Hounded

3. He's upset because he doesnt know how.

Josh has been leaving from the school as soon as the bell rings and heading straight for the Gravestone mansion for the last few days. Tyler  has grown drastically more comfortable around Josh but was quiet for the most part, only growling when he was upset or irritated other than that he was silent.

Today when Josh entered the house he could hear Tyler in the living room. He sounded upset, really upset. Josh walked in and seen Tyler laying on the ground, crying and freaking out to himself. "Tyler?" Josh asked softly.

Tyler looked up quickly before disappearing. Josh sighed. "Ty? Tyler? Come on man, its okay... I'm not here to hurt you.." josh said. He Tyler didnt reappear he looked around the room. "Come on ty, I can't help you if you keep hiding." He said.

He heard Tyler sniffle and looked up in a corner and seen Tyler up there, eyes red rimmed and puffy, glowing yellow, his cheeks tear stained and his teeth on display.  He was breathing heavy. "Come down please." Josh said softly.

Tyler sniffled and dropped down to the floor, standing in front of Josh. "What happened?" Josh asked. Tyler looked away, thinking. He looked back at Josh frowning slightly before looking around, trying to find something he use use to explain.

When he found nothing it made him more upset and he made an angry whiney sound. Josh raised his eyebrows as Tyler started throwing open cupboards and drawers looking for something to explain himself.

When he still found nothing he yelled, freaking out even more. "Hey, he-hey!" Josh yelled grabbing Tyler's arms. "Calm down. You're fine." He said. Tyler's growls faded to frustrated sobs and more tears spilled down his cheeks.

"Hey its okay." Josh whispered, slowly lowering Tyler to the ground and hugging him. "Whats wrong hm?" Josh asked. Tyler gripped his hair and pointed to his head as if that would let Josh know. "What about your head?" Josh asked. Tyler whined, his point still not being made.

He was beyond frustrated and didnt know what to do. "You dont know how to communicate what it is you're feeling... do you?" Josh asked. Tyler let out another sob, sniffling. "Can you try to speak? Tell me a word that might help?" Josh asked.

Tyler tried to think of one but none came to mind and he whined angrily, pulling on his hair. "Hey look it's okay I dont need to know." Josh said, hugging Tyler back to his chest.

That's not the point though, Tyler wanted him to know and he hated that he couldnt tell him. "Mind. Mind, mind, mind." Tyler said hitting the side of his head semi gently with his fist. "Okay okay, what about your mind?" Josh asked, grabbing tylers wrists so hed stop hitting himself.

Tyler let out another frustrated noise. He was trying so hard but wasnt receiving anything helpful. Josh rubbed his back. "Mem-.. mem- uh..uh. mem." Tyler said. "Mem? What's mem?" Josh asked. "Mem!" Tyler yelled. "Okay okay um... mem-.. membrane?" Josh asked to which Tyler let out another sob.

"No okay uh... member?" Josh asked. Tyler whined. "Mem-.. memory?" Josh asked. Tyler nodded frantically, he was getting somewhere. "Okay what memory? Is there a memory upsetting you?" Josh asked. Tyler nodded again.

"What memory?" Josh asked. Tyler looked around before grabbing one of the left over experiment reports that he hadn't burnt yet and shoved it at Josh, he was hyperventilating at this point. "... the-the hospital?... the experiments?" Josh asked looking up.

Tyler nodded again. "Okay okay, you're okay. No more experiments okay? Nothings gonna hurt you. You're not going back they can't hurt you anymore." Josh whispered, trying to wipe away Tyler's tears.

He hugged Tyler again as he kept crying. "PTSD?.. do you know what that is?" Josh asked. Tyler made a frantic noise of approval, that's what hes been trying to say the whole time  but he didn't know how. He only knew what it was from being at the hospital his whole life, he learned a lot of things there. "Okay... whyd you get even more upset after I got here? Is it cause you couldn't tell me?" Josh asked.

Tyler sniffled and nodded. "Thats okay, you dont gotta get upset when you can't find a way to communicate, we'll figure it out sooner or later." Josh said. He spent the next little whole rubbing Tyler's back and whispering things to him to calm him down enough to fall asleep. Josh slowly laid back to lay on the floor with Tyler on his chest.

Tyler slept for about an hour before Josh's phone rang and woke him. He was startled and immediately went up in a corner, staring at Josh with wide eyes. "Hey hey no, it's just my phone." Josh said softly, pulling the device out of his pocket and answering it.

Tylr dropped down as Josh spoke to the person on the other line. Josh was on the phone with brendon, who was wondering where he was. When Josh told him he said that him and Dallon would be right there. Josh hung up while Tyler went over to the pile of candy that was starting to run low.

He picked up a bar and used his teeth to rip it open before he ate it. "Brendon and Dallon are coming... yknow my friends that were with me when we met?" Josh asked. Tyler only nodded.

He still got startled when they showed up though, he had forgotten they were on the way and got scared when he heard the door close. Josh calmed him again as the other two boys came and sat down next to them.

Tyler stared at them for a second before leaning on Josh's shoulder and rubbing his head against it. It reminded Josh of a cat that wanted to be pet so that's what he did, gently he raised his hand to play with Tyler's hair and the boy hummed happily.

"Hes so weird dude." Dallon said. "Hes not weird hes cute." Josh said, smiling at Tyler softly. Tyler made a purring type noise when Josh scratched his scalp lightly. "The hospital was wrong when they said you were dangerous... you're just a little cuddle bug." Josh chuckled.

"Fren." Tyler whispered. Josh smiled while brendon and dallon looked startled. "He talks?" Brendon asked. Josh nodded. "Not much and not very well but a few words." He said. The other two nodded.

"Do you think he'll ever leave here? Like this house? He seems pretty dead set on staying here." Brendon said. Josh looked down at Tyler who had moved to lay down with his head on Josh's lap. "What do you think Tyler? Gonna stay here forever?" He asked.

Tyler nodded. "Really?" Josh asked. Tyler nodded again. "Safe." He whispered. "You're safe here?" Josh asked to which Tyler nodded again. "How so?" Josh asked. Tyler sat up and looked around. He grabbed the papers again and shoved them at Josh.

"Safe from the hospital?" Josh asked. Tyler nodded. Tyler was never going back. He didnt care. He was safe here at the mansion and that's all he cared about at the moment. As long as the doctors couldnt get to him hes okay.

When it started getting late Tyler was left by himself again. He watched the other boys leave from the front step. When they disappeared from sight he looked at his feet before walking into the house. He walked around the entire house, picking up old items that were left behind and admiring them.

Old pictures, cups, mirrors, figurines they must be antiques by now. He found himself upstairs in the master bedroom. He walked over to the giant mirror that covered the entirety of one of the walls. He stared at himself.

The bruises on his cheeks and cuts on his nose looked worse than they had when he left the hospital. He shut his eyes and flashbacks from how he got them rushed through his mind. His eyes had dark circles under them and he looked tired. He looked horrible in entirety, and it was a result of the hospital.

He was mad at the hospital, at the doctors, the experiments. His mind was racing and suddenly his fist was shattering the glass with a frustrated scream. He sighed to himself and sat down in front of the broken mirror. He stared at himself in what was left of the cracked glass.

He sat for a while before a dull stinging in his fist brought him out of his thoughts.  He looked down, tilting his head at his shard of glass sticking out of his knuckles. He tried to pull it out but it hurt too much so he left it there, blood seeped out of the wound and stained the glass as he stood. The red dripped to the carpeted floor and seeped into the fabric.

He didnt pay any mind to it it hurt too much and he decided if He ignored it itll go away, he only traveled back downstairs. He ate a bag of chips before curling up next to the small pile of candy and going to sleep.

(So what do you guys think of Tyler so far? Or the story in general?)