Frozen Soldiers (Phan)

Try Me | 1

One Week Later

I don't know what's behind me. All I know is that it's there and I'm running from it. I hear the harsh breaths slowly getting closer, gaining ground. The hallway seems never ending, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I hear the thing's claws scratch against the title we're running on. My legs and throat burn and I'm slowly losing momentum. I mentally scream at my feet to go faster, this isn't the time to get tired. My brain is unable to comprehend what I'm passing; it's unable to understand anything but the blind panic and adrenaline coursing through my veins. 

I hear a terrifyingly familiar scream ahead of us. Phil. The noise gives me the motivation to go faster, my legs go numb, and my mindset is completely on helping Phil. I forget the monster behind me and try to get to him. "Phil!" I yell as loud as I can with the little breath I have. I get another painful scream in response. 

The hallway suddenly ends, cutting off abruptly to a brick wall. I spin around, but the monster is gone. I almost collapse, but before my legs can give out, blood starts pooling at my feet. I look up to see Phil hanging on a wall in front of me, bullet hole in his chest. I reach for to him, crying out but my hands are yanked back; chains wrapped around my wrists. I struggle against them trying to get to Phil who is bleeding out in front of me. "Phil!" I yell, not able to get to him. 

He looks up at me, and my blood runs cold. His beautiful blue eyes are now completely black, the white not showing and his perfect teeth are sharp and twisted. "Save your breath, it's not like someone like you could ever save me anyway," he says, his voice bitter and lower. 

My arms are yanked in different directions, and suddenly I'm in the same place Phil was, and he's standing unchained before me. He holds his arms behind his back, not bothering to help me. "You really think I care, don't you? Huh. Silly boy, no one would ever care about someone like yourself. I mean look at you, trust issues, introverted, paranoid. Not to mention your disaster of a past and the fact that you look like a bag of bones," he says, grinning cruelly at me. 

I glare at the thing that's replaced the boy who's made a home in my heart. "You can't hurt me," I spit, this isn't Phil. "What makes you think that," he says, a knife appearing in his hand, the razor blade edge shining against the dim light, the chains around my arms pulling tighter making my chest burn. 

"Because nothing you could ever do to me physically could compare to the thoughts in my head. I know what it's like to be on rock bottom and dig deeper; To stand on the top of the world only to be pushed off by the person I love most. So fucking try me. Try to cause me more pain than I've already experienced. Being left to your own for eighteen years sucks, but you sure as hell grow a thick skin to the shit life throws at you," I growl. 

The chains on my wrists drop me, and I crouch on the ground, looking up evilly at the imposter in front of me. He's no longer Phil; he's turned into a gruesome creature with mangled teeth, twisted horns, and matted black fur. his yellow eyes like a torch. His knife degrades to ash. I stand and face him. "Give me back Phil," I snarl. 

The entire scene disappears to a wounded Phil who sits in the corner of the room. I race to him, sitting down next to him. "Hey, wake up. Come on, wake up," I say, taking him into my arms and moving the hair from his face. He coughs sharply before coming to life. I sigh, relieved. "Thank god," I mumble before kissing his forehead. When he opens his eyes, they're the vibrant blue I've come to love. "I thought you'd fall for them and leave me behind," he says weakly. I shake my head. 

"Never."

:::

My eyes swing open, and I anxiously take in my surrounding. My breathing's uneven and a thin layer of sweat coats my body. I feel gross and terrified. My heart rate slows slightly when I see Phil laying beside me unharmed. I sit up, trying to take slower breaths and take in what just happened. 

Phil rolls over, waking up. "Hmm, what's wrong?" he asks, still half asleep. My shirt clings to my chest, and the room is suddenly way too hot. "Nothing, go back to sleep," I say, crawling out of bed. "Where are you going?" He asks. When I don't answer, he sits up rubbing his eyes. "Are you okay?" he asks, finally seeing the state I'm in. I think back to what I said in the nightmare to the demon. "Yes," I say, for once in my life able to say that honestly. It was grim and horrible, and I hope I never have to go through it again, but I somehow feel more at peace because of it. "I'm going to take a shower," I say. Phil gives me a worried look but lets me walk away. 

The cold water feels amazing, and my head is finally clear of thoughts. It's peaceful, and I'm not sure how or why but I decide to ask questions later. I dry off and change before crawling back into bed, ignoring the clock beside it that's flashing 3:47. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Phil asks, pulling me closer. I've been the most emotionally unstable person for the past week since my mum visited. Each day I'd have a different nightmare all of which ended with Phil dying in various ways and me unable to save him. I guess I was just fed up with it all tonight. "Yes, because I have you," I say, kissing his cheek. He gives me a small laugh. "That's the most cliche thing to ever come out of your mouth," He says, giggling. "Yeah, but it's entirely true," I say. "Fair enough," he says, quickly kissing me before letting both of us fall asleep and for the first time this week my dreams are peaceful.