A FRACTURE IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS ✓

TYLER

Tyler watched as Brad and Mark explained the second case, hearing what they were saying yet not listening. He couldn't stop thinking about how the cops had finally caught up to him. They wouldn't find him, but that didn't make the threat of being caught any less so.

Ever since that Tyler went from experiencing every emotion too intensely to feeling almost nothing at all. He knew he was getting unwanted attention because of it, but he could no longer think about controlling his emotions. Not when he finally accepted how good killing made him feel, and how Josh was probably in the bathroom having a panic attack because of the probability that his bastard of a father killed another innocent woman, and her kids as well.

"Josh?" Tyler called out cautiously into the women's restroom after finding the men's room empty.

Sniff. "Ty?"

"Joseph?" Sarah's voice came from the stall beside Josh's.

"Orzechowski?"

Tyler sat down between the two stalls. He saw a needle and the bottom half of Sarah's slumped body from under the stall door.

"How much?"

"What?" Sarah crowed.

"How much?" He repeated. "Heroin, I mean."

Josh opened the door, his eyes red and his cheeks puffy. He must've thrown up.

"Heroin? Jesus, I knew you'd relapsed, but-"

"Stop talking, both of you," she snapped.

Tyler got on his knees and ducked his head so he could see the plastic wrapped around her bicep, healed and unhealed puncture marks scattered around the inside of her elbow. She was awake still, but probably not for long.

"Sarah, please open the door," he said softly, trying to coerce her with a scared tone.

After a moment, she did, and Tyler immediately wrapped her in a hug. Just because he couldn't feel emotions didn't mean he couldn't try and fake them as well as he could.

"Let us help you, please," he whispered.

She dug her fingers into his shoulder and sobbed, clinging to him like a cub to its mother. Tyler stood her up carefully.

"I- I'll get Brad," Josh said, his voice trembling.

Tyler nodded, pulling the rubber off her arm and throwing it to the ground. She was shaking, her cold skin shiny with sweat.

"When was the last time you were in rehab?" He asked.

"O-October," Sarah stammered. "Just after you..."

He held her at the bathroom entrance as Brad in, grabbing her arms and inspecting her eyes. "Oh, shit. What the hell, Sarah?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she cried softly.

Brad took her from Tyler, nodding at him. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

Josh, who stood behind Brad, moved to let them through. He looked up at Tyler, his eyes red. Tyler held his arms out, and even though Josh was taller, he somehow managed to bury his face in his chest.

"He killed her," Josh mumbled almost incoherently. "He fucking killed her."

"I know, baby," Tyler cooed, rubbing his back. "But we don't have proof yet. Don't let your emotions get to you."

He was probably being a hypocrite, seeing how despite his lack of emotions, one still lingered.

Unhinged rage.

It wasn't a secret that he was having trouble channeling it into the right direction. But now with this new case, he knew exactly what to do with that pent up anger.

Kill Bill. He chuckled at the thought.

Tyler held Josh until he calmed down, his breathing slowing down to an average pace. He kissed Josh softly, tasting salty tears and a touch of blood. He must've bitten his lip. For some reason, it triggered a flood of images from that night, that knife in his hands, the blood in his mouth, the muscle and bone sticking out from the gashes.

"I want to apologize for the why I've been acting lately," he said before Josh could apologize for crying and before he could have a physical reaction to the memory. "I've been a huge dick. I don't know what had gotten into me, but I didn't think about how my actions were affecting the team. It was selfish and ducked up. So... I'm sorry."

Josh sniffled. "I appreciate that, Ty. But I'm not the only one you need to apologize to."

"Right. I'll talk to Dal on the way to Cali."

He kissed him again. Josh gently touched the scars on the corners of Tyler's mouth.

"Don't kill Bill when I'm gone," he joked.

Tyler grinned. "No promises."