Beginning of year one, and the missing case of Josh Dun.

     Tyler awoke to the sounds of sirens and flashing lights. His head felt like a bell, the clapper hitting the sides of his skull repeatedly. He pushed himself up with his forearm. His left leg was burning in pain. He looked over to his leg to see it covered in red, not all of it was blood. The touch of his skin stung. He looked to see what he had tripped on. To his surprise, it was a skateboard. He could tell that the dark grip tape was what caused the long scratch on his leg.

He leaned against the trunk of the tree. Everything he was feeling rushed in at once. Pain from his body, and pain from what he remembers. "Jo-Josh!" He choked. He wiped his eyes before anything could fall. He looked down at his palm. The spongebob band-aid was the brightest thing on him.

Tyler looked around at his surroundings. The forest gave off a horrible feeling. His heart was heavy in his chest. A feeling of uneasiness took over him. He laughed down the tree and sat on the mildew covered soil. Every few moments he started to ask himself "what the hell happened last night?" though he had no one to answer for him.

In the distance, he could hear footsteps. They sounded the same as the previous night. Tyler couldn't decide if it was danger coming to drag him to hell or it was Josh running to reunite with him. As he heard footsteps get closer to him he stepped back deeper into the forest. He just wanted this whole thing to be a dream. Not a dream, a nightmare.

"Hey, kid! You alright?" A man's voice said. Whoever it was had put a hand on his back. Tyler screamed and ran.

"Kid! You're safe!" The man tried to yell. Tyler began to limp as the pain in his leg started to take effect. He glimpsed back at the man who was yelling. He recognized him in the dim morning light. He had a middle aged look, reflective shades and a bushy mustache. He was everything a stereotypical town sheriff would be.

Tyler stopped running and just fell to the ground. He waited for the man to catch up to him. "Are you Tyler Joseph or Josh Dun?" he asked holding out his hand.

Tyler nodded, "I'm Tyler." He reached for the hand and got pulled up.

"Do you know anything about Josh Dun or where he might be?" The sheriff asked. Tyler shook his head solemnly.

"I can't find him." Tyler whispered, "We rode our bikes out here and we thought we heard someone so we ran to our bikes but it was too dark to see. At some point I lost him and I woke up on the ground around here..."

The sheriff gave him support on his leg. He started to lead Tyler towards the flashing lights. He saw a police car with the typical red and blue glow. As they neared the car, Tyler saw his bike hanging off the back. He looked confused as to why there was only one bike. "Sir, did you find another bike?" he asked. The sheriff just shook his head. "My friend is still out there." Tyler said shakily. The man nodded like he had understood but how could he?

"Aye now I don't want you being confused right now. Alright? Your parents are worried sick about you. I just need to get you back to the station and then we can send a search team out here to do a more thorough search." He said. Tyler reluctantly and carefully climbed to the back of the car.

He breathed in and out, what if Josh was kidnapped, what if he was eaten by bears. Anything could be happening to his best friend at the moment and all he was doing was sItting in the back of a car.

He leaned his head back and groaned while the sheriff started the car. When reality really hit Tyler, he felt a newfound emptiness in him. He knew that he was going to have to go home without Josh right by his side.

***

People in the station looked at Tyler with worried eyes. One of the old volunteer workers had busied herself with cleaning off Tyler's cuts. He would bite his tongue when she asked if anything stung and would proceed to make everything sting worse.

"Tyler!" He looked towards the see-through doors to see his and Josh's mom running in. "Oh my goodness, you're safe." He was engulfed in a hug, hesitantly he put his arms around his mothers. He didn't want to look up but he knew that Josh's mom was still standing there.

Mrs. Dun's eyes were empty and full of fear. Just like how Tyler felt at the moment. He wanted to reassure her that everything was going to be alright, just like Josh did the night before but he wasn't that confident.

"I'm going to go talk to the sheriff and then we can go home alright?" Tyler's mom asked. He nodded and looked up at Josh's mom while his own walked away. He stood up unsteadily and pulled her into a comforting hug. He may have lost his best friend, but she lost her son.

They both let go, Mrs. Dun put her hand on Tyler's shoulder. "Please take care of yourself, Tyler. It's not your fault that Josh is missing." She said softly.

Tyler looked down at his shoes, "I need to find him. I was with him when he left my sight. It was my idea to ride our bikes that far." He murmured.

Mrs. Dun shook her head, "Go home and stay home. Josh will be home and safe soon, don't you worry. He's a smart boy." she smiled in the same comforting way that Josh had always did to make him feel better. Tyler's heart hurt. "Have you finished your summer homework yet?" She asked teasingly.

Tyler rolled his eyes, "Yeah fine. But if you need anything, I'm always a couple of doors away. I'll be happy to watch over Jordan for you if you're busy or-"

"Yes, Tyler I know." Mrs. Dun laughed. "Take care of yourself."

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