Free & Flightless (Trench)

Chapter 16- Josh

Josh woke up to a loud ringing in his ears and the sound of whispering in a distant area. Every muscle in his body ached for an unnamed reason, and he couldn't help but let a quiet groan of pain escape from in between his apparently bleeding lips. The pain he was currently experiencing was quite unimaginable for him—like pain he had never experienced before.
A voice yanked him out of the apparent darkness that was the pain, and his eyes fluttered open slowly. He winced at the sudden light that streamed through from his eyelashes and he wanted to shut his eyes again. A warm hand was placed on his (as he now noticed) bare shoulder. Josh's eyes focused, and he saw that not far at all from his face, was Tyler, whose eyes were wide with concern and farting across Josh. 
"Tyler?" Josh croaked. Ouch, talking hurt as well. Perhaps the Bishops did damage to my voice box.. Josh thought.
"I'm sorry this happened, Josh. I'm so sorry." Tyler murmured. Josh had many questions. Like how did Tyler get out? Why was he blaming himself? And what the hell happened to Josh?
"Tyler, it's fine, just tell me what..happened.." Josh slowed down his sentence from another wave of pain that came. Tyler disappeared from out of Josh's sight, and he momentarily panicked, just for a second, before he heard Tyler's voice, along with the sound of rummaging through drawers.
"The Bishops got you. I have to assume it was Brendon's fault, since he's not who I..well, you thought he was." Tyler began. His voice was rather tranquil and calm for Tyler. Not that Josh had known Tyler for long though, it hadn't been long at all. It still felt like a lifetime, however.
"Wait, we're in dema?" Josh asked, struggling a bit to see. It didn't seem very Dema-like. More...fabric-y.
"No, no, we were but I got us out," Tyler said it so utterly casually that Josh almost didn't believe him. The small, and yes, squirt-like Tyler got them out?
"How?" Josh asked, bewildered. Tyler came into view holding some herbs Josh didn't recognize. Tyler smiled a bit at Josh. It was a fake smile though, Josh could read through every mask of happiness because he wore one of his own constantly.
"I'm not sure, honestly. You're really heavy, by the way." Tyler said, now out of view and putting something wet and cold onto Josh's back. Josh flinched a bit before relaxing. He could almost feel the presumed cuts and slashed on his bare back heading in the moment.
"You carried me?" Josh asked.
"Tried to. I gave up halfway through. You're like, twice my size." Tyler commented.
"I am not!" Josh exclaimed, laughing lightly before flinching at how he could feel the slashes react to too much movement.
"You totally are. Muscle wise, anyway, you're like a beast." Tyler mused, sticking his head into view of Josh. He had a thoughtful expression on his face, along with a slightly more real smile.
"Well, where are we?" Josh asked, changing the subject.
"Bandito camp. Not the original one, they said something about moving? You're just in the medical tent, is what they called it. And the medical lady died, so now I'm doing it for them because I used to have to treat my own wounds back in dema because the same thing that happened to you happened to me on several occasions." Tyler said hurriedly.
"Nico hurt you..like this?" Josh practically spat the words that came rolling off his tongue in the abrupt realization. And he paused.
"Rose died?" He whispered. Tyler paused and looked at Josh.
"If that is medical lady's name, then yes," Tyler answered, a hint of sadness in his voice. Josh rubbed his temples, now stressed with a feeling of dread hanging over his head.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Tyler said.
"I didn't know her very well. She always helped me when I was little though and climbed too high." Josh said thoughtfully.
"Believing you could touch the stars," Tyler murmured. Josh looked at Tyler, mildly surprised. Did Kid-Tyler think the same thing as Josh had?
"Yeah." Josh murmured back thoughtfully.
"Dreaming of outer space," Tyler murmured, eyes sparkling almost like the thought was a wonderful memory. His expression faltered.
"And then they're laughing at your face." He mumbled. Josh stared, surprised.
"I get that.." Josh said quietly, hoping to not have to face that anger Tyler had shown. Tyler shook his head a bit, tossing his slightly overgrown hair as he did so.
"But, uh...you asked earlier if Nico hurt me like that. And yeah. He calls it the affliction, and I thought it was a real disease for quite a long time. Until I realized it was really self awareness." Tyler explained while soothingly putting something on Josh's wounds.
"How do you mean?" Josh asked, desperate for distraction from the overwhelming pain that was his body.
"I was becoming aware Dema wasn't a utopia or dystopia, or perfect at all. So they went to convert me, they called it. It didn't work. So they did it again. And I decided to pretend it was perfect. And that was when you found Nico yelling at me, and that was when my flower vase nearly fell on you. And now we are here." Tyler said. He had a smile across his chapped and faded lips.
"How'd you realize Dema wasn't perfect? When I first met you, you seemed like such an utterly clueless guy, no offense." Josh was sincerely interested. He wanted to know everything about Tyler.
"I..." Tyler began to speak, but his voice faltered and his small shoulders slumped. Josh tilted his head, causing his hair to fall over his mocha eyes. He brushed it away hurriedly, looking at Tyler with a concerned expression on his face.
"Tyler...Ty?" Josh whispered, voice all soft and warmth. Josh watched Tyler slowly look up, reluctantly meeting Josh's eyes. He held so much emotion in those two eyes, it was almost inhuman.
"It was my best friend. My only friend. Clancy."

A/n: random question: mcr cancer, or tøp cancer cover?
Thank you for 303 reads!