*This is just a little warning for anyone who feels uncomfortable with allusions towards unwanted sexual advances and actions. While this passage does not contain explicit content, it still alludes to things that may make some people feel uncomfortable. Proceed with caution when reading (Y/N)'s part.
Thank you.*
Dan couldn't breathe; his lungs had suddenly gone on lock down mode upon hearing (Y/N)'s delicate whisper, her voice shuttering from pure terror. In addition to her unstable voice, her words were alarmingly slurred, each word sounding painfully difficult to utter. Her breathing sounded quick and light through the phone, as if she were purposely keeping the noise to a bare minimum. Somewhere in the background, Dan could hear the enraged shouting of some unknown man. Judging by his tone it sounded like he was out to get someone— this frightened Dan even more.
"(Y/N)?! What's wrong?! A-are you okay?!" As Dan held the phone closer to his ear, Phil emerged from the bathroom, a cloth pressed against his face as he wiped away the remaining toothpaste suds from when he was brushing his teeth. He looked towards Dan in confusion, arching an eyebrow in curiosity. Dan whipped around to look at his friend, his eyes wide; Phil immediately got the message that something was terribly wrong. He ran to Dan's side, prompting Dan to put the phone on speaker so the two of them could hear clearly. "(Y/N), where are you?!"
The line was silent for a bit before the ragged breathing of (Y/N) etched its way across the speaker, her strained voice sending chills up both of the boy's spines. "I... I was tricked... I've been drugged... the bar and... Ryan is still here..."
As much as Dan wanted to hear every last drop of what she was saying, it was unbearably difficult to let her finish. Each of her slurred sentences both paralyzed and filled the boys with heavy dread whenever they were quietly uttered. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was keeping her voice down for a reason. "(Y/N), y-you're hiding... aren't you?"
Again, the line was silent for a few moments. (Y/N) let out a shaky sigh on the other end, her words strained and cracking as she desperately tried to keep herself hushed while she cried. "...Yes. Yes I—" Her whimpered filled the line. "I'm so scared..."
Dan's entire body was shaking as (Y/N) spoke, feeling incredibly lightheaded from the shock. Dan looked over at Phil, noticing how he already had a coat on, his phone in hand as he talked to the dispatcher on the other side. Dan couldn't hear what Phil was saying, his words sounding muffled and incoherent as panic took hold of his senses. All he could hear was the deafening noise of his heartbeat resonating in his eardrums, muting his surroundings— save for (Y/N) on the phone. He could still hear her clear as day. "(Y-Y/N), where are you? We're coming to get you. Please, can you stay on the line? W-we—" Dan felt choked by his last words, tears beginning to dot his eyes. "I'm coming to get you. (Y/N), I'm coming to get you, okay?" On the other side of the line, there was a man creating a loud ruckus, his swears echoing menacingly through the phone— he sounded closer than before. "(Y/N)! Where are you?! Please!"
"I-I don't know."
Dan held his head in his hands, taking an unstable seat on the couch as terror induced frustration flowed through his veins. "Damnit!" He curled his fists, bringing them down on the coffee table with great force. His hand were left with a painful ache afterwards, but this was the least of his concerns. A mere gust of wind compared to what was unfolding before him. "Give us anything! You came from a bar, yes? The name? Anything that sticks out where you are?"
"There's... a bike rack. Yellow... took ten minutes from the bar... I'm in an alley..."
Dan was so focused listening to (Y/N)'s cryptic description that he missed Phil's ears perk at the mention of this detail. "Okay! (Y/N), we're coming to look for you now. Just stay on the line an—"
"I'm so tired..."
Dan's heart faltered immediately. "I-I know (Y/N), but just keep talking to me and we—"
"I have to hang up. H-he's getting closer..."
"(Y/N)! Don't! Please, I—" The line went dead.
Frozen in place, Dan didn't know what he was feeling. It was like he was feeling everything and nothing at the same time, the unbearable amounts of emotions flowing through him attacking his senses, causing him to go numb. It wasn't until Phil started frantically shaking him that he snapped out of his momentary coma. "Dan! Get up! We have to go, now!"
Due to the confusing emotions rushing through his veins, Dan pushed Phil away with great force, his friend tumbling to the ground with a sudden gasp. "Where the fuck are we going to go?! You heard her! She doesn't know where she is! How the fuck do you expect us to find her and get her home safe before some freak does God knows what to her!?"
"Dan—"
"Phil I'm serious; what the fuck are we going to do?! She could be dying in one of the million alleys across this town and I can't do shit about it! And the police! How do we know they'll find her alive?! They might find some mutilated corpse by the end of the night and I can't do anything about it—"
"Dan! Shut the Hell up!" Phil rose to his feet and rushed towards Dan, tightly gripping his arms and giving them a good shake. Dan looked up at Phil for the first time since the call, noticing how swamped his eyes were from the dingy panic and anxiety that muddied his once cerulean gaze. "I know where she is! I swear to God that we aren't letting anything happen to her if you would simply get off your ass and come with me!"
"You... what? Phil, how do you—"
"Dan, you may think I'm dense at times but I have one sharp memory when it comes to useless facts." Phil continued dragging Dan, this time towards the door. He kicked a pair of shoes towards his friend, encouraging him to put them on quickly. "When she mentioned a yellow bike rack near the bar, it immediately clicked. You and I have been to that part of town before. I was the one who ran into the rack when we were filming one of our videos, remember? You laughed at me for missing it, commenting on how it was stupid that I missed something so bright. Well, I bet you feel silly for laughing at me when it's my clumsiness that's going to save our friend!"
It was unbelievable that Phil was able to remember that memory so clearly, an event that Dan would otherwise think nothing of. Utterly speechless, Dan hastily put on his shoes and sped past Phil, motioning for him to lead the way. As Phil ran past, Dan was able to muster up a few disjointed words that mirrored his astonishment. "That's— how can you be sure, Phil?"
He and Phil stormed out of their apartment door, running as fast as they could down the dimly lit street. "Honestly, I can't be completely sure. But that doesn't mean I'm going to sit around and waste precious time mulling over if I was right or not." Through puffed pauses and ragged breathing, Phil looked back at Dan, attempting a reassuring smile. "Sometimes you have to go by your gut instinct. And right now, my stomach is about to make me sick with how sure I feel about this."
The two boys continued running down the path, rushing past the occasional passerby and ignoring their curious stares. It was almost supernatural with the amount of energy that flowed through Dan's body, the unpleasant adrenaline rush doing something positive for once. Once and awhile, Dan would accidentally run ahead of Phil only to force himself backwards when he remembered that Phil was his guide. Within a short amount of time, the two boys made it to the bar that fit (Y/N)'s description in terms of distance; a walk that would have taken ten minutes from her apartment only took four minutes of panic-induced jogging. Another determining factor that this was the place was the amount of police officers patrolling the area. Dan felt a shard of anxiety chip away, the progress of the police lockdown a telling sign that someone had called the authorities before they had— (Y/N) was smart enough to call the police before she called them.
"Dan!" Phil began to slow his stride, huffing heavily as he caught his breath from the run. Dan did the same, his lungs feeling like they were drenched in acid. The two boys were within a few meters of where the police had blocked off the bar, their hunched over forms blending into the crowd of people that worriedly stood around the kerfuffle. After catching his breath, Phil tapped Dan's arm. "I'm going to talk to the police and lead them to where I think (Y/N) is. It shouldn't be far from here. What I need you to do—" Phil lightly shoved Dan's arm, prompting him to stand up straight. "—is to find (Y/N). If not the police, then you. It has to be you,"
Dan looked at his friend as he hungrily gulped down copious amounts of air, his hunger for oxygen still unquenched. "But Phil—"
"No butts. Time is running out, so the longer we stall the more danger we put our friend in. I made a promise to always keep (Y/N) away from harm and I know for a fact that you did too." Dan felt the tiniest of blushes peak at his cheeks. "So while I work with the police, you have to find her and keep her safe. It makes no sense for the both of us to stay when one of us could be out bringing (Y/N) back. " Phil stood at full height, placing a comforting hand on Dan's shoulder. "With all the Hell she's been put through tonight, she deserves to see the person she loves the most." Phil gave a troubled smile, pointing down one of the less busy streets. "Now go. Run until you his the cross walks then turn left. Take a right then another left. The yellow bike rack should be there."
Dan nodded, his heart thundering with deafening force. "I still have no idea how the fuck you remembered all this, but thank you."
Phil pushed Dan in the direction he was pointing in. "Go now! Give me 5 minutes and the police should meet you there. By that time, I expect to see you by (Y/N)'s side, got it?"
Dan was already sprinting down the path before Phil could finished his sentence. Luckily, it seems as if Dan had heard the rest of his friend's speech, holding up a confirmation hand and he ran like mad down the dim street. With one last glance, Phil quickly turned his attention towards the crowd surrounding the bar. Due to his rather tall stature, Phil was able to easily gain the attention of the officers he was trying to locate, signaling them with a frantic wave.
"I know where she is!"
--------------------------
After hanging up on Dan, you weakly lowered your phone to the ground and made sure the device was set to silent. You let out a low, shaky breath, willing yourself to calm the sputtering mess that was threatening to break through at any moment. Everything was heavy, your eyelids screaming for the chance to lull your body into a drug induced sleep. Despite this, you forced yourself to continuously protest against the dangerous idea; for all you knew, this could be the last time you ever had your eyes open again.
You pressed your head to the brick wall behind you, finding minimal comfort in the support. If anything, straining less made you feel tempted to drift away into the land of dreams, a pleasant distraction to the horrors that surrounded you. You'd give anything to not be in this alley, forced to hide from some fucked up guy whose motives were obviously unlawful. The icy cool voice of Ryan hissed through the dark alley like a shrill whistle on a winter's eve, jolting you awake for a second. You gulped feebly, willing yourself to stay deadly silent.
"(Y/N), I didn't mean it. Accidents happen and I'm sure you didn't mean to break my wrist. If you come out now, we can go somewhere more comfortable than this dingy alley." You could hear the malice that laced his deceptive words, his sentences shrouded in pain, no doubt from the damage you inflicted on his wrist. You could hear his footsteps echo through the passage, the various debris from the ground crunching beneath his feet. "If you come with me, I'll treat you nice. I know you don't like it here, it's so scary and gross, not to mention dirty. This is no place for someone as beautiful as you... unless you prefer this location—" Ryan's foot crashed into one of the metal trash cans lining the alleyway, spilling its contents over the ground. "—You naughty girl, (Y/N)~"
Your eyes followed Ryan from behind a trash can at the end of the alleyway, your form hidden beneath the shadows. You watched as his backlit figure kicked down the trash cans, his posture hunched over in discomfort as he clutched his injured wrist, hissing out various curses when his search yielded no results. "I know you're here, (Y/N). It's a dead end. There's nowhere for you to go, honestly. It would be easier if you just showed yourself." He chuckled to himself darkly, approaching a trash can and kicking it across the alley with even more force than before. You shuttered pitifully as you watched Ryan get closer, your body frozen from a mixture of fear and the drug dosage. "Perhaps my little (Y/N) is asleep already. That's too bad, really. I never got the chance to see you drift off. That's one of my favorite parts." Another garbage can was pushed to the side, causing more disturbances in the dark passage.
"Or maybe you're still awake, watching my every move." Ryan shoved a nearby trash can to the ground.
"I've never had someone watch me like you're doing now. It's quite the shift from my normal routine of being the watcher. I don't know if I like being the one watched..." You flinched when a metal tin rolled close to your feet, nearly touching your shadowed form on the ground.
"But then again, it's always nice to switch things up, yeah? Life gets a little boring if you follow the same routine..." He was within a few feet now, the menacing glare in his emerald eyes reminiscent of the Devil's own. He turned his head frantically, deciding which of the few remaining objects he would kick to the ground. "Was that your plan, (Y/N)? To switch my routine? To ruin what I've been doing for the past few years? Some people say change is good, but I couldn't agree less. I hate it. I want things to go my way. Always."
Ryan was now to the left of you, his piercing gaze failing to recognize your trembling figure in the dark. He pushed one of the trash cans to the side, his face expectant. Upon realizing you weren't there, he slowly turned his head to look at the spot you were hiding, a deranged smile creeping across his lips. He approached slowly, taking his sweet time antagonizing you. You held your breath, the tears frantically rolling down your cheeks. At this point, giving into sleep seemed like the best way to escape this situation.
"You know, (Y/N), you are the most troublesome girl I've ever encountered. This little game of cat and mouse was amusing at first, but now I've had enough. My darling, did you really think you could hide from my watchful eye?" Ryan loomed over you, his uninjured hand falling onto the trash can that was in front of you; he tapped his fingered against the metal in a sort of rhythmic tone. "I think I've found my prize. Let's see what's behind door number three, shall we?" With that, Ryan hammered his foot into the side of the garbage can, sending it flying to the wall beside you. You let out a small, sputtered gasp as the tears fell at an alarming rate. When you locked eyes with the man in front of you, more tears stained your cheeks.
Ryan looked at you with sickening content, lowering himself down until he was at even eye level with you. "Hmm? Still awake? Wow, I can't believe how many surprises you have up your sleeve. (Y/N), you really are one of the most beautiful girls I've ever had the pleasure of drugging." Ryan's smile faltered when you refused to speak. "What's wrong? Nothing to say? That's unlike you seeing as you wouldn't shut up on our little walk here." With his uninjured hand, Ryan gently grazed a finger across your face. You instinctively flinched away but Ryan kept his grip, steadying your trembling figure with the palm of his hand. "Come on, I want to hear that beautiful voice of yours one more time. Pretty please?"
You mustered up the remaining strength in your body, sending a hostile glare towards Ryan as you aggressively spat in his face. "Go to Hell...you fucking creep..."
Ryan seemed the least bit bothered by this, simply wiping his face clean with his uninjured hand. "That's cute. Not the exact words I was thinking of, but they'll do quite well." He paused, surveying your face and seemingly noticing your tears for the first time. With an uncharacteristically gentle hand, Ryan carefully wiped away the liquid on your face. "See, this is why you should have been asleep. You wouldn't be crying if you were asleep, (Y/N)." He gazed at you with sad eyes, the sudden change in emotion chilling to watch. "It's a pity. You're making me feel a little bad."
Ryan looked away and sighed, never taking his hand away from your face. Then, he looked back, staring directly into your terrified eyes. His viridian gaze danced a sinful ballet; it was horrendous to look at. "Say, you mentioned there was someone you liked when we were at the bar. Someone who doesn't feel the same way, hmm? What was their name, darling?"
You refused to say anything, though at the mention of Dan you could feel your heart squeeze painfully, another uncalled for river of tears silently flowing down your face. God, was that phone call going to be the last time you heard his voice? It wasn't the kind, humorous tone you were used to. Was your last memory of him going to be his terrified voice on the other side of the phone, scared out of his mind for his friend?
When you didn't answer, Ryan edged closer to your face, hissing a low utterance in your ear. "Come on, just tell me. I won't let anyone know. You can trust me, (Y/N)." After sitting in silence for a few more moments, Ryan grew impatient. He dragged his finger across your face, lightly holding it beneath your chin. He leaned away from your ear, this time hovering over the side of your face. "I was just trying to make this easier on you. Since you refuse to sleep, I thought that thinking about the one you loved would make this whole process a lot less stressful for you. Seeing as I don't have a name—" He edged closer to your face, his words dusting against your cheek. "—We'll see if I can get it out of you by the end of the night."
Ryan planted a kiss beneath your eye, dragging his lips across the tears that stained your face. You immediately flinched away, surprising Ryan as you fell back on the ground. Upon impact with the hard surface, it felt like the entire world was spinning. You could hardly make sense of the world around you, the dim alley becoming darker as a figure loomed over you, pinning you down with his legs and an arm by your shoulders. You struggled beneath his weight, calling upon whatever last minute energy you had left in your thinned out storage of adrenaline. You opened your mouth in preparation for a gut wrenching scream until Ryan placed his injured hand over your mouth, quietly shushing you. "Still making such a fuss. You're lucky I'm so fond of you. Otherwise this night would be going in a different direction rather quickly. Now my darling, be quiet."
With his free hand, Ryan softly traced a line from your neck all the way to your exposed shoulder, dragging it in a slow circle motion. Then, he lowered himself towards your neck and placed an agonizingly slow kiss on your exposed skin. Soon after he moved to your jawline, placing more kisses as he lazily dragged his finger down your struggling arm, holding it down when he reached for your hand. He held it tightly, smirking to himself when he looked down at you. "Tell me, (Y/N). Who's name do you think you'll be calling out by the end of the night..."
You whimpered from underneath his hand, a weak sob escaping. You closed your eyes, praying for the drugs to take effect and to whisk you away to the land of dreams. See, that's the thing—Dreams are the things that never hurt you.
Ryan suddenly stood up, wiping his head to the side where the alleyway opened up. You opened your eyes, slowly turning them towards the flashing lights that bounced off the brick exterior. The shrill sound of a police siren bounced from wall to wall, causing your ears to ring with a painful reassurance. From beneath Ryan's hand you cracked a genuine smile, causing the blond to look down at you in a confused rage. "You... you called the cops didn't you?"
He raised his hand from your mouth, hastily standing up from your limp body and looking around frantically. He cradled his injured wrist, cursing excessively as he weighed his options. As you watched him struggle with his fight or flight response, you bubbled over with a cackle as the lowly son of a bitch realized the situation he was in. "I didn't call the cops... you can trust me, Ryan..."
Ryan's eyes went wide with rage, his green gaze burning like untamed flames in a silver goblet. "You bitch!"
You huffed, your suppressed sarcasm coming back to the surface with a vengeance. "You prick."
Ryan took a step forward, only to back off when the sound of approaching sirens grew closer, their number increasing rapidly. The blond cursed loudly, pacing around the alleyway frantically as he looked at you then the exit. "Damn It!" yelled Ryan, limping his way out of the alleyway like a wounded dog. The man wasn't looking where he was going and met head on with one of the trash cans he has pushed over earlier, crashing to the ground with a blood curdling scream; he fell on his broken wrist again.
Your body shook from the laughter that claimed your body, the joy you felt making you forget about the cold ground you were currently laying on. You watched with well deserved contempt as Ryan hobbled out of the alley, quickly dashing to the side of the street when the authorities laid eyes on him. You observed the multiple shadows that sped past the entrance, the group of police officers barking orders as they pursued the culprit. You could faintly hear the dispatchers through their static radios, the crackles unintelligible from this distance. Soon, the laughter you felt began to die down and was replaced with a relieved sadness. You laid against the ground, unable to find the strength to raise yourself upwards. As much as you tried, you could only get yourself on your side, the movement a tiring act.
Tired. That was the only thing you felt.
As you laid on your side, the walls of the dark alley began to swallow up your vision, the act of keeping your eyes open a dreadful task indeed. It would be so easy to fall asleep, to forget about this night. However, something kept you from closing them just yet. Rather someone— the figure running down the alley frantically calling your name.
Behind him there was a number of cops, each with their flashlights in hand as the swept across the contents of the passage. While they all called out to you, only one voice seemed sincere. You tried to form a sentence, your words quickly dying in your throat from the fatigue that was weighing you down. When that didn't work you looked to your surroundings, pleased with the idea you had. With a weak kick, you lightly scraped the side of one of the metal tins. No one seemed to hear it. No one except a certain brunette.
You didn't remember him scooping your limp figure into his arms or the words that he called out to you. But you did remember the tears that fell from his face, the feeling of new found warmth and the trembling of his body as he held you close.
While everything was finally fading to black, you recall the last word that slipped from you lips and he held you close, quietly whispering it into his chest.
"Dan..."
A/N: Alright. I know I just posted an announcement saying that I wasn't sure when this chapter was coming out. But for you folks, I decided to push for a chapter tonight! Plus!.... I didn't want to study any more, haha.
I hope liked this chapter. Sorry that the last one was a lil bit of a cliff hanger. Hopefully this will feed you guys for a while as I work through exams, haha!
Thanks for 10k! Very thankful for the support! :)
-B