Red Never Gets Along With Yellow

Gas On His Hands

    A while later, Josh was deep in a dream. He was seeing phantoms shifting around in the forest, always moving and even shifting the scenery. Then, the scent of burning wood hit his nostrils from inside the dream and the forest with phantoms set on fire. Josh woke with a start, swiveling his head. There were flames around every corner and Tyler was standing above it all, with a gas can and a lighter in hand.

"Tyler! What the hell?!" Josh grabbed the gas can from Tyler's hand and set it on the ground.

Tyler wasn't responding. Even so, the brown-haired teen had to get him out of there.

The ladder was half burnt, it was a good 8 feet up so he forced Tyler to climb down first, then the ladder broke while Tyler was still 4 feet up. He dropped like a rock onto the ground, splayed there without moving. Josh took a leap of faith as the flames licked at his bare skin,

He tried his best to roll or do something to make the impact less. Still, he hit the ground and pain shot up his spine.

"Tyler, get the hell up!"

Ty blinked, pulling himself up quickly, "JOSH, WHAT THE HELL?!" he stared at the licking flames on the old wood.

"Yeah, that's what I said too."

The fire was going to spread, they had to call the fire department.

Josh grabbed Tyler's hand, sprinting through the trees.

"Why do I smell gas on my hands?"

"Because you started it, goddammit!"

Tyler was taken aback but kept running.

Josh leaped over the fence while Ty was still struggling.

Finally, Ty made it over and Josh was in the kitchen on the phone.

He opened the slider door, as Joshua spoke frantically into the phone, the operator attempting to calm him down while contacting the authorities.

"Josh...this is not what I had planned...I made him promise."

"Well, you shouldn't trust your demons," Josh said with a scowl.

"Don't give me that attitude, I don't even remember how it started."

"I ALMOST DIED." The brunette yelled and stomped into the bathroom, still on the phone.

Tyler swallowed the tears, hearing the siren's pull up to the glowing forest.

Everything was being pulled into this big black hole. The air was felt thin, Tyler passed out onto the kitchen floor as Josh reached for him with reflexes that were too late.

The dream that followed the blackout was odd, very underwhelming.

It was peaceful. A waterfall rushing softly into a moonlit pool. The water was crystal clear with moss-covered rocks at the bottom. Tyler felt an urge to step into it, so he did. Still fully clothed, the water was warm but not hot. He heard footsteps behind him, and turned around.

It was Blurry.

Blurry stepped into the pool solemnly, no smiling or cackling like a maniac. His black hands seemed to pollute the area around the water but it didn't spread.

"This is where I go," he said after a long silence.

"To do what?"

"Hide." Blurry used his index finger to make miniature whirlpools in the clear water, "Sometimes I need some time to think as well...and not only to destroy everything." Tyler was surprised, he'd never really seen Blurry stay this calm for this long.