The Forest (alternative ending)

- | Chapter 20 / -

"Everything is blue-black... For me."
Josh whispers this to himself, with a slight frown. Again, remembering the lingering thought of hitting Tyler.

He remembered, the back of his hand making contact with the pink-red-orange skin of Tyler's cheeck, just for a quick moment of time.

But that's all the touch Josh needs to remember the feeling, the presence of Tyler. But now he's left with, purple-red.

"Uneasiness." 
That's what Tyler called it.

Josh was caught up, drowning in his blue-black thoughs of his best friend.
So much that it was only a matter of time before he could hear the loud, infuriating thumps of his father's feet colliding with each step.

Josh no longer felt his last bit of yellow-purple, now feeling insecure.

"Joshua..." was the name, that menacingly rolled off of his father's tounge. Then followed by a wiggle at the doorknob.

Josh felt his heart racing out of his chest, along with black crowding his peripheral vision. He then saw his drunken father charging towards him.

He attempted to defend himself... Which was kicking out a leg.
Which ended up getting thrown asside, followed by a rather eduring beating.

It was a just a blue-black blur to Josh, nothing different than the previous beatings. An excruciating kick to the stomach, followed by two heymackers.

One was left turning the skin around Josh's mocha eyes blue-black. And right after one to his c-major lips.

To top off the fun, Josh looked up to see a beer bottle colliding with his forehead, creating a gash with... red, crimson blood.

As soon as his father stepped foot out of Josh's room, he lightly rested his back off of the side of his bed. He inhaled, and exhaled, feeling his lungs fill, and painfully deflate. Josh sat in silence for a while. Not realizing the many tears managing to escape from his eyes.

Pain.
Pain surged through Josh's body with each step he took. He had quietly left his 'home', and is now heading to a place that did however, give Josh a well needed, yellow-purple feeling.

A sigh escaped fron Josh's lips as he entered the forest. It was still day, so in the distance Josh heard the slight honking of car horns, and people murmuring.

As each step brought Josh closer to the tree house, the image of a slight orange glow, turned into the smell of a flame, into the sound of a fire cracking and popping...

To then the sight, of the tree house engulfed in flames. Josh ran quickly, at loss for words. He put his hands on his head, dumbfounded. But also attempting to hold back the quickly seeping blood from his head. He then had one though cross his mind,

"Tyler."

Josh climbed the not yet burning ladder, and cautiously patted down the clothing of this burning friend.

After Josh carefully laid his friend down on the grass, he had time to examine his features. His beautiful, pink-red-orange face. Josh ran his fingers through Tyler's rich, brown hair.

Josh could see the slight burns on Tyler's cheecks, nose, lips, you name it. Josh then lightly rubbed a thumb on the spot where he had struck Tyler, now seeing a fresh burn, melting away his flesh. As he saw this, reality set into place.

"Wait- no! Tyler, please!" With a slight tapping on his face.

"Please wake up!"

Josh was pleading to have the warm presence of his friend, just as Tyler had been before.

Josh reached to his back pocket and slid out his cracked, and most likely dead phone. Josh could see his terrified reflection looking back at him, then the bright screen.

"Fuck- 9%..."

Josh quickly dialed 911 while still softly running his fingers through Tyler's hair.

After that, everything was another huge, blue-black blur. But one thing Josh remembered was looking at Tyler, seeing the man he loved, and adored, turn wavy and morphed when he squinted eyes, which were filled with tears. Then again seeing the slight burns on Tyler's face. This is not the how he's supposed to be.

On the ride to the hospital, Josh let a soft whisper travel to Tyler's ear.

"I- please Ty. I'm sorry. Please come back."