Empathy [Josh Dun - Twenty One Pilots]

NINETEEN

"What is she doing?" Josh whispered to Tyler nervously. Debby had been in there with Ethan for more than twenty minutes, and the boy was starting to think she had forgotten all about their plan to get information on Mark's whereabouts. He was kind of hoping Tyler would decide to barge into the room and stop whatever they were doing, as he couldn't stand just waiting aimlessly. For all answer though, he was met with Tyler's voice resonating in his head. 

"Shut up, Josh. You have a power, use it. You don't even need to talk to get to me, you just have to think."

"Sorry," Josh thought. What Tyler said was true, and he was risking blowing out their cover everytime he opened his mouth, but Josh had a tendency to forget all about his Gift whenever he was nervous, and the thought of Debby hanging out with Ethan in a dark barrack at night sent enough anxiety spears through his mind to make him forget his own name or the reason they were here in the first place. "But..."

"Josh. She didn't forget. She knows what she has to do and you should trust her. I do. Now would you please stop this and focus? We might get clues if she manages to make Ethan think ab-"

But Tyler wasn't able to finish his thoughts, as a piercing scream echoed in the deserted land. Tyler and Josh sprang to their feet as one man, and both raced to the door of the barrack. It was still half open when Josh burst into the room, kicking the door which such strength that it slammed onto the wall violently, making some of the dusty surface unravel to the ground in tiny specks of cement.

The intervention had made Ethan jump to his feet, but it was obvious that just a few seconds before he had been lying against Debby. Josh's anger burned inside of him like the flames of hell, and he frankly didn't want to think about what would have happened had he not been there. The frightened look on Debby's face, her disheveled hair, only made him want to punch the boy even more. He didn't care about anything else; he just wanted to make him pay. 

Instead, and before he had the chance to jump at Ethan's throat, he felt Tyler's hand on his forearm, and suddenly his breathing slowed down, his fists unclenched. Josh still felt angry, but his best friend had managed to appease his wrath to an acceptable level with which he was able to control himself. Debby was alive and well, and had stood up to join his side, staying a few steps behind him, and Josh knew he would be able to protect her. His main concern now should be Mark. 

"What the f-" Ethan started, visibly confused by the sudden apparition of the two boys. "Debby, what's g-"

"Shut up."

Josh's head turned to Tyler. The boy wasn't used to swearing out loud, and he mostly only did it when they were speaking - or thinking - to each other in their heads. Even then, the words seemed quite wrong coming from him, but what unsettled Josh the most was his best friend's apparent state of calm. Although Josh knew Tyler must have been boiling inside, the boy didn't let anything come through. His face was straight, his voice low. 

"YOU shut up!" Ethan started again. "You don't get to tell me wh-"

"I said SHUT UP!" Tyler yelled, making the others jump in surprise. 

Josh felt a light breeze caress his cheek, and a strange feeling taking hold of him. It seemed like the air was getting thicker, like he could feel the tension build up in the room. The only light outside was the glow of the moon, but through the darkness, Josh was able to discern Ethan's eyes flicker nervously as if he could feel that too. 

Tyler took a step forward, and instinctively Ethan stepped back against the wall behind him. "Mark Eshleman," Tyler simply stated, and Ethan frowned like he had no idea who Mark was. Tyler couldn't be more unimpressed though, as he kept talking. "You are going to tell us everything you know about Mark and what happened to him, because something tells me you know more than you let on."

"What the f-"

"Don't play dumb with me, Ethan."

Tyler had suddenly become another person. Josh couldn't see a trace of his usual kindness, nor could he see the massive amount of empathy that characterized him as a person. The person behind those dark eyes had no mercy, and Tyler was almost threatening without even doing anything. That was kind of scary, and Josh could feel that Ethan felt the same. His gaze nervously switched from Tyler to Josh, then to Debby, and back to Tyler again.

"You guys are crazy. F*ck this sh*t, I'm out!" Ethan exclaimed, now making a few steps towards the door. 

"NO!" Tyler screamed, his voice showing off his anger now. He held out his hand, and Josh thought for a second that he just wanted to block Ethan's way. Instead, what felt like a breeze a few seconds earlier transformed into a massive rush of wind, so loud that it sounded like a hurricane - although Josh didn't have a clear idea of what a hurricane sounded like. Swiftly, Tyler let down his arm, his hand open wide, palm turned towards the outside, and with a bang, the door closed shut. The events were so synchronized that, for a second, Josh thought Tyler had made this with only a movement of his hand. But that was impossible, right?

It was then that Josh noticed his heartbeat was unusually fast. Something was happening, and he wasn't sure what it was, but it was impressive enough to make his heart rate go all over the place. Quickly, he took a look behind him to check on Debby. She seemed frightened, but the look on her face didn't have anything to do with the one she sported earlier, when Tyler and Josh had barged into the room to save her. She looked genuinely scared. The kind of fright you only see on people who are unsure of what exactly is scaring them.

"Enough," Tyler said with a voice that wasn't completely his. "You won't leave this room until you tell me the truth. And I suggest you do it fast."

Josh gulped. He wanted to speak. He wanted to help his best friend somehow. But Tyler seemed so confident, even threatening, that he didn't dare to open his mouth for fear his wrath would turn against him. He trusted Tyler with all his guts, but he had to admit the boy was now kind of scary. He would have blurted out everything he knew if he was in Ethan's shoes.

But he wasn't, and Ethan tried, again, to escape the room by making a run for the door. Tyler seemed  to have lost patience by now, because he sighed, his arms falling to his sides for a second. He glanced at Josh, and whispered something along the lines of "I wish I didn't have to", his eyes as sad as they were the first time Josh had met him. Then, Tyler raised his arms again, pointing them towards Ethan who was now struggling with the door handle. 

He didn't have time to open it. Tyler made a swift movement with both of his arms, and Ethan flew off the ground and onto the wall where he came from. Josh couldn't believe his eyes, but he was pretty sure now that Tyler's powers were far stronger than he had let on. He heard the air rush out of Ethan's lungs the moment his back slammed against the wall, and felt Debby's hand clutch to his, the other hand on her mouth to prevent her from screaming. 

At this point, Josh knew he was completely useless. He knew that Tyler had taken the lead, and something told him the best he could do was let his best friend direct the interrogation that would follow.

"I told you," Tyler said in a cold voice, taking a few steps towards Ethan's body lying on the floor. The boy was breathing hard now, and had lost all confidence. He tried backing away, pushing himself with his feet, but the wall behind him was preventing him to. "I hope you understand now that it's no use messing with me?"

For all answer, the boy whimpered like a dog, and for a second Josh wondered if this was a good idea. Then, Debby squeezed his hand, and he looked into her eyes. She didn't look scared anymore. She looked confident and convinced. They had to do this. 

"Answer me when I ask you a question," Tyler went on with authority. "Or maybe you want to try this again?" He held up his hands, and a light wind blew Ethan's hair away from his face. The boy raised his eyebrows in fear and nodded furiously. "Good," Tyler smiled. "Now we can start."

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Feels good to be back! I've been wanting to write that chapter for so long and now here it is! Hope you like it!