One week later

Phil Lester
18/10/2015
"Dan-I I'm fine.."

the book read and I frowned,  confused.

-flashback-

I walked into the living room to find Phil sat on the sofa, his knees tucked up to his chest, his eyes distant and his eyes watering slightly.

"Phil?" I called entering the room but he didn't look up. "Hello?" I shook his shoulder and he snapped out of it, turning to face me quickly, making me jump.

He smiled weakly at me, slowly straightening his legs and readjusting his hair.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned

"Dan I-" he began but stopped himself "I'm fine." He hurried past me and up the stairs, after a while I heard his bedroom door slam.

"What the hell was that? " I  turned to Pj accusatory

"You see my dear friend, the black haired one is not a happy person" Pj said, smiling as he put an arm around my shoulder

"What?" I asked "what do you mean he's not happy? Of course he is" I stated

Pj laughed oddly, seemingly finding it fun.

"Ooh, I'll show you how Phillip did not enjoy life danny" he said, touching his fingers to my forehead.

I opened my eyes and found I was stood in Phil's bedroom, he was sat on his bed, his head in his hands. A tear dripped  onto the floor, soaking into the carpet.

"Phil?" I asked, running to his side "are you okay?"

I knelt down beside him, waiting for him to respond.

"What's up?" I questioned again, but he still didn't reply. He sniffed and wiped away a tear, pushing his fringe out of his eyes, to show they were red and puffy.

I looked behind him to see Pj smirking at us, leaning against the door.

"Why won't he reply?" I questioned Pj,  glaring at him.

"Because of you are downstairs!" He cried.

I raised an eyebrow at him, confused.

"This is the past my dear, you are down stairs, watching TV whilst your friend is here, crying. How oblivious! So tragic!" He yelled, placing a hand on his heart as if touched by the thought.

I turned back to Phil,  his fringe was longer and his room had less trinkets in it.

"PHIL!" I shouted but he wouldn't recognise me.

Everything went black and I was back in the Halfway room.

"Is he okay? Why was he crying??" I turned to Pj angrily, crossing the long room to get closer to him, ready to punch the stupid,  insane man.

"Never fear! He was fine Danny, but you shan't know why he was upset, as that would ruin the suprise! No body likes those who spoil the best bits of the story!"

"Listen." I growled, pushing Pj into the cold, metal wall. "This is my LIFE it is not a story you psycho! "

Smiling, wickedly,  Pj ducked under the arm that pinned him to wall, scurrying over to the book of lies, picking it up

"See? It's in a book, written down, a story. And I mean, aren't we all just stories in the end?"

He placed the book back down on the small stand, flinging his arms to the sides to display the alarms behind him "STORIES! " He cried, laughing in delight

"This one, a bitter sweet romance, he loves her, she loves his sister! Simply wonderful! He hates his sister so, yet wants the girl to be happy!" He says, pointing to one particular alarm clock which I just realized was sat on top of a black book, identical to mine.

"Ooh and this one! an Oxford student! So clever, yet twisted. One of the UK's top serial killers. Insanely magnificent, i'd say. Lots of poison!" Pj laughed at the book which was alot thicker than the others.

"Accountant, cheating on her husband with her boss, oh so cliché and cheap" he sighed

"Health freak, but is also an adrenaline junkie, lots of close calls with death, but I wonder which will be his last?" Pj mused, smiling to himself.

"Stop!" I cried, unable to see him laugh at people's misfortune and take joy in plot twists of our lives. "You said he WAS okay? What about now?" Pj snapped his head up out of some poor soul's book of lies, a grin spreading across his face as as a wicked glint filled his eyes.

"Your friend was never okay, Danny. That's why I love your story so much my dear friend, who knows, maybe we'll see Philly soon eh?" He leaned forwards and whispered in my ear, giggling maniacally. I pushed him away, tears in my eyes

"How can you speak so morbidly like that?! Phil is strong, he'll be fine" I defended, breathing quickly, my heart pounding.

Pj looked at his wrist to check the time on a watch that wasn't there "it's 1am, would you like to see what your friend is up to?"

I nodded slightly and felt the familiar sick feeling in my stomach as I opened my eyes to see I was standing in my room, Pj leant on my dresser, picking up the trinkets that were there.

I glared at him, going to open the door, only for my hand to pass straight through it.

Pj strode over, tutting. "We're in real time now, Danny. The past cannot be changed, but the present is easier to manipulate. You must be careful, don't want philly going mad do we?" He giggled as he walked through the door. I put my hand through it, a cold feeling filled the part of my arm that was stuck in the door. I stepped through it a wave of dizziness washed over me.

I walked over to Phil's room, stepping inside. He was sat in the corner of the room, his knees tucked into his chest. He sniffed and lifted a pale hand to wipe his nose.

He stood and walked towards me, dark bags were etched under his eyes, making them look sunken and tired. His clothes hung off him and his cheeks were hollowed,  like he hadn't been eating properly. I felt a pang in my heart as I saw him. He kept walking towards me and I opened my arms to hug him, only for him to walk straight through me. I felt a shiver run down my spine as the cold feeling hit me again, Phil shivered too, wrapping his checkered shirt around him as he looked back towards to me, looking straight through me.

A tear slipped down my face as I looked to Pj, as he sighed, watching Phil.

Phil opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, I ran behind him, slipping out the door before he shut it, deciding I didn't like walking through things.

Pj's shoulder brushed against mine as he stood by my side, looking down at me.

"dan..." Phil whispered as he shut my bedroom door that had definitely been shut before, a look on his face that said his heart had just shattered. I wanted to hug him and tell him it was okay,  I was here. I hated seeing him like this, it was torture knowing that I couldn't help him.

"Did you open my door?" I hissed at Pj

He shrugged, smirking "I think going mad isn't a bad thing, all the best people are" he said innocently.

"Leave him alone!" I yelled, pushing him out the way so he fell through the wall.

"Haha, do that again; I like it when you get angry like that" I ignored him as I heard a sob coming from the bathroom.

Since the door was shut I had to walk through it, I shut my eyes and stepped inside .

-trigger warning-

I walked in to see Phil sat on the edge of the bath, tears dripping down his face, he didn't even bother to stop them.  He fiddled his hands on his lap, scratching at the skin around his thumb "no..no..no..no" he muttered.

I felt my knees go weak and fell to the floor as Phil cried, knowing it's all my fault.

With a completely blank expression, as if he wasnt even aware of what he was doing, he walked over to the sink and opened the drawer below it, taking out a silver piece of metal.

"No!" I shouted, running over to him, trying to knock it out his hands but just passing right through him.

Pj tutted again, shaking his head "we can't interfere Danny"

Phil slid it across his wrist, blood flowing to the surface. "..phil" I whispered, tripping backwards over my feet until my back hit the wall, I slid down it, sobbing as Phil slashed at his wrists, crying also.

-End of trigger warning-

I began to hiccup from crying as Pj crossed the room to me "you see? Your friend has issues danny. We have to go back now"

"No! We have to help Phil!" I screamed, running away from him

"We can't you moron, in case you haven't noticed, WE'RE DEAD! "

He dragged me away from Phil, kicking and crying.

When we got back to the stupid halfway room, I ran over to him, pushing him over his desk so he fell onto the floor the other side, papers flying everywhere.

"YOU'RE SICK, THIS IS ONE OF YOUR SICK GAMES YOU FREAK WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS STOP IT" I shouted at him. He laughed as I punched him in the face, once, twice, three times. His laughter infuriated me, the way he smiled when others were sad.

I punched him again and he sat on the floor, bloodied and bruised; "do it again, I like it" he smiled patronisingly. I kicked him around the face and he hit to the tiled floor yet again.

"Why do you find this entertaining?" I screamed in his face, gesturing around the room.

"I'm insane" he laughed, rising to his feet, fear settling in my stomach as he strode towards me.

He picked me up by my throat with super human strength, chocking me. He smiled in my face as he threw me backwards into some of the white hospital beds that lined the room.

I hit my head on a bedside table and everything went black.