The Panic of Fear (Book One of The Fearful Trilogy)

Chapter Fourteen

I'm floating in oblivion.

My memory is fuzzy, it's like trying to see through static. I look up into the darkness of oblivion and I feel cold. I wrap my arms around myself but it doesn't help.
  Then I hear the voices. "Go to sleep. We will dissapear if you sleep. Go to sleep." They keep repeating that over and over. I cover my ears and close my eyes.
  When the chanting stops I open my eyes and see a horror before me. My heart, my beating heart is floating in front of me broken apart, a few threads holding it together.
  Tears start streaming down my face and start floating off into the oblivion beyond. I feel like I'm falling,and then I realize I am falling. Tumbling through the cold oblivion.

  I shoot up into a sitting position and see I'm in a bed. What the? "Good your up." I turn and Chris is standing next to my bed. I wrap my arms around his neck and tears stream down my face. "Hey what's going on?" Asks a familiar voice. "I don't know? He woke up like this."
  I look up from Chris's shoulder I was crying into and see Zach there holding a red popsicle and a Coke. "Wait. No. You're supposed to be dead." I say to him. He looks at me. "Alex. You had another episode. I never died. You just think I did."
  "Wait. What do you mean 'had another episode'?" I ask them. "Alex. You had another physiologic episode. In other words you went coo coo crazy." Says Chris. I start at him blankly. "What?" "You're sick." Says Zach. "You were banging your head against a wall at one point."
  I shake my head. "No. I was going on a date with Chris when a weird black figure took him and I had to fight monsters to find him." Zack and Chris look at each other. "Alex. That was all in your mind."
  I shake my head and that's when I see it. Rings. They both have a ring on their ring finger. "Wait. You two got married?!" I ask. Chris nods. "About a year." I look around and I'm obviously in a psychiatric ward.
  "Hey where's Zodiac?" I ask them. Zack's face goes grim. "What?" "Alex. Zodiac died five years ago." He says. My heart stops and I grow cold. "What?" I ask not believing it. Chris places a hand on my shoulder and I start to cry.
  "Right after he died that's when you started having episodes. You would think he was alive. Brush him. Feed him. Harmless stuff. Then it started getting worse. You though Zach died. So he had to stop coming over. Then you though he was a ghost so he could come over but I couldn't acknowledge him.
  "Then you had the first bad episode. You thought we were out to kill you. So we called up the ward and they took you till you calmed down. And you've been coming here for every episode you have." I try to take this in but it's hard to believe. I just lean back in my bed and close my eyes.
  "How long have I been here?" I ask. "5 days." I just keep my eyes closed. "Hey look. Here she comes." Says Zach. I open my eyes expecting a nurse or doctor but see a woman in a business suit,with long dark hair,and a concerned look on her face.
  "Who's that?" I ask. "Dude. She's your girlfriend." I open my mouth to object but she walks over and grabs my hand. "Hey honey. Are you feeling better?" She asks. "Uh. I can't remember your name."
  "Oh baby. It's Cleo." And even though it looks like she about to go to a business meeting she lays next to me and puts her head on my shoulder.