*Ahem.* Welcome to the longest introduction, ever:
Hi, so this is my first ever story - which is absolutely terrifying - and I've been writing this story for a while, now. I've just always been too scared to finally put it up. Well, it's not finished yet, either. I'll probably upload once a week, or something.
Anyways, you might want to listen to, "Demons," by Imagine Dragons. This story wasn't inspired by that song, but it's just a coincidence that the song fits so perfectly to this story.
One last thing, a massive shoutout to Justice237, who was one of my first ever guy friends. Today - the 30th of October, last year - was actually the day we met! He's been so kind and sweet to me, and I genuinly hope that we stay friends throughout our lives. Happy friendship anniversary, I uploaded today, for you.
Okay, I'll stop talking, now. Sorry, I hope you enjoy the story - the first chapter is a bit short.
The Demon and The Coward.
If you feel guilt, how do you get rid of it?
Is that even possible?
Or does it burn in your memories forever?
Most people try to run away from their problems.
Ryan learns that he can run.
But he can't hide.
Running made it worse.
He thought he escaped, but all he did was delve deeper into his mental hell. The hell full of demons, sadness and pain.
And guilt.
He was now possessed. He was now possessed by demons. They were haunting him since the day he committed his first sin.
Every day.
Every hour.
Every minute.
Every second.
He was used to it, now. He even dared to call these demons his friends. Of course, they were all in his head.
His imaginary friends.
That's what happens when you're all alone in the real world.
Maybe if he put up a fight, he could overcome his guilt? Lift a weight off of his shoulders?
He would have to act fast, though.
Because these demon friends were eating away at him, and they wouldn't stop until he'd been completely devoured.
Until he went insane.
Daylight.
It was what made those demons flee from Ryan's mind.
It was as if waking up in the morning, made Ryan too exhausted to listen to the demons.
So, they just retreated to their home, which was in the back of Ryan's mind.
But they always returned, as soon as Ryan got his energy back. Then they greedily fed off of it, like blood-sucking vampires.
Ryan yawned as he got out of his bed.
He got changed and went to the bathroom, before going downstairs for breakfast.
"Oh, great." Spoke one of his demons, "You're going to have to deal with all the idiots in there, Ryan."
It was the strongest voice in his head. The sarcastic, negative one.
"It's not like this is the first time." Ryan replied in his head.
He was technically talking to himself. His mental demons were a part of him.
A part of his soul.
"They all hate you." It told him bluntly.
Ryan was irritated by his demon's statement, "Not all of them."
"But you deserve to be hated," The powerful demon reminded him, "After everything you've done."
Ryan rolled his eyes, attempting to ignore the negative thought as he walked into the kitchen.
Most of the kids were already at the table, biting into their food.
Ryan sat down at the end of the table, as far away from everyone as possible.
His expression was moody. Everyone knew that he was constantly annoyed.
They never knew what annoyed him, though.
"Hey, Ryan?" Said Sasha, "Pass me the milk."
The bottle of milk was directly in front of Ryan, but he didn't move.
Ryan just continued to play with his food, by stirring his cereal with a spoon.
He didn't want to eat.
Sometimes, when he felt guilty about something, he would starve himself for a few days.
Feeling hungry was better than feeling guilty.
It also made his inner demons quieten down.
They loved it when he felt guilty, in pain or unhappy.
Ryan loved it when they didn't get what they wanted.
"Ryan!?" Sasha snapped him out of his thoughts, "Milk!"
"Get it yourself." The boy muttered.
"I don't know why you expected him to give it to you, Sasha," Tee sighed, "I mean, this is Ryan we're talking about. He's selfish."
Ryan didn't reply to her statement, there was no point.
He wasn't feeling himself, usually he would say something rude in response.
"Say something back!" Demanded his demon.
"No, I won't." Ryan told the demon in his head.
"Why not?" Asked the demon, "You hate her."
"I know, but I don't want to create drama. At least, not now."
"That's the only thing you're good at!" Screamed the demon, "If you don't, I'll say something for you."
Ryan wasn't going to let that happen. If he let his demon say anything, then he'd get in trouble for it.
Ryan simply got up, and left the room. He bit his lip to contain the demon's horrible words.
"Coward!" Laughed Sasha, making sure she yelled loud enough for Ryan to hear.
He did hear, and he also heard the laughter from the crowd that followed.
"Stupid boy, now they think you're a coward," Scolded the demon, "Well, I suppose you are. You always run away when things go wrong."
"Coward."
"Shut up." Ryan mumbled, aloud.
Ryan thought that by not listening to the beasts in his head, he was doing good. Although, by denying the monster's wishes, he made himself look stupid.
The poor boy just wanted to be at peace with his demons. He wanted to be able to control them.
But he didn't know how, or whether he had the strength to do so.
