“Would you QUIT that racket?”

Dan jolted again for what was probably the hundredth time that night. He was seriously going to get a heart attack at an early age if he kept this up.

“Well?” The new voice haughtily questioned.

As if a switch was flipped off, the wailing and moaning that troubled Dan so much over the course of the night ceased. At first he was amazed, he didn’t know he could have commanded them to stop. If he had, then maybe it would’ve saved him a lot of trouble.

Yet again, he was never the articulate or imposing type. He doubted they would have listened to him in the first place.

“Good, that’s better.” The figure turned to face him. “Now you.”

A rubbing sound emitted, like if someone were dragging their feet on the ground, as the figure got closer to Dan.

Strange.

“Are you the one that summoned me, creature?”

The voice wasn’t above Dan as he would’ve expected, but instead it was right next to him. Dan shivered, he always had a problem with personal space and this was going way past is comfort zone.

“Are you going to answer or are you going to sit there like a dumbass until I yell at you too?”

Again, the voice was close to his ears. It sounded soothing, like molasses, and just as rich too. It was certainly appealing to hear. It was the type of voice Dan figured would make people swoon if they listened to it.

Yet, however nice it sounded, it still had a sharp tongue. When it said “dumbass” to Dan, it lifted the word and pointed it directly to him curtly.

Dan didn’t know whether to act faint right then and there, or just do as the voice instructed out of his own fear.

Tears still coated his face. He was pretty sure he looked like a mess, so he chose to keep his head down and refused to look up. He really did not expect someone else to suddenly show up when he was having the biggest mental breakdown he’s ever experienced. So he really didn’t want to show his face to anyone right now.

The intruder huffed, exasperated at Dan’s defiance or cowardice, he couldn’t tell.

“If you don’t answer me in the next second, I’ll shove you down into the ground so hard it’ll make you scream louder than those annoying ghouls you heard earlier. Do you really want to test me right now?” The voice snarled.

At this, Dan was stunned he didn’t pee in his pants from the escalating terror he felt at that moment. He certainly felt like he could. However, his brain begged him not to, which was why he was able to hold his bladder down by sheer will.

“Hey! I just woke up from my nap. I need answers. Did you summon me?”

Since the figure was so close, its hand grabbed Dan forcibly under his chin and raised his face up towards the sky, tears and all. He still couldn’t see the figure too well in the dark, the candlelight from earlier had disappeared, but something told Dan that the figure saw him clear as day.

Did I just escape one killer to have another one arrive here?

Dan’s mind was a mess, well, it already was a mess before, but now it was in total chaos. He really, really did not want to die, and so he had no choice but to answer this demon.

Even though his jaw was being held captive, but he managed to croak out a single word.

“N-no.”

“Hm?” The voice lifted again, speculated Dan’s confession.

Oh, if only he could see. Daylight hadn’t broken yet, so Dan wasn’t able to rely on natural light, but he predicted the figure was raising a doubtful eyebrow at him.

No, no, no, no! The confession apparently wasn’t enough. Dan wasn’t very convincing anybody with that tone and now he was going to pay the price for it. He really wanted this stranger to believe him, his life was at stake after all.

Think, Dan, use your words.

A burst of courage surged forth in Dan and he continued, “I-it was someone else… I… I saw him.”

The figure’s thumb menacingly caressed Dan’s cheek, almost like it was sizing him up to cut him open. Dan didn’t know what to do. He told the truth as best as he could. He didn’t really have it in him to speak again. Dan's lungs were stuck in his throat and he already found it very difficult to breath with the suppressing shadow looming over him. It felt like it was observing him like meat in a store.

Almost as if it sensed Dan’s discomfort, the stranger leaned in closer. It was so much that their foreheads were only just an inch apart.

“Really?” The voice replied in a snarky tone of disbelief. “You saw him. If you really did, then what did he look like?”

To this Dan didn’t answer. He was busy quaking on the ground and too shaken up by this person’s hand still on his face to say anything intelligible.

Fortunately, the stranger had cleanly observed his subject earlier and figured out how to get information out of him.

“If you tell me what you know, I’ll leave you alone. Mhm? How does that sound?”

It sounded quite great actually. You’d have to be an idiot to turn him down.

So Dan thought it over a bit before he answered. “I-I didn’t see his face. B-but he had a cane, it’ll be bloody around the handle a-and the bottom after tonight.”

“A-also,” he continued, “He was n-nicely d-d-dressed. With a suit and tailored pants.”

Dan felt a hole being drilled into him as he kept talking, causing him to trip over his words constantly. The stranger had been staring him down intently with each new detail he revealed, trying to gouge if Dan’s words were useful enough.

There was an awkward silence as the intruder kept staring at Dan. He hated being the center of attention, but there was no one else in the room to put any attention to. He had all of the spotlight shining on him and it caused him to feel nauseous.

First the bladder, and now his gag reflex. Dan tried so hard to contain his posture and his attitude. He knew with one slip, this stranger would turn on him in an instant without a care.

Finally, Dan was released of his torture, and the shadow crept back. It didn’t take its gaze away from Dan though, but it left a large space so that he could breathe easily again.

The figure took the hand it had grabbed Dan with and dusted it against his clothes, like it was dirty. Dan couldn’t help but feel offended, but he still stayed silent.

The figure sighed, obviously annoyed he can’t mess around with his new toy anymore.

“Shit, fine. My word stays. I’ll leave you to it. I’d love to mess around with you some more, but I need to extract some justifiable revenge.”

Dan felt his heart soar. He was finally free! He survived through the horrendous night without a single scar. (Except mentally.)

No, wait. That wasn’t quite right. Suddenly the joy Dan felt at being released dissipated and a new feeling of anxiety hit. Dan had completely forgotten the entire reason why he couldn’t escape this prison in the first place.

He didn’t have a scar exactly, but he did have his foot.

Damn.

Dan had cried all of the tears he saved earlier, but because he was starting to get used to feeling hopeless, he wanted to cry again. No matter how much he tried to shove his worry deep down, it didn’t work. There was no way he would be able to leave this place with the condition he was in.

The mysterious figure looked Dan up and down, even more disappointed then when it first saw him.

“What’s the matter? I said you’re free. You can leave now.”

Dan was too embarrassed, he didn’t want to make this guy look down at him anymore. Sure its opinion of a Dan shouldn’t matter to him, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to be in this guy’s hair anymore than he had to.

With all his might, Dan reached a slender arm to one of the student desks next to him, and put all of his weight onto his good foot. With a heave and a ho, he managed to stand on one of his legs.

He sent a small glance towards the direction of the stranger, only to see that it was still watching him. Dan quickly looked away, face hot from getting caught, and concentrated on his first step.

He lifted his bad foot slowly, set it on the ground toe first then heel, and tested the weight.

When he saw it was safe and his bad foot could possibly allow him to walk, Dan put all of his weight down. Then shifted to his good foot and concentrated on his next step.

Yet, as soon as he lifted his good foot, a shard of pain enveloped Dan’s ankle and ran up the nerves of his calf. Stumbling, his bad foot happened to give out at the same time, twisting his ankle at an odd direction. He almost yelped as he came tumbling down, but managed to hold it in miraculously.

His foot sore, Dan rubbed at it subconsciously, and held his leg close to his chest. The pain didn’t ebb as he massaged, but he kept at it anyway out of instinct.

The figure in front of him just tisked.

“Oh c’mon. I barely even touched you. You’re not really that fragile after an interrogation like that are you? Fuck, you humans are just so…”

It seemed like it had more to say but caught itself before it said something it couldn’t take back.

“Whatever.” The figure shook its head, changing the topic. “I’m not really feeling charitable, I never was. So I’m not going to help you. I’m keeping my word, I’m going to leave now.”

The figure made a hand motion to the door, indicating it was about to leave without thinking twice. It bid Dan a leisurely farewell, and moved towards the exit.

Dan never felt more relieved and worried at the same time. Seriously, he was caught in a dilemma.

On one hand, he was finally getting what he wanted, a chance to live the rest of his life. Yet, Dan knew he could not leave this building without help, and the only person within earshot was a killer who pronounced he was going to leave to capture his prey.

Sometimes Dan really hated himself.

“N-no, wait!”

And that was why.

The figure was turning its wrist to open the door, but it halted when Dan shouted at him. Dan still couldn’t see his face, but the sun was starting to rise and soft light filtered the room (he’d stayed the entire night).

The murky glow radiating from the outside was just enough for him to make out the frown that the stranger sported on his face.

It refused to face him, but it still answered Dan.

“And why should I help you? I see no benefit in that. I could be off already.”

Its dewy voice, once again, never failed to make Dan’s heart seize. Yet the words the stranger uttered were so harsh, he felt scared. Did this guy really not care what happened to him? Did he not have a conscience at all?

“Umm, it wouldn’t be entirely worthless.” Dan muttered.

“What was that?”

“Uh, I can help you. I-I know how to find the man.”

Great, haha, I just lied to a murderer.

Dan closed his eyes, he kicked himself mentally. What did he just do? He can’t really deliver the man to this stranger, he didn’t know where he was at all! He would lucky if he were to remain alive after this.

The figure didn’t hesitate, much to Dan’s surprise, it answered right away.

“Close your eyes.”

“What?” Dan wasn’t sure if he heard him right.

“I said close your eyes.” The figure turned his face away from Dan, and covered himself even more with… what was that… a robe?

Light was coming in more strongly through the windows, dawn had officially broken and Dan could make out the stranger's shape a lot better.

He saw that the stranger was tall, almost towering, but it was hunched over in order to cover his legs. Wait, why was he covering his legs?

Dan still could not identify the stranger, but from its lush voice from earlier that sounded as if it was a sweet alto, Dan could tell that the person before him was a young man. It’s just that this man did not feel that young with his intimidating aura.

Yet, it was still hard to tell because a curtain of hair fell around his head, almost touching his shoulders, obstructed Dan’s view of the man’s face.

“Uh…” Dan hesitated.

“Are they closed yet? Close them or else I’ll do it for you.”

Dan did as he was told and told the man that they were closed.

“Good. You don’t have to tell me where you live, I’ll find it.”

“Uh, what do you mean by thaAaA~”

Before he could finish his sentence, strong arms wrapped around his waist and lifted him up from the ground. The weightlessness Dan felt was nerve racking. He didn’t know what to do, he was too full of shock.

How the heck did this guy lift me? ∑(ʘᗩʘΙ∣Ι)

“You better hold on.”

The man turned him around and shifted Dan into a piggyback position. He took Dan’s already shaking hands and placed them around his neck while he held the human by his thighs.

Dan didn’t have any time to feel embarrassed. Actually, didn’t feel it come. What he did feel was a sudden drowsiness. His eyes were already shut, so if he were to fall asleep…

A voiced lulled him, “Don’t worry, you won’t remember a thing. Just take a rest back there.”

The voice was sweet like candy, way different from the menacing tone it had earlier. Or maybe that was Dan’s imagination. After all, he couldn’t think straight and the words the man said sounded far away.

Exhausted, Dan yawned and set his head in the crook of the man’s shoulder. It felt surprisingly comfy, and the hair that tickled his nose was silky smooth like a pillow.

The last thing Dan felt was a gust of wind on his back and the man’s back vibrating as he murmured a language Dan never heard before he felt tired and lost consciousness.