#joelxyn

Joel x Y/N Fanfiction

Y/N POV

The air in my apartment was still. Too still. The kind of quiet that felt heavy, suffocating, as though something unseen was lurking just beyond the shadows. I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, even though I was alone. I glanced at my phone, my fingers hovering over the screen. It had been days since I last saw Joel. Days since he had started acting… strange.

I had known Joel for years—ever since we met at the precinct where he worked as a cop. He was the kind of guy who kept his emotions hidden behind a calm, cool exterior, but he was kind. Dependable. Someone you could trust with your life. We had been close for a long time, skirting the edges of something more than friendship. But lately, there was something different about him. Something that sent a chill down my spine every time I saw him.

It started with the small things—odd comments, distant stares, and then there was the smile. That eerie, unnerving smile that didn’t reach his eyes. It was like his face had become a mask, hiding something dark beneath it.

I shook my head, trying to push the unsettling thoughts away. Maybe it was just the stress of his job, the cases he worked on—especially that last one. I had overheard bits and pieces of it, some weird chain of suicides, people claiming to see something before they died. It sounded insane, but Joel had been different ever since.

My phone buzzed, snapping me out of my thoughts. It was Joel. A message.

“I need to see you.”

There was no explanation, no reassurance, just those four words. A shiver ran down my spine, but I texted back quickly.

“Come over. I’ll be here.”

Joel POV

I sat in the car outside Y/N’s apartment, gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. My heart pounded in my chest, the rhythm erratic, as if something inside me was trying to crawl out, take control. It had been days since I’d felt like myself, since I’d felt human. Ever since I saw it—the thing that shouldn’t exist, the thing that was now haunting me.

It started after that damned case. Rose… poor Rose. She had been a friend, a colleague. I couldn’t get the image of her face out of my mind—the way she smiled before she died, like she was relieved, like it was all part of some sick joke only she understood.

And then it happened to me. I saw it.

I glanced in the rearview mirror, half-expecting to see the thing lurking behind me, its twisted grin hovering just above my shoulder. But there was nothing. Not this time. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could outrun it.

Y/N was the only person I could think of. The only person I trusted. She didn’t know what was happening to me, and I didn’t want to drag her into this nightmare, but I couldn’t stay away. I needed her.

Taking a deep breath, I got out of the car and headed up to her apartment, each step feeling heavier than the last. When I reached her door, I hesitated, my hand hovering over the doorknob. Could I really do this? Could I really expose her to the horror that had taken over my life?

I knocked, the sound sharp in the silence of the hallway.

The door opened almost immediately, and there she was. Y/N. Her eyes widened in concern when she saw me, her soft features creased with worry.

“Joel… you look terrible,” she said, her voice full of concern, but she stepped aside, letting me in without hesitation.

I stepped into the apartment, the familiar scent of her space calming me, if only for a moment. But the darkness was still there, lingering just beneath the surface, waiting to claw its way out.

Y/N POV

The moment Joel stepped into my apartment, I knew something was wrong. He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept in days. His skin was pale, his eyes sunken, and there was a wildness about him that made my heart ache with worry.

“Joel, what’s going on? You’re scaring me,” I said softly, trying to reach out to him, but he stepped back, avoiding my touch.

“I can’t… I don’t know how to explain it,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair, his voice low and shaky. “It’s like… there’s something following me. Something I can’t get rid of.”

I frowned, stepping closer to him despite the warning bells going off in my head. “What do you mean? Is someone threatening you?”

He shook his head, that eerie smile tugging at the corner of his lips for just a second before vanishing, like he was fighting it. “It’s not someone. It’s… something. I’ve been seeing things, Y/N. Things I can’t explain. And I—”

Suddenly, he grabbed my hand, his grip tight, desperate. “I don’t know how long I have left before it… before it gets me.”

His words sent a cold chill through me. “Joel, you’re not making sense. What’s going to get you?”

Before he could answer, he flinched, his gaze darting to the corner of the room. His eyes widened in terror, but when I turned to look, there was nothing there. Just empty space.

“Joel?” My voice trembled, fear creeping into my chest.

He pulled his hand away from mine, backing up until his back hit the wall. His breathing grew ragged, his eyes locked on something invisible. Then, slowly, that twisted, unnatural smile spread across his face again—only this time, it didn’t go away.

“Joel, stop,” I whispered, my heart pounding in my chest. “You’re scaring me.”

But he didn’t respond. His eyes were glassy now, fixed on something I couldn’t see, and that smile… it wasn’t his. It didn’t belong to him. It was like something else had taken over.

Joel POV

I could feel it. It was inside me now. Crawling under my skin, twisting my thoughts, making me see things that weren’t there—or maybe they were there, but not for her to see. I didn’t want to smile. I didn’t want to show her the thing that had been haunting me, but I couldn’t stop it.

I looked at Y/N, my heart breaking. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I was losing control. The smile—it wasn’t mine anymore. It was its.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice barely my own. “I didn’t mean to bring this to you.”

She took a cautious step toward me, her eyes wide with fear but filled with determination. “Joel, we can get help. You don’t have to do this alone.”

Help? There was no help for me. Not now. Not when it had its claws deep inside me. But maybe… maybe I could keep her safe. Maybe I could keep the thing from getting to her.

I grabbed her shoulders, pulling her close, my voice urgent. “You need to leave. Get out of here. Don’t come back.”

She shook her head, her hands gripping my arms. “No, Joel, I’m not leaving you like this. We can figure this out.”

The thing inside me laughed, a low, hollow sound that echoed in my head. It was getting stronger, its influence suffocating. I could feel my body betraying me, moving against my will. My hands dropped to my sides, and I took a step back.

“No,” I said, my voice trembling. “It’s too late.”

Y/N POV

Panic gripped my chest as I watched Joel, his body rigid, his face twisted in that horrifying smile. It wasn’t him anymore. I could feel it. Something dark, something evil had taken hold of him, and I didn’t know how to fight it.

“Joel, please,” I begged, my voice breaking. “You’re stronger than this. You can fight it.”

But his eyes… his eyes weren’t his anymore. They were empty, cold. The warmth that I had known in him for so long was gone, replaced by something monstrous. His lips parted, but the words that came out weren’t his own.

“It wants you too,” he said, his voice low, taunting. “You can’t run from it.”

My heart raced, fear clawing at my throat. I wanted to run, to scream, but I couldn’t leave him like this. Not Joel. Not the man I loved.

Suddenly, the lights flickered, plunging the room into momentary darkness. When they came back on, Joel was standing unnervingly close, his face inches from mine, that haunting smile stretched impossibly wide across his lips.

“You should have left when you had the chance,” he whispered, his breath cold against my skin.

I stumbled back, my heart pounding in my ears. The room felt like it was closing in, the shadows creeping closer, swallowing us both.

And then, just as quickly as it had started, Joel’s body went slack. The smile disappeared. He collapsed to the floor, his chest heaving as he fought to regain control.

“Y/N…,” he gasped, his voice weak. “I’m… sorry.”

But I knew. Deep down, I knew this wasn’t over. The thing wasn’t gone. It was lurking, waiting, and it wouldn’t stop until it had taken everything.

Joel POV

I felt the darkness

slipping back, retreating for now, but I knew it would return. It always did. Y/N was crouched beside me, her hand on my shoulder, tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered again, my voice hoarse. “I couldn’t stop it.”

She shook her head, wiping away a tear. “We’ll find a way. We’ll figure this out.”

But I didn’t believe her. How could I? The thing inside me was getting stronger. It had taken Rose. It had taken others. And soon, it would take me too.

As I looked up at her, the last remnants of control slipping from my grasp, I forced one final smile—a real smile. One that was mine.

“Run,” I whispered, before the darkness swallowed me whole.

Y/N POV

His smile—it was real for a split second, before that twisted, eerie grin took over again. And this time, I knew there was nothing I could do.

I backed away slowly, my heart breaking as I watched the man I loved disappear behind a mask of evil.

And then, I turned and ran.

But I could still feel it. The smile. Watching. Waiting.

And I knew, deep down, that it would never let me go.