The TV droned on monotonously in the living room as both Dan and Phil stood in the kitchen preparing dinner. All of a sudden, a loud crash filled the air and Phil jumped to see Dan staring at the wall with a bowl in his hands, and another smashed on the floor.

'Dan! What the hell?' Phil shouted.

'I WANT HER BACK!' Dan screamed, throwing the bowl against the white wall, where it joined the remains of glass on the floor from the other object Dan had thrown. 'I WANT ALICE!'

'I know you do, Dan' Phil said calmly, hoping Dan would settle down.

'NO! YOU DON'T KNOW! I'M EMPTY PHIL, I'M NUMB. I FEEL LOST AND HOPELESS WITHOUT HER' Dan picked up a glass and hurled it towards Phil. It flew over his shoulder and shattered as it hit the cabinet behind him.

Dan's eyes were red and lifeless. His lips were trembling and his heart was breaking. Dan's voice was cracked and dull and Phil could tell how broken his best friend was.

'I know, Dan. I know' Phil went over to Dan and sat on the floor with him, surrounded by pieces of broken glass.

'We'll find her, Dan' Phil said softly.

'I want her' Dan croaked. 'I w- want to d-d-d-die with-without he-her' he stuttered.

Phil closed his eyes and stood up and began to clear away the bits of glass. 'We'll find her, okay? Now, let's get you into bed, Dan. You're running on empty'.

Wordlessly, Phil helped Dan into his room and waited until the other boy fell asleep before moving to his office.

'Dr Fischer?' Phil spoke into his phone. 'It's Phil, Daniel Howell's room mate'.

'Hi, Phil. What can I do for you?' Dr Fischer's voice seemed relatively cheery.

Phil took in a deep breath and explained the situation. 'Have you seen her?' He finally asked the doctor.

'Phil' the doctor said, his words soft but also worried. 'Alice isn't missing'.

'Then why has she left Dan? He hasn't seen her or heard from her at all'.

'Phil, that's not what I'm trying to say'.

Phil stared at the painting on his office wall, waiting for Dan's doctor to carry on.

'When people end up in this hospital, it's because something happened to them-'

'I know that' Phil cut in.

The doctor carried on as if Phil hadn't even spoken. 'Things also continue to happen to them. They start seeing things, believing in the unknown'. He cleared his throat. 'Dan met Alice through Chris, and although Alice is Chris' sister, she's not real'.

'What? That's crazy!' Phil exclaimed, his heart racing. 'But her and Dan… They met….'

'Listen to me' the doctor said calmly. 'She's not real, Phil. Alice died seven years ago'.

Phil dropped the phone and stared at it, his mind going into overdrive.

'Phil?' He heard Dr Fischer's voice on the end of the line.

'I'll call you back' he said raggedly before ending the call.

Phil didn't know how many minutes he sat in silence in his office before he heard a loud crack. It was the sound he never wanted to hear, the sound that no one ever wants to hear.

'DAN!' Phil screamed as he rushed to his best friend's bedroom. He twisted the handle but it was locked. Regardless, he tried again and again to get in.

But he knew. He knew that when he opened that door his best friend would be swinging from the ceiling. He knew it would be too late.

Phil moved back and ran to the door, throwing his entire body weight against the wood. The door clattered down as the hinges broke.

And there, just as Phil had suspected, there was his best friend, swinging from the ceiling.

Phil walked over and gently lifted Dan down. Phil knew. He knew it was over; the pain and the suffering his best friend had gone through. He walked silently over to his best friend's desk where one final note lay.

'I think I knew that she was only my imagination, that's why it felt so real.'