A FRACTURE IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS ✓

JOSH

The team stood around Jenna's phone sitting on the conference, every single one of them stunned. They just listened to Dallon die over the speakerphone, and it was Tyler who killed him. Josh knew the voice that whispered "I'm so sorry" right before hanging up almost as well as his own.

It was Tyler.

Jenna's chest picked up pace as the call dropped, her voice raw from screaming. She had a hand clutching the front of her shirt in an iron grip, tears coating her puffy cheeks. Josh hadn't seen her this distraught since Breezy's funeral.

She was also the first to be released from their shock induced silence, snatching up the phone and dialing Dallon's number again. Brad reached over to stop her, but the moment his hand touched her shoulder, Jenna cowered away, snarling.

"Don't touch me," she growled, clutching the phone to her heart. "I made a promise."

"Jenna-"

"No! I told Breezy I'd watch over him after she was gone. I promised her, and I failed!"

"We all did," Mark mumbled, staring into the empty space in front of him.

The call must've gone unanswered again because Jenna stuttered a string of swear words under her breath and redialed, holding the phone up to her ear. It was so quiet that Josh could hear it go straight to voicemail.

Jenna screamed in frustration and threw the phone across the room, the glass no doubt shattering on impact. Brad pulled her into a hug, cradling her as she cried.

Josh wrapped his arms tightly around his body, unable to process what was happening. He'd been so shocked when Jenna said that he could be the killer, but he never would've thought-

"We- we need to find him." Jenna pulled out of Brad's hold, her body shaking. "Judah, you were the last one to see them, where did they go?" She demanded.

"The- the hotel," he answered.

Mark exchanged a look with Josh. They were the ones who knew him best. If Tyler was there and unhinged, he wouldn't come quietly. He would fight it and use their emotions against them.

Brad cleared his throat. "We're leaving now."

The ride to the hotel was quiet and stiff. Josh knew the other were asking themselves what they could've done to prevent this. But he was the only one to blame- not because he saw this coming, but because he didn't.

Brad and Judah went in first, guns in hand. Jenna and Mark went after them, and Josh followed behind them. As soon as he stepped into the room, his whole body turned to stone.

Tyler hadn't even tried to hide, looking up from his fetal position on the couch as Jenna dragged him to his feet by his arm. He wasn't wearing the same button down shirt as earlier in the day, instead he wore one of Josh's.

"Black, what's going on?" He asked. "Ow! You're hurting me!"

"What, just like you hurt Dallon?" She snapped, roughly handcuffing him.

His eyes went wide. "Dallon? What happened to Dallon?"

Josh had to lower his eyes to the floor to avoid his burning, authentically confused gaze. He walked into the bathroom, seeing Brad slowly bag up Tyler's government issued gun.

"You don't think-" the rest of his sentence died in his throat as Judah picked up Tyler's button down from earlier in the day, dried blood covering the front and the sleeves. He almost gagged.

"Tyler Joseph," Mark began. "You are under arrest for the seventeen counts of murder-"

"Murder?!" Tyler exclaimed.