You're an Angel

part two

Josh yelled at the fan to get off the stage, and the young girl was soon back in the crowd, that had surged ever closer. Tyler's attack last night took both of them to keep under control, and Mark even had to step in a few times when Tyler looked close to losing control. He'd never had an attack onstage before, but they'd planned for it. Josh flew onto his hands and knees, trying madly to get Tyler to take control and keep Blurry at bay long enough to get him back on the bus. "C'mon Ty," he encouraged, and he heard Tyler take a shaky breath. The sun was setting quickly, leaving the microphone and the big screen the only things onstage that were lit. "C'mon, you can beat him." Tyler opened his eyes, and tried to stand, slowly making his way towards the microphone. Josh stood up too, and watched him, making sure to stay quiet, and motioning to the already-silent crowd to stay that way... silent. Tyler seized up, his arms going out and his head turning up like he was yelling to the heavens, but when josh caught a glimpse of his best friend's face, he knew no one in the venue would be safe for very much longer, including Tyler. He was shaking now... and then his body language was different. He seemed in control, but darker. Stronger. And the smudged neck paint he had on before had darkened and extended even further along his jaw and up his arms. Some of the crowd got a hint and took off, and some still inched closer, doing everything they could to save the man dying right in front of them. Blurryface was taking over. 

Someone in the crowd shouted the chorus of Truce, and soon the rest of the fans were singing along, doing their best to help Tyler out of it. The body language changed again, back to a dangerously weakened Tyler. He was losing his balance. Josh sprinted towards him and put him arm around the quaking figure. Over the shouting, Tyler spoke. "Josh, get back," he said, his voice low and serious, but unsteady. He shrugged Josh's arm off his shoulders and repeated himself, his voice and body morphing once again "I said get BACK!" Blurry roared, and swung a charred black arm at the drummer. Josh fell, and hit his lower back against the corner of a block, pain shooting up into his rib cage and head. Blurry stood over him and smirked. "You're so weak. You'll never be anything to the band-- you'll never be anyone to your family, or your friends. Nothing but a weak, pitiful, little boy who can barely play the drums for a weak, pitiful band." One kick into his side. Josh rolled over and tried to get up.  Two more kicks, and then Blurry lunged at him, pinning him to the floor. The crowd was screaming and trying to help, but there was something keeping them away, an invisible barrier between the men and their fans. Blurry's hands closed around Josh's neck, and Josh kept his eyes locked with Blurry's, madly searching for a hint, any hint, of Tyler. His vision went dark, and his breathing slowed.

Blurry turned toward the crowd once more. "Be sure to tell Tyler what he did," He said, his voice low. And then he was gone.