The Crash - A Dan and Phil Fan Fiction

Part One

It is just another day in London. The streets are filled with bustling cars and people on their way to work. The birds are singing their songs in harmony with one and other as if inviting the still slumbering people back to consciousness. The surrounding air is chilly with a hint of the nearby ocean; the perfect conditions for creating condensation on your windowpane. It's the kind of morning where you sit on a sofa sipping warm tea or coffee. This is an option many chose to do at the local coffee house that particular day. The smell emanating from the cozy little place has fully infiltrated Dan and Phil's apartment by 9:00 am. Normally the two would awaken and enjoy a bowl of sugary cereal together, but for the past few days Dan has been alone.

***

I grudgingly sit up in bed, my curly hair falling effortlessly into place. The light coming from outside, even with the curtains closed, nearly blinds me as I had been asleep for almost a day and a half. My muscles are stiff and my joints are cracking. I want nothing more than to fall back asleep and numb the pain of the past week, but I know I'd have to face what happened soon enough.

As I finally get out of bed 40 minutes after waking up, I feel a painful jolt of hunger in my stomach. The sound it makes is so loud I'm sure my neighbors can hear it.

"Damn, relax" I say out loud looking to my abdomen, probably seeming a little psychotic.

I walk into the kitchen, making an effort to not look at the closed door to Phil's room on the way. I'm not ready to face the emptiness it holds this early in the morning. I pull the nearly gone loaf of bread out of the cupboard and put 2 slices in the toaster. At some point Phil must have used a single slice of bread because there is only one piece left. I miss the little things like that.

I slather my toast with butter and jam and sit down in the Dan shaped dent in our couch. As I'm eating my breakfast I begin thinking. I haven't visited Phil sense he was originally admitted to the local hospital and it makes me feel really guilty. It's a silly thing to feel guilty about considering he's out cold. The doctors said that they're going to keep him in a coma for another week or two so in reality I don't have to be there until then. Most of me doesn't want to see my best friend in that state but a small part of me misses him so much I want to see him, no matter his state. Maybe I'll visit later today...

***

6 Days Ago...

It was almost dusk. The sky was painted with a beautiful gradient of blues, pinks, purples, and oranges. If you looked close enough you could see stars appearing faintly in the sky. That night really was one of the prettiest in a long time. Sadly, some wouldn't get to admire it for very long.

Phil was driving the car down a road with other cars rarely passing. This was odd because his and Dan's house was off of a moderately busy street. He was lost. Of course he was. He looked for a spot at the side of the road where he could pull over and check his phone for directions. After 5 more minutes of driving Phil found a safe space to park when-

BAM!

Another car hit Phil at top speed from the back. He to smashed his head into his steering wheel. His vision immediately began to fade to black with his consciousness fading equally fast. The last thing he heard was the wailing of police sirens before his mind gave out leaving him floating in a seemingly empty void.

***

"Where am I?"

I looked around me and tried to see something, but the room was pitch black. I started to walk. I didn't know why or where I was going but there wasn't much else to do. The air was cool, but not unpleasant. It smelt of... Cleaner? I'm really not sure but whatever it was, it's sterile smelling. I continued walking for what seemed like forever when I began to hear voices. One I didn't recognize but the other one I could have pick up out of any lineup.

"Dan? Is that you?" My voice echoed into the void.

"He's in critical condition. We are going to keep him in a medically induced coma for two and a half to three weeks,"  the unfamiliar voices booms,"By then his body should be well enough to handle external stimulus."

"How much longer after that will he have to stay here?"

"That's unclear right now. It all depends on how he is recovering. Every patent is different."

"Okay thank you doctor."

Before I could even attempt to make sense of the situation I felt the ground beneath me start spinning and I fell over. 

I opened my eyes to see grass, trees, flowers, and general nature. To my left I saw a busy city with skyscrapers and planes flying above, to my right I saw what could only be described as something out of a fairy-tale. There were small cottages, plenty of small animals, and far back I could barely make out a castle of some sort. Behind me there was more of what was immediately surrounding me, but it seemed darker. Calling it less inviting would have been an understatement. I could hear the occasional shriek. It sounded oddly human and very disturbing. I decided not to go there.

 Ahead of me was a sort of television on a stand with a remote next to it. I pressed the on button and a menu popped up on the screen. There was only one option. It was labeled "The Incident".

"Intriguing," I said out loud for some reason.

I pressed play and a video started. It was a first person view of someone driving a car. The road was mostly empty and the camera kept leaning forward as if trying to find something on the road. I let it play for a few more minutes but it was the same. The only thing that changed was the music playing from the car stereo. I was about to turn it off when the camera panned up to the rear view mirror and there was a car racing closer and closer when as if in slow motion the camera jerked forward and hit the steering wheel. There were red streaks falling down the lens, which I assumed was meant to be blood and the camera faded to black. The only thing that remained was the wailing of police sirens in the background.

The video stopped and went back to the menu. This time there was another option to click on. "Admission". I pressed play

Audio started playing. There were 2 men. Their voices were distorted and foggy sounding so it was hard to make out who they were but they sounded familiar. About a minute passed and the voices were becoming easier to understand when it clicked in my head. This was the conversation I had heard a few moments ago! Only there were bits I didn't recognize.

"Are you Mister Daniel Howell?"

"Yeah that's me. How is he? What happened? Is he gonna be okay?"

"I understand you're worried but we don't have very many answers yet. Someone hit the back of his car at top speed. He's in critical condition. We are going to keep him in a medically induced coma for two and a half to three weeks," the doctor's voice booms,"By then his body should be well enough to handle external stimulus."

"How much longer after that will he have to stay here?"

"That's unclear right now. It all depends on how he is recovering. Every patent is different."

"Okay thank you doctor."

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you like."

"Alright thanks."

The audio stopped and cut back to the menu.