The Quest For The Car Radio

The Beginning

It was a cold winter day in Columbus, Ohio. The two band members were sitting on the sofa in Tyler's house, hidden away in the city suburbs. The air was still, except for the TV playing the theme tune from Toddlers and Tiaras. Josh's favourite TV show. 'You're out of the band' was on the tip of Tyler's tongue when Josh spoke up,

"Hey Tyler?"

"Yeah Jim?"

"If I left the band," Josh said, "Would it be called 10.5 Pilots?"

"Josh... we aren't the pilots."

"Then who are?"

"I...I don't think you understand, Josh."

Tyler was about to explain the name of the band when Jenna walked in. She saw Tyler and Josh sitting beside each other on the couch, hugging. She didn't say anything because that's how they always sit when they are watching TV.

"Do you want to come to forever21 with me, Tyler?"

"That sounds really fun but no thanks. I'm spending the day with Josh,"

Jenna was confused because normally Tyler would never reject an invitation to go shopping at forever21.

"Where are you two going?" She asked,

"Wherever our minds take us," Tyler said, his gaze drifting out the window.

Jenna shrugged and walked out, leaving the grown men to hug while watching toddlers battle to win a beauty pageant.

"I thought you said that you had a plan for today Tyler." Josh said,

"I do,"

"Then why did you tell Jenna we didn..."

Tyler immediately shushed him, putting his finger to the other man's lips,

"Obviously I couldn't tell her, it's our secret."

"I don't even know it, you won't tell me," Josh furrowed his brow,

"Ugh, fine." Tyler sighed, slouching into the couch, "I'll tell you."

Josh sat up, looking at Tyler with anticipation,

"We are going to try and find..." Tyler gazed out the window again, "my stolen car radio."

Josh gasped, covering his mouth with his hand. He wasn't really that shocked, he just liked making Tyler feel like his dramatic phrasing and pauses had an effect on him.

"But you keep saying the song is a metaphor for being alone in your hea.."

Tyler once again put his finger to the drummers lips, "Shhhhhhh Jimsh," He said, "Let me explain."

So Josh sat silently, holding his cat pillow close while Tyler got up and walked towards the calendar on the kitchen wall.

"It happened in the winter of 2007, on December 19th," Tyler simultaneously pointed at the same date on the calendar, which happened to be a calendar from 2007,

"How did you get a calendar from 2007?" Josh asked,

"All in good time," Tyler said, then went back to telling his story, "I was alone in my car, sitting in the car park of Taco Bell. I was just about to take a bite of my taco when I heard a knock on the passenger side window..."

Josh's paused for a second, unable to make a sound,

"... it was the manager of Taco Bell, he came to tell me that I had forgotten my change and gave me 2 dollars."

Josh sighed in relief.

"BUT THEN," Tyler screamed, making Josh throw his cat pillow in the air, "HE PULLED OUT A GUN,"

"AH," Josh screamed, jumping a little in his seat,

"Exactly!" Tyler replied,

"Well! What did you do?"

"I reversed the car as quickly as I could before the manager could open the passenger door,"

"Did you get away?"

"No I went too far back and crashed into a lamp-post that was in the middle of the car park,"

Josh leaned in closer, clinging on to Tyler's every word,

"I would tell you more Jim, but that's when I blacked out,"

"What?" Josh said, raising his voice a little, "How?"

"I hit my head against the steering wheel when the car hit the post. The last thing I saw was the manager getting in the passenger door and going towards the radio with a screwdriver."

"So how are we going to find the man who stole your car radio?" Josh asked, still really confused,

"Well I have some ideas but first we need to go to the Taco Bell where it all happened,

"Which one was it?"

"It's the one down the road, about 5 minutes from here. We could walk there actually."

Josh jumped out of his seat and ran to the coat rack, grabbing his coat that was covered in tiny pictures of cats. Tyler got it for him on his last birthday. "I'm ready Tyler. Let's go find your car radio."

The two grown men left the house, ready to find a car radio that was stolen 7 years ago. Tyler was hopeful that they would find it while Josh was thinking about cats and there was only one thing they both knew for sure, and that this was going to be a long, long journey.

To Be Continued...