day 54

josh turned over on his air mattress, trying to find a comfortable position to lay in.

he was sore, his back was aching and no position helped release any of the pain.

the door opened, and josh didn't bother looking up to see what tyler was doing.

he closed his eyes and planned on acting asleep. he was confused when he didn't hear tyler's chirpy tone.

"j-josh?"

he heard a voice that was not tyler's and quickly turned to look.

"oh my god." josh said. he was frozen in place.

"joshua, baby." dallon said. ryan gasped and tackled josh into a hug.

"are you guys real?" josh said.

"we're here. we're here." dallon said, joining ryan in the hug.

dallon pressed his lips to joshs, josh relishing in the familiar taste.

"h-how, what's happening?" josh questioned.

"we found you." dallon said.

"but wheres tyler?"  josh asked, standing up and following them out of the basement.

josh gasped and slapped his hand over his mouth when they reached the top of the stairs.

there tyler was, laying in the kitchen floor in a pool of his blood. he had been stabbed, many many times.

"we took care of him." ryan said, both boys smiling.

"no, no no!" josh cried, collapsing on the floor next to tyler. he grabbed the man's face and turned it to face him.

"tyler wake up, tyler!" josh shouted, tears running down his face.

"josh, you're finally free." dallon said, squatting down and setting his hand on his shoulder.

"you killed him!" josh yelled, laying on tyler's chest.

josh cried hard into the man's chest. he mumbled over and over again 'please wake up'.

he turned around to look at dallon and ryan, but the boys were gone.

he looked back at tyler, shakily breathing as his body was also gone.

josh looked around panicked. he shut his eyes hard and when he opened them, he was back in the basement.

"what?" he mumbled to himself, eyes adjusting to the dark.

"tyler? dallon? ryan?" josh yelled out, hearing his voice echoing.

"joshua!" he heard, and looked over to see tyler.

"what's happening?" josh cried.

"i took care of them." tyler said. josh raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"they're gone. it's just me and you." tyler whispered. he leaned down and connected their lips.

josh leaned back, tyler making his way on top of him.

his back hit the bed, the scenery around them suddenly changing.

they were in joshs bedroom.

"s-somethings wrong." josh mumbled against tylers lips.

"its okay. they're gone." tyler said.

"who? who's gone?" josh asked.

"dallon, and ryan. i did what you asked." tyler said, leaning back and looking at him.

"what? no, no they're not gone." josh whined.

"it's just me and you." tyler repeated.  "just me and you forever."

josh gasped for air as he felt a deep pressure in the center of his chest. he tried to scream but couldn't.

he frantically brought his hands to the area, and pulled them back to be covered in blood.

"tyler." he croaked out, seeing the knife in his chest.

"forever." tyler said. he brought another knife out.

"no!" josh tried to scream as tyler slid the blade across his throat, blood spewing out of the wound.

josh jolted up, gasping for air and reaching for his chest.

he heaved, looking around the room. he was in the basement. the real basement.

"no no no no." josh repeated, starting to cry and hit his hands against the side of his head.

this is the first dream josh has had since he was taken.

"tyler," josh cried softly, curling up into a ball as he tried to forget what just happened in his mind.

"it's not real. tyler's alive. dallon and ryan are alive. everyone's alive. im alive. it's not real." josh rambled on, trying to calm himself down.

josh sat up, and scooted against the wall. he looked around, trying to ground himself back to reality.

"it's not real. it's not real." he repeated, breathing slightly slowing down. he held his chest.

"tyler's alive. ryan's not here. dallons not here. i'm here, and tyler's here." he said. he closed his eyes, the vision of tyler slitting his throat flashing across his mind.

"no no no." josh rubbed his eyes.

"it was just a dream." josh said. "just a dream."