Where Is Dan?

Entry #32

It was the middle of the night. I hadn't seen Dan in years. If I even remember right, I believe the last time we saw each other wasn't on good terms. My memory is hazy. There isn't much I can remember. Pieces of my life eradicated from existence. Just like Dan, once upon a time. He'd decided to snap me one day. I thought it odd. His profile picture looked different. He changed. I thought it funny to keep the conversation rolling, maybe pranking him, thinking it wasn't Dan, but the more we snapped back at one another the more I was convinced it was Dan. It was unbelievable. His hair no longer down to his shoulders. Cut short. Spiked. Almost like he came out of the early punk scene era. I didn't mind it. In fact it was kind of nostalgic. He was just never that kind of person, you know? Clothes, makeup, the whole ensemble. I suppose people can change.

Meeting up with Dan tonight is most definitely going to be a change. Most of my friends told me to stay put. Stay in bed. Sleep. But I yearned for company. One of the things I'm fortunate to remember is when we were allowed to walk in public. There are kids who only know about the inside of walls. Its illegal now. It's our duty as citizens to stay indoors. We weren't told what was outside. We were told to obey. I like to obey. Makes me feel like a good boy. But sometimes it's just as much fun to do whatever you want. That's why I choose to leave out of the house today. Maybe if we'd had windows I wouldn't have been a bad boy.

All the houses around the block are inspired by Brutalism Design. Concrete. No windows. Grey. They say it's the new trend. It's been the trend for the last seven years. I've never seen a trend last this long before. They must not want us looking what's outside. Even now as I walk down the street no light posts are around. No light at any home. Anywhere. It's pitch dark. Probably the reason why Dan wanted to meet at the middle of the night. That way we were less likely to get in serious trouble. No Lights, no way for someone to see us break the law. I did mind though. I have forgotten what the sun feels like on my skin. What the sun looks like. How the sun shines it's glow on the town. I promise myself one day I will see the sun again. It would feel so good to feel the sun on my skin.

In the dark I walked slow. Careful to step. Never knowing what could be in front of me. There could be a rock, a rabbit, a squirrel, a bird, a dog, a person, a bad person, a killer, an evil creature. Too many possibilities. I won't think about that. I will only think about Dan. Meeting Dan. I miss Dan... We had so much fun together. We used to have something guanine, special.

I froze. There was a light. Someone was holding a flashlight down the road. I couldn't turn and run. Where was I to go? I couldn't see behind me. I think I stopped in enough time before the person's flash light could create a silhouette of me. Was it Dan? If I called out "Dan!" but it wasn't Dan, would they shoot me? Run after me? Chase me down then use me?

...

Calm. I need to be calm. Whoever it is probably hasn't noticed me yet. The light got closer. I stepped back trying my hardest not to make a sound. If I did who knows what. The light inched closer again. I stepped again. A snap of twig broke beneath my foot. I froze. Nerve stricken fear overwhelmed, took me by complete control. The seconds turned to minutes as I was frozen. The light didn't budge. Why was there no sound coming from behind the light? Who is behind the light? Why are they still? I couldn't understand.

I felt something brush up from behind me. My eyes bulged. All fear turned into subservient, emotionless, soul-less..... It felt different. No, I felt different. I knelt down in front of the light. Minutes turned to hours kneeling down. The one thing I remember before everything turned to red was "Where is Dan?"