THE RUN AND GO : JOSHLER

6 : ANATHEMA

"You didn't have to kill him."

Josh laid in Tyler's bed, his knees pulled up to his chest. Tyler was sitting up next to him, his head resting against the headboard, his fingers absentmindedly playing with Josh's wild green hair.

"He might not be dead," Tyler replied, staring at his reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall.

Josh scoffed. "If you shot him he is," he said. "You never miss."

"That's true," Tyler sighed. He paused for a moment and continued running his fingers through Josh's hair before speaking again. "But I didn't shoot to kill."

"How can you talk about death like it's nothing? Like it doesn't even matter?" Josh asked.

"I'm a serial killer," Tyler simply shrugged. "It's what I do."

Josh scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious, Tyler. W-Why did you have to shoot him?"

He had seen Tyler kill people before, in more brutal ways nonetheless. But he's never had one of those people fall right on top of him before. The image of Alex's pained, color-drained face will never leave his mind.

"I couldn't let him kill you or say those things about me," Tyler replied, tugging on Josh's hair a bit. A soft whined escaped Josh's lips. "If I didn't shoot him, it would've proved him right, that I really was weak. I have to let them know who's in charge."

"Everyone knows you're in charge," Josh murmured.

"And I have to keep it that way," Tyler shot back.

"Wasn't that the whole point, Tyler?" Josh asked. His voice was pained, just like the rest of his body. After the fight this morning, he was sent to the infirmary. His arm wasn't fully broken, but it was fractured pretty badly. Bloody bandages wrapped around his left shoulder and lower back.

"What do you mean?"

"You said so yourself. The whole point of concerts are to see who's weak and get them out of the Clique."

Tyler rolled his eyes slightly. "Josh, you're not weak, I've seen you. You've only been here a few months and you're already a good fighter."

"I'm weak, Tyler," Josh argued. "You saw how easily Alex took me-"

"Screw Alex," Tyler interrupted. "He's always been a jerk, looking for trouble."

Josh remained silent for a moment before squeezing his eyes shut.

"God, I was scared," Josh whispered, curling up into a fetal position. Guilt washed over him. He should have done something. He just stood there and let Alex take him over. "I should have done something. I was so scared, Tyler."

"I know," Tyler whispered back. He ran his fingers through Josh's hair one last time before getting under the covers and laying down next to him. He didn't close his eyes. He stared up at the ceiling with tired, misty eyes. He took Josh's hand in his and lightly kissed his forehead. "I was scared too."

✗✗✗✗✗

Josh didn't want to leave Tyler's room. He didn't even want to leave his side.

But he figured less questions would be asked if he left now than in the morning. He'd already caused enough trouble already.

Josh slowly pulled back the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His entire body ached. His wounds left blood stains on Tyler's bedsheets. Tyler had said he didn't care, he wanted Josh with him.