'I'm off out' Dan said to Phil as he zipped up his coat.
'Where are you going?' Phil asked, frowning at Dan.
'To see Alice' Dan replied, pulling on his dirty shoes.
'Does Dr Fischer know?' Phil questioned, staring hard at his best friend.
'Yeah' he snapped. 'He was the one who said it was okay for me to see her'.
Phil felt uneasy as Dan stepped out of the apartment and slammed the door behind him but he ignored the feeling and sat down to watch TV, hoping the sense would soon leave.
'Come on Alice' Dan muttered as he rubbed his hands together. 'Hurry up'.
Darkness was beginning to fall and the air was flaked with drops of snow, whirling around Dan's head. It was cold and Dan only had a lightweight jacket on. The wetness from the wooden bench he was sat on began to seep into his jeans, making him shiver.
'Alice?' Dan heard footsteps and jumped up. But he sat down again as a couple passed him, hand in hand. They frowned at the tall, brown haired lad only wearing a thin jacket before carrying on their conversation. Dan stared after them, his mind beginning to wonder. Maybe Alice had got caught up with visiting Chris or the snow had prevented her from travelling. Or maybe she just forgot a little voice in Dan's head whispered. He shook his head as if to demolish the thought. No, Alice wouldn't forget, she wasn't like that.
Dan waited on the cold, park bench for four hours before admitting defeat. His hands and feet were numb and his wet clothes stuck to him.
'Are you okay?' Phil exclaimed in concern as he opened the apartment door to see Dan standing there. 'What's wrong?'
'She didn't show' Dan mumbled in reply.
'Who didn't? Oh, Alice?'
'Yeah' Dan said, pushing past Phil into the living room.
Phil sighed; Dan was going to be in a foul mood for the rest of the night. This wasn't like Dan; he never used to be like this. It was the accident that changed him.
'Go and take a shower, Dan' Phil said gently to his best friend.
'Why didn't she show?' Dan cried, jumping up. 'Does she not love me anymore? Does she hate me? Does she think I'm a waste of space?'
'No, of course she doesn't, Dan' Phil said softly to the worked-up boy. 'A lot of the roads are closed because of the weather, she probably couldn't get there'.
Dan relaxed slightly. 'Do you think?'
'I'm pretty sure of it. Now, go and take a shower and I'll cook dinner. Chilli con carne?'
'Dan, you need to get up' Phil said as he stood in the darkened room.
Dan hadn't left his room in over a week. The curtains were still drawn and a musty smell was beginning to fill the space.
'Dan' Phil was more insistent. 'Get up or I'm calling Dr Fischer'.
'She's left me, Phil' Dan said in a ragged tone.
'Has anyone else seen her?'
'No one' Dan said so quietly Phil had to strain to hear him.
'We'll go down to the police station and file a missing person report, okay?'
''K. Thanks' Dan mumbled before turning over and pulling the duvet over his head.
'No, Dan. You're coming with me. She's your friend' Phil said tightly. He was getting fed up of Dan's attitude.
'I miss her'.
'Well, unless you do something about it, that's all you'll ever feel towards her. Now, up'. Phil pulled the duvet away from Dan and dumped it on the floor. 'I'll see you in 15'.
'Okay, Sir, we'll do our best to find her' a red-headed police man said to Phil.
'Thank you' Phil replied and nudged Dan.
'Oh yeah, thanks' Dan mumbled in reply as Phil pushed him towards the door.
'We'll be in contact if we hear or see anything' the officer said kindly to the two dark haired men.
'Do you want to go for coffee, Dan?' Phil asked as he took in Dan's worn, tired face.
'I don't care'.
'Let's go then, it's not far away'.
A bell tinkled as Phil pushed open the door and warm air greeted them.
'You go grab a seat and I'll order' Phil told Dan.
'Hey Phil! How you doin'?' PJ greeted his friend.
'Not too bad thanks. I'm worried about Dan, though'. Phil briefly explained that one of Dan's friends had gone missing.
'What if this person doesn't want to be found, especially by Dan?' PJ regretted the words as soon as they exited his mouth. 'I did-'.
'I know what you meant' Phil said quickly. 'But I called the hospital today; Dr Fischer contacted me as soon as he heard what was going on'. Phil leaned closer. 'He said that Dan had shared something very deep with him. Both of us are worried about him, he's acting suicidal without her'.
'Should you get him emitted again?' PJ asked Phil worriedly.
Phil shook his head. 'It'll probably trigger him. We'll leave it for moment being, anyway'.
PJ slid the drinks over the counter and Phil reached into his pocket. 'They're on me'.
'Thanks, mate. Oh, and by the way, have you seen a girl called Alice?'
PJ froze. 'Not since last week' his tone was short. 'Why?'
'That's the name of Dan's friend. The girl who's gone missing'. Phil picked up the drinks and wondered over to the table where Dan was sat.
PJ felt bad. He'd been through that before. And he'd barely made it out alive. He had to warn Dan.
PJ was deep in thought when he felt a presence on the other side of the counter. He looked up to see Dan standing there.
''Ey' he said lowly.
Dan looked at him, confused.
'So, she's missing, is she?'
Dan nodded, a frown creasing his forehead. 'Why?'
PJ gulped. 'Listen, I've been through the same sort of scenario but I can't tell you everything. Just don't do anything stupid, okay?
Dan looked confused as PJ looked at him. His face was gaunt and dark circles were beginning to become a permanent fixture under his dull eyes. He looked just like PJ had looked a couple of years ago.
'Just don't do anything stupid'.