"Are you sure he wants us to come?" Chris asked for what seems to be the tenth time.
"Yes I am sure. He left a message on the machine saying something about needing to talk to us or something like that... Now quit it with the questions cus' you're getting on my nerves." Ben replied rather insolently. He stepped on the gas pedal that led them to speed away from the evolving traffic jam in front of them. "Goddamn amateur drivers…" he hissed.
He took a sharp right turn and then, at once, they were greeted by a dark curving road. They have reached the remote part of the town. The once translucent beach gazed upon them hauntingly. Its waves created occult sounding noises that could make anyone quiver in their seats. It was already eight in the evening and the road was darker than usual, with only a few headlights to illuminate it a bit.
They passed by two or three houses then suddenly ducked under a cove of towering trees. The beach disappeared from their sight for a while but then reappeared after driving a few more meters up the road. There were a couple of deteriorating road signs saying something about the road being dangerous when wet. But other than that, the road was oddly empty.
Rain was beginning to fall, making the windshield quite blurry. A display of the previous news came flashing through Ben's head. Weather had not been friendly to travelers these past few days. It had been ceaselessly raining for the past week and the roads were dangerously slippery. Unfortunately for some, their swiveling fate came quite early as they got involved in some car crash. Musing about such things troubled Ben, but then, he quickly redirected his thoughts.
"Where exactly were we going again?"
If Chris had not warned him, he would've missed Daniel's place. It wasn't entirely his fault though. If Daniel made his rented beach house homelier and livelier by at lease putting a light on the driveway, then most probably, Ben wouldn't have missed it.
They noticed his car parked on the driveway, which pointed out that he was indeed at home. Without even bothering with the umbrella, Ben and Chris rushed out of the car through the pouring rain and to the small awning that protected the front door.
"Is he there?" Chris asked peering through the hazy glass sides of the door. Ben shrugged and by some weird instinct, pulled the collar of his jacket up to his neck as if it would help. Chris rapped on the door and waited for an answer. "Why is it so fucking dark here?" He asked.
"Well, as you know, our dear friend Daniel's always in this downcast mode so I guess his surroundings are also affected… Fuck! What if his sickness' transmittable?" Ben quipped.
"Trust me, it's not." Chris replied. "Where the fuck is he anyway?" He pounded on the door with his fists this time.
He closed his eyes once more and hoped that sleep would come. But instead, his thoughts were invaded by his memories. Why am I thinking about these? He asked himself. An image of him together with his two band mates flashed through his head. He wasn't sure if they'd understand what he was going through. He wasn't sure if they really were ready to help him. He wasn't even sure if he had the guts to ask them for their help.
He tried to look back at the past few months. After the grueling tour, he had managed to enclose himself in that small place he had rented and immediately started writing various things supposedly for the next album. He remembered how he requested his friends and even his family not to meddle with him for a while. He was very confident that he will be able to solve his developing problem but instead, it grew worse.
He could feel his stomach growling and remembered that he had not eaten for the whole day. His flimsy lips curved into a solacing grin. If there was one thing he had control over, it was his food intake. At least he had control over something. The pain wasn't as bad as the one he had earlier that evening. He knew that a glass of cold water would soon fix it. He forced himself off his bed and made his way to the kitchen. He got a glass from the counter and poured water into it and drank the liquid. The water soothed his parched throat and calmed his growling stomach. He set the empty glass on the sink. There were a couple of dishes stacked near the sink. He kept telling himself though that he'd wash them but he kept on forgetting.
The continuous yapping of his dog finally caught his attention. "Sweep? What is it girl?" he asked out loud. It was his growing habit to be talking to his dog. And since she was the only one around for him to talk to, he had no other choice. It wasn't that he wanted to talk to someone, it was never like that at all, but at least it kept him sane and exercised his jaws a bit. He was answered by yet another rigid bark. He thought he heard someone call his name and strained his ears to hear if it was just his mind playing tricks on him again or if somebody was indeed outside the door.
"Ben?" he whispered to himself.
He was glad for the distraction though. It gave him time to pull away from his personal demons for a few minutes at least.
They could hear Sweep yapping from the inside of the house. Chris peered through the hazy glass again. He could see a faint light that penetrated through the dim house. There was a small jumping object and he figured that it was Sweep yapping around like any normal dog would do if there were visitors.
"DANIEL!" Ben shouted through the door. "C'mon man, it's us."
But the harsh pouring of the rain mixed with the crashing thunder drowned their brawling. The awning did nothing for them. It was probably placed there as for an illusion to make the obviously empty house more attractive. They've been standing there, drenching wet, for approximately fifteen minutes. Ben felt rather worried as to why no one was answering the door. And frustration and worry didn't entirely blended with each other. He was at the verge of breaking down the door but seemingly caught himself as he noticed a figure approaching it.
He could tell it was Daniel by how lean the figure was. They could hear him prying the locks of the door open. He finally lugged it open for Ben and Chris to come in.
"Shit! What took you so long?" Ben asked, trying to get his wet jacket off of him. "I was sleeping." He answered as he let out a small fake yawn. Ben and Chris, glad to be out of the pouring rain, just let the issue pass. And besides, they didn't come there to argue with Daniel.
Ben moved about helplessly not knowing where to put his soaked shoes and jacket. "Just dump it there." Daniel replied, pointing to an empty corner. He disappeared for a while again and returned with some towels and a few extra shirts he had stuffed in his closet.
To Be Continued
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