Astral Projection: the ability to leave your physical body.

Turns out, Tyler is really good at making forts. He puts up the blankets faster than Josh and Tiana have managed to in years, and it's his first one.

"Are you sure you haven't done this before?" Josh jokes, watching from the bed.

"I'm pretty sure," Tyler laughs, fixing the last blanket over the chairs so it covers like a canopy. He tosses some pillows inside of the fairly roomy fort and wiggles inside, looking back at Josh. "You got the movies?"

Josh sits beside him inside of the fort, laptop balanced on his knees. "Well, I've got Netflix, so we can just find a movie I like that you haven't seen or one you like and I haven't seen. Sound good?"

"Yeah, sure."

He starts scrolling, seeing a show that catches his eye. "Oh, this isn't a movie but it's a really good show."

"Haunting Of Hill House?" Tyler reads, furrowing his eyebrows. "What's it about?"

"Okay, so there's this family who moved into this haunted house and the kids have to go back when they're older because Nellie dies- she's the youngest by the way- and-"

"Haunted house, family, got it," he nods.

Josh giggles. "Sorry, I just really like this show."

"That's fine. It's really cute."

He ignores that and presses play. Watching it at night with the lights off, the show should've been scarier. Josh had watched it before with Tiana and they couldn't sleep all night.

With Tyler, though, he doesn't stop laughing.

"Who's that?" He asks.

"That's Steve," Josh responds.

"Why's he such a little bitch?"

The first of many laughs. "Shut the fuck up and watch the show."

"Oh, shit!" Tyler jumps and accidentally elbows Josh. "There's a ghost!"

"What, where are you looking- oh my god. I never saw that one."

"Wait, so Nellie was the bent neck lady?"

"Yup." Josh is trying to pay attention, but Tyler makes it too hard.

"What the actual fuck. That's fucked up."

"No shit."

"The ghost mom is evil!"

"Well, sorta, she-"

"Shhhhhhhh!"

By the seventh episode, it's way past midnight and they've stopped paying attention to the show.

"Have you read Doom Patrol?" Josh asks, vaguely looking at the screen.

"Nope." Tyler grabs a handful of popcorn. "What's it about?"

"It's this group of messed up heroes who gotta save the world."

He hums as Josh rambles on, interrupting him with, "oh, so it's basically us."

"Yeah, I guess."

The conversation dies as Josh's mind starts to wander back to Tiana. It's almost two o'clock in the morning, and he just spent six hours watching a show instead of looking for her. He knows he can't do anything for her in the state he's in, but that doesn't stop him from feeling guilty. If only he'd never left her. If only he'd told her no. If only...

Tyler reaches for his hand, squeezing it softly. "I can feel you getting sad. What's up?"

"Tiana," Josh replies, pausing the show. "I just... it feels awful not being able to help."

"You don't need to feel bad. I'm here too."

"Yeah, but you're here just to make sure I don't die."

"Okay, fair point. But you can't help until you're okay, you know that, right?"

Josh nods. It doesn't make him feel any less shitty, but he appreciates the effort.

Tyler sighs and unpauses the show, putting an arm around Josh. "Just relax, angel. Hayley will find Tia in one piece, safe and sound."

"I'm holding you to that," Josh mumbles, pulling the blanket draped over them up to his chin.

They fall asleep, but Josh can't remember at what time. When he wakes up, it's still dark and Tyler's not there. He sits up, realizing he's on Tyler's bed on top of the covers. He gets up, his legs still shaky, and walks around the surprisingly empty house, looking for Tyler.

"Ty," he calls out, making it halfway down the stairs without falling. "Where is everyone?"

The stairs behind him creak and he turns in hopes of seeing Tyler. Instead, he sees Tiana, sitting on her knees on the top steps, slumped over. One of her wings is curled around half of her body. The other is- the other isn't there. He thinks she's crying.

She looks up, her eyes red and blood running down her face. "Help me!" Her voice cracks, her own sobs interrupting her screams. "Josh, please!"

"Tiana!" Josh tries to run back up the stairs, but something wraps around his waist and drags him down and away from his best friend.

He kicks and screams, tearing at the black threads that start to wrap around his body, but all in vain because they keep tightening and keep growing, and Tiana has disappeared. Once he reaches the bottom, the darkness wraps around his throat, choking him, covering every inch of him.

His vision goes dark as the threads cover his eyes, his mouth, suffocating him. Josh's heart keeps beating harder and harder with each second.

Suddenly, he wakes up covered in sweat and panting. Thankfully, he's still in the fort, curled up on the ground with a pillow under his head. Tyler lies on the other side, he's tucked under the chair, fast asleep. Josh sighs, relief washing over him.

Before Josh can roll over and fall back asleep, Tyler's eyes flutter open. "What's wrong, angel?" He asks, his voice hoarse and quiet.

"Nothing," Josh whispers, smiling to reassure him. "Just a nightmare."

Tyler mumbles something unintelligible and makes a grabbing gesture at Josh, pulling himself closer until the two are pressed against each other. "I can make them go away if you want."

"How?"

"I'll fight them."

Josh chuckles and puts an arm over Tyler as he feels a wave of comfort wash over him. "Thanks, buddy."

"No problem, dickwad."