Blinding Lights | Skephalo

i been on my own for long enough

i don't have an uploading schedule for this story just yet but i'll try my best for quick updates. tysm for all the support so far <3

•••

Darryl

Darryl
Who's body did the police find? It's not... Right?

Vincent
They haven't released a name yet. Sorry for freaking out last night. There's a chance that it's not Zak, but... It's been three months, Darryl.

Darryl
What are you saying?

Vincent
Don't you think it's time to move on? Find a new roommate?
Have you thought about how you're going to afford rent this month?
You know your parents can't keep lending you cash.

Darryl
I've been on my own for long enough; I can figure out how to manage.
Besides, when Zak comes back, I want him to still have a home.

Vincent
Look, I'm terrified about this situation too, but you just need to be reasonable.
I'll let you know if I see any more updates. Until then, take care of yourself, okay?

Darryl
Sure.
READ 7:21 AM

Darryl didn't bother opening the remainder of his missed texts and voicemails; he knew they were all about Zak and the mysterious body that had been discovered, and Darryl didn't want to hear any more about that topic.

Rolling out of bed, Darryl decides that it's time for him to eat something; he couldn't resist the pain gnawing at his stomach any longer. The walk to the kitchen was usually something Darryl tried to avoid, because of how he had to walk past Zak's bedroom. Now, he just closed his eyes as he put one foot in front of the other.

Upon seeing— and smelling— the spoiled milk in the fridge, Darryl settles on just having a breakfast muffin. There wasn't much else, because Darryl would never touch Zak's snacks that he had in the pantry. It was for the same reason he didn't want to find a new roommate or more elsewhere: in case Zak came back.

The same golden light he had seen from the sunrise outside fades as the morning progresses, and Darryl reluctantly decides to return to his bedroom.

If Zak was here right now, he would be sitting right there, on that couch. Maybe he'd turn on the TV, or scroll through Twitter, or maybe he would just want to talk to me. Who knows?

Walking past Zak's bedroom door again, Darryl can't help but stop and stare at it. It's been a long time since he's seen the inside; So long, that he can barely remember what it looks like. The door always remained shut tightly, with the blinds rolled down, to preserve the room as much as possible in case of Zak's return. Darryl couldn't prevent the dust that would inevitably form, but he figures he can take care of that when the time comes.

I should check it out in there, just to see that everything is okay. It's been too long.

Turning the knob of Zak's door, Darryl winced at the creaking. It's been a long time since the room was entered by anyone, even more so since the room was entered by Zak. Stepping inside, Darryl found himself slipping into what felt like a trance.

•••

Zak's room was similar to the one Darryl saw in his dreams with the blinding white walls and the white bed positioned in the center of the back wall, yet it contained a computer off to the side showing nothing but a black screen.