Inner Demons

Chapter 6: Get Out Of My Head

   "There is no way out." The voice said to Varian, taunting him once more.

The voice had become more common, and Varian hates it. The worse part is that it was all in his head. Not in the way that it wasn't real, for it was very real, but it only spoke to Varian. And he knew for a fact that it was in his head because no one else heard it. No matter how many times he pointed it out, when it is was clear and loud, no one else seemed to notice. That infuriated Varian, that fact that it was only there to torment him. He recognized the voice too, he realized it had that same ear-piercing growl as the demon in the box. Varian wanted to tell it to stop, or go away, but he couldn't, not with the others thinking he was crazy. Varian also noticed that when the voice came, he couldn't hear anything else. It was like the voice covered any other outside disturbances.

"You don't matter."

"You're worthless."

"You're a failure."

"It was all your fault."

"You are a disappointment."

"You killed your father."

Instead of Varian's dreams telling him those horrible things, it was the demon's voice that did.

Rapunzel noticed almost immediately that something was up with Varian. At first she thought it was the scars that were bothering him, but that just didn't seem right. His cuts on his hands and head were already healing. Of course, Rapunzel hadn't checked the leg, but every time she tried he refused.

"Hey, Cass?" Rapunzel calls out to Cass, who was sitting right next to her in the caravan. "Mhm?" Cassandra mumbles as she wakes up from her half-napping. "Do you think there is something bothering Varian?"

Cassandra looks at Varian, who was lying in the corner of the caravan, almost asleep. "He hates us, you know, so I think we are bothering him." She replied, giving Rapunzel a serious, yet sympathetic look. "Yeah that's probably it..." Rapunzel mumbled. Rapunzel still felt that there was more to it, because of something that happened earlier.

Earlier that day, Rapunzel tried to feed Varian, again. She expected an angry comeback to her act of kindness, but that wasn't the case. He tried to sound angry, but sighed instead, "I don't want your pity." He said with an awfully tired death glare. Rapunzel grew even more worried, he looked so exhausted, he was obviously sleeping even less than before.

"You don't deserve anything, not sleep, not food, not anything." The  demon voice said to Varian, making him wake up with wide eyes.

Varian sighed, "Not this again," He thought. "Oh but I must keep going, it's the only way you'll learn, dear boy." The voice replied, with a loud echo in Varian's head. Varian jumped. "He can hear my thoughts?! Since when?!" He yelled in his own mind, wide-eyed and breathing heavily.

Cass and Rapunzel turned, noticing Varian's sudden movement, they saw him breath heavily and look around with wide-eyes.

"I don't think we're the only things bothering him..." She whispered to Cass.

The caravan stopped for the night, everyone was plum tuckered and ready to sleep. Rapunzel peered outside and looked at the stars. "Oooh! Guys the stars are so beautiful tonight! Can we please go outside for the night?" Rapunzel yelped with glee. "Why not? That sounds like a lovely idea!" Eugene said while holding her hands. "Yay!" Rapunzel said, skipping to the door outside.

Once everyone lied down on the grass with their sleeping bags, they stared at the stars and chatted. And as usual, everyone was enjoying their time, except for Varian.

Varian walked away from the group and sat against a tree on the nearby cliff.

The voice started again, "That's right, my boy, stay away from the fun."

Varian looked around to make sure they were alone, he sighed, "I'm only staying away because I hate them." He grumbled.

"Ah, but that's a lie, we both know it. You're staying away because you know you don't deserve to enjoy anything." The demon replied quickly.

"Shut up. That's a lie." Varian spat back.

"There you go again, lying to yourself." The demon said, sounding slightly annoyed, "We both know that you deserve every terrible thing that happens to you. That you refuse to eat or sleep, not because you hate them, but because you know you deserve to feel that kind of torture."

Varian started to tear up, "Th-that isn't true! It was never my fault! Go away! Just leave me alone!" Varian screamed, tears rolling down his face.

"Wow, tears? How pitiful, you're pitiful. Worthless, disappointing, useless," The demon continued to call Varian terrible things, Varian just crouched down and cried.

The gang was enjoying their time, until, they heard screams, followed by faint crying. "Is that...?" Cassandra faintly said to the others. "Hold on, let me check." Rapunzel said while getting up to check on Varian.

Rapunzel followed the faint crying and saw Varian, bending down, his hands clutched on his ears, and sobbing. Rapunzel was about to go help him, until she heard him whisper things...to himself? "Just, please, go away...Please stop...Why are you doing this...?" She heard him say, his sobbing growing harder. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" He screamed, but to seemingly no one. Rapunzel was getting extremely worried, so she hurried back to the group.

"What was it, Blondie?" Eugene said, worry written all over his face. "It's Varian all right, he was crying...and talking to someone." Rapunzel whispered to the gang. "Who was he-" Cass said before being interrupted by Rapunzel, "That's the thing! There was...there was...absolutely no one there."

Chapter End.