Dan

It was a normal day at Elaine's bookshop for Dan, but that day was particularly slow.

The store was almost bare of life.

He guessed it was a good thing seeing how he had ample time to gather his thoughts.

He kept ruminating about the dream he'd had the night before.

'But had it really been a dream?'

He didn't really know, but it'd felt like it.

Apparently, four 'personalities' resided within him. He sighed for the umpteenth time that day.

He bit his lip, his mind quickly went to Lily.

He missed her and that confused him.

He laid his head on the counter and let out a breath.

Gosh, he was an asshole.

No need to tell him, he knew he was an asshole.

But he wanted to see her, he didn't even have her number.

He rested his chin against his fisted hand.

'What girl could possibly like a douche like him?'

He sighed again closing his eyes.

Seconds later, a thick book hit him flat on the face.

He straightened, face flushed, anger building up.

Philip came up to him, a stupid smirk on his face.

"Hey, calm down man, " Philip said laughing his butt off at Dan's flushed face.

Dan was shaking with suppressed anger but a few seconds later, it deflated out of him with a tired sigh.

"I hate you, " he said quietly going back to his train of thoughts.

'Lily...'

He sighed again. He wished and hoped she would just waltz in through the door and give that earth-shattering smile.

His heart was already racing just thinking about her smiling at him.

'Damnit.'

He wasn't normal.

He closed his eyes and his mind went back to the not so pure fantasies he'd been having about her.

Gosh, what was wrong with him?

He needed to stop but he had no will to.

He was craving her like he would a blunt.

Which was odd.

'Wait...did he just think that?'

'The fuck?'

Dan groaned out in frustration.

He was losing it.

He looked down at his hand—it was shaking.

His eyes lowered.

He placed both hands on the counter and stared unblinkingly at them.

For some reason, tears stung his eyes.

'Who was he?'

'Who was Dan?'

A nobody...

No one cared. No one loved him.

He was all alone.

He had no family, no one to care about or worry about him.

He sighed.

He just wanted peace.

Reality was a cruel joke, his overactive imagination gave no reprieve whatsoever.

Sometimes, his only escape was the world he'd created in his head.

A world of peace, joy and happiness where there was not one iota of sadness, loss or pain.

A world where he was Royalty.

He craved such a world, he wanted it, so he created it in his head.

A world where he could rule as God.

He bit his lip.

He'd been looking up some things online lately.

He had a love, an obsession for the dark stuff.

It excited him, made him feel powerful.

But deep down he knew he'd become a prisoner in his own mind.

Sometimes he hated it and sometimes he loved it.

Some of his dark fantasies had involved her.

He'd been working on a poem lately.

A poem about lilies, they literally reminded him of her.

Dan quickly grabbed a piece of paper and began scribbling.

Lily...

Your eyes are a combination of emerald and jade.

Your lips...

The monster in me wants to devour them and tame them into submission

To teach them to say just one word.

'Daniel...'

You moaned into my ears, as we climbed the heights of ecstasy together

If only we could fade away, away from the prying eyes of—

A loud bang rang on the counter.

Dan jumped, squeezing the piece of art in his hand.

He looked up to meet mischievous blue eyes staring at him.

"Danny Dan, what're you doing there bro?" A wide grin spread on his stupid face.

Dan knew his face had already given him away.

He stuttered trying to concoct a quick lie but he knew Philip.

'It was do or die.'

Philip leaned on the counter and Dan hid the paper behind his back, his face red like an overripe tomato.

"What you got there bro?" Philip wiggled his brows.

Dan knew Philip already knew.

Philip knew everything.

Dan cleared his throat and straightened.

"It's nothing, just let it go. Go back to whatever it is you were doing. You're obviously bored, "

Dan said, all in one breath, his chest heaving as if he just finished doing the heavy lifting.

'Well, if carrying and arranging tons and tons of books was considered heavy lifting...'

He shook himself from his thoughts and faced the monster before him.

Dan gulped and broke out in a sweat.

Surprisingly, the only word he replied was, "Hmn" and he returned back to the corner he came from.

Dan let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

Philip was really a piece of work.

√√√

Dan struggled on what he thought was bare ground, his hands tied behind his back.

He was blind. Like literally, something he could only guess was a sack, covered his face and he was quickly getting claustrophobic.

He started hyperventilating, squirming on the floor.

He was wheezing and his lungs felt like they would explode any moment.

The sac was yanked violently from his head.

He tried taking in his environment but everything was blurry.

'His glasses...'

He couldn't make out a single thing and for the first time in his life, he cursed his wretched eyesight.

He heard low growling. He looked up and he could barely make out a figure, it was dark, big and burly.

'Were those horns?'

Dan scuffled back in fear.

'Where was he?' Dan panicked.

And that was when he heard it.

"Dan! Dan, please help me!"

Dan's eyes widened.

"Lily?" he whispered not believing, not wanting to believe she was also there.

He heard the 'creature' in front of him move towards him and he scuffled to his feet, now face to face with the beast.

The beast placed a hand on his face, its burly hand covering his entire head.

When it removed its hand, Dan could see clearly and for a fleeting, whimsical moment, he was relieved. But when he saw where they were, his panic increased tenfold.

They were in a kind of clearing in a forest?

Everywhere was dark and gloomy and there seemed to be a raised altar.

'What...?'

"Dan, help me!"

And that was when Dan snapped out of it.

His eyes widened as they landed on Lily.

Dazed, he treaded slowly, almost mechanically towards her.

"Lily, " he whispered her name.

Her hands were tied behind her back, her clothes were torn and dirty. Her hair and makeup smeared.

"Help me, " she cried in despair of her predicament.

As he continued his movement towards her, he was stopped by another creature.

It was tall and cloaked with a black garment and it also had horns, but it had no eyes or ears. And that was when he realised, their surrounding was swarming with all kinds of grotesque-looking creatures.

His heart was already in his throat.

The creature in front of him raised a staff that seemed to have appeared from inside his black garment and spoke.

"You have been chosen, " It said.

"W-What? Chosen for what? What are you talking about?"

'Why was the demon talking to him?'

'It had no face.'

It was creepy.

"She is the sacrifice you have chosen, " It continued.

"You must be joking, " he said.

He ran towards her.

"Lily!" She turned to him and he saw the weary look in her eyes, it made him slow his stride towards her a little.

He knelt beside her and untied her hands.

Her hands free, she wrapped her hands around him and held on to him as if she'd never let go.

Dan froze.

Her soft sobs threatened to break his fake, calm front he'd managed to keep up.

"I'm here Lily, I'll never leave you. I promise, " he said quietly.

But deep down, somewhere in the deepest recess of his mind, he knew those words were fickle at best.

She removed her arms around him and stared into his eyes, his beautiful hazel eyes.

"Your glasses..." she started.

"Yeah, apparently, I don't need them anymore, " he said quietly with a little shrug of his shoulder.

He helped her stand and together they faced the grotesque-looking creatures.

"Let us go, " Dan said, his voice booming with confidence.

The creature with no eyes moved closer to them.

"You cannot leave, " It said quietly.

Lily hid behind him, cowering.

It was a miracle he wasn't cowering himself.

He cleared his throat.

"Tell us why?" Dan demanded, his voice strong leaving no crack for weakness to slip on his face.

"You are our Master." The creature bowed on one knee to it and the rest of the demons too followed suit.

"You have to eat her to reach your full potential, " It said.

"W-What?" His voice came out as a quiet, confused breath.

"If you don't Master, you'll remain bound in your terrestrial form."

He took a step back in disbelief, his eyes wide.

"A war is coming, and you are to lead us in victory, master." Its head remained bowed.

"Am I dreaming?" he whispered to no one in particular.

"No sire, you are not, I had to retrieve you from your place of refuge unceremoniously. Forgive me, " It said, bowing lower as a sign of reverence.

"You hit me on the head? This is real?" he whispered, his eyes dazed.

He staggered back and faced Lily.

He swallowed.

"My family?" he whispered out of nowhere.

"They died in the plague, " he added.

He was in shock.

"No sire, you killed them, " It informed.

Dan's eyes widened.

"W-What?"

His hands trembled.

"You are the plague, "

"You have to kill her— "

"Shut up!"

It was too much.

He grabbed Lily's hand and they both ran out of the nightmarish environ.

They ran blindly through the dark forest in the dead of night.

He looked up at the sky—there was a full moon but the sky was destitute of stars.

'They had to get away.'

He looked at Lily, exhaustion and confusion on her face.

He knew his face reflected hers as well.

He had to protect her, he had to.

They saw a clearing upfront.

"Hang on, Lily, " he looked behind him and saw that she was barely keeping up.

She tripped and her hand slipped from his.

He paused and before he could fully turn to her, a vine wrapped around her ankle and pulled her away, away from him.

His eyes widened.

"Lily!"

He made to run after her but as he took a step, the ground opened up to reveal an abyss.

He fell straight into it.

Everything went dark.

When Dan opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar room.

He was strapped to a metal chair and a single bulb hung on the ceiling blinking erratically...

√√√

"Dan."

"Earth to Dan!"

Dan opened his eyes to see blue eyes staring down at him.

"You can't sleep on duty, store rules, " Philip said cheekily.

Dan groaned raising his head from the counter.

"How long was I out?" he asked groggily.

"Hmnn, about an hour, " Philip answered.

"Dude, shit, why didn't you wake me?" Dan said annoyed he'd slept that long leaving Philip with all the work.

"Oh, you can thank me later, consider it a favour of which you now owe me, " Philip grinned from ear to ear.

"And it gave me ample time to read your loove poem, " he winked at Dan.

Dan blushed furiously.

"I have to say, Dan, your mind's pretty—"

"Shut up, give it, where is it?"

Philip sighed dramatically.

"I didn't know you were such a romantic, "

"Does she know you have such sinful thoughts about her?" Philip teased.

Dan's ears flamed.

"Give it!"

"No, " Philip said disappearing out of sight.

"You're an insufferable douche, " Dan said sighing, giving up.

He adjusted his glasses, he paused.

He removed his glasses—he couldn't see a thing.

He sighed and put them back on.

'What had he expected?'

Whatever it was, he'd thought wrong.

At that moment, the door jingled to signal the arrival of a customer.

"Dan, " he heard Philip's annoying voice and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

'Too late.'

Dan turned to the door, the rehearsed greeting at the back of his throat but as his eyes met the person at the entrance, his eyes widened and his heart raced erratically in his chest.

"Lily, " he breathed out.

...