Phobia

Everyone has fears, or phobias. In extreme cases, they could ruin a person's life forever.

Fear is what led me to this situation. To believe, the human mind is truly, the scariest thing of all.

A few weeks ago, my friend asked me if I was fine with the way things were.

Seeing nothing wrong with this question, I answered, "There's nothing bad happening so yes, I'm fine with the way things are."

"I see."

I didn't think there was anything wrong with the question but my answer led to a series of events I'll never forget.

My friend studied psychology and was interested in the human mind and how it reacted to questions that would make us question our sanity. He wanted the ability to tell every lie from the truth. I didn't know it at the time but he was trying to find every fault there was in a person. He wanted to show the world what everyone really thought by revealing every secret they held, no matter how big or small.

I always wondered, how could someone change so much in a mere 6 weeks? I'd known him my entire life and yet, I've never seen him behave in this manner. It gave me a migraine just thinking about it.

He was one of those students who always got an A or higher. It was rare for his results to show anything less.

Every time he didn't have class, I would see him walking around the campus asking random students questions. Most of those questions led to shocking results. He held the secrets of the majority of our grade. Secrets that were kept hidden from everyone they knew.

"I wonder what would happen if I were to kill that person? Nobody's watching."

"I wonder what it'll be like to run that dog over?"

"I wonder what it'll feel like to jump in from of that truck?"

They were just a portion of all the thoughts students would have. Everyone has these thoughts once in their life but never went through with them as there was nothing to gain. Those who did go through with their thoughts were just... curious.

My friend had found a way to find the deepest fear of his targets and it seemed as though he had hypnotized them to do his bidding. He would measure their heart rate and watch the response their body gave as they performed what was asked.

Those he controlled would do anything he asked. It could be something simple but he would also ask for something ridiculous. He would ask them to do something illegal and potentially life-threatening. It was enough to make them snap. What he asked for went against all their values and beliefs but they did it anyway.

Something else I found strange was that each and every one of his targets gained better marks the more they worked for him.

At most, I've gotten 7 out of 10 A's or higher on my report but those who previously received 4 or 3, suddenly gained results with 8-9 A's or higher. The way he was able to influence others perplexed and scared me. Nobody should have that power and as he was only in uni, his potential could only grow.

We hung out together quite frequently but I was such an idiot to realize that he didn't care about me. He only cared about results. He asked me questions just like everyone else. I had a feeling he would make me do something I would regret but it still came as a surprise when it happened.

Every word he said still sent shivers down my back. I let it circle around my head. There was no way I'd ever hurt my sister, let alone kill her, yet as much as I wanted to say no, my body moved without my consent.

I felt trapped, and it wasn't the first time.

I saw myself taking a knife out of the second draw of the kitchen counter and walking into my sister's room.