All Was Golden

E L E V E N

Ryan slept in the living room that night. He had tried to go back to his room, but something stopped him at the threshold. His body wouldn't let him go back to that space of so much pain.

He eventually made his way into the living room, unsure of where else to go. He tried to watch a movie, but his mind wandered away from the plot to jumbled thoughts that didn't make sense.

He wanted to talk to someone, but no one was there.

Patrick was sick and Pete was caring for him. Ryan couldn't bring himself to interrupt just because he felt... Off.

When Ryan woke up the next day, he momentarily forgot where he was. There was a moment of panic where he could see a different room full of things he didn't want to remember, but it vanished with a blink. He was still in his living room.

Ryan let out a sigh. He was backtracking. He had been doing so well until he decided he could open that stupid box...

Ryan sat up and let out another short breath. He didn't have to think about the box. He didn't have to think about Him.

He brought his hand up to his chest, where the key had rested. Its weight had felt so comforting, but now he could breathe.

The key going missing was a blessing in disguise.

Ryan pushed himself off the couch. He shuddered as the air wrapped around him, bringing an instant chill with it. Was it the air, or was the room just cold?

He rubbed his arms for a moment before standing. The room around him was his living room, but there was something different about it. The room had a different hue. It's neutral color scheme was colder, like the temperature.

"Who fucked with the heater?" He mumbled, rubbing his arms for some warmth. He moved slowly across the carpet in the living room before making it into the hall. The thermostat was just beyond the bathroom, a little over halfway down the hall. He quickened his pace to it.

A quarter of the way down the hall, Ryan noticed the light leaking into the hall from the bathroom. He also noticed that Pete and Patrick's bedroom door was open at the end of the hall.

He slowed as a voice carried out into the hall. It sounded strained and confused. When he was closer to the door, he peaked through the open gap the door left.

Patrick stood in front of the sink with his head down. He was shirtless, looking like he had just gotten out of a shower with a towel tied around his waist. His wet hair hung down, dripping into the sink. His hands gripped the sides of the small counter to the point that his knuckles were white.

"What's..." Patrick's voice wobbled as he took a breath, "What's happening to me?"

Silence followed, but Patrick responded as if something had spoken. "What did you... What did I do to Pete?.." He lifted his head, looking at his face in the mirror.

Ryan covered his mouth to hold back a gasp.

The reflection of Patrick's eyes were a vibrant yellow. Despite the tiredness on the rest of Patrick's face, his eyes seemed alert as they stared back at him.

Patrick flinched. He brought a hand up from the counter to hold the side of his head. "Stop it!" The hiss came through gritted teeth, pushing Ryan back.

Ryan had never seen Patrick act like this. What was going on, and what did he mean about Pete?

"What's happening?" Patrick demanded at his reflection. Through the tiredness, fear quivered at the edge of his voice. "Why can't I-" his words cut off suddenly. His grip on the counter released and his body dropped. His head hit the edge of the counter before Ryan had time to react.

"Patrick!"

Ryan rushed into the room, shoving the door out of the way as Patrick lay on the floor, looking dazed.

"Patrick, holy shit, are you okay?" Ryan knelt over him, unsure what to do. Blood trickled down from where his head had made contact with the counter.

Patrick blinked. His eyes weren't yellow like the reflection just seconds before. They were back to their original color, though they were now unfocused as Ryan hovered above him. "Where am I?"

"Are you okay?" Ryan repeated. He looked around the room for something to stop the bleeding from Patrick's head. He settled on a hanging towel, quickly snatching it in his hand.

"Why am I in the bathroom?" Patrick questioned. He was blinking faster now, though still seemingly unaware of the blood trailing down the side of his head.

Ryan had shifted the towel into a ball shape. He pressed it against Patrick's head, brow furrowed in worry. "Let me help you up."

Patrick's eyes fell upon Ryan, as if he was noticing him in the room for the first time. "Ryan?"

"I've got you." Ryan nodded. He hooked and arm across Patrick's upper back to help him rise while trying to keep the towel against his head with his other hand. "Just hang on."

Ryan was still in the process of trying to lift Patrick when he felt something thin rub against his arm. It felt like a necklace cord, but Patrick didn't wear necklaces. Ryan looked down at Patrick, moving his gaze from his face to his bare chest.

Ryan gasped, having to fight himself from retracting his arms from where they supported Patrick.

The key sat on Patrick's pale skin, grinning wickedly at Ryan with red eyes as bright as LED lights. It's laughter practically filled Ryan's head as he looked at it. It was real. It hadn't been a figment of his imagination, it had just found someone else.

Just like him.

"Ryan?" Patrick's voice sounded different. It was the only reason Ryan could pull his attention away from the key. When he saw Patrick's face, however, he wished he hadn't.

Patrick's confused expression was gone. In it's place was the same wicked grin the skull wore, paired with two eyes consumed by red.

"Miss me?" Patrick's voice was there, but it was layered with so many growls, Ryan couldn't help the cry that escaped him.

Ryan tried to pull his arms away from Patrick, but Patrick had other plans. With lightning speed, he had a grip on Ryan's arms. He held so tight that Ryan could feel his bones strain under the pressure. He cried out again, but Patrick just laughed. As he continued to laugh, he sat up. He only stopped laughing when he was eye level with Ryan.

"All will be golden, Ryan." Patrick growled. The room around them shifted into a red hue. The ground around them seemed to break away. Patrick held Ryan's hands close to his chest, pulling Ryan closer. "Thanks to you."

Ryan screamed. He couldn't even bring himself to pull away. His muscles refused to move. He could only look in terror at the eyes of his friend, consumed in red, as the floor broke away beneath them.