the bed. He shifted her in his lap so she could hide. She winced as she sat, and suddenly it was all very clear to Tyler what had happened. His eyes widened.

"He hurt you," he whispered.

Ashley shook her head, sobbing even louder as her grip on Tyler tightened. "He didn't have a choice." She sobbed again. "It hurts so bad. I hate this place. I want to go home, Tyler."

"Me too," Tyler whispered, feeling frightened tears pool in his eyes. "We'll go home soon, okay?"

They both looked at the door when Josh came back in. He was shaking as he pulled his own clothes from the closet and set them down beside Tyler, who found himself flinching away from Josh. If he'd hurt Ashley like that, who was to say he wouldn't hurt Tyler too? Josh's bottom lip trembled as he stumbled backwards away from Tyler.

"Can you-I can't-She needs to get clean." Josh stuttered out, his eyes looking as though parts of him were missing. "I can't touch her. I can't."

Tyler took the clothes with shaky hands before carrying Ashley out of the room and into the bathroom. He locked the door behind them as he carefully sat her on the ground. She pulled Josh's shirt off of her torso and threw it away from herself like it was a poisonous snake while Tyler filled the tub with warm water.

"It's not his fault. We shouldn't be scared," she whispered shakily despite the fact that she crawled closer to Tyler to put distance between herself and Josh's clothing.

"But we are," Tyler replied simply. "Mrs. Dun was right." His voice broke on the last word.

"About what?" Ashley asked quietly, wiping at her filthy cheeks to clean away the tears.

Tyler picked her up carefully before easing her into the water, hurrying to wipe the tears off of his own cheeks. "This place takes away your bravery. All we are is fear now."

"We're animals," Ashley whispered, wincing as she shifted to find a sitting position that didn't hurt. "All we care about is survival."

Tyler carefully washed the thick dirt off of her face. "I hate that I love him after all the things he's done."

"I hate that I don't blame him at all." Ashley was on the verge of crying again as Tyler started to wash her hair. "All I want to do is protect him."

"We have to get him out of here, Ashley," Tyler whispered. His hands were shaking as he held back tears. "This is going to kill him."

Ashley nodded as she allowed him to rinse the soap out of her hair with the chalice on the floor. "He should be in here. He's just as hurt as I am. He probably thinks we hate him."

Although Ashley's pain was both physical and emotional, Josh had undergone the emotional pain as well. This had been against his will too. Never in his life would Josh willingly have done this to a person, and he'd proved that day after day as he protected Tyler and Ashley fiercely. Yet somehow, Tyler and Ashley were both scared of him right now.

The fragile girl in the bathtub sniffled miserably as she wrapped her arms around her body. "Tyler, I need him here."

"Are you sure?" Tyler asked carefully.

She nodded, wincing as she moved to take Tyler's hand in hers. "This isn't his fault. We can't punish him for it. It will kill him."

"I'll go get him, okay?" Tyler said softly, squeezing her hand gently.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He nodded, replacing his hand in hers with a soft rag. "Wash your own body, okay? I think you've been violated enough today."

"Thank you," she repeated softly.

Leaving her to clean herself, Tyler stood and unlocked the door, going back into the bedroom anxiously. Josh didn't even seem to register that Tyler had come in. He was sitting on the floor behind a broken pentacle that had been drawn on the floor. His prayer must have ended a while ago because he was practically catatonic.

His eyes were unfocused and pointed towards the ground. Every muscle in his body was still. His face was stained with tears, but it seemed as though he'd run out. A small bowl of blood sat next to him, and judging by the stained dagger beside Josh and the puddle gathering on the floor beside him, Tyler could only assume it was his own.

"Josh?" He whispered shakily.

Josh blinked slowly before his vacant eyes drifted over to Tyler. It sent cold chills down his spine to see how detached his husband looked. Ashley was right. This was killing him. He didn't say a word as he looked up at Tyler.

Instinct won out over anxiety, and Tyler walked over to Josh, climbing into his lap and wrapping his arms around him. "It wasn't your fault," he whispered.

Slowly, Josh's arms wrapped around Tyler's waist. He buried his face against Tyler's shoulder and sobbed. Tyler held him tighter, hushing him gently as he kissed the top of his head.

"She trusted me," Josh sobbed out. "She trusted me and I hurt her."

"Why did you do it?" Tyler whispered shakily, rubbing Josh's back as gently as he could.

Josh's grip on Tyler tightened. "If I didn't do it, Titus was going to."

The answer surprised Tyler, making his eyes sting with tears and bile rise in his throat. "Titus? The elder?"

Josh nodded, sobbing again. "Yeah. He's the one who poisoned me too. He told me he did it since I hadn't taken her yet. He knows I want to get her out."

Tyler hesitated for a moment before sitting back to look Josh in the eye. The hollow gaze that met his held nothing but agony. Swallowing down the anxiety that had been building ever since they'd come back to the room, Tyler held Josh's cheeks gently and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Josh's bottom lip trembled when Tyler sat back.

"You have to get out of here," Josh whispered desperately.

"And I will, but not yet," Tyler replied gently. "Now come on. Ashley needs you. Let me clean you both up and then we can figure out how we're going to get past this, okay? It'll get better. She doesn't blame you and neither do I. We love you. We'll be okay."

"Don't," Josh whimpered, lifting Tyler out of his lap and scrambling backwards as another sob ripped through his chest. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" Tyler asked in confusion.

"Don't talk to me like I'm not one of them. I'm just like them." Josh's whole body was shaking with the weight of what he'd been forced to do.

Tyler shook his head slowly, reaching out for Josh only for him to back away. "You aren't like them. Even just the fact that you feel guilty about this sets you apart from them. You're a good person, Josh."

He shook his head again, standing up when Tyler tried to reach for him again. "I'm not. Not if I don't fix this."

"How are you going to fix it?" Tyler asked quietly. "Ashley needs you to-"

"I'm going to tell my dad what Titus did. Not to Ashley, but to me. It'll be up to me to choose and deliver his punishment. He's going to suffer too," Josh said quietly as he stumbled backwards towards the door.

"Josh-"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Josh sobbed out as he hurried out of the room "I'll fix this. I'll-I'll keep you safe from now on. I'll fix it."

Before Tyler could protest, Josh was gone. His footsteps thundered down the stairs as Tyler sat on the bedroom floor, too shocked to move. Just like he had been on Tyler's first week here, Josh was in the position to avenge someone who'd been hurt by his own cult.

With everything that had happened since his arrival, it was easy for Tyler to forget that Josh was supposed to be a kid. He was sixteen years old and had already seen and done so much that most people never even dreamed of. Of all the things this cult had done to Josh and taken from him, this was by far the worst. They'd taken away his ability to see himself as a human being, and that was unforgivable.

In three days, they could be free of this place. Ashley could see her mom. Tyler could be with his family. Josh could be an actual kid. Maybe that was just wishful thinking though. How could anyone adjust to everyday life outside of the fence when rape and murder were taught as justifiable acts since childhood within it? Tyler didn't know. All he knew was that he'd give anything to help Josh see the good inside of himself.

Slowly, he stood up and walked back into the bathroom. Ashley's eyes filled with tears when she saw that he was alone. He swallowed hard.

"He went to tell his dad about what happened," Tyler told her quietly.

She swallowed thickly and nodded, wrapping her arms more tightly around her legs. It was only then that Tyler realized how much thinner she was now than she'd been in the photos at her memorial. How had he not seen that she was wasting away? Did he look like that now too?

It was clear to him now that Josh had been right before. They weren't seeing how bad this was. All they were seeing was that they loved Josh. Everything else had seemed less important after they'd allowed The Family to brainwash them. Now that their worst fears were being brought to light though, their instincts were taking over. This wasn't a good place. It was every nightmare Tyler had ever had at once.

He sat down next to the bathtub before pulling Ashley into a hug. She was quiet as she wrapped her arms around him. Neither of the two spoke, but the message was clear: we're in this together.

"Josh said he's getting us out of here on Sunday," Tyler whispered.

Ashley's sharp intake of breath was the only indicator of her excitement. "When did he say that?"

"This morning," Tyler whispered back.

She was smiling when Tyler released her, going over to the cupboard and finding her a towel. "I'll get to see my mom and my dad and my brother and Brendon and my dog."

Tyler smiled slightly. "Yeah, you will."

"And you'll see your family too!" She whispered excitedly.

"Too bad I don't have a dog," Tyler replied.

The sound of her giggle made things feel okay for a second. "You can meet mine then. You'll love him."

Tyler nodded, smiling slightly. "I'm gonna hold you to that."

"Deal," she agreed as Tyler helped her out of the tub and wrapped her up in a towel.

He hesitated for a second when she was dry before pulling his shirt over his head. He helped her into it before putting the shirt Josh had given them on himself. If the shirt scared Ashley, she didn't have to wear it. He'd protect her if Josh couldn't. Even if just for a few more days, they were a family, and he wasn't going to let this place ruin that word.