Empathy [Josh Dun - Twenty One Pilots]

FIFTEEN

It was dark. So dark that one couldn't see past their own nose. But over there, at some undefinable distance, a light flickered. Not a flame, more like the glow of a phone screen. Focusing every bit of his mind on that one simple task, Josh tried getting closer, but it felt like something, an external force, was holding his body back. 

After a few minutes of effort, the boy let it go. The light was getting closer anyway. Trying to keep his eyes open, Josh waited until he could make out the silhouette holding what was indeed a mobile phone. Used to darkness, his eyes squinted at the brightness now burning his pupils, but the pain quickly faded out as another took place, following a hard blow on his right temple. The fist that had just hit him got closer again, and Josh tensed up, awaiting another punch that never came. Instead, the hand gripped both sides of his face, causing his mouth to bulge into a grimace. 

The person spoke, but no words came out. The sound was distorted, and Josh couldn't understand anything as the voice grew louder and angrier. Another fist hit Josh right on his chin, and the taste of blood filled his mouth as tears started making their way down his cheeks. He knew the person standing before him wanted some kind of answer, but how was he supposed to tell when he couldn't make out the question? So, as frightened and weak as he was, he closed his eyes, focusing on his ears. 

"Where is it?" was all Josh could understand before he jolted awake, sweat dripping from his cheeks instead of tears.

He was in a bed that wasn't his, and the only silhouette near him was Tyler's, whose eyes were already opened. The boy struggled to get rid of the comforter, pushing it to the end of the bed as Josh stayed there, head in his hands, feeling disoriented. 

"You all right, man?" Tyler whispered, setting a comforting hand down on his shoulder. "Was it a nightmare again?"

Josh shook his head. He wouldn't call that a nightmare. It was, in a sense, but something told him it wasn't just a regular bad dream that normal people have sometimes. There was something more to it, something unsettling yet very familiar. Rubbing his eyes, then his cheeks, Josh turned around to look at the clock on Tyler's bedside table. It was 4:05am. Mark had been missing for almost 5 days now.

"Want some water?" Tyler whispered again, and Josh nodded this time, thinking he was lucky he had slept over tonight because he wouldn't have felt that comfortable if he was alone in his own bed. "So, tell me," his best friend asked as Josh was taking a sip from the bottle Tyler had just thrown at him. "Anything new?"

Josh closed his eyes, still carrying the opened bottle in his right hand, the other enveloping his knees. Exhausted, he tried searching his memory, but the whole thing was blurry, and Josh was really starting to get frustrated with his Gift that only seemed to work when he was asleep. How was he supposed to remember anything from something that looked like a dream but wasn't really one? And why was he involved, this time? It shouldn't have been that way. He was supposed to see Mark and hints of his whereabouts. Or maybe he was just getting things all mixed up and this was going nowhere. 

"All right, just, tell me," Tyler said softly, "were you in that kind of warehouse again? Did you see Mark?"

Josh sighed. He knew Tyler was trying to help him remember every detail, just like everytime he had had a "vision" these past few days. But he was getting tired of all this, and he felt so useless. He was unable to locate Mark, and for some reason he thought this situation was his fault. "No," he finally answered, "I didn't see Mark. I was in a warehouse but I was unable to move, and some guy was punching me in the face, asking me stuff and-"

Josh stopped, suddenly aware of what had just happened. Excited, he jumped out of bed under Tyler's surprised and confused look. Pacing the room, he started thinking out lout. "It was dark and I was unable to move. Like I was... tied to a chair or something! And that guy... That guy kept trying to get an answer out of me. Tyler..." Josh stood still now, and Tyler looked up to him in silence. "Tyler, I was Mark!"

Tyler's brows furrowed as Josh continued his rant. "I was Mark! I was inside Mark's head!" The boy had spent so much time trying to figure out where Mark could be with the help of Tyler and their Gift without so much as an hint that the hope of finally being able to see something sparked a feeling of happiness inside of him. The feeling, though, died instantly when Josh realized what it actually meant. Fright froze his heart, making him feel so dizzy he had to sat down on the bed. "Tyler," he said, turning to his best friend with fear in his eyes, "Mark is hurt. We need to hurry!"

Anxiety started to creep in, locking up his lungs in some sort of cage that was definitely too tight for him to breathe properly, and the more he tried to, the harder the cage was compressing his chest. Josh felt so stupid and useless. Why couldn't he help Mark better than this? Why had their friendship fallen apart in the first place anyway? 

"Josh, don't go there." Tyler stated nonchalantly, taking Josh off guard. It seemed so natural for Tyler to read his mind, while the whole ordeal was still a bit unsettling to him. "And please, get used to that," Tyler added, oh so seriously that Josh had to chuckle. How did Tyler get so much power over how he was feeling, Josh didn't know, but it always worked. Josh was able to take in a deep breath while listening to his friend reassuring him. "You're not guilty of anything here, okay? We're gonna find him, I promise."

"How can you be so sure?" Josh asked in doubt. 

For all answer, Tyler shrugged, laying back down on the bed, pulling the covers on his body and patting the place at his sides. Still unsure, Josh followed suit, turning on his side so he could watch Tyler think, hands placed underneath his head, eyes closed. His breathing quickly slowed down, and Josh thought the boy had fallen back asleep. Unable to close his eyes, let alone sleep, Josh started thinking of Mark and found himself missing his friend more than he had in a while. Maybe it was the thought of him missing, or maybe it was just a sign that this friendship wasn't meant to be over just yet. Josh sighed. He really needed to go to church with his mom the next day.

"You know," Tyler whispered, making Josh jump at his sides, "If you really can't see more than that, we might use some help from someone else."

Josh furrowed his eyebrows, confused. Was there someone else with the same powers Josh should know about? As an answer, Tyler quickly shook his head and Josh had to repress a smile at the thought that, if Tyler was the last person on Earth, Josh wouldn't even have to speak a word ever again. 

"I mean," Tyler started again, shifting in the bed to face Josh, "someone external. Someone who knows and trusts us, but who also has a strong connection to the other camp, if you know what I mean."

And Josh did know. But his heart banged in his chest. This situation seemed too dangerous. Mark was already missing and, if his visions were right, probably hurt. There was no way Josh would involve Debby into this.

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1: I'm sorry this took so long

2: I'm sorry this isn't good

3: I'm sorry this is so short

I feel like the happier I am, the worse my writing gets. This should be a good thing, because I'm truly happy, but I'm getting frustrated with my lack of inspiration. I know where this story is going, I've got everything planned out, but I just can't seem to write it properly. I hope this will pass. I hope you still kinda like it.