stars (phan)

chapter 18

the thought scared dan at first and he found himself subconsciously clenching his fist or biting at the dry skin leaving his lips red and bloodied. he also found himself trying to calm himself down constantly because of the nagging feeling that something was following him.

he had managed to escape the small room, or more got phil to blast it open, shrinking back at the shards of metal that shot towards him, one of the shards piercing his skin and tearing at his arm. what remained now was merely a long scar, the repairing skin now puckered and an off pink in colour.

for a week and a half, he and phil had managed to stay hidden from the emotionless guards that now seemed to hurry about, left shaken by the recent events of Mr. Ventura's death. dan had overheard that theyre electing a new leader.

he was now sitting as small as he could with his knees pulled to his chest, mentally passing light conversation with phil who floated unseen around the corridors around them, examining the peoples faces closer and alerting dan when a few guards past his hiding spot.

he heard a few conversations.

"somethings right suspicious with Mr. Ventura's death, i think it was that kid who had managed to break from the coma, what do you think jack?"

but their voices grew incoherent and dan could hear no more.

it was unusual to hear the guards with such emotions and different conspiracies, but most resulted in the thought he killed Mr. Ventura.

a little uneasy now, he started picking at his finger nails, waiting for the bell to sound that would signal 10:00pm.

you cant keep hiding like this forever, dan.

dan just sighed, a little taken back by phils sudden change of emotion and he shifted to a more comfortable position, pulling his legs in closer and wrapping his arms around his knees.

chill im working on a plan.

but he wasnt really, he was quite content with hiding from guards all day and when they went down for a food break he was happy with carefully looking through each guard's belongings and trying to learn more about their life. he was content with stealing food from the kitchens and having late night conversations with phil under one of the benches in the kitchen before dashing away when he could hear a cook coming through one of the doors.

yeah yeah, whatevs, hey a particularly tall guard is coming, im a little tempted to possess him.

phil i swear to god if you possess one more person-

but dan couldnt finish his thought before he saw the guard start doing the lamest dance near him.

phil

dan he mocked.

you really ought to control your abilities.

youre just jealous.

dan just sighed, rolling his eyes under his closed eyelids.

a bell, much like a school bell vibrated from the speakers positioned in every corner of every room and the steady thump of many heavy footsteps thudded along the waxed floors, everyone going to the same place, much like ants.

you hungry? Phil had asked suddenly and Dan could feel a cool, ghosting breath on his cheek that made his spine prickle.

yeah.

~

2:37am.

Dan had been reciting the past days in his head, his thoughts alone as Phil floated unseen down the soft lit corridors, the only sounds around him were the heavy breathing of sleeping people and the creaking of the building from the sharp wind that shot against the outside walls.

dan lent his head against the cold metal that supported his body and let out a breathy sigh, toying with his cold fingertips.

dan.

mmm?

come.

dan sighed again, releasing the numbing pain in his back as he stood up, legs almost giving way under him and he almost had to sit back down again.

where are you?

but dan herd no answer but the faint feeling of phils emotions entangled with his. he stood out, to the middle of the corridor and a flickering light caught his eye but he paid it no more than a glance.

sector 7.

dan blinked in surprise, the only sectors he and phil had known of went from -3 to 6.

7?

7. he confirmed.

dan staggered awkwardly down the corridor, he had a rough idea he was now in sector 4, all he needed to do was climb about 3 flights of stairs that were located to the left of the building, where each sector led to.

no, not the stairs, room 756 in sector 5.

dan spun on the balls of his feet, suddenly aware of a noise behind him. a white cat bounded out from behind one of the supporting beams and took off down the hallway, opposite dan, its soft, padded feet thudding delicately on the hard ground.

dan please hurry.

so he did, jogging silently down the corridor to the stairs, skipping two at a time and wincing when he made a fraction of a noise that was more than likely to disturb someones rest.

room 756?

756 dan, directly to your left.

breathing heavily now he squinted through the dull light and saw a normal white door, cobwebs skittering the border and dust on the dial pad. but the door was creaked ever so slightly open, so dan cautiously walked through.

there should be an elevator to your right.

there it was, a steel door obscured the box frame and dust danced through the light shining through a small crack of the door. he pulled it open, using both hands, his fingertips going white from the strain. the door creaked open, the weight groaning loudly on the wheels underneath. light flooded in dans eyes and bathed the corners of room 756 in an old, golden light, highlighting the disturbed dust that hung around, unnerved.

he closed the door behind him, the dust already stinging his eyes and filling his lungs. there was a lever, coated in a grey dust, accompanied with an arrow pointing up. he pulled it up, the dust shifting more and obscuring the light like tiny drops of rain.

there was an echoing bang that made dans ears ring a little before the boards under his feel shifted and the heavy clanking of gears turning that made the light overhead flicker. the noises continued on for a while, the shifting still vibrating trough the box before it abruptly clanked to a stop and the dust settled once again.

he opened the door to an empty room, empty wall desks skirted the left and right walls before they stopped before a marge glass wall with a bright glow emitting from it.

look it in dan

phils voice was shaky and wracked with fear.

dan took a step, one step closer to the glass wall, one step closer to his fate.

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THIS IS A TRAIN WRECK SOEISOSKS