DANIEL JAMES HOWELL
I wake up unexpectedly looking at my surroundings. When did I even go to sleep? My heart stops when I realize where I am, how can I not?
The tall trees, the soft ground, the smell of rain. I'm in the fucking forest. I get up from my spot and look around. Where are Phil and Lydia? They can't abandon me, he was pretty serious when he told me his plans.
"Hello?" I whisper, I didn't intend for anyone to hear me I just wanted to hear my own voice.
"Have you found my Annie?" I freeze when I recognize the voice. It's that demon from my own house.
"Go away, you're not real." I demand but she giggles. She steps away from the tree she was standing behind and walks towards me.
"Why did you leave me to burn?" She questions but I shake my head.
"What? Burn where?" I ask her in curiosity.
"The house...someone burned it." The demon whispers to me. I'm about to call her out on lying but I remember she never lies. I don't know how this fake part of my imagination could know things like this.
"Burned the house..." I trail thinking of everything that I held dear in that house. My pictures of Anne, the letters...everything.
"I managed to take this, Danny." I cringe at the nickname, she pulls out something from the bloody bandage on her stomach. She throw it towards me. It's the pistol...the one I shot Anne with. I hesitantly grab it and hold it in my hand. I shove it in my back pocket in case something happens.
"I thought you saved something important." I say as I begin to walk away, the demon follows behind.
"Your friends are here." She tells me, and I snap my heads towards her.
"Take me to them." I demand and she nods.
--
"This isn't funny." I stop in my tracks when I realize where the demon led me. She giggles as she sits on the edge of the cliff. This is where Anne died, it looks so much more different in the daytime.
"It feels nice seeing you scared. Come sit down with me." The demon swings her legs around as she gazes down the cliff.
"You're out of you mind." I declare, I turn to walk away but her voice stops me.
"Danny, come look at my Annie. She still looks so pretty." She coos in admiration. I debate if I should even listen to her, I mean I pretty much know she's fake but then again she never lies. What if there is a chance that Anne is there for whatever reason?
I decide to take that chance and go to where the demon sits. I cautiously peer down the cliff and my eyes widen.
"What the fuck?" I say looking at Anne's body. Her skin is pale and her body looks like a bunch of animals have eaten their way through it. I blink quickly hoping the minute I open my eyes her body is gone.
Her eyes twitch as she sits up. "Dan? Is that you?" She whispers and I feel like turning around and running away but I can't. The demon giggles as she latches onto my hand.
"I brought him for you, my beautiful Annie." The demon stares at her decaying body in happiness.
"Shut up, bitch." Anne spits, taking a knife out of her pocket and throwing it at the demon. It sinks into the middle of her head and the demon shrieks. I take this opportunity to shake her off me and kick her off the cliff.
"This isn't real. You're dead, how are you-" I try debunking this but Anne gets up.
"I love you, Dan. You said we'd be together forever, you said we'd die together." I look at the bug crawling out of her mouth as she says it.
I'm speechless, I feel a huge lump in my throat as I reach into my pocket for the pistol the demon gave me. I try stopping myself but my body has a mind of its own. I raise the pistol, and see Anne's hurt expression.
"Dan...please don't." She begs but I pull the trigger anyways. She falls down and sobs as she reaches to her forehead.
"I said we would die together." I whisper raising the pistol to my own head. I don't think before I pull the trigger.
___
I jerk awake and find myself in a bed. Lydia is straddling me again except her face looks concerned.
"Are you okay?" She looks pale as she stares at me.
"What happened? Where is she?" I yell trying to get up but I find myself handcuffed to the bed.
"It was just a nightmare, snap out of it." Lydia yells as she draws her hand back and slaps me.
I close my eyes and try to think everything through. Another nightmare, that's all. "Why am I handcuffed?"
"You were moving around way too much. It was freaking me out." She says, grabbing a key and unlocking the handcuffs.
It was just a nightmare. Nothing to be afraid of.
_________
UNEDITED
