Highs and lows [Imagine Dragons Fanfic]

Fight

Dan:

The pain is slowly getting too much for me to handle. My father starts carving something into my arm, but I don't feel it anymore. My whole body just feels numb. All the energy has been sucked out of it.

I have no power. Neither to scream nor to talk or even move. I don't feel anything. I don't hear anything. My sight is blurred. As if I am in a bubble, where no one else is.

I recognize the others and the knife carving letters into my arm. I just don't know which letters. My brain doesn't function anymore and I feel like it's a good thing. That way, I don't feel anything. But I'm also left alone with my thoughts.

Maybe my time has come. The time for me to end everything. The time to give up. To run away from all the pain.

No! I can't do that! There are just too many good things in my life. The band, the fans, my family. I've been through my fathers' punishments before and I survived. At that time I didn't have anything to fight for.  But now I do.

All the endless hours of pain and of being alone. Why did I fight through them if I just give up now? I need to fight!

I feel the energy coming back. My sight clears up a bit. I can hear the engine noise again. But with all of that comes also the pain. Luckily my father already finished carving whatever into my hand. For some reason, I still can't read it. The letters don't form a word. I don't know what he wrote.

But I don't need to. All my attention goes to him as I hear a familiar name: Arrow.

"What did you just say?" I hear myself saying and all eyes are on me again.

"Oh, look who is still with us," my father responds with amusement.

"Repeat what you just said!" I say forcefully and receive surprised faces. Not only of my father but also of the guys.

I've been scared of him my whole life, but something within me lets me forget that right now.

My father was caught so off-guard by this that he really repeats himself.

"I said, I am going to make all your families bleed and not only you and your precious little Arrow," as he finishes he seems like himself again with his nasty grin.

For a moment, I don't do anything. Then I understand. The accident. The hit and go. Arrow. That was all him. He did it on purpose and he isn't even sorry. No, he enjoys it.

Anger boils inside of me. I forget all the pain and clench my fists. But instead of looking scared, my father smiles of me. He is giving me the "What do you want to do? You have no chance against me" look, which makes me even angrier.

This time, I'm the one who jumps up and grabs him at his collar. I raise my hand and slam my fist against his cheek. He was so surprised by my action that he stumbles back holding his cheek.

The shock effect doesn't last longer than a few seconds maximum. His facial expressions go from surprised to furious just in a second.

He darts at me and shoves me against the wall. Then his fist hits my nose and I can feel blood running down my nose and over my lips. But I don't give up. He injured Arrow. He could've killed her. I won't back down!

I shove him again, but this time he holds onto my collar, drags me with him and slams me against the wall again.

I take a quick glance at the others, but they are shocked. I guess I won't get help from them.

Suddenly I have an idea. The only one that could make me win the fight. Maybe. But I have to try it! It's the only chance I have. He is too strong otherwise.

As my father raises his hand again, preparing for the next hit. But I avoid the blow, somehow getting away from the wall, which makes him even angrier. He screams and jumps at me.

Again I somehow get away from his fist and this time hit back. But just a moment later he grabs me at my collar again. I don't know if I can even win this fight. I'm injured and he is so strong.

He is still holding me at my collar and I grab his. He tries to push me against the wall again, but this time, I change the direction. Both of us fall down the stairs leading to the door. This is what I've been planning for.

I push him off me and he bumps against the door. With one hand, I reach up for the door handle. With the other one, I clutch onto the handrail. As he sees what I'm up to, my fathers' eyes widen in shock and he tries to grab my hand.

But he is too late. I grab the door handle and open the door. My father loses his balance and falls backward. In his last attempt, he tries to hold onto me. I try to scoot away, but he grabs my shirt.

I can't let this go on and instead of saving both of us, I let go of the handrail and we fall out into the dark.