Empathy [Josh Dun - Twenty One Pilots]

TWENTY SIX

He felt the tears flow across his cheeks and drip into the bin. He felt his arms weaken, his fingers losing grip and in a swift movement, he landed into Debby's arms. The scent of her perfume quickly got to his nose, and he inhaled deeply because it made him feel safe, and he desperately needed some safety. 

So he cried. He cried in his ex-girlfriend's arms, and she let him, rubbing soothing circles on his back and gently stroking his hair until all the tears had been shed. Then, they both sat down in the waiting room, their fingers intertwined as Josh wouldn't let go.

"Do you wanna talk?" she asked softly, her other hand finding its waiting on to his knee.

Josh shook his head. He didn't want to talk about what had happened, no. He just needed to get a sense of reality, to fall back into a routine, no matter how boring. But images of the night kept flashing through his mind - so much blood - and he frowned. "How did the police find us?"

"Josh... You told me, remember?"

Josh raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You texted me. You shared your location with me... You don't remember?"

Josh shook his head. He was pretty sure he hadn't done that. It must have been Tyler. "Where's my dad?" 

"He's talking with a police officer in the other room. Your mom and Jordan are on her way."

"Where's Ethan?"

"Still at the police station."

"And the guys? I mean, the bad guys?"

"I think they've been taken into custody," Debby shrugged, unsure.

Josh sighed. This all seemed real, right? So why couldn't he feel like he was? As he was deep in thought, Debby got closer to him and laid a hand on his forehead. 

"You're burning," she said. "Don't you wanna go lie down? I can ask a nurse for a bed and-"

She stopped talking as a couple entered the room, faces white with anxiety. Josh saw them head towards the head nurse's office and he automatically stood up, feeling Debby follow him quickly. 

"What do you mean you don't know?" the lady spoke. "It's a hospital and my son was admitted, you should know where he-"

"Hi, Mrs Joseph," Josh interrupted, his hands shaking a little.

"Josh!" she exclaimed before embracing him tightly, then cupping his face with both of her hands. "How are you, sweetheart? Do you know where Tyler is? Are you okay? Is he okay?"

Josh fought back tears and gulped. He was about to say he wasn't sure of Tyler's whereabouts, but something else came out, a feeble "I'll go get him", and he quickly found himself roaming the white corridors. He couldn't pinpoint Tyler's position, but something inside of him was leading him towards his best friend and he knew it. 

It was only a few minutes until Josh stumbled upon a sign, and he rolled his eyes at himself for not thinking about that sooner. His steps paced up and soon enough, Josh was running towards the only place he knew where he could find his best friend. When he finally reached the hospital's chapel, Josh came to a halt and inhaled deeply. Then, he pushed open the door.

Sure enough, Tyler's silhouette was detaching itself from its surrounding, all the way up the aisle, on the very first bench. The boy wasn't sitting up straight, crouching down on himself, almost on his knees, looking down at the dusty floor, and Josh saw him flinch when he accidentally tripped on the old carpet. Without a word, he approached the bench Tyler was sitting on, and sat down at his sides.