A Little More Time...

TWØ

A soft touch caressed Ryan's cheek. Gentle fingers trailed along Ryan's jawline as his brows furrowed and his nose scrunched. He sucked a breath through his nose, immediately falling into a coughing fit at the smoke that entered his lungs in replacement of air.

Ryan rolled from where he had been laying on his back to a position on his side. He continued to cough, trying to fill his lungs with oxygen. The only thing he received, however, was more smoke. As he gasped for air, a burning sensation spread over every inch of his skin.

It was happening again. He was burning again; he was dying.

"Ryan, you need to wake up." An unfamiliar voice called out to Ryan, but he didn't understand.

There was only smoke and burning. The pain dug into his arms like nails, bringing more pain to his insides.

"Ryan!"

Ryan's eyes shot open as he inhaled a sharp breath. This breath was actually air. He wasn't dying; he was breathing.

"He's up!" A soft voice cheered from Ryan's side.

Ryan turned his head to see a girl smiling down at him. She let out a giggle, flashing her front teeth with the up curl of her lips. It exposed a small gap in her teeth, but Ryan hardly noticed as his eyes traveled up to her hair. It had two tones to it, split right down the middle; one side was jet black while the other side was a bluish, green color. Teal, possibly?

"You are an absolute doll, Melanie!" A different voice laughed, echoing through the air.

Ryan sucked in a breath. Wait. There was someone else beside this girl here with him. Where was here!? He looked around, seeing that he was on the floor in a room, near a bed. The floor was cold and smooth, a strange comparison to the flames that had just been eating at his flesh just moments ago. He turned his head, catching the girl's eyes and finding himself unable to look away.

"Poor thing..." She cooed gesturing for Ryan to come closer with her finger.

Much to his surprise, Ryan found himself sitting up to follow her gesture. He didn't feel in control of his body in that instance. He looked at the girl with confusion as she reached out, letting her fingers trail along his cheek.

"You're burning up." She frowned, "You're fine now. No more fire." Her other hand rose up, holding something in it that Ryan couldn't distinguish before she blew it in his face.

Ryan blinked rapidly as a dust collided with his face. Within seconds, he felt... cooler? Whatever residual heat that had remained after the burning of his skin was replaced by a refreshing cool. His eyes closed as he released a sigh of relief.

"That's better."

Ryan reopened his eyes. The girl was smiling at him. She didn't look much older than he was, and her eyes held a certain level of comfort that he couldn't look away from. He felt safe looking at her, in contrast to where he had just been...

Where even was that? How did he end up in some bedroom?

"Need I say it again? An absolute doll!" A new figure swept into Ryan's field of vision, pressing a kiss to the girl's cheek.

Ryan was finally able to tear his gaze away from the girl in order to look at the new figure. He was the owner of the voice he had heard earlier. He had dark hair that rested flat against his head, as though several times of running his fingers through it had ruined any styling it may have had. Brown eyes flickered in Ryan's direction, but they were focused back on the girl in an instant. That quick action seemed to erase the comfort the girl's eyes had given.

"Save it for my payment." She said, turning to the man with a soft smile on her lips. "He's all yours." She said as she stood to her feet.

Ryan looked up at her, but he was unable to find words to speak. The man laughed again, taking the spot in front of Ryan that she had previously occupied. He grinned at Ryan in a way that made him shudder. It wasn't like he was unattractive; his jaw was well defined and his brown eyes were striking with this direct gaze. There was a break in one of his brows, indicating an old scar on the spot.

"Not quite a demon, but not quite alive, either." The man continued to grin. Ryan noticed that specs of yellow danced in the brown of his iris. "What fun."

"What's happening?" The words cracked on the way out of Ryan's mouth.

The man laughed in response. He reached out and grabbed hold of Ryan's chin, sending a strange sensation running through Ryan from where their skin made contact. Ryan gasped. It felt strange in a way that Ryan couldn't describe. He couldn't tell if he liked the sensation or not.

When the man pulled his hand away, he took the tingle with him. Ryan bit the inside of his lip; the retraction of his hand brought a strange longing to the back of Ryan's brain. What the hell was that, and why did he want to feel it again?

"Welcome to hell, hot stuff." The man winked before standing tall in front of him, "You're dead."