Just an illusion. | Jaythan AU | co-written with @chasing_TW

Chapter seventeen

Chapter seventeen.

The countdown began once again.

But this time Tom wasn't planning on killing Jay, it was Max this time. It was like a never ending cycle, the voices in Tom's head deciding a different victim every night until they were happy.

Tom didn't want to listen to them, there was still a sane part of him that knew what he was doing was wrong but he would go to great lengths to keep the voices at bay and if killing Max was the only way then he'd do that, not matter the consequences.

The sane part of Tom thought about the time when he, Max, Siva and Jay were all friends. When they would get into arguments over who built the better Lego house or who could skim the most stones across the backyard pond in Jay's back garden.

Tom tried to push the guilty thoughts away, but failed.

He could feel the thoughts eating on his guilty conscious, Tom heard the voices egging him on asking why he hadn't done it yet making him forget about the past. Tom knew if he ever wanted peace, this is what he would have to do and he had to do it today and as fast as he could.

"Tick tock, a murder will happen tonight" the voices sang, which they continued singing until Tom had reached the room Max was in.

~*~*~*~

"Nathan" Jay asked, sitting up from his bed and looking down at Nathan who was lay down flicking through yesterday's newspaper, "yeah?" Nathan questioned, tossing the newspaper in the direction of the bin which didn't even go in.

"Are you sure that you didn't see Max standing right next to me?" Nathan sighed and rolled his eyes, this was the 203rd time Jay had asked him this and every time Nathan would shake his head, "because he was definitely standing there, I was talking to him!" Jay continued.

"No Jay, he wasn't there it was just an illusion" Jay huffed, he didn't understand why Nathan couldn't see him.

"That's what people say about you, you know?"

"They say you're just an illusion but you aren't, you are real and so is Max he was really standing next to me you just probably weren't looking." Nathan wanted to argue back, to say he was wrong but he knew just how upset Jay was so he decided not to.

"Yeah you're probably right, now you should get some sleep mister, you've got to wake up early" Nathan kissed Jay's temple just after Jay yawned.

"G'night Nath" Jay mumbled as he lay down, tucking his arms under the duvet to keep warm.

"Night Jay" Nathan mumbled stupidly, as Jay was now fast asleep and probably wouldn't of heard him.

Nathan had a like a gut instinct that something bad was about to happen he could almost taste it but he didn't know what it was, he shrugged it off blaming it on lack of sleep.

Just like Jay did, Nathan closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Which was a very stupid mistake on his and Jay's behalf.

~*~*~

"Tick tock, a murder will happen tonight" the voices cackled, Tom had finally reached the hospital Max was at and he was standing right outside the door.

"C'mon now! Not backing out are you?" The voices asked, making Tom shiver.

Tom felt patronised by the voices, it was their tone, the authority they had over Tom made him scared which is why he always listened to them.

"We have your best interest, Tom! Do this little favour for us, this will help you lots we promise!" They didn't have Tom's best interest of course, the voices thought it was a game they liked playing with Tom in some twisted way the derived pleasure from others suffering of course the voices were not real, they were illusion as such but either way the still found making Tom kill or harm people fun.

Tom had already sought out his plan; he was going to switch Max's life support machine, easiest and quickest way to do it he thought.

He looked around him, making sure that nobody noticed him before pushing open the door and then locking it behind him and dragging a chair to barricade it just in case.

He also shut the blinds so nobody could see in. He didn't want to get caught but he knew he had to do this, it was the only way so the voices would stop. He walked over to where the switch was, just one press and he'd of done it, he would of successfully killed Max George, his old friend.

"I can't believe, just 10 years ago we were friends and now I'm doing this but I'll tell you what I'm not in the least sorry" Tom spoke, hoping Max could hear him. The last part of his sentence wasn't even him, it was the voices they had somehow clouded his senses.

Tom had his hand ready, to switch it from on to off. Just in a couple of seconds Max's life would be over. If it wasn't for a certain voice that made him stop, that is exactly what he would of done.

"Stop!" A voice croaked, making Tom's face drain of colour.

Written by @nicely_mcguiness.