guilt • phan

Chapter 10

Phil

He looked just as shocked as I did. I heard his breath stocking in his throat, and somehow mine did too. He stepped back in fear, his hands searching for something to grab, as if he was trying to hold on to dear life. I found myself moving backwards too, feet losing grip on the groud, threatening to fall on my already bruised back again. I staggered and regained my balance, but still lacking any composure.

Dan just stood there, back against a tree. Rigid. It was as if he was dead, the only sign of life the shocking breaths making his chest rise and fall. His face was gray, and his eyes seemed to have lost all their colour.

I just stood too, confused and also scared. Our eyes were still locked. I looked at him in confusion, hoping for answers, even if they were non-verbal. He answered by breaking eye contact and looking away, into the distance. His expression changed from confusion to something else, but I couldn't quite place it. It put me off, and my mind started wandering. Was he hinting at something?

He might have done this on purpose.

What if he attacks you next?

What if this was all a trap? 

My heart was racing, I could feel my hands shaking by my side.

He hates you, maybe he planned this all to get to you.

I was already panicking, but the thoughts crossing my mind were certrainly not helping. Instinctively, I looked around, eyes scanning for any suspicious movements. I saw the slide, trees, lampposts...

My eyes stopped when I saw the dog still on the ground. Oh god, the dog. She was not moving. But I was.

I collected whatever bravery I had left and ran towards the dog, desperate to see if she was alive. While running, I retrieved my phone from my pocket. In the moment, I forgot my worries and the fact that my biggest enemy was literally 10 feet away from me, I had  to call someone. My fingers fumbled with the phone in an attempt to open the emergency call screen, but before I knew it, I was on the ground again. Had I tripped? Did my knees give out? It did not matter. I had to get to her. I groaned and placed my hands in the dirt to push myself up, for some reason, no matter how hard I tried, my body did not lift from the ground.

And then I realized why. A big booted foot pushed into my lower back and pinned me to the ground waist-down. It all dawned upon me in a big tidal wave. It was a trap and I fell for it, literally. I was so stupid. I should have seen this coming, I should have fled when I had the chance... But I couldn't leave the dog.

I struggled to get away from under the boot, I tried even harder to push myself up from the ground... But the guy the boots belonged to did not give way, instead he applied more force.

"You're weak indeed," he added, with a low chuckle.

I was sent falling towards the floor for what felt like the twentieth time today, and with an 'oomph' and an unsettling crack, my face hit the dirt. I felt liquid dripping from my nose, and it didn't take long for the stars in my vision to turn into a black abyss.

a/n WOW guess who. i am not dead (again) i just kind of forgot what i was doing and i couldn't think of anything to add to this chapter for a while, but i did it eventually?? i think?? it's not as long as usual but next chapter will be better. i just couldn't leave this story hanging because i really enjoy writing it but school is interfering my creative thinking (? is that a thing)

anyways, i'll see you next time :)

x myrthe