Empathy [Josh Dun - Twenty One Pilots]

TWENTY SIX

"Mark was very lucky. It seems like the bullet scraped the right side of his abdomen, leaving only a few minor wounds - nothing we won't be able to heal quickly."

"Can we see him?"

"He's currently fast asleep and needs the rest, but I sure won't prevent you from seeing your son, Mrs Eshleman."

Josh felt dizzy as he watched Mark's parents follow the doctor in the white hallway, and as he found a seat in the waiting room, images of the night kept flashing through behind his eyelids. The gun. The blood oozing from Mark's wound - nothing minor. The blood on his hands. The blood on Tyler's hands as he applied pressure, his eyes closed, his mouth mumbling incomprehensible and inaudible words. And then the heat, emerging from Tyler's fingers and seemingly sucking the blood up, draining it away, making it disappear. Tyler falling to the ground, as if pushed back by an invisible but incredibly strong force, and then coughing -  just like in that movie The Green Mile, except he was spitting out patches of blood instead of a cloud of dark flies. And finally, finally, the red and blue lights, the siren. Everything felt blurry by then, and Josh remembered thinking he couldn't be sure if it was real, or just a fragment of Tyler's mind pushing his own reality into his brain.

What was real? Josh sighed, as he didn't know the answer to this question anymore. Nothing really made sense. If Tyler was able to make anyone see things that weren't true, then what was the proof any of this was real? Was he really in a hospital? Was Mark really okay? Was Josh even real? Maybe he died. He saw the bullet, heading straight towards him, approaching his face right before he closed his eyes. Maybe Josh was dead. He should have been dead. 

"I am FINE" a voice made him jump in his seat, and Josh quickly turned his head to realize it was Tyler's. A nurse was swiftly following him across the corridor, finally reaching him to grab his arm.

"You were passed out a few seconds ago, young man! You were unconscious for more than an hour, and we need to check your v-"

"I said I'm FINE and you don't NEED to do anyth-"

"Please, boy, just hear m-"

"Just let me go!" Tyler screamed, pushing back the nurse violently against the wall, and this was so unlike Tyler to act that way that the situation somewhat reinforced Josh's feeling of it not being real. The boy watched as Tyler took a few angry steps, his eyes as dark as the night, before stopping neatly and turning around. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" he asked, his voice lower and suddenly he looked so tiny and frail, so inoffensive, that the nurse just smiled pitifully. "I just... Can I just be alone for a while?" Tyler asked.

The nurse seemed to think for a minute and, as if deeming Tyler worthy of her trust, she nodded. "As long as you stay in the hospital premises, okay? Your parents should be here soon."

Tyler nodded in return and, burying his trembling hands in his pockets, started walking again, following the hallway without real direction. As he passed by the waiting room, his eyes crossed Josh's, and he quickly looked away, but not fast enough as to avoid spilling his boiling thoughts into his best friend's brain. Josh was somehow pushed backwards against his seat, a burning feeling invading every single inch of his body, and the pain was so strong Josh let out a whimper. He still found the strength to get up and go towards the nearest bin before throwing up whatever was left in his stomach, accentuating the sensation of burning in his body. 

"Are you all right?" a soft voice spoke next to him, and Josh would have recognized it amongst a hundred others. Still, his heart beating a little faster, he leaned on the bin, unsure if he would have to throw up again. His fingers gripped the edge of the trash can so hard his knuckles whitened, and when her hand found a place on his back, softly rubbing circles against his t-shirt, he broke down.