A Little More Time...

FØUR

Ryan pushed himself up weakly. The dizzy feeling brought by the dust that Brendon had blown into his face, whatever it was. It felt like... He wasn't sure. It just felt odd.

He pushed his palms against his eyes with a low groan. When he pulled his hands away, he looked around the room. No one appeared to be with him in the space, from what he could see. The bed did obstruct much of his vision of the other side of the room, but it still left a good bit of the room visible. There were two doors on the wall that Ryan leaned against that he hadn't noticed before. The wall to his left also held a door. He wondered where they lead as he began to stand.

That action was quickly foiled by the chains that bound him to the ground. He had forgotten about them. He swore lowly, wiggling his wrists and shaking the chains. He remembered watching them form as if they were nothing. It just wasn't possible, but he had witnessed it. He yanked at them, roughly, before crying out in pain at how the cuffs dug into his wrists with the action. He quickly bit his lip, however, just in case Brendon was near.

Brendon. What the hell even was he!? His eyes, speckled with flakes of yellow, were so much different than the eyes of the girl, Melanie. Her eyes were so comforting and... Normal. They didn't make Ryan shudder like Brendon's eyes. There was just something... Devious about Brendon.

Ryan's thoughts were pulled to the tingling sensation that spread through him when Brendon touched him. Despite the discomfort of his eyes, Brendon's touch made Ryan crave more. Why did he have that effect on him?

Was it because he was... Dead?

"I'm dead..." He repeated the words out loud, if only to solidify their meaning. He was gone from the world he knew, now trapped here. In hell, which apparently looked like a hotel room... Because it was a nicer part of hell?

Ryan shook his head. How long had he been out for? The room he was in held no windows or clocks to help him identify a time. It could have been minutes... Hours... Days...

Ryan focused back on the chains that kept him in place. They were so solid and strong, yet they had been conjured right before his eyes. They were just as strong as any metal, if not stronger. Ryan was ready to attempt another tug at the restraints when the door on the wall to his left swung open.

Brendon stepped into the room, flicking what could have been a cigarette out into the dark space just outside. Ryan couldn't get a good look past Brendon before the door to the room was shut again. His gaze was brought up to Brendon's amused expression as... whatever Brendon was, looked him over.

"Look who finally woke up." He teased, walking over to his bed. "Good morning, sleeping beauty."

"Where am I?" Ryan questioned, ignoring any formalities.

Brendon rolled his eyes. "I told you, hell. Did you already forget?"

"Alright, what the hell are you then?" Ryan demanded.

Brendon just chuckled as he moved over to the bed. "No guesses?" He asked as he climbed onto the mattress, positioning himself so that he could still look down at Ryan. "I mean, being in hell, I would have thought you to have put two and two together." He swiped his tongue over his top lip with a devilish smirk.

Hell. The only things in hell were... "Demons."

"Just one. Lose the s." Brendon winked.

A demon, why didn't Ryan consider that earlier? He met Brendon's gaze with uncertainty. His eyes still made Ryan want to shudder. Beyond the strange speckling, there was just a darkness behind them... Is that what he would become?

"Am I one too?" Ryan asked, though his tone had become weaker upon making eye contact with Brendon.

The demon laughed, rolling onto his back. He tilted his head back in order to look at Ryan with an upside down, mocking smile. "You wish!" He rolled back onto his stomach before pushing himself up. He swung his legs over the bed and stood before walking over to Ryan and kneeling in front of him. "You're currently just another being in limbo." He said, booping Ryan's nose.

Ryan hated the tingling sensation that spread from the less than an instant of contact. He didn't understand why the demon's touch could affect him like that... Was it the fact that he was a demon and Ryan was... He wasn't quite sure what he was. Could a soul in limbo still call itself human?

"Sorry about the chains, by the way." Brendon's tone didn't make his words sound sincere, "I had errands to run and I couldn't risk you getting out."

"What am I, some kind of pet?"

"In a way." Brendon winked, "I did ask for you." He dropped from his crouch, holding himself up on his knees. He leaned forward, placing his hands on the ground in front of him and beginning to crawl towards Ryan. "My personal pet." He cooed, creepily.

Ryan shrunk back. He didn't want to be anyone's pet. Especially not some demon who had him killed for no reason other than he felt like having people murder for him.

"T-they called you emperor." Ryan turned his head away from Brendon as he crept closer, "Why?"

Brendon pulled back with a laugh, give Ryan room to breathe. "Because, humans are stupid." There was a glint of something sinister in Brendon's eyes as he continued, "They will worship anything they think will put them above others. There is no faster trek to hell." He paused. "Well... Maybe it's not the only quick route." He grinned at Ryan with a wink.

Ryan shut his eyes as Brendon crawled closer again.

"You're an interesting one, Ryan. Aren't I lucky you're the one they chose?"

Ryan could feel Brendon's presence drawing nearer. He was reaching out for him, and the tingling would spread and Ryan would feel that numbness again...

"I need to pee." The words burst out of his mouth as his eyes snapped open. Brendon's fingertips were millimeters away from his cheek, hovering in the air with Ryan's words. Ryan held his breath as silence hung in the air following his words. How was Brendon holding perfectly still? "I-please?"

Ryan looked past Brendon's outstretched hand to gauge the demon's reaction. Brendon's expression didn't reveal much. It was just as still as his hand.

"Fine." The hand near Ryan's face snapped its fingers, causing Ryan to jump. The chains that bound him to the floor began to vanish in a similar fashion as they appeared until, finally, the cuffs around his wrists vanished as well. "It's the door closest to you. Hurry up."