A while later, Josh was deep in a dream. He was seeing phantoms shifting around in the forest, always moving and even shifting the scenery. Then, the scent of burning wood hit his nostrils from inside the dream and the forest with phantoms set on fire. Josh woke with a start, swiveling his head. There were flames around every corner and Tyler was standing above it all, with a gas can and a lighter in hand.
"Tyler! What the hell?!" Josh grabbed the gas can from Tyler's hand and set it on the ground.
Tyler wasn't responding. Even so, the brown-haired teen had to get him out of there.
The ladder was half burnt, it was a good 8 feet up so he forced Tyler to climb down first, then the ladder broke while Tyler was still 4 feet up. He dropped like a rock onto the ground, splayed there without moving. Josh took a leap of faith as the flames licked at his bare skin,
He tried his best to roll or do something to make the impact less. Still, he hit the ground and pain shot up his spine.
"Tyler, get the hell up!"
Ty blinked, pulling himself up quickly, "JOSH, WHAT THE HELL?!" he stared at the licking flames on the old wood.
"Yeah, that's what I said too."
The fire was going to spread, they had to call the fire department.
Josh grabbed Tyler's hand, sprinting through the trees.
"Why do I smell gas on my hands?"
"Because you started it, goddammit!"
Tyler was taken aback but kept running.
Josh leaped over the fence while Ty was still struggling.
Finally, Ty made it over and Josh was in the kitchen on the phone.
He opened the slider door, as Joshua spoke frantically into the phone, the operator attempting to calm him down while contacting the authorities.
"Josh...this is not what I had planned...I made him promise."
"Well, you shouldn't trust your demons," Josh said with a scowl.
"Don't give me that attitude, I don't even remember how it started."
"I ALMOST DIED." The brunette yelled and stomped into the bathroom, still on the phone.
Tyler swallowed the tears, hearing the siren's pull up to the glowing forest.
Everything was being pulled into this big black hole. The air was felt thin, Tyler passed out onto the kitchen floor as Josh reached for him with reflexes that were too late.
The dream that followed the blackout was odd, very underwhelming.
It was peaceful. A waterfall rushing softly into a moonlit pool. The water was crystal clear with moss-covered rocks at the bottom. Tyler felt an urge to step into it, so he did. Still fully clothed, the water was warm but not hot. He heard footsteps behind him, and turned around.
It was Blurry.
Blurry stepped into the pool solemnly, no smiling or cackling like a maniac. His black hands seemed to pollute the area around the water but it didn't spread.
"This is where I go," he said after a long silence.
"To do what?"
"Hide." Blurry used his index finger to make miniature whirlpools in the clear water, "Sometimes I need some time to think as well...and not only to destroy everything." Tyler was surprised, he'd never really seen Blurry stay this calm for this long.
"I never intended to hurt anyone when I first appeared in this...paradise,"
Fireflies came out of nowhere and lit up the air,
"I was...nothing, just a cloud of darkness and fear."
"When...when did it start?" asked Ty, his lips pursing.
"The abuse."
Tyler's memories began to replay, he never talked about his dad or liked him all that much considering he had drunkenly abused his mother when he was 9 through 12 years old until his mother finally divorced him.
"How did you develop this form you have now?" Tyler asked, picking at the velvety grass beside him.
"I honestly don't really know, it just kind of formed like that," replied Blurry while he stared at his blackened hands, "I just wanted to say that...I've lost control, you're an angry person and all of that anger gets stored into me."
Tyler understood Blurry was, after all, everything that Ty didn't like or stored away about himself. So the reality was that he himself was Blurryface. No matter how he looked at it.
"There's no way you can escape me." he said softly, "I am you."
Blurry waved his hand and flashing lights blinded him awake, an EMT was kneeling over.
Waving a flashlight in his eyes.
"He's awake." said the EMT.
Josh sighed in relief, pulling Ty up to his feet.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good.." Tyler replied quietly.
Josh threw his arms around Tyler, squeezing.
"I'm so sorry...you have to go through this crap" Joshua was about to cry but swallowed it back.
"Hey...no...I've got this."
With a solemn smile, Joshua pulled Tyler into the bedroom with concern.
Sitting him down on the bed, "What happened?" he was standing directly in front.
"Blurry...took over and tried to kill us both."
Joshua scowled, "If only I could beat him."
"I know there's a way, but, I'm not really sure at this point."
Tyler was overwhelmed with emotions and broke down into his hands.
Everything was falling apart at the seams, feeling hopeless. Despite seeing that Blurry wasn't a naturally angry or demented entity, Ty knew that he would make his way through his veins.
To him, getting taken over was the equivalent of committing suicide, since now he knew that Blurry was a culmination of the anger inside. If he could just pull out all the anger and place it somewhere else, it'd make a huge difference. This battle would be so much easier.
The sirens continued as Tyler's mom came home, "Ty...what happened?" she asked as she opened the front door, having already seen the fire department roaming the woods. He swallowed nervously, "The treehouse set on fire..." Josh kept himself silent on the edge of the bed.
His mom ran over and held him in a warm embrace, "Were you hurt?" he shook his head in her shoulder. "What started it?" she asked suddenly before the silence could really sink in. He pulled away shamefully.
"I did..." Ty couldn't lie to her again.
Her eyes filled with tears, "Why would you do that?" her voice cracked.
"I...can't remember." that was very true, he had no memory of ever bringing a gas can or going as far as to set the entire tree house on fire. It was his and Josh's sanctuary, he'd never purposefully take it away.
Of course, Tyler already knew who. The only one who would've done it.
The odd thing was, why would Blurry do that after such a heartwarming conversation? There was the possibility that it was just to manipulate Ty into letting his guard down, but he could shake the emotions he saw in Blurry. All the self-doubts and hatred he had for himself-
"Was...Josh inside?" she had been looking at Josh in the middle of his own thoughts.
"I-" he stopped then sighed, "Yes..."
Her eyes filled with fear, "Then, was he hurt?"
"Thankfully not." Tyler really was thankful for the fact that Josh was alive and safe.
He wouldn't be able to bear the thought of his only best friend being...burnt alive, especially when the blood would be on his own hands. Of course, Ty would take the blame, he wasn't a complete coward or anything of the like.
Tyler's mom sighed in relief.
Josh gave her a warm smile, "It was only an accident." he lied.
Ty was sure he had never heard Josh lie before so it was odd to see him do so, but it was for the benefit of his mother.
With the setting sun peering through the window, basking Ty's room in a warm glow.
Joshua seemed to be studying Ty, slightly unnerved due to the whole incident.
"What...what even happened?" he finally spoke into the somber silence.
Tyler rubbed his face with his hands stressfully, "I don't really know, except Blurryface-"
"Will you stop it with the damn Blurryface?" Josh spat angrily, "Take responsibility for what you did for once!" he wasn't yelling but it sure felt like it to Ty.
The words rebounding through his head, Take responsibility for what you did.
Tears welled in the corner of his eyes as cast his gaze to the floor.
As bad as Josh felt for yelling at Tyler, it was starting to get repetitive.
His arms wrapped around Ty, almost awkwardly, but it was a hug nonetheless.
Tyler gritted his teeth.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered shakily into Josh's chest.
"Listen, I don't understand what is happening to you at all..." he paused to gather his words, "The least I can do at this point is support you, so just try to love me and I'll try and save you..."
Josh pulled Tyler closer, adjusting himself so that Tyler's legs were laying on top of Joshua's own.
He wasn't really caring about the fact that is was a quite...interesting way to hug...to say the least.
The point was to comfort Ty in these trying days. Tyler wiped his tears and smiled as he pulled back to look at Josh with wistful eyes, "You know...I really wish that we could turn back time..."
Joshua chuckled, "Don't we all?"
Tyler shrugged, "Those were good days, I mean...for me at least."
"What's the earliest memory you have?"
"When mom sang me to sleep...," he said almost instantaneously with cloudy eyes, "I think about that a lot before dad got drunk and...you know...everything." he was mentioning himself, how he changed with everything that happened.
Josh searched for an answer, "Yeah...I guess I haven't told you much of my childhood though, have I?"
Tyler blinked in realization, "True, any fond memories for you?"
"I remember baking pancakes with my dad on Mondays." he replied with a slight tilt of his head, "Blueberry, if I remember correctly."
"Yummy...but why not anymore?"
Josh's frame shrank slightly as he furrowed his eyebrows, "He...passed away."
"Oh, dude, I didn't-"
"No. It's okay, I should be over it by now anyway..." Josh choked with a somber smile.
"Of course it's not okay, it's your father, what's important is that you keep your head up." Tyler finished with a smile as he pulled himself closer to Josh, wrapping his arms around him once again.