Zack wanted to say that he didn't sell out his friend, wanted to shrug off the sirens and pretend that they were headed elsewhere, but what would be the point in lying? He knew those sirens, those cop cars, were headed towards the forest because he had called them in. Sebastian was standing five feet away from him, held his gun steadily in his right hand. He had stopped yelling but continued to pace back and forth in small steps. The sirens were getting closer, and Zack closed his eyes to try and think about how this had happened...

3 hours earlier...

The iPhone sat on his bed, as if it dared Zack to pick it up and turn it on. The previous week, Zack had put a GPS app into Sebastian's phone in case he went out and stayed somewhere he shouldn't be. It wasn't that he didn't trust his friend, he just wanted to make sure that he was safe. The problem was that most of the time Seb was in danger was when his phone wasn't anywhere it shouldn't be, like the lake or a sketchy skate park, but when it was confined to the basement room of his house. Zack felt so guilty about the GPS that he turned off his phone and left it on his nightstand for the past couple of days. Tonight, however, he got the feeling that something was wrong. Seb hadn't been in all his classes and when he was he had his face down on his desk. Zack reached out and checked the app as soon as his phone was on. Johnson Forest. Okay, a forest. We've been there before. He's just going for a hike or something. Or something worried Zack and he quickly tied his shoes and put on his jacket. The forest was only a half hour walk from his house, and Zack jogged all the way there in the cool evening. He slowed down at a bench under a streetlight where a man was smoking a cigarette.

"Excuse me?" Zack asked the man. "Could I please borrow your phone? Mine's dead-"
"Sure, kid," the man replied, handing over his phone. Zack mumbled a 'thanks', stepped a few feet away and dialed. He hesitated, unsure of what to say when the operator prompted him to give his anonymous tip.
"Johnson Forest, in a couple hours...fight...possible drug and alcohol use...kid needs help," Zack spoke, hung up, exhaled a breath he didn't realize he held. He deleted his call from the man's phone, returned it to him, and started to jog through the woods in search of his best friend.

Shit, did I really just do that?! What the fuck was I thinking? I can't take that call back, the things I said may not even be true, then what? If it's anonymous can I still be in trouble if it's falsified information and I sent a bunch of constables on a wild goose chase? Fight, drugs, alcohol- there will probably be a fight between us, as much as we'd both hate it, I got no clue if there are any illegal substances in his body. Hell, I don't know if he's even eaten anything recently. I need Sebastian to be unharmed, he's not gonna like me being here, how do I even know he's in trouble? What if he's here with someone else and I screw things up?
Thoughts ran through his mind as he continued his jog, tried to avoid tripping over sticks and rocks as the sky began to turn into night. He pulled out his phone, checked the app to see that he was within a half mile of Sebastian. This is crazy. I'm crazy. I just called the police and- he stopped suddenly, listened intently. Zack heard twigs snapping and the sound of feet walking heavily. He resisted the urge to call out for his friend, this was, after all, public property and anyone could be responsible for those footfalls. Zack walked after the unknown person, checked his phone to confirm it was his friend. He heard the sobs that began to escape Seb's throat and how those cries struggled to scream out loud. Zack couldn't help but feel broken. He'd caused this. He wasn't there when his friend needed him, and now they were walking through a forest as the day started to become night, their presences unknown to each other.
I pushed too hard or didn't push at all to find out what's going on. I get it, I don't like the looks Sebastian gives my bruised chest and he doesn't like the looks I give him when I can smell the booze on him, but what can we do? We've all got demons to deal with, but it seems so much easier to try shouldering someone else's problem than to solve our own. What am I supposed to say when I get to him? What should I do? Is this situation really all that bad? Should I go back and forget-the footsteps Zack was following had stopped. He peered out from behind a tree to see Sebastian standing unsteadily a few yards away. Zack had forgotten about the anonymous tip he'd placed and took out his phone to dial 911. He's shaking. He's probably dehydrated and sleep deprived and

"911, what is your emergency?" came a calm female voice.
"Um...I..think I might need medical assistance..." Zack said quietly and slightly nervous. I hope I'm not making a mistake.
"Sir, can you please explain the nature of your emergency?" the 911 operator asked.
Zack lowered his phone and after a glance at the GPS notification, noticed that his friend was walking again and "It's...nothing really. I'll just try to deal with this. Sorry for wasting your time," he said while shoving his phone in his pocket.

Sebastian was screaming, launching Zack into his present reality.
"Seb?" he cautiously asks.
"Fuck you!" came the teary reply. "You-how did you know?"
"How did I know what?" Zack asks, trying to keep both of them as serene as possible.
"How," Seb gulps back tears, "did you know I was gonna...? You were surprised by the gun, but how did you know about this?"
"I know you, man," Zack says, avoiding the mention of the GPS app. "And believe me, I-"
"I don't wanna hear it," mutters an angry response. "The sirens are getting louder now." Sebastian began to panic.
"I'm not gonna let them hurt you," Zack promises, hoping it doesn't sound as weak as it feels on his inside.
"That's what they all say. You know me, you know I can't go back, I can't do it..." Seb trails off, growing distant from Zack and closer to the gun in his hand. Zack was anticipating the moment when his friend would discard the gun and sit down again. Where did he even get that thing? It looks like it's in good condition and used before, but Seb doesn't have a pistol. As the sirens became clearer, his mind became foggier, overflowing with questions. Did the cops really send in the cavalry for one stupid tip? There are at least three different sets of sirens going off. I can't believe I let this happen. I know what happened, and especially after what just happened with Kevin...
"Zack!" Sebastian yells, "The sounds are getting louder. The lights are flashing, I can see all the colors..." Sebastian began to rock himself back and forth. "What the hell happens now?"