Psycho

Unit 20

Phil had ventured off to his bedroom to read and Dan was in his own. He threw his bag on his shoulders and sneaked past Phil's door.

"Where are you going?"

Dan stopped. He turned to face Phil sitting on his bed.

"Going out." Dan replied.

"After we just told everyone not to go out?"

Dan chuckled. That was ironic indeed.

"Yeah, well, remember that I'm off the pattern." He said. "I'm safe."

He shifted to keep walking but Phil spoke again.

"Where are you going, then?"

Dan stopped, looked back at Phil and smiled sarcastically.

"Nice try."

"Just be safe!" Phil exclaimed when Dan walked away.

When Dan stepped outside, he followed the same path he usually did. But, this time, instead of turning right at an intersection, he turned left. That would change things a bit.

He walked but he didn't really pay attention to where he was going. His mind was still focused on the thoughts of the future he had had, and Dan felt weird. Thinking about them made him angry and sad at the same time. The same feeling over and over. His brain aching, and his heart as big as his entire chest.

He felt like his heart and his brain were the devil and the angel on his shoulders. But, instead of speaking to him, they hurt him, pounding hard against his bones to make him understand what was good or what wasn't. And in the middle of these two, there was him, Dan Howell, trying to figure out why the angel was starting to pound as hard as the devil against his painful bones.

The two creatures departed from his shoulders in graceful wing flaps when the head in the middle had had enough.

Dan left his imaginary and felt the pounding against his bones mitigate. Instead, he felt a body ram violently into him. He was propelled back lightly, and, when he lifted his head to see who had so recklessly ran into him, he saw a dark skinned woman lying on the pavement with bright red lipstick on her lips, holding the side of her head with both hands.

Dan crouched next to her and pushed her hands off of her face. He noticed she was wounded. She hit her head on the brick wall behind. He grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up, squeezing tightly. He then rocked her head backwards. It crashed against the brick wall brutally, and Dan repeated the movement with more strength each time. He whispered 'sixteen' when she spat blood and her eyes rolled in their sockets.

Dan blinked.

"Oh, God, are you okay?" He exclaimed, approaching the lady.

She patted the side of her head and looked at her fingers that were covered in a string of blood.

"Ah, I don't know..." She replied as she lifted herself up.

"You're bleeding!" Dan exclaimed.

"Yeah, I noticed..." The woman replied, still holding her head.

"I'm very sorry..." Dan apologised.

"Don't apologize, I was the one running for dear life!" She giggled. "Ah, dear..."

"Would you like me to help you back home?" Dan asked politely.

"No, I'm good." She smiled politely.

She tried to put a foot in front of her but she wobbled and fell on her butt. She looked up at Dan.

"Ah, apparently I'll need your help." She admitted.