Dreamcatcher

Chapter 12 - Daniel

I head to my bedroom, trying to make sense of the chaos swirling in my mind. I grab a bag and start packing, the motions automatic. But then I stop. What's the point? None of this is real. This bag, these clothes, this room—they're all part of the illusion. I drop the bag, my hands trembling, and sit down on the edge of the bed, staring at the dreamcatcher hanging on the wall. How am I supposed to wake up from something that feels so real?

The minutes tick by, my mind racing, but no answers come. It feels like I've been sitting there forever when I finally hear the front door creak open and close. Daniel's home. My stomach tightens with dread. What am I supposed to say to him? I do love him. Or... I did. But it's all been an illusion, hasn't it? He isn't real.

I stand up and walk toward the hallway, my legs heavy with uncertainty. Just as I step out of the bedroom, I run right into Daniel. He's standing there, his usual warm smile gone, replaced by a look of concern that makes my skin crawl.

"Is everything okay, babe?" His voice is soft, but his eyes never leave mine, searching for something I'm not ready to give.

I swallow hard, my heart pounding in my chest. "I'm sorry, Daniel. I can't do this. I need to leave."

"What? Why?" His voice tightens, confusion flickering in his eyes.

"You're not real," I say, my voice barely above a whisper, the weight of those words heavy on my tongue.

He blinks, and for a moment, he looks genuinely confused. "That makes no sense, honey. Of course I'm real. You're talking nonsense." He steps closer, his tone soft, coaxing, but there's something sharp underneath it, something that wasn't there before.

I take a shaky step back. "I'm sorry, Daniel." I try to walk past him, but before I can move more than a few steps, his hand shoots out, grabbing my arm with a force that sends a shock of fear through me.

Suddenly, I'm slammed against the wall, hard, the impact knocking the breath out of my lungs. His body presses up against mine, pinning me there with a strength I didn't know he had. His hand curls around my throat, not squeezing, but enough to hold me in place—enough to remind me that I'm not going anywhere.

"Daniel, what are you doing?" My voice trembles with confusion and fear. The sweet man I thought I knew is gone. In his place is someone—something—else entirely.

His lips curl into a slow, menacing grin, and my blood runs cold. "You can't leave, Ashlyn," he murmurs, his voice dripping with malice. "I won't let you. I'm having too much fun."

Before I can even process what's happening, his eyes—those familiar, comforting eyes—start to change. The color shifts, darkening, until they glow an eerie, unnatural blue. My breath catches in my throat as the truth slams into me like a freight train.

Daniel isn't Daniel. He's the Djinn. He's been the Djinn this whole time.

The walls seem to close in around me as the realization sinks in, and a cold, suffocating terror grips me. His grip on my neck tightens, just enough to make me gasp, and the gleam in his glowing eyes sends a fresh wave of panic surging through me.

"You're mine, Ashlyn," he whispers, his breath hot against my ear. "And I'm not done with you yet."

I shudder, my heart hammering in my chest. "You're the Djinn?"

He laughs—a sound so cold and twisted it echoes through the hallway, making my blood run cold. His glowing blue eyes stay locked on mine, unblinking, like a predator cornering its prey. "Yes, I am. I had to make sure you were content in this life I built for you. That you wouldn't fight me. And for a while, you didn't."