Alternate (Phan)

18*Save me

Dan

We walked around the round-about and came to a service station. It wasn't anything great, there was the typical Burger King, Premier Inn and petrol station all clustered together around a parking lot. There was a foresty area off into the distance.

'What you fancy going to?' I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets and sighing.

'Honestly, I doubt there's any people around. Forest is too risky with nuked creatures, I don't want to stay there for a night, so we could try the premier inn? I doubt anything's left in there, though.' I shifted from foot to foot, listening to Phil's reply.

'Sure.' I shrugged, taking off into the building.

We entered the doorways, forcing the turned-off automatic doors open, as Phil flicked his torch out of his bag. Turning it on, we went into the back to look for some lighting.

'Nothing here, should we just get a key and find a room to camp?' I asked, his reply being a nod that was barely visible in the shitty lighting.

We picked up a key for the second floor and jogged up the stairs. I say jogged, it was more hurriedly walk up because we were paranoid about someone or something being behind us, but we didn't fully understand the concept of stairs so kept tripping over our own feet.

'two-oh-three, here.' Phil swiped the key on the pad, we heard a click. I shrugged, glad that at least the lock system was working, so we'd be more secure in here.

He slotted the key card into the inside pocket, to activate electricity in the room, and flipped the switch. Nothing happened, though, since it was most likely that the entire electric system was off.

Phil planted a few light beams around the room to expand the lighting so we could see each other, not that we needed to.

After a while of sitting around and amusing ourselves, I yawned, climbing onto our mats (since the beds were no longer in the room, along with any other removable item) and pulling the sheets over my body.

'Night Phil.'

'Night Danny.' I stuck my middle finger up at him and curled onto my side. I watched Phil organise Ev as I drifted off into sleep.

***

It's scary. Frightening. It's the kind of fear that engulfs you and keeps yourself tied to the surface you're against. It's the type of fear that grips your insides and clamps them all together, causing a stiffness to run itself through your entire vessel.

It's the fear of when you wake up and you're alone.

But you shouldn't be.

I threw my hands out to the side, raising my body hastily off of the mats and stared around.

I assessed what was happening: there was one bag left, which was my bag. Phil had taken everything else.

Phil had taken off.

Every thought and doubt that he took off because he doesn't like me, or any thoughts that he left because he found me a nuisance, they were blocked out and strapped down to a surface far away, because this wasn't a fucking story and I actually had a brain. I knew Phil and I had the sense that he wouldn't walk dozens of miles with me away from his home just to ditch me. I also knew that Phil flips and he had taken Ev.

I grabbed my bag and threw it on my back, dragging the mat against the floor as I ran across the hotel corridor, rolling it up as I went. I stumbled down the stairs and out of the door.

I had to think Phil.

I was wiped out for a second or two, my body becoming stiff and an overwhelming sense of sickness flooding my veins. I'm sure I would have visibly turned white.

The forest.

I shook every emotion away and powered my body into full drive mode to run towards the area, my only instincts to be to find Phil.

I knew Phil flipped but we hadn't discussed it much and we should, because I don't know what he wants to do when he flips.

But if it were any flip like mine, the forest would be appealing.

Any weapon or method of self-destruction is appealing.

My feet were already off towards the forest, the gun I kept in my backpack firmly strapped onto my belt. Just a precaution.

I held back the temptation to shout for Phil, knowing it could only draw unwanted attention.

But then I heard it.

Then I heard him.