Necrophobia

Hasty footsteps pounded down the deserted sidewalk, casting an occasional splash among the various rain puddles. The dark sky roared above the fleeing man as lightning illuminated the otherwise pitch black streets. He threw a look over his shoulder, seeing his pursuers' ghastly figures in the short bursts of light. Their movements were quiet and clumsy, but no matter how fast he ran, he could never seem to throw them off his trail. He quickly tossed his head from left to right, causing his soaked blond bangs to cling to his face. He may have had care enough to brush them back had he not been overwhelmed with a sense of relief. Finally, a means of sanctuary had presented itself. He flung himself towards the stoop of a well light flat house. The door opened for him of its own means and he eagerly accepted the invitation, slamming it shut behind him.

Dr. Tyler Chase rested his back against it, panting heavily as he slid to the floor with a soaked thud. He let out a labored sigh and tilted his head back. Flicking his rain dampened bangs from his face, he looked around the room and was surprised to see a burning fireplace on the far wall. The room itself appeared to be a traditional study, with a rich bookcase on one wall and antique furniture lining the floor. A place like this would not be where he would expect to find his best friend, Derek Stiles. Yet, the man in question was there, leaning limp against the wall. Tyler was all too relieved to see a friendly face and quickly got to his feet, crossing to where he stood.

"Derek! Man, I am so . . . . uh . . . Derek?"

A cold illness spread within Tyler as his words stuttered to silence. Even though he was breathing and clearly kept upright by his own power, Derek's eyes were distant and lifeless. "Derek? Are you . . .?" he stopped short when he slowly turned his head to face him. The lifeless eyes blinked a few times. "What's the matter, Tyler?" he spoke in monotone, his tired voice barely audible.

"What's the matter?" Tyler could not help exclaim in disbelief. "Th-they're after me! My patients. . . "

"Your former patients? . . . Your deceased patients?"

Tyler felt his eyes grow large as he clenches his teeth together, watching Derek's head dip slightly forward. His dead eyes moved as his head did, keeping a solid beam on the blond doctor. "They're after you . . . . they're after their murderer." He whispered.

"No!" Tyler grabbed Derek's shoulders and pinned him to the wall. "You can't turn on me! I need help . . . I . ."

"I can't help you."

Darkness pounced upon the room as the fire wisped out. Tyler's hands continued to pin Derek to the wall, even as they began to shake horribly. The light from the blue moon outside cast an eerie shade on the nearly comatose surgeon. "Nothing can be done."

"That can't be true!" Tyler yelled. "There's gotta be something I can do!"

"You'll always be the Death Doctor." Derek muttered as he slowly lifted his head. "Your past is written in blood. Their blood. . ."

Erratic pounding shook the walls as the shadows of the grim figures outside seeped onto the floor. "They seek your blood as repayment." The words were spoken with vengeance, gnarling Derek's dead voice as they passed through his pale lips. Tyler's grip on his scrubs released as he stumbled back. Derek caught himself clumsily and continued to prop himself against the wall, his dead gaze not once slipping from Tyler. Entrapped by the stare, he was only able to back pedal his trembling body to the middle of the room before his legs gave out under him. He fell harshly to his knees but his numb body registered only mild discomfort. He pitched forward and he caught himself with his arms, only to see the sweat drip from his brow and feel Derek's eyes barrow into his crown.

"I . . . I was only trying to help them." Tyler whispered. "I thought I was doing the right thing."

"Were you?"

"I . . . I don't know . . ."

Tyler's shaking ceased abruptly; his muscles becoming all but petrified. An explosion of wood and glass crashed around the silent room as sinister moonlight flooded in. Through the night's blue beams came several limping cadavers, their skins just as pale as the light that washed them. Countless sets of eyes descended upon Tyler, shining like headlights powered by anguish, rage and betrayal. His own eyes met theirs and began bleeding salty water. "What have I done?" came his ragged whisper. He sucked in a breath as they surrounded him and he closed his eyes, unable to look into the faces of those that had trusted him so much. "I'm sorry . . . please forgive me!"

Derek watched with an unflinching expression as a dark pool of red slowly crept from the circle of bodies. It shimmered brightly against the darkened room, casting a distorted reflection of everything it touched. His eyes followed the blood as it stretched for him and caressed his shoes. Derek's body shuddered immediately upon the contact. His lips trembled as a dying gasp escaped him and he stiffened into a full stand. His already pale skin turned an unconceivable shade of white and he pitched forward, crashing into the shallow blood pool with a sickening crack.

A tortured scream rang out as Tyler bolted up right in his bed. It was not the first time he had awoken in such a terrified state . . .

. . . and it would not be the last.

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A/N: This is an entry for a Fanfiction contest on deviantart-com. The theme was to pick out a phobia and write a one shot regarding it. I was originally going to torture Derek some more, and have it tie in with 'Paying the Price' but I decided I tortured the poor guy enough already. I had just finished torturing Victor in 'Illness' and Angie's next in the queue for some torment, so I decided it was Tyler's turn.

Necrophobia: fear of death or dead things

Seems fitting for the former Death Doctor who's seen the error of his ways. Well, hope you enjoyed it.

And yes, I am a fan of surreal dream and nightmare scenes. I think I may be overdoing them a bit, but they're so fun to write! Okay, if anyone's getting tired of my 'it was all a dream!' writing, I give you this solemn promise. 'Paying the Price' is going to have just one more dream sequence and that's it! I swear! The rest after that dream will all be real.

Oh yeah – and the site finally has an official Trauma Center section! Join me in the forbidden dance of celebration!

Disclaimer: Tyler Chase and Derek Stiles are property of Atlus.