Empathy [Josh Dun - Twenty One Pilots]

TWENTY THREE

Tyler chuckled, letting the false silence that followed answer Josh's question. "We don't need to talk," he thought. "We only need to think."

Josh still had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that he could talk to his best friend without actually having to open his mouth, but it definitely blew his mind at the same time. "We only need to think," he echoed, practicing his own skills.

"She seems nice, that Kate girl," Tyler followed after a short pause, his eyes still focused on the road ahead.

"She's okay, I guess," Josh shrugged, still unable to admit more for some reason.

"I mean, we would be nowhere near Cincinnati if it weren't for her, you gotta at least admit that," Tyler smiled, nudging his best friend nicely.

Josh rolled his eyes, "Fine, she seems nice," before laying back up against his seat, sighing, eager to change the subject already. It was just too much too soon. "Now, do YOU wanna talk - or think - about it?"

"About what?" Tyler thought, and for a second it occured to Josh that the situation would have seemed so strange if anyone else was in the car with them.

"You know," Josh insisted, turning his gaze towards his best friend. But Tyler's focus didn't move. He knew what Josh wanted to talk about, but he wasn't sure he was ready yet. He had spent most of his life hiding his true powers from anyone, and revealing them like he had in front of his best friend and Debby was enough of an effort as it was. And Tyler was not only exhausted of his prowess, he was also afraid. How many times had he lost people's trust when they had realised just how much of a weirdo he was? He didn't want to risk that with Josh. Josh was just too important.

"Look!" He suddenly said, aloud this time, his right hand waving at a road sign that quickly disappeared behind them. "We're in Cincinnati!"

|-/

"Are you sure this is the place?" Tyler asked, slowly pulling over in the empty parking lot before turning his head towards his best friend.

When they had entered Cincinnati, Tyler had driven around for a while, leaving Josh to focus on the remnants of his vision, looking for signs that would bring them closer to Mark. It was now nearing 3am. The streets were empty apart from a few cars they had passed by. Josh had started feeling unwell at some point and, eyes closed, had managed to point Tyler towards the right direction. They were now parked in front of what looked like old shut down offices and Tyler was still looking for confirmation in his friend's eyes.

As only answer, Josh nodded, and Tyler noticed his face had lost all colour. "So... what should we do now?"

Josh sighed. He knew what they had to do. Trying to muster up the courage to get out of the car, he looked right ahead at the abandoned building he had previously seen in his mind.

"He's in there," Josh heard Tyler think, and he nodded again, although unsure if it was a question or an affirmation.

"Can you feel him too?" He asked, and it was Tyler's time to nod. For some reason, this didn't make Josh feel any better. He was scared out of his own mind, because he knew he was putting himself and Tyler in danger, but he couldn't possibly have waited for the police to do something. He was certain something would happen to Mark tonight, something bad, and he had to prevent it.

"We could still go to the Cincinnati police station and convince th-" Tyler started, but Josh instantly shook his head.

"You know it won't work, Tyler. You know it, right?" The question held much more sense, and Josh knew Tyler understood that. For some reason, Josh was convinced Tyler had a glimpse of what was going to happen in this building, and it wasn't pretty. But they had to go. They had no other choice.