THE RUN AND GO : JOSHLER

BONUS : DEMA

Despite all of Missile Kid's protesting, Tyler had taken him in. Something about that kid reminded him of himself when he was younger.

He was a fighter.

Tyler cracked the tiniest of smiles as he saw the boy approach him, almost as if reading his mind.

His skin was dark and smooth and glowing, a nice change from the harshly scarred and injured bodies of the other DEMA members.

His black curly hair reached just below his earlobes, which had silver gauge earrings. (After he had seen Missile Kid's, he insisted on having them). He even had painted his nails a sparkling black.

Dark freckles dotted his nose and cheeks, and he had two dimples on either side of his chapped pink lips when he smiled.

Clancy ran up to Tyler, his bare feet kicking up sand as he did. A look of worry was strewn across his face.

Tyler's smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. Adrenaline and anxiety shot through his veins.

As Clancy grew closer to Tyler, he could see the tears sparkling on his cheeks.

"J-O-S-H," Clancy held up his hands and signed. "West wing. Hurry."

Tyler's eyes widened, and he took off running without hesitation. The familiar feeling of the wind blowing through his hair and his leg muscles burning and his heart pumping propelled him forwards.

West wing.

His bedroom.

Missile Kid's bedroom.

Sand flew up in Clancy's dark chocolate eyes and made them burn like fire as he ran behind Tyler. He had been with the Clique a little over a month, and still wasn't used to pain or fear yet. He cried as he ran.

Tyler's lungs screamed desperately for him to stop and take a breath, but he didn't dare. He kept sprinting down the sand path, jumping up the stairs two by two, and up to the west wing.

And then he saw it.

It was ginormous. Almost three times the height of an average person, but slouched over and walking on all fours. Its skin was disgusting shades of red and maroon and brown, covered in exposed blue veins and pulsing muscles.

Sharp crablike pinchers were at the ends of its long, skinny arms. Its feet were spread like claws, dripping with blood. It had no eyes; just a mouth with razor sharp teeth that was big enough to swallow Tyler whole.

But its ears were the most horrifying. They were huge, spanning most of its body, not just its head. The eardrums were on the outside of the ear, crude growths that were constantly pounding and bulging as it listened.

Tyler skid to a stop. How the fuck did it get in?

He held his breath. Behind him, Clancy finally caught up, but stayed behind him, tightly holding onto the back of his jumpsuit.

Tyler reached behind him and took Clancy's hand. The boy clutched onto it like his life depended on it.

But his life didn't depend on anything.

Josh's did.

Missile Kid was there, hazel eyes wide as he stared at the creature in front of him. He pressed up against the wall, getting as far away from it as he possibly could.

Sweaty strands of his wild yellow hair stuck to his forehead and fell in front of his eyes as he shifted his gaze over to Tyler.

When his terrified eyes met Tyler's, both of their hearts sank at the exact same time.