The Book of Lies || Phan [[COMPLETED]]

DAN

My eyes flew open as I sat up, trying to get some air into my body as my lungs ached and my throat burned. I started coughing horrifically until about a litre of water poured out of my mouth and into a bucket that was next to my..bed?

I took a look around, breathing heavily, I was sat on a white hospital bed, in a large room which was also completely white except one wall, which was lined with about 50 black alarm clocks. One was beeping loudly. I realized it had the words "Dan Howell" written beneath it. I frowned at it, wondering why there was a timer going off.

I looked down at my lap, fiddling with my hands which were ice cold. My clothes were absolutely drenched and water dripped off my hair, my black skinny jeans clung to my body, making me even colder. I started shivering, wrapping my arms around myself. The bed i'd been on had no quilt so I tucked my knees into my chest.

movement caught my eye and I looked up to see a tall guy, about my age with bright green eyes and brown curly hair, reach up and turn off the timer before sighing sadly and returning to his desk, putting his feet up on top of it.

"H-hello? " I called, my voice croaky from the water.

"Hey " he replied in a British accent, not looking up from his phone.

"W-who are you? Where a-are we?" I asked, my teeth still chattering.

Standing up, he turned to me "do you really not remember?" He seemed annoyed, like he'd done this 100 times before.

"N-no I was.. I was in Weymouth with Phil...and then-" I gasped as I remembered falling down off the pier, hearing Phil scream as water filled my mouth as I trashed against the wave but the kept slamming me into the side of the pier until everything went black and I took another breath, and another, water seeping into my lungs.

"You drowned." He said simply, I started to shake, tears filling my eyes. I scrubbed them away angrily.

"That..That can't be- I can't be dead?" I said, but It sounded like a question.

"Look, I'm really sorry. But, welcome to the Half Way Room " he replied.

I looked around again, especially at the clocks, each with a different name under it, and a different time. Counting down the the time of death. How wonderful.

"What is this place?" I asked, slightly horrified at the morbidity of it all.

"Well thats the fun part." He said, smiling. "But first, go get changed, you look like a drowned rat" he laughed at his own joke.

I looked next to me to see there was exact replicas of my current clothes but dry, on the small bedside table. I picked them up, they even smelt like our flat. I sighed i'd never be able to go there again.

As I got changed I wondered about Phil. But I know he's strong, he'll explain to my viewers what happened and I'm sure he'll learn to live his life... hopefully.

Wandering back into the room, I noticed the guy from earlier leaning over add book, flicking through its pages, smiling oddly. I decided this man was quite mad, but perhaps I would be too if my job was to hang out with dead people.

"Excuse me?" I called and he spun around "do you have a name?"

"Hmm" he replied, tapping his chin as though he was thinkin about it "Yes, yes maybe I did at one time, perhaps if I can recall, those who loved me referred to me as Pj" I nodded, he had a strange way of speaking, full of little pauses and unnecessary words.

"How old are you?" I asked and he frowned.

"I died on my 25th year of life, but I suppose you could argue that since that was some years ago I am currently 27 but on the other hand, I don't age so I am forever trapped as my 25 year old self." He giggled at the end. So he was a year older than me.

"Why am I here?" I asked him, wondering if this was the afterlife, If I was doomed to stay here forever, with Pj.

"You have unfinished buisness!" He cried "isn't that cool? You're like a real life ghost"

"What is it then?" I just wanted to leave this mad man. He stood aside to reveal a big book, the pages all torn and brown.

"This is the Book of Lies." He said, staring down at it "you see, the people in your life are quite dishonest, you see. But every lie you've ever been told is in here." My curiosity sparked, I walked closer as he shut it.

"Oh and Dan your story is simply my favorite! So tragic yet romantic!" He laughed, holding his hands over his heart.

"..tragic yet romantic?" I asked "but I'm single"

He smiled too wide "exactly! That's the best part! You are so completely blind it's just delicious" I frowned, turning towards the book, sceptical.

I heaved it open to see the words "birth: age 0" written in cursive. And sure enough, there it was the first lie I ever heard. I flicked through it as there wasn't that many in my childhood. It started getting more depressing when I was about 18, people lied to me constantly.

Out of curiosity, I flicked through until I was 26, one year ago. That's when I saw it, his name.

Phil lester; June 23rd
I'm fine, Dan.