Until The End // Phan

Chapter 3

*Dan's Pov*

"Till the end" I assured Phil. I wanted to cry and hug him for as long as I could. I wanted to let it all out right then and there, but I didn't. I let Phil's hand go and ran downstairs, bracing myself for what was to come. I had no idea what I was about to walk into. What if something happens to Phil? What will I do without him? Or what if something happens to me? I won't be there to protect him. I can't let that happen. I have to keep Phil save. I'm going to keep him safe, no matter what.

I put my arm in front of Phil, my hand resting on the door knob. "Ready?" I asked him, sighing deeply. "Yea" He responded, voice shaky. Before I could turn the knob, something banged on the door, forcing me and Phil to jump back. I heard groans coming from behind the door. The banging got harder and harder, shaking the door.

"What do we do?" Phil whisper yelled. "I- I don't know" I replied, panicking. I looked into Phil's eyes, tears welling in them. Right now all that matters is protecting Phil. I don't want to see him cry. It pains me more than anything.

Before Phil could say anything else, I ran upstairs, leaving him on his own. "Dan!" He screamed up to me. I winced, hating to hear the fear in his voice, but I ignored him. I ran into the kitchen and grabbed the sharpest knife in the drawer. It was shaking prefusely in my hand. I stared at the shining metal, a water droplet falling on it's surface. I sniffled and wiped the wetness away from my face. "Dan!" Phil yelled again, snapping me back into reality. I heard a crash and a piercing scream "Dan!" Phil called out so loud the whole building could hear him. If anyone was left.

I darted as fast as I could out of the kitchen and downstairs. "Phil!" I yelled as loud as my lungs would allow me. My heart stopped when I could see what was at the bottom of the stair case. Someone was on top of Phil, something. It was pressing all of its body weight into him, forcing it's head closer and closer to Phil, mouth opening and closing the closer it got. Phil pushed and shoved and kicked at the thing, using as much muscle as his body contains.

"Dan!" He called to me again when he realized I was in sight. I was frozen for a second, terrified at the scene in front of me. It didn't feel real. It was when I saw Phil's hand slip off of its shoulder that I ran so quickly down the stairs I almost tripped with my first step. Without making a sound, I grabbed Phil's arm that had slipped, yanking him off the ground and shoving him behind me, sending the horrid thing to the ground. I could hear Phil sobbing with fear behind me, grabbing my wrist, searching for protection. I stepped forward, making Phil let go of my arm. Without thinking, I clenched the cold knife in my hand, bent down, and stabbed it into it's suprisingly soft skull. Dark red blood spilled out of the wound. It didn't look like normal, human blood. It was darker and thicker, almost foul. I turned my head, resisting the urge to puke.

"Dan?" Phil said my name as if it were a question, grabbing my now bloodied wrist again. I brushed his hand off, yanking the knife out of its position inside the corpse's head. Without cleaning it off, I put it in my bag and pushed aside the broken door. It didn't break off completely, there was only a hole in the middle and the knob had been ripped out.

I was so shocked and breathless from my attack that I didn't say anything to Phil. We just left.

It pained me to look back at the building when we stepped outside. I realized how much we were leaving behind. All of the memories we shared together in that house, gone. All of the possessions that we have held close to us for so long. They all belonged to the dead now. It's all happening so fast. Life was completely normal just less than an hour ago, and now I can barely remember any of it. My entire life is disappearing right in front of me, and I can't do anything about it. I have to just let it happen. I have to just let the world crumble around me.

"Dan, come on!" Phil tugged at my arm, snapping me out of my daze. I turned away from our home and observed the scene around me. Buildings were burning and people were screaming and running. I wanted to look away, to turn around and run back upstairs where we were safe from the world, but it's too late now. Everything is over. We have to keep going.

I grabbed Phil's hand and gripped it as tightly as possible. I breathed in deeply, then exhaled as I started to run through the crowd, dragging Phil behind me. People bumped into us and pushed us, trying to get through, but my grip stayed tight around Phil's fingers. "Dan!" He yelled my name again in fear. I turned around and grabbed Phil's upper arm with my other hand, pulling him closer to me to ensure that we don't separate. "Dan!" He screamed louder this time over everyone else's shrieks "Look!" He was pointing to someone on the ground, twitching. People were trampling over the motionless woman, ignoring her presence completely. Phil squeezed my hand, turning it bright red. Suddenly, the woman bolted upright, grabbing the closest person to her. He screamed and fell to the ground as she bit into his leg, making everyone else's shrieks grow even louder.

Just then, someone bumped full force into me and Phil, throwing us both onto the ground, our hands still locked together. I could feel someone grabbing my free hand, yanking it hard. I looked to my right and saw a man with bloodied hands and a blood-stained torso and ripped shirt next to me. "Phil!" I screamed in horror. I turned my body and tried kicking him off of me, not thinking to let go off Phil's hand to free mine. "Phil!" I yelled again, hoping he would do something, anything to save me. It's mouth got closer and closer to my arm, then

BANG

The corpse fell onto the pavement, blood spilling out of a bullet wound in it's head. My ears were ringing louder than a bell, my vision blurry. "Come on!" I heard a woman's voice call to us "Follow me, hurry!" I could feel Phil yanking me up off the ground. He put his arm around my waist, lifting me to my feet. My vision came back as I saw the woman grabbing Phil's arm, pulling us both in her direction. "We have to get out of here, now!" She yelled, not looking back. I held Phil's hand tightly in mine, letting him drag me in his direction. I let him take control, knowing that if I tried fending for myself, I would most likely get killed somehow the second I let go of his hand. I'm supposed to be protecting him. How am I supposed to do that if I can't even protect myself?

I closed my eyes as Phil pulled me behind him. I didn't want to be aware of my surroundings. I know if I am, I will break down on the ground, completely shut down out of fear. I have no clue how Phil is keeping himself together. "Dan!" Phil's voice made my eyes shoot open. "Are you ok?" He yelled over the commotion. My throat was too tight for me to answer. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out, so I just nodded, even though I most definetly was not ok. He gave me a fake reassuring smile to make me feel better. I didn't have the strength to smile back.

We were in an ally now, away from the rest of the mob. "Who are you, anyway?" Phil asked the woman who had saved us. "I'm-" before she could answer, she aimed her gun at me. I froze. Phil grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him, shoving us both into the wall. I blacked out for a second. My vision was blurry again, my ears ringing louder than the first time. I looked back at the spot where I was just standing, a body on the ground taking my place. I faintly heard her speaking, her voice sounded hazy. "It's not safe here.. we have to go."