Glowing Eyes || Adopted by Josh Dun

a car, (a torch), a death

two years later

I still remember how that day felt. I remember everything down to what shoes I was wearing, the way the apartment smelt, how Daniel greeted me when I came into work. We were working together as waiter and waitress at the seventies style diner we had walked to since we were kids. It was our first job, and it was amazing, since the owner was practically our second mother.

That day, Josh and Tyler came into the restaurant for lunch before heading out to practice. They had done it a few times, and teased me as family does, but in a loving and caring way. I still tried to shoo them out - but they stayed. I walked home with Daniel after my shift, and he dropped me off at my apartment. The ritual for days like those were that I came home, got out of my grease-stained uniform, called Josh, called for some sort of take-out, and then Josh would come home only a few minutes after delivery.

The ritual began as normal. I changed into comfortable clothes, and called Josh. He answered happily, and I could feel his natural smile through the phone. I remember exactly what he said.

"Hey, Lynn! Work go well?"

"Yes, besides you and Tyler pestering me," I laughed.

"Aw, you know it's just because we love you," he teased.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay, important question - pizza or chinese?"

"Pizza one hundred percent."

"Gotcha. I'm going to call in the order now. Get home soon!"

"I will. Bye, Lynn. Love you."

"Love you, too."

When the pizza delivery man came to the door, I payed him and he left with a smile. The ritual was in place, and nothing was out of place... until thirty minutes passed and Josh still wasn't home.

I called him.

No answer.

My head imagined the worse, but I followed what he told me and tried to calm my brain down. There was a logical explanation - I just needed to calm down. So I sat on the couch and waited, and waited, and waited.

Meanwhile, just to the left of the stretch of LA I could see from the living room window, a taxi had been t-boned by a semi truck that ran a red light. The semi truck driver didn't notice the light change. He was calling his daughter and was distracted. He was left intact and safe, but the two people in the taxi were not as lucky. One died upon impact, and the other barely survived. He was rushed to the hospital, and had three cracked ribs, a completely crushed left leg, a severe concussion, a broken elbow, and various gashes that needed immediate stitching.

And then, instead of a knock on the door - I got a call.

Holley Hospital.

I picked up the phone, rigid, praying to whatever would listen for it to please, please be a wrong number. Please don't be Josh. Please, please don't be Josh.

"Is this Lynn Dun?"

"Yes."

"I'm calling about your father. He was just admitted into the hospital. He got in a car accident-"

I hung up the phone and did the only thing I knew how to do - I ran.

///////

By the time I got to the hospital, I was out of breath and my vision was clouded with tears. I was barely coherent as I gasped to the lady at the front desk that my dad was the one who just got into the car accident. I needed to see him.

They took me up a few floors into urgent care, and I was told by some voice behind me that I had to wait in the waiting room, but my mind didn't process the words. I ran down the hall, looking in through the windows of the rooms to find him...

I finally got to the room. I slowly opened the door, and I remember the feeling of my soul sinking into my toes as I looked at him.

His face was badly bruised, his leg was marred beyond recognition, he had newly-stitched cuts all over him. Beyond it, though, I saw him. He was there. I dropped to the floor, sobbing. In that moment, I felt the world fall around me. I felt the hospital slowly float to ash around Josh and I. The world felt so, so quiet as I stared at him. But he didn't stare back. He was still and unmoving, the only indicator he was still alive being his heart monitor beating steadily.

My heart ached as I remembered everything I'd done with him. I remembered rollerskating. I remembered making scrambled eggs in the morning. I remembered doing homework while he played his drums. I remembered my fourteenth birthday with him at Disney World. I remembered when he picked me up on the street after looking for me for hours. I remembered eating pizza with him and watching The X-Files until I fell asleep. I remembered going to Columbus with him for Christmas. I remembered when I first walked into his apartment, and how it smelt like sweet mint. I remembered when he first let me stay at that little coffee shop to get away from my mom.

I heard someone come in the room. Some familiar voice that I didn't want to listen to.

"Lynn... Lynn, it's going to be okay... he wouldn't want you to see him like this... please, Lynn... Lynn you're alright, he's alright, he's going to be okay..."

I looked across the room at Josh, still and unmoving in the hospital bed. I hiccupped and sobbed, trying to get to him as Tyler held me back in his arms, hugging me to his chest as he cried, too.

I finally stopped pulling against him, too tired, and couldn't bear to look at Josh anymore. I turned back into Tyler's chest, and he hugged me close, his tears falling on my back and shoulders.

"I-Is he going to die?" I asked quietly.

Tyler stayed silent for a while, before answering in what seemed like a distant whisper, "I don't know, Lynn. I don't know."