He's Not Real, Tyler

As I sat on my cell bed I heard my name being called through the PA system.

"Inmate Joseph, report to the visitation room, someone's here to see you"

I instantly thought "Is it Josh?"

I enter the room to see my mother on the other side of the glass. She holds the phone in her hand. She tells me "Tyler, how are you doing in here?"

I had no clue how to respond. I was feeling mixed emotions at the time. Was I happy? Was I sad? Was his voice real?

I told her " Im ok."

Her eyes began to tear up. " Don't lie to me Tyler, your'e my son, I recognize that look on your face. You are certainly not ok."

"OK MOM YOU KNOW WHAT, I AM NOT OK! EVERY NIGHT WHEN I LAY IN BED, I CLOSE MY EYES AND I HEAR A VOICE. IT TELLS ME 'YOU KILLED HIM. IT WAS YOUR FAULT. HE DESERVED IT' HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SLEEP WHEN THAT VOICE WON'T STOP?!"

" Tyler, its ok. Do not worry, it will go away soon.

"HOW MOM? HOW?! I CANNOT SLEEP WITH THE FACT THAT I KILLED MY BEST FRIEND LIKE A SOUL-LESS COLD-BLOODED SOCIOPATH?!"

"You were not thinking right at the moment Tyler. Go back to the good 'ol days, when you guys would hang out."

I froze in the moment. Suddenly, as i slowly opened my eyes I saw him. I saw Josh. He said "Tyler, buddy, are you gonna finish you coffee or just stare at the wall?" He chuckled. I could not belive my eyes. We got up after paying our two coffees. We started walking to the car.

"Hey, man, you excited for the Hershey concert?"

I said, feeling oddly gloom "Yeah, I guess."

As I reached for my keys, I froze. "He's back"

His voice echoed to the very back of my skull.

"He is not your friend. Remember in that interview, he joked about your insecurities. Now millions know of what you are insecure about. You cannot let him walk away without him facing the consequences."

As I stood there, unable to move, I heard Josh's voice fade in.

"Hey, dude. Dude. HELLO. TYLER!"

I jerked, "Wha-what, what happened?"

"Give me the keys dude, I'm driving this time, remember?"

I stuttered, 'Yeah, yeah your'e right. Your'e driving."

I slowly closed my eyes, only to quickly open them again to see my mother again. I was back in prison.

" So Tyler, did you think back to when you were with Josh?"

"Yes mom, but now I feel worse!"

I quickly got up and hung up the phone. I marched out of the visitation room with tears down my eyes. I once again found myself alone, in my jail cell, only to think about what i have done.

I cried out "JOSH JOSH"

A prisoner across from me threw his slipper at me and told me to shut up as he proceeded to pick his skin until it began to bleed. I turned towards my wall to see everything I have drawn. No not me- it was the voice. He calls himself Blurryface.

I woke up the next day. I sarcastically grunted "Yay, yummy mush prison food."

As I walked down the hallway, I saw a guard dropped his keys. I rushed to grab them and hide them. After we all ate our mush, we went to the showers. I scurried away from the long line of inmates are ran to the closet. I began to follow his every command.

"Go into the broom closet. Yesss, perfect. Now grab that extension cord and stand on that chair."

I was hypnotized, mesmerized even.

"Tie it over the pipe on the roof. Now on the other end tie a noose."

I snapped back into reality. I looked down onto my hands. They were black, just like that one dreaded night that will forever curse me.

Blurryface began to chuckle.

I quickly went back into line. A guard saw me and he dropped me onto my knees.

"INMATE, WHERE ARE YOU COMING FROM?!"

In a panicked response I blurted "I forgot my toothbrush in my cell!"

The guard let me go with a warning.

As I exit the shower, i dry my wet face with the towel. On the other side of the mirror I saw Josh. I yelled. He began to talk to me.

"What did I do for you to do this to me. I never did anything. WHY TYLER, WHY?!"

I screamed at the mirror. "YOU ARE NOT REAL, YOU ARE AN ILLUSION CREATED BY BLURRYFACE."

Suddenly Josh faded away into a red-eyed black figure, staring me dead into the eyes.

"Never have you seen my physical form. Yes, that was, indeed an illusion. I thought I had you fooled."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I blurted as I punched the mirror and it shattered.

My knuckles were bleeding so I was sent to medical.

The doctor sent me back with bandages over my knuckles, but I was not escorted to my cell. I was able to roam freely. I went to the lobby, where the receptionist was sleeping. As i walked into the parking lot, I saw my mother there. She called me and I went into her car.

"TYLER WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE, DO YOU WANT TO DO MORE TIME?! YOU ALREADY HAVE 25 YEARS, DO YOU WANT MORE?"

I began to sob into her shoulder. "MOM, I KILLED JOSH, NOW I SEE HIM EVERY DAY OUTSIDE MY CELL PLAYING THE DRUMS. AND- AND HIS BIG CHEESY SMILE MADE ME CRY. I CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS. TODAY I ALMOST ENDED MY LI- MY LIFE!"

"You what Tyler?"

"WELL MOM IT IS BETTER THAN BEING IN THIS SHITHOLE FOR ANOTHER 23 YEARS!" Then, my mother's beautiful, soft lips slowly opened and she leaned over to whisper something. Something that would forever haunt me. 4 words to forever make my life dreadful

"he, he isn't real Tyler"

How could a person so important to me, so useful, so innocent and beautiful, forever condemn me like this?

I did not reply. I ran back into the prison and into my cell.

I BEGAN TO THROW EVERYTHING IN MY CELL EVERYWHERE. I WAS SO MAD BUT I BEGAN TO CRY. I DID NOT EAT OR MOVE AT ALL FROM THAT CORNER FOR 2 FULL DAYS. But then I felt a light shine over me. I rub my watery eyes and I saw Josh.

"Tyler ,it was not your fault. You were sick, demented, you had no control over the voice. Do not feel guilty."

I replied to him

" I might as well kill myself, that way we can be together again."

"No Tyler, you have so much to live for, I have come from heaven to warn you not to, there will be better things in life if you remain alive."

I was confused. He handed me a picture and there I was with Jenna at my son's first birthday party. The cake read [HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHUA]

Josh arose swiftly.

It has been 10 years. Today is the day of my release. I was being released early for good conduct. Blurryface was still here though. He began to whisper.

"stay in here. you were born to be miserable. kill your mother to go back in here. do not forget why you are here. you killed josh. you must pay for the 15 years left."

I did not care what he said. That was when i discovered that only true love could overcome Blurryface.

I stared Jenna in the face. I ran and hugged her. We both were sobbing. I told her of that time when Josh handed me the picture of baby Joshua.

She thought prison had made me insane, but i quickly dug into my backpack and showed her the picture he handed me. She was at a loss of words.

6 months pass. We are at a family cookout, when suddenly Jenna runs outside and hugs me. I was confused but i slowly turn my head and i saw what she was holding.

She screamed "Tyler, I'm, I'm pregnant!"

I was astonished. I was screaming. I picked her up and spinned her.

I froze again. "No, he's back" I muttered

"do not name that devil child Joshua. if you do i will forever haunt you with the fact that you murdered him."

I stared into Jenna's eyes and his voice began to fade

"do not do it, you will suffer the conseque..."

I ran to the bathroom, in distress of how blurryface had returned after 6 months of his absence. The black on my neck and hands began to reappear, spreading faster than before. I ran towards Jenna and he hugged her again.

He saw the black began to fade away, after having it nearly consume him whole, just like it had before, which was why I killed Josh. Jenna was the cure to my sickness, my disease, she was the one who could end Blurryface.

9 months pass, I am at the hospital with Jenna, and she gave birth to the most beautiful baby ever. We named him Joshua. Everytime i saw him i loved him even more. His 1st birthday party comes along. I thought of the picture Josh gave me. I had it framed.

Two days later he begins to cry loudly. I run upstairs to his room. What I saw is a sight i will never forget. I knew it was an illusion, it could not have been Josh.

My son had black on his hands.

"I told you you would face the consequences."

And I instantly thought back to that time I was in my mothers car

"He isn't real, Tyler"