He groaned, opening his eyes. It was broad daylight, despite the feeling that it seemed like it had been nighttime moments ago. He winced and clenched his teeth in pain as he attempted to get up. Why couldn't he? He craned his neck to see what was bothering him so much.
Giant gashes in the form of claw marks streaked across the back of his left leg. "Fuck!" That was only the beginning. His shirt was tattered, reduced to being on the verge of shredding completely. More claw marks were on his chest, though they weren't as deep as the ones on his leg. And his right arm...this thing seriously bit him??
"Fucking asshole!!" he yelled, attempting to get up again. He failed, only just then realizing where he was: the driveway, near the gate. He shakily grabbed Chris's phone from his pocket, deciding to call Nate. "Hello?" Nate mumbled, still sleepy.
Taylor cleared his throat, trying to sound as close to Chris as possible, "Hey, Nate, um...I'm in the driveway and I'm kinda hurt. Could you come like...pick me up? I can't even walk, man. It's serious." A pause. "Hello?" No response. Instead, the front door practically flew open as Nate rushed out. "OH JESUS CHRIST!" he yelled, turning to everyone else. "HE'S HURT...BAD! I NEED SOME HELP!!"
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Chris cried out as the alcohol was poured onto his arm wound. "Sorry." Pat apologized softly. "It will hurt, but that means it's working." He tried offering a comforting smile, though it was tinged with fear. Taylor, who'd surrendered control to the older man minutes before, reappeared.
"Who would do such a thing?" Pat thought aloud. "Why would they do this to you, Shifty?" He seemed genuinely heartbroken. It killed the spirit to see his friends in such a state. He realized how wrong it was for him to go out like that regardless of warnings.
"This stupid fucking demon did it. I just know it." Nate said, crossing his arms. "He's an asshole! Chris was probably just trying to sleep! Can it give us a break??" At that moment, Dave trudged down the stairs, half-awake. He grunted as some sort of greeting, unaware of the previous events; he was oblivious to the hate-filled glares of his peers.
As he poured himself coffee, Taylor watched with disdain. His host was brutally injured, nearly mauled by the frontman he thought he could trust. Chris gritted his teeth when more alcohol was applied to a different wound. He involuntarily shed a tear. The emotional and physical pains were getting to him. What did he do to deserve this?
"I hope you're happy, Dave! Thanks to you, we're down a man! And to think, just when we thought you had this under control! You nearly killed Chris! What's Josh gonna think when he sees this, mm?? He's gonna freak the fuck out and leave. You want that? I don't!" Nate snapped.
Dave looked up with a half-lidded stare, scoffing. "C'mon, he didn't lose a fucking limb! He's fine!" he shot back. "And why should I care about everyone else's opinions??" He kept going on and on, but Taylor tuned him out. Dave was being negligent to his friends' feelings and Chris's conditions.
His eyes blazed with rage, turning completely white. He balled his hands into fists, wishing he could punch Dave in the face right here and now. But he couldn't. He'd give himself away if he possessed his host now. Then a nasty idea popped up in his head.
The frontman needed a taste of his own medicine. But how? When? He knew --- he'd scratch him up, beat his ass to a bloody pulp...just like he did to him! To Shifty! Just to teach him a lesson. "Don't fuck with Taylor fucking Hawkins, bitch." He said before disappearing.
Chris cried in agony from not only the pain, but also from the betrayal. As the tears rolled down his face, he wished for revenge. Inside his head was the blonde, who whispered his idea. A sad smile poked at the corners of his face as he nodded in understanding. 'Sounds like a plan, buddy! I'm in!'
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Later that night, Hawkins possessed his body. Granted, he didn't have all of his strength but had some. Some was better than none. He glided down the hall with an eerily delicate grace to Dave's room. He threw the door open, growling softly in frustration.
"Chris?? What the hell, dude?? I'm trying to sleep!!" The frontman whined, only half-awake. "Listen here, pretty princess, I don't appreciate what you and Spooky did to me. You're gonna pay the fucking price!"
"W-what do you mean --- 'what I did to you'? And what do you mean by paying the p-price? Chris, what is going on with you??" Silence. Dave was backing away in fear, eventually booking it out of there.
"Somebody fuckin help me!!" he yelled, turning the corners sharply as he ran. Taylor followed him, setting his own entire body ablaze. Dave's screams echoed in the night, as he begged and pleaded for 'Chris' to stop. Suddenly, silence once more. He looked behind him, relieved that he lost his pursuer. But when he faced forward, the terrifying male hovered before him. "What're you doing, Chris? Why? Why??" he screamed.
"You nearly fucking mauled me to death, and you don't care!!" Taylor hissed, "You don't have this stupid thing under control! You're a selfish bastard, and I'm sick of it!" Despite Taylor being in control, Chris's voice was slipping through.
"We can negotiate, man! C'mon, we've known each other for...gosh --- a good twenty years or so! We both have families, you get it! I'll let you take over lead guitar for a bit ---!" Dave began to offer, being cut off by a blast of fire aimed at him. "SHUT UP!" Taylor snarled, steadily getting angrier and angrier.
He didn't know why he was so angry all of a sudden. Things like this only mildly frustrated him. But his rage combined with Chris's and amplified itself into an uncontrollable force. The adrenaline was driving both of them wild with power.
His eyes went from white to brown on one side and blue on the other. He threw his friend into the table on the patio, his body weight causing the glass to shatter. Dave groaned in pain, attempting to sit up. "Don't!" he tried to say, having to scramble to get up on his feet.
He narrowly dodged the fireball thrown at him. Taylor briefly glitched through, his body replacing Christopher's. "TAYLOR??? THE FUCK??" The brunet screeched, "What happened to the old Taylor? Why are you doing this??"
The specter only chuckled, "I'm sorry, the old Taylor can't answer that right now,"
"Why?"
"Cuz he's dead!" He grinned, laughing afterwards. He picked up a larger shard of glass and tackled the frontman to the ground. Dave bravely fought back the best he could, but...even so, he couldn't prevent the deadly makeshift blade entering his chest. He sobbed as he got cut up and stabbed, tortured and tormented.
He picked up Dave one last time, taking him inside. "Eat shit." He wrapped his arms around his bloodied torso and lit himself ablaze again. "GAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Dave screamed as his skin burned. "How does it feel, huh?? To get fried alive?" The body switched back to Chris's as he spoke. He leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "What's worse is, nobody will ever believe you."
This was the end for sure. "T, I thought...I thought we had something, man.." Dave rasped, closing his eyes. He'd passed out from so much smoke and blood loss. As if someone had snapped their fingers, Taylor came down from his trance and surrendered control again, leaving a horrified Chris to hold his frontman's body.
A stampede practically flooded the halls as the rest of the band worriedly rushed downstairs. He went pale, blood running cold. "No...no, no, NOOOO!!!" he wailed, tears practically flooding from his eyes. "Oh what have I done?? I just wanted to punch him or something...what the fuck did we do??" The spirit wasn't even present to answer.
Everyone stood there, the same shocked look of horror on their faces. "We need an ambulance now! Oh God, Dave, don't die! Don't die!" Chris sobbed, holding him close. As the paramedics wheeled Dave away, a wave of guilt washed over the younger male. "WHAT HAVE I DONE?"
YOU ARE READING
Catharsis
Fanfiction"Hey dude, can I possess your body a quick minute?" There was a brief silence as Chris thought of his answer. The demon was still there, but he did miss his best friend so. "Why would you want my body?" "Just to say hi to the guys, that's all." "Yo...
