almost famous

I

march to the sea - twenty one pilots

     this was all tyler remembered. the soft caress of the sand under his bare feet. the sprinkling of rain on his shoulders. the waves lapping the shores they approached. his eyes always trained forward, the back of a woman being all he sees. her red hair flows down her back, falling in ringlets as it is picked up by the breeze along with the white t-shirt she wears loosely on her small frame. the same one tyler knows he is wearing, too.

     his feet move in sync with the others, their soft footfalls being overpowered by the crashing of the waves. he never tires. he never stops. he walks into the current as it pulls him under. he feels no pain as the water fills his lungs, he just drifts away.

when he wakes again, he's lying down in the sand, the strangers around him stirring also. as he stands with the others, his eyes scan their blurred faces. their features are all foggy and jumbled, so he searches for the red, curly hair. once he spots her, he steps in line, the same back now in front of him. this process continues over and over again, not a word being spoken as he marches through the sand. tyler awaits the looming sea peaking over the woman's shoulders as his mind suddenly wonders,

"why?"

this startles tyler. he pauses for a moment, losing the rhythm he once had with the others. he begins to walk again, the thought gone from his head as fast as it had came. as tyler's feet begin to mesh with theirs, a voice bubbles from the sky.

"follow me instead"

tyler's eyes leave his impending doom as he looks up, finding the sky grey and dull. a shimmer catches his attention. a small disk materializes from the clouds as the voice speaks again

"follow me instead"

the waves wash over the feet of the marchers, leaving them unfazed. tyler focuses on the swirling blues in front of him as they engulf his body. without another thought in his head, he drifts away.

the disk is waiting when he awakens. it hovers just above the line but tyler's eyes don't wander.

"follow me instead"

he knows that voice. he knows that voice, but he can't put a face to it. tyler doesn't even remember the last time he saw a clear face. he tries to turn. he tries to stop. his body disobeys him, forcing him to continue his journey. a monotonous chorus of voices fills the air as tyler's lips move involuntarily with theirs.

"this line's the only way"

the voice that bubbles from tyler is dry and hoarse after being dormant for god knows how long. tyler's body won't listen to his commands as he begs himself to turn, to look up, to escape. the sand begins to dampen under his feet as the ongoing war in his mind continues.

"this line's the only wa-"

the woman's voice is cut off as she sinks in front of tyler. as his head begins to become submerged, he is filled with one last burst of strength. he wins the war against himself as he gains control of his limbs. he spins around, searching for the silver disk but the waves clamp around his body, pulling him towards his watery grave. tyler's head floods with memories as his lungs flood with water. he remembers his mother, his father, his siblings. he remembers music and he remembers his life. his band. josh.

josh.

"josh!"

he tries to scream, but his lungs just burn as they plead for oxygen that they can't have. tyler kicks his feet, trying to free himself from the icy grip. he wants to go home. tyler's struggles are a lost cause because he still drifts away.

when he awakens again, he is laying in the sand, the rain dusting his face as he stares at the barren sky. he feels weak and drained. a voice at the back of his mind whispers

"follow me instead"

tyler's eyes snap shut as the rain starts to cascade down on them as if on cue. the voice begins the raise in the back of his mind as his eyelids stay clamped shut.

"FOLLOW ME INSTEAD"

the shout causes tyler to sit straight up, panting heavily. he looks in the direction that it came from, seeing the same disk yet again.

"a spaceship" his mind told him as he rose to his feet, sand adhering to his wet skin. the spaceship began to float towards him, it's hum getting louder as it approached. tyler began to run towards it, the thoughts of home giving him bursts of energy as he ran.

"yes" he cried "yes"

"i'll follow you instead"

the spaceship now sat directly above tyler, a hole slowly opening on its smooth surface. a bright light embraced tyler as he was overwhelmed with the feeling of weightlessness as he flew up.

home.

tyler slowly opened his eyes, letting out a small groan as the light blinded him. he blinked repeatedly until a pearly white ceiling came into focus. a steady beeping filled his ears as the strong smell of disinfectant filled his nostrils. he continued to blink as a head crowned by pink hair came into view.

"tyler?"

~

a/n: hi! i had never really planned to post anything on this account but i found this in my notes and i thought it was cute. i apologize if there was any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. i'll probably regret this is the morning but whatever. i hope you enjoyed and that you have a wonderful day!

lots of love !
max <3