JOSH DUN VS THE WORLD ✓

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO: I PROMISE YOU, I WILL FIX THIS

{tw: violence, death}

SAVING...

SAVING...

SAVING...

SAVING COMPLETE!

Josh can't help but laugh out of relief, finally able to breathe for a moment. Dallon is still preoccupied with Jon. He stands from his chair, not even realizing Tyler's been knocked out of his mind control.

"You dare come to me and expect me to let you kill my boyfriend?" Dallon roars. "Fat chance, Jon. Fat fucking chance."

He steps down until he's standing above Jon, grabbing the discarded sword and raising it above his head. Before he can take Jon's head off, Halsey zips in front of him, blocking his swing with a large chain connecting two large blades.

"Leave him alone!"

Dallon laughs and looks at Josh. "Of course, it's you two. You really think a little girl with Mortal Kombat weapons will be able to stop me?" He pushes the sword down, and the chain snaps.

Halsey shrieks as the sword grazes her shoulder, falling on top of Jon. Tyler catches her before Josh can get close enough.

"I'm sorry, I thought I could take him," she grimaces, clamping a hand over her bleeding shoulder.

"It's okay, Hals," Josh says reassuringly. "All that matters it that you tried."

"Tyler, take care of those two idiots while I take care of Jon," Dallon commands.

Tyler lets go of Halsey and stands up straight, pulling out another mallet. His first mallet. Josh can see a crack going halfway down the middle, the painted star flaking off.

"Of course, honey," Tyler says robotically.

He roughly pushes Josh down with his foot, pressing the mallet's head against his neck. A flicker of fear runs through Josh, and for a moment he thinks that maybe it'll take more than breaking the chip to break him out of mind control.

But then Tyler leans down, his breath tickling the back of Josh's neck. "You're gonna want to see this, love," he whispers.

Josh can't stop the smile growing across his face and he feels the mallet be raised off his neck. Tyler steps off of Josh's back and flings the mallet at Dallon, who's too busy choking Jon out to see the deadly projectile going for his head.

The mallet hits its target, knocking him to the ground. Halsey crawls to Jon and drags him off the elevated stage, getting him to a backdoor where Josh sees Debby and the others standing, safe and away from the fight. Debby winks at him.

"So, how long have I been out?" Tyler asks, helping Josh to his feet.

"A month, maybe?" Josh shrugs. "I sort of lost the concept of time after you broke up with me."

Tyler grimaces and smiles apologetically. "Sorry about that. Is it too late to recount my break up?"

"It'll never be too late."

Josh cups Tyler's face, laughing incredulously. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

Tyler leans into his touch, eyes wandering to behind him before they went as wide as saucers. "Josh, watch out!"

He turns in time to see Dallon rushing towards them, the sword in his hand erupting into flames, and pushes Tyler behind him. Dallon slashes at Tyler but Josh blocks him, the sword heating up the air. Suddenly, his throat closes up with pain. Josh stumbles back from the hit and hovers a hand over his throat, searing hot pain running through his neck and chest.

With wide eyes, he collapses backwards into Tyler, who holds him as he crumbles to the ground. He grabs for Tyler's shoulders and squeezes, trying so hard to breathe, but the only thing that comes in or out of his mouth is liquid. Hot blood fills his mouth and lungs, suffocating him and leaving him gasping for nothing.

He doesn't want to die. Not now. What happened to his happy ending?

Tyler hushes him through tears, pressing his ripped sleeve to Josh's throat. "No, no, no, no," he mutters frantically, eyes full of terror as he tries to stop the bleeding.

Josh gargles out an apology for taking so long, for not realizing it sooner, but no words come out. He's shushed, Tyler kissing his forehead softly as he cradles his head. "Look at me. Josh, please, keep your eyes on me. I love you. Don't die. Come on, stay awake for me."

He can't breathe. He can't breathe. HE CAN'T BREATHE.

Josh is shaking. Unbearable pain pulses through his body. He feels like he's dying.

"It's going to be okay, Josh," Tyler whispers. "I'm going to make it okay."

His vision is black around the edges. Is this what it's like to die?

Josh touches Tyler's face, that which he knows by heart, and can't tell if his face is wet from tears or blood. He wants to tell him how much he loves him, how badly he wanted this to work out, how it's okay. But he can't because it's not okay, because he's scared of what will happen to Tyler if he dies, because drowning on his own blood.

Josh is drowning and he can't stop the high pitched squeal from overtaking Tyler's pleas. He's shaking, convulsing like a fish out of water, except not. He's terrified. He can't feel anything except the hot white shiver that runs through his body. Why can't he feel anything? Why is this happening?

"I promise you, I will fix this," is the last thing he hears before everything else is drowned out by a deafening buzz in his bones blurring every one of his senses.

He wants to live, he wants to make jokes with Max and Hayley again, he wants to push Young Ryan around like the kid he's not, he wants to walk Halsey to school and back her senior year, he wants to tell his baby sister that he loves her, he wants to hold Tyler close again, he wants to-

Everything goes white.

GAME OVER