Empathy [Josh Dun - Twenty One Pilots]

TWENTY FØUR

"Answer me!"

The strong voice resonated through the vast empty space and against the walls, echoing in the distance and making the three scared teenagers jump in surprise. Four more men were now in the room, and as Mark struggled to even stand on his own, Josh noticed that the strangers had mechanically surrounded them. They had no escape. 

"Where are you going with my little friend here, uh?" the first guy asked, taking a few steps towards the boys and clenching Mark's jaw in his claw-like hand, the other carrying a gun. 

"Don't touch h-" Josh started, trying to protect Mark with his own body, but instantly, the guy let go of his grip on the boy's jaw and punched Josh with the butt of his gun. The air whooshed out of him like a storm, and the pain made him bend over then fall to his knees. Josh felt the squeeze of Tyler's hand on his shoulder as Mark staggered at his sides. He looked up, tears of pain filling the corner of his eyes. 

"What's wrong, pussy?" The man with the gun asked, and Josh guessed, or felt, that he was probably the leader of the gang. "Did it hurt? Do you wanna go cry to mommy?" 

The mocking question was followed by raucous laughter, and Josh cringed. He couldn't help but think that those men, and especially the three followers surrounding them, were just a bunch of bullies, having fun with smaller and younger preys than themselves, four cowards that hadn't found anything better to do with their lives than play with danger. 

Sadly, Josh wasn't in a position to spit that to their faces, because the bullies had brought danger with them. With a gun in the room, Josh wouldn't risk anything, unless it could save his friends' lives. 

"You will learn, my friends," the leader started as Josh was still thinking, "that I do whatever I want, whenever I want." Both of his hands were now crossed behind his back as he paced the room, turning around the three teenagers. Josh rose back to his feet slowly, and as if it could help, both Mark and Tyler drew closer, each one of them facing a different direction to make sure their backs weren't unprotected. "Now," the man started again, "what do you have to say for your defense, ladies?"

Josh looked left, catching Mark's eyes, then right to Tyler, mustering up the courage to open his mouth. "Are you Johnny's friend?" he asked, and his voice sounded much less impressive than he had thought. 

"Johnny's friend?" the man asked, half-surprised before looking at his flock. "Johnny's friend?" he echoed, and the sheep launched their raucous laughter once again as if Josh had just told the most brilliant joke in the world. The leader stepped closer to Josh, his eyes menacing. "Johnny and friend don't really fit in the same sentence, buddy," he remarked, caressing Josh's cheek with the barrel of his gun.

The cold metal brought a shiver to Josh's spine and he stepped back, pushing his friends a little further away from the gun. "Listen," he spoke again, his voice a little stronger now, "this is just a misunderstanding, okay? Why don't you just let us go? We won't say anything." 

The guy snorted. "Oh, I didn't misunderstand anything, trust me," he waved his gun in the air, starting making his round again. "Your little friend, right here," he pointed the gun to Mark's face, earning a gasp from the weakened boy, "stole something that belonged to me. Something very precious. And I'm afraid to say I won't let him go until I find it back."

"I told you I don't have it!" Mark yelled through gritted teeth. "Johnny took off with-"

"SH*T *P you little b*tch!" one of the leader's servant cut him off, slapping him so hard across the face that his whole head spinned so far Josh thought for a second that he had broken something. The guy, visibly proud of his stunt, looked up to his leader, awaiting some kind of reward from his boss in such an innocent way that it made Josh want to puke. How could someone be so oblivious to the pain they were causing around them? Didn't that guy realize how wrong his actions were? And if so, why did he keep doing them?