stained (phan) || book #1

nineteen

P H I L ' S  P O V

I was laying in bed silently when my phone went off.

I groaned and reached over, picking up the device and reading the notification to see it was a text message from my least favorite person- Wirrow.

wirrow: time's up.
DELIVERED AT 5:42PM

I shot up and checked my calendar. It was early. They deadlined it earlier.

"No," I murmured, my body tensing. "No, they can't do that!"

I put on clothes and grabbed my backpack, running downstairs. My mother eyed me

"Where do you think you're going?"

"A friend's," I lied, rushing past her.

"Phil-" I slammed the front door and hurried into my car. Stepping on the gas, I sped to Dan's house and parked once there. My eyes widened.

The front door was wide open.

"Please no," I hissed, tears springing to my eyes in worry. I went through the doorway, calling out. "Mrs. Howell? Mr. Howell? Dan?" No reply. "Dan!" Nothing. "Anybody?" Pure silence.

I weaved my phone out and dialed Dan's number. And my throat felt lodged as soon as I heard it ringing upstairs.

I moved slowly to his room, knife in my hand. I was greeted with the teddy bear I had bought him, destroyed, and his phone on the ground.

"No,"

Helplessly, I called Wirrow.

"I knew you'd call." His voice was devious.

I felt sick. "Where the fuck is he, Wirrow?" I snapped. "Where is everyone?"

"His dad's out of town. At least that what's Mrs. Howell told me, isn't that right?" Wirrow replied, following Mrs. Howell's muffled screams.

"Let them go!" I cried. "It's not the deadline yet! You can't do that!"

"You wouldn't have done it anyway. Do you think I'm fucking stupid? You're in love with the boy, if anything getting it over with now is a good thing."

"Give me the phone," Bryony groaned in the background. There was fumbling and cursing until her voice became clear. "Phil? Hey."

"Where are you guys? Is Dan okay? What about his mom?"

"They're fine for now but Wirrow's like a time bomb, you know that. If you don't get here in time, he'll kill them without any mark of hesitation. They're both tied up. Dan won't stop crying and Wirrow's this close to shutting him up. That is something we do not want to see."

I exhaled. "Please just tell me where you guys are."

It was silent before Bry whispered, "the woods. The same place where he killed Ryan."

"Bryony!" Wirrow shouted, then there was cursing and a thump following after.

Wirrow came back on the phone. "Show your face and I'll kill all three of you."

"Go fuck yourself," I snapped before hanging up on him. I ran back out of the empty house and to my car, hopping back in. I drove to the forest, parking far away.

The leaves cracked underneath my feet and my pants formed in small clouds in front of me. I slipped my hood over my head and looked around frantically for the four of them, hoping Wirrow wouldn't notice me.

"Tell me!" Screamed Wirrow. I froze.

"Stop screaming at him!"

That was Mrs. Howell.