"Best Safety Lies In Fear"

The house is dark and silent, the door's open.
Josh decides to enter, even though a part of him is shouting,
“Run while you still can and never come back!”
and instinctively goes upstairs,
where everything seems, if possible, 
even more silent and dark.
The creepy atmosphere makes him shiver a little bit,
while he curses himself under his breath:
“Fuck, Josh, are you stupid?
Never get in a creepy house, not the night of Halloween.
And never, never, never go the fuck upstairs.
The killer is always upstairs.”
But he's already there, 
so he might as well give a look around.
 
Josh opens a couple of creepy-sounding doors
(wrong move, Franceschi!)
but nothing happens. At all. 
He reminds himself that this is even worse;
it means that the end is right around the corner.
He doesn't want to die, really.
After all he's only eighteen and he's got his whole life to live.
But if he has to die, he will go out in style.
So, trying to ignore the bad premonitions
and the voice inside his head telling him to leave,
he continues opening the doors.
Everything looks kinda quiet. 
Not quiet quiet, more like disturbing quiet.
No noises, no lights, nothing.
Until..
 
“AAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
“What the fu-”
“Don't kill me, please, I'll give you whatever you want. 
But please, I'm only sixteen! I don't want to die!”
Josh turns on his phone to have some light in the room
and looks around until he finds this hedgehog-looking kid
with big, terrified eyes.
 
“I wasn't going to, so stop shaking, please.”
 
The kids looks at him, widening his eyes even more.
Josh gives him a reassuring smile,
when he suddenly realizes that he can't be seen,
'cause the only light in the room
is provided by the screen of his phone.
 
“What happened? There was supposed to be a party in here!
Where's everyone? Why is everything so silent and dark?
And why the fuck are you hiding in the corner of an empty room?”
 
Josh's tone is maybe a little too high,
but he needs to know why they made him go there
for nothing but a disturbing adventure.
 
“First of all, why are you almost yelling at me? 
I haven't done anything! 
Second of all, stop pointing that fucking light in my face,
my eyes are sensitive!”
 
Josh moves the phone a little bit,
so the light is still on the kid, but not directly in his face.
 
“Thanks. So.. there was a party, until an hour ago.
There was a blackout and weird things started to happen.
I know it's unbelievable, but I was fucking there, mate:
it was terrifying!
Everyone ran away. Even the owner of the house. 
Gone.
I was in the toilet when it happened;
I just heard everyone screaming,
but y'know, it's Halloween.
I thought it was just some prick messing around.
When I got out everyone was already gone,
I've been hiding since.”
“And why didn't you leave too?”
“The guy who was supposed to give me a ride home
ran away along with the other, I guess.
I don't live in town, I don't have anywhere to go.
I was scared and no one was around..
I'm sixteen, mate. I don't wanna die, y'know?
Going outside alone didn't look like the best way
not to get killed, so I just stayed here.”
 
There is a strong noise outside, like a door slamming.
Then the lights are back.
 
Josh blinks a few times to get used to the light,
than speaks again,
 
“So...Where do you live? My car's just across the park,
not far from here. I can give you a ride, if you want.”
“Why would you do that? You don't even know me!”
 
Josh just rolls his eyes in a very theatrical gesture,
just to make sure that the guy in front of him can see his disappointment.
 
“Calm down Mr. Suspicious, I'm not going to kill you.
I was just trying to be nice since you have nowhere to go.
But since you prefer being hidden here until tomorrow,
I think I'm going to leave. Have a lovely day,
trying not to get murdered!”
 
He turns to face the door and opens it.
He makes a few, slow steps, just to make sure
the hedgehog kid doesn't call him back.
 
“WAIT!”
 
Josh turns around, painfully slow according to the other boy,
and faces him again.
 
“What?”
“Well, y'know.. I guess you don't look like a killer.
Maybe a ride would be nice, if you're still ok with it”
 
Josh pretends to think about it
though he already knows the answer.
 
“I guess I can do that. 
As long as you tell me your name. 
I'm Josh, by the way.”

He smiles, than stretches out his hand and the guy shakes it.
 
“Max”
 
Max stands up, and he's shorter than Josh had expected,
but kinda.. cute, in some way:
honey hair sticking in all directions
and big, sweet, caramel eyes.
Josh doesn't know if the guy is that pale
every other day of the year,
or if it's just because he's a little too scared,
but his skin is so pale it almost glows in the dark.
Max pushes a hand in his already messy hair,
ruffling it even more and follows Josh outside the door 
and down the stairs.
 
When they're outside everything feels less safe:
the wind howls between the leafless branches
and the sky is coated in dark clouds.
The two guys walk fast, side to side.
(Well, kind of, because Josh's legs are longer than Max's,
so the hedgehog kid struggles a little bit)
and it all seems kind of normal,
until Max slips his hand into Josh's,
maybe squeezing it a little too much,
and pulls him, making him run.
“Why are we run-”
“HE'S FOLLOWING US!”
“Who?”
“I DON'T FUCKING KNOW, JUST RUN!”

Josh turns his head just enough to see a dark figure
running behind them, a little too close.
So he runs like there's no tomorrow,
and this time he's the one pulling Max to make him run faster.
 
He puts his free hand in his pocket and pulls out the car keys,
opening the door as fast as he can.
When Max leaves his hand he feels kind of relieved,
since he's never been in to the whole holding hands thing,
but he also feels kind of empty;
which is stupid 'cause he barely knows this kid,
but he's too busy trying not to get himself killed to curse about 
some silly feeling.
 
Once they're locked inside Josh starts the car
and the dark figure is gone,
disappeared like smoke.
 
Max is distractedly looking outside the window,
a terrified look ghosting over his eyes.
 
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Kind of.”
“We're safe, I'm driving you home, mate!”
“I know”
“So what?”
“Do you live alone?”
“Yep, why?”
“My parents are gone, that's why I came to the party
and I.. I.. never mind.”
“You what?”
“I don't want to sleep alone,
what if he kills me?”
“Ring a friend once you're in town,
and see if you can crash at his place.”
“I uh.. Can I sleep with you tonight?
I mean, in a totally non sexual way! 
Not that I was thinking about you
in a sexual way, nope. I can sleep on the couch or in the bath tub,
even on the floor, but please don't let me go home alone!”
 
He says everything in one breath
and Josh doesn't answer as fast as he should,
being too busy wondering how
talking so fast is even possible.
 
“Hey mate, sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or-”
“I don't know if you can sleep with me.”
 
Josh says, matter-of-factly,
before mumbling a couple of incoherent sentences to himself,
then turning to face Max again
 
“What if you are the killer
and you want to come to my house
just to kill me while I sleep?”
“ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID?
DO I LOOK LIKE A FREAKIN' MURDERER OR SOMETHING?
I'M SO TERRIFIED YOU CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE,
AND YOU TELL ME I COULD BE A KILLER?”
“Maybe you're just a good actor.”
“Well, ok then, just take me home already.”
 
Max turns his head to the window again,
staring blankly at the road slipping under the wheels.
Josh stares at Max instead,
sure not to be seen since the other guy is too busy
being upset with Josh to actually notice anything.
He's staring so hard at the guy beside him
that he's sure he looks like a pervert or something;
that pale, perfect skin and those huge caramel eyes
surely don't belong to a killer.
 
“I guess you can come over, if you want.”
“Why did you change your mind?”
“I just did. Are you coming over or not, then?”
“Yes!”
 
Max's face lights up with a huge smile
and he really wants to hug Josh for letting him stay,
but he just feels stupid
and understand it's not a good idea,
so he just pats Josh's shoulder.
 
“You won't regret it, Josh! 
We can protect each other, you know.. 
If anything bad happens”
“You are thin. And short.
I don't feel really protected, to be honest”
“Fuck off.”
“You're welcome!”
 
Max stares blankly at the road again,
before collecting a little bit of courage
 
“Youcouldprotectme!”
“Emh.. What?”
“You could.. emh.. protect me.
You look very protective.
Your girlfriend must feel safe in your arms.”
“Nope, since I don't have a girlfriend.”
“How's that even possible?
You're hot!
Always in a very, totally, completely non sexual way.”
“Girls.. Not really my area.”
“You're into boys then?”
“I guess so.”
 
Josh drops the subject
by stopping the car in front of an old building.
 
“I live here.”
 
He gets out of the car and goes to the passenger side
to open Max's door, than closes the car.
 
He kind of forgot the whole
'this night looks like a cheap horror movie' thing,
but he reminded it as soon as the cold air hit his body.
He half-runs to the elevator and pushes the button,
so the doors open in front of him.
The two boys enter the elevator
and Josh pushes the button with '6' written on it.
 
“What if the killer is waiting for us in front of the elevator?
We'd have nowhere to run!”
 
Josh doesn't answer and patiently wait
for the elevator to stop,
but he actually sighs of relief
when he notices that no one's waiting for them.
 
He opens the door quickly
and Max follows him in the apartment,
closing the door behind him.
 
“Do you smoke?”
“Nope”
“Do I have to go outside to have a cigarette?”
“No, it's ok, you can smoke in here as long
as the window's open.”
 
Max looks around:
the apartment is small and messy,
walls coated in posters and shelves full of CDs.
 
While he's distracted,
Josh watches him smoke,
he looks older, sexier.
It's creepy how a little object
can make a person look totally different.
 
“Where am I going to sleep?”
 
Max is definitely hoping they will share a bed,
but he doesn't say anything.
 
Josh's eyes grow wider and wider,
the deep blue getting darker by the second,
his voice low, almost a whisper.
 
“You are going to sleep in Hell, baby boy.”
 
Max swears he felt his heart miss a bit,
but then Josh is on the floor, laughing.
 
“You should have seen your face,
it was awesome!”
“You scared the shit out of me!”
“That was fun!”
“Fuck you very much.”
“I'm sorry!
I guess we'll have to share my bed, by the way,
since this place is too fucking small to have a couch.
If you're ok with it, of course.
Unless you don't want to sleep on the floor,
then go for it.”
 
'Please say yes, please fucking say yes'
 
“It's ok for me”
“I thought you were going to refuse”
“Why?”
“We talked about it, in the car..
I like guys, most people would refuse.”
 
Pause
 
“I won't try to fuck you, of course.”
“I wouldn't mind”
“What?!”
“Em.. nothing! I said 'thank you'.”
“Oh. I thought I heard something different..”
“Nope. No. I didn't say anything different.
Why would you think I said something different?
Haha, no, really, no.”
“Fine.”
“What am I going to wear?”
“You can take my sweatpants,
I'm not gonna wear them anyway.”
“What are you wearing then?”
“Emh.. Nothing? 
I mean, I'll just leave the underwear on,
if you're comfortable with it.”
“Sure.”
 
At that point, Max is seriously thinking of
kissing him right there,
because he's hot and they're going to sleep in the same bed
and maybe if he makes Josh understand
that he's into boys too,
maybe Josh will fuck him tonight,
which would be a totally awesome thing.
But then the window slams
and the lights go out
and everything is dark again.
 
“Josh, I'm scared.”
“Shhh, I know.”
“Shut up, both of you.”
 
Max tries to figure out where Josh is,
and when he does,
he tries to move toward him
to have a little bit of comfort.
 
When Josh feels the presence of the boy
by his side, he instinctively
squeezes his hand, trying to reassure him,
so Max squeezes back and smiles
and he's scared to death but
his fingers, still locked with Josh's
are almost boiling it the best way possible.
 
“Now we're going to play a game”
“Not really in the mood to play,
actually, we just wanna sleep,
so leave, thank you.”
“Treating me like that won't make me spare
your pathetic life, Joshy boy.
That's not the way to talk to people. 
You're a rude person, honey.”
 
The stranger laughs.
It's a low, guttural laugh
that makes both of the guys shiver.
Then he talks to Max.
 
“Do you agree, kid?”
 
Max doesn't answer,
he just starts shaking
and Josh snakes an arm around his waist
(or at least he hopes it's the waist,
because he can't see anything)
and kind of awkwardly side-hugs him.
He doesn't even know why he is so concerned
about Max's safety,
maybe is just because when you are about
to get killed by a freak,
you want everything to end in the best way possible,
so it's useful to be kind to the only person
in the room that has no interest in murdering you.
 
Or maybe Max is just too goddamn cute
not to be kind to him.
 
“What do you want from us?
Leave us alone.
We haven't done anything to you,
so fuck off, yeah?”
“You actually did a lot of things to me,
Joshy boy.”
“So you're here for me, then?”
“Pretty much, yes.
He just happens to be in the wrong place
at the wrong time.”
“Let him go, then.
You don't need him, right?”
“I'M NOT FUCKING LEAVING.”
“See, Josh? He answered for me.”
“Max, you don't even know me.
Why do you want to stay here?”
“I said we were going to protect each other,
I'm a man of my word.”
“We're both going to end up dead,
is that what you want?”
“Not really, but that's not the point.”
“Then what's the point?”
“That I'm not leaving.
You better accept it.”
 
The stranger laughs again.
 
“Look at you two. You met like two hours ago
and you're already head over heels for each other.
Isn't it cute?
Dead before even having the opportunity
to share a kiss.
It sounds romantic, in some way.
Shakespeare would be appalled
at such a creative plot.”
“I'm not head over heels for..
Shit.
oh, fuck off.”
 
Josh doesn't even know what he's saying,
but then everything is silent
and all he can hear is his heart racing
and Max's being even faster
and the next thing he knows he is kissing
the hedgehog kid like there's no tomorrow,
since probably both of them
are going to get killed in a matter of minutes.
And Max was kissing back.
 
Then, right after the kiss, the lights are back,
and a blonde guy is standing in front of them.
Max doesn't know him,
but he's sure he's seen this guy before,
because his face looks so familiar.
 
Max stares at Josh and so does the guy,
and Josh's jaw drops.
 
“Hello there, Joshy boy!”
 
He's laughing. Not the creepy laugh from before,
but a lovely laugh that makes his blue eyes
look even more blue.
 
“Dan fucking Flint. I should have imagined it was you.
You're the only one in this whole fucking universe
that calls me with that stupid nickname!”
“Shut up, Joshy boy is a cute nickname!”
 
He pouts a little bit, than smiles again.
 
 
“I swear to God, you're not gonna leave this house alive.”
“Do you.. know him?”
“Of course I do! He's my best mate.
The one who threw the party.”
“I was supposed to scare Josh a little bit,
for being a super asshole
and always being late at my parties.
But then you were here,
and I figured out I could play with both of you.”
 
He stretches his hand towards Max.
 
“I'm Dan, by the way”
 
And Max really wants to punch him in the face,
but then he reminds that,
thanks to this stupid prank
Josh kissed him.
So he might just be grateful a little bit.
 
“Even if we're not getting killed..
can I sleep with you anyway?”
“Definitely.”