His eyes widened with despair and his heart became heavy with regret while his chest became tight and his breathing convulsed with panic. His arms and legs froze in place. He couldn't believe it. How could this happen. There was no way this was reality. He must have been in some twisted dream.
"Chris?"
"Hello Daniel"
"W-What are you doing here? Tell me you aren't-"
"One of them? Ha. No. I am much more than they are."
"In what way?"
The boy tilted his head and gave the most sickening smirk, squiring his eyes and crawling forward like a spider.
"Did I ever tell you what my job was at healing house?"
Chris was now at Dan's feet, but still of all fours, gazing up at Dan with bulging eyes and an unsettling gaze
"N-no"
"Well"
Chris sat back on his heels and looked down then back up at Dan with the cockiest expression imaginable
"Allow me to explain. Healing house was not a big fan of what we do here. So when they scrounge up our failures, they want to change them"
"Change them?"
"Yes. Change them"
"In what way?"
"Well you see that is where I come in. Long story short my family had always been interested in the supernatural and strange occurrences. I too became interested in these things. But one thing i seemed to excel in, was hypnosis."
"O-oh?"
Chris leaned up, off his heels, and rested his crossed arms on Dan's thighs.
"Hmhmhm yes"
He gave a coarse chuckle
"Well that's nice...I-I gues-s" dan muttered out not really sure how to feel about this intimidating boy crawling up his body
"I learned how to make people do things. I could make them cook clean and talk talk talk, but soon that became monotonous. I wanted more"
"I-i see"
"I began dabbling in peoples memories. I figured out how to alter them, make them better or worse, or even erase them."
"O-oh" Dan was scared shitless and frieaking the fuck out internally but decided it would be best to go the diplomatic route
"Yes. I fled that home which confined my talents and went elsewhere. I then found healing house. But all they wanted from me was to erase memories of mortem domum from those that they found."
Chris inched further up Dan's thighs and pouted up at him
"But during my time there I made a good friend. Although I care for this friend, I knew that healing house was not for me. So I came here, but worked at a double agent. "
"B-but why would-d t-they w-want you t-to do t-that?"
"Because, honey, they too are corrupt. All they care about is people paying their dues and trying to coexist together but you and I both know that that can't happen. "
"W-wait so you h-have b-been giving then i-info ab-bout m-me and p-phil?"
Chris pushed against Dans thighs, supporting himself on his palms and leaned in.
" every. Single. Bit. Me and even others. Maybe even people you trust. I bet that makes you mad. I bet you just wanna punch me right now. Pummel me into the floor until I bleed to death."
Chris pulled a knife out and cut Dan free.
"So. Go ahead. Do it. Hit me."
Dan felt his rage balling into his fists. Felt the energy of his entire being flowing into his left arm. It would be so easy. He could end this right here right now, get to Phil's medicine, and save his friend. Or he could refrain and wait for another opportunity. He felt himself leaning towards the ladder due to the utter fear of the strange creature in his face.
"Not ready to fight yet? Awwww wittle baby. Are you a coward?"
The word made dan shoot back in his personal timeline. He recalled all the times he had been called that by his mother. He felt himself freeze in sadness and tears began to well in his eyes
"Awwww he's crying how cute. You're adorable when you cry, Howell"
He hadn't been called Howell since the last time he saw his father, when he was four
"Are you gonna cry when Phil is dead when you get back? Gonna sob over his body like the pathetic piece of shit that you are? You know we are the ones who injected his wound with bacteria right? What a waste. To think I actually thought you had potential."
Dan felt malice bubble up from his stomach he met the eyes of the beast in his face. The tears momentarily ended.
"Potential for what?"
"Leading"
"Leading. Who?" tears now of fury filled his eyes once again
"Us you dumbass. Lead us"
"No." Dan glared directly into Chris's grey orbs, causing him to pucker his bottom lip and furrow his brows in a pout. The thing tilted his head.
"AW WHY NOT" Dan shoved away the long, long list of reasons, knowing that if he tried to explain he would get too emotional and end up beating the life out of the other boy.
"never"
"AWWE COME ON BABE PLEASE" Chris got sickeningly close to Dan's face
"Don't call me that" Dan turned his head to get more space from the other boy who was taken back by his subject's distance
"Fine ." he stated in a hurt, and slightly miffed tone
Chris turned around to face the grey, brick wall , dismissing Dan
"coward"
That was it
The final straw had been snapped
The line had been leaped over
Dan.was.done
He leapt from that awful wooden chair, to his weary feet. And with his last ounce of will, his fist slammed into the back of Chris's head. A blow so strong it knocked Chris into the wall in front of him. Chris turned around to defend himself, only to be slammed into the wall face first over. And over. And over. Again, causing blood to ooze from the wounds that the coarse brick had made on his pale skin. He yelled in pain, but that did now make Dan think twice. He turned Chris around and grabbed the collar of his hunter green jacket, and threw him to the ground. Dan climbed on top of Chris and rained punches down on the boy, until every square inch of his face was either covered in blood, bruises, or tears. Dan felt nothing but pure, unadulterated rage and regretted none of his actions. Chris was going unconscious at this point, but Dan kept hitting until his fists were covered in red liquid that was a mixture of his, and his enemy's. He then realised that Chris was completely unconscious. He gathered himself and took the opportunity to escape. He searched for a way out.
stairs- probably lead to more house and possible guards-bad
window- too small- won't fit- bad
other than that there was nothing. The room was nothing but an empty bit of space. However, Dan did notice something hopeful, yet terrifying. Fear built up in his chest.
an air vent
If he stood on a chair he would be able to crawl. He was a medium boy and it was a small vent which would make for a tight squeeze but it was is only way to help Phil. So, Mr. Howell marched over to the vent, pulled up a chair and shimmied into the tiny opening. It was summer, which meant on top of being cramped the metal ducts burnt his flesh as he crawled. The only thing he could move was his elbows, which were bleeding at this point. It was cramped. His legs had gone numb from the lack of circulation. He felt immense pain on his shoulders and neck from being hunched over and awkwardly inching his way through the horrid vents. He felt himself suffocating slowly and violently. He didn't see a light in front of him. He just kept crawling in the black in hopes of saving his friend.
Phil. The one thing he wanted right now. Just wanted to hold his hand and feel his energy. The tunnel seemed to get a little bigger and a little less warm with the thoughts of Phil. His smell. His smile. His secrets that only Dan knew. Dan felt himself crawling a bit faster. That smile. That grin that could make daisies and sunflowers grow rapidly enough to cover an entire country side in one day. Suddenly Dan felt a cool draft that quenched his thirst for anything but heat. He looked in front of him and saw seven blue lines in the darkness. He stared at the lines for a moment.
Is this an illusion?
He pondered
Ah fuck it
He said to himself
With the last ounce of strength in his body, he punched through the grate. Surprisingly it fell out the other side.
He assumed it was his only way out so he dove towards the dark blue square.
He fell
For what felt like ages
Then he hit the ground with a harsh thud
Grass
He was outside
A sigh of relief escaped his lungs
Suddenly a blackness consumed his vision and the world faded to dark
He assumed he had hit the ground so hard that he was going unconscious
He seemed to have fallen from a second floor
As the world slipped away from him one thought sunk through
Phil
When I wake up I'm getting the fuck out and finding his medicine
was his last thought
Then
Nothingness consumed him and he fell from reality into a deep
Deep
Sleep