Interconnected

Chapter Thirty One

Sam's on her knees. Her hands are pressed over her ears and she's screaming, a horrible, heart-wrenching sound. The dock buckles beneath us. My head pounds, pain like fire burning behind my eyes.

"Sam!" I scream, fighting to make my way towards her. "What's wrong with her?"

I aim this at Anthony, hoping he might have some answers. As much as I hate to admit it, he has been around her more. He's dealt with her hallucinations before. But he's ashen-faced, gripping his phone in tightly clenched fists.

"Anthony, bro, snap out of it! Come on!"

I drop to my knees beside Sam, fighting a sudden wave of dizziness. Maybe it's just from the pitching of the dock, but I am definitely light-headed all of a sudden. I close my eyes and breath through it, holding onto one of the pylons for support.

I can't help but think that Sam's hallucinations and another one of my headaches occurring at the same time can't be a coincidence.

Sam whimpers, clutching her head in her hands. I tentatively place my hand on her shoulder. "Sam, can you hear me?"

"It's not real, it's not real," she mutters, rocking back and forth.

"It's okay, Sam, it's gonna be okay, I promise. We have to get her out of here," I shout at Anthony, who's still frozen in place.

"No," he yells over the wind and the creak of the wood under our feet. "We have to get her off the island! It's the only way to make this stop."

"I know we said this was the best way, but there's like a frickin' earthquake going on or something, okay? We have to get away from the ocean!"

Anthony's eyes are bright with fear and something that looks a little like awe. "Earthquake?" he scoffs. "Look around you! Do you really think this is an earthquake?"

I look. The wind, howling around us with the force of a tornado. The dock, buckling under us like it will break at any moment. The trees bend away from us, as if we are in the epicentre of some massive explosion.

"It's her!" Anthony shouts, his expression twisted into something I can't recognize. "Don't you see, Ben? She's doing this!" He points at Sam. She's shaking, her head tucked into her knees, her hair flying around her.

I gape, my mouth open and my mind reeling. "You think that Sam is doing this. Our Sam."

"I think that Samantha is capable of things that neither of us could begin to imagine."

I blink. Sigh. "I -" Sam whimpers beside me, and I turn to her, pushing Anthony's words from my mind. There'll be time to dissect his words later. All I know is, Anthony appears to be sporting his very own brand of crazy.

Sam's eyes are wide open, bloodshot and trembling.

"Hey," I whisper. "It's me, Ben. Can you hear me? Sam?"

She stares at me. Blinks once or twice.

"It's not real," she whispers again.

"What's not real, Sam? What do you see?"

She sucks in a deep breath, reaching her hand out towards me. She grabs my shoulder, her fingers clamping in like a vise.

"Do you see it?" she breathes, her pupils swallowing up the blue of her eyes. Pain lances through my shoulder. It feels like her hand is fire, burning through my cells, every jolt mimicking one in my head. I scream and try to back away, try to pull her hand off of me, but she's locked on to me like iron.

Around me, the world disintegrates. The trees dissolve like sugar in water, the ground folding back and the sky turning black. The water evaporates. My vision begins to blur, but I hold on the dock the best I can. My fingers sink into the wood, almost like the top layer has turned to play-dough.

My bones feel like liquid. I can vaguely hear Anthony talking to someone, his voice urgent and terrified. I try to open my mouth, to scream or ask him what the hell he thinks he's doing, but my stomach chooses that moment to make its presence known.

I'm bent over double, gagging, the white-hot spikes of pain in my head turning the world to black. My hold on reality slips and my body feels distant and fuzzy.

I'm slipping in and out of consciousness, and I know I can't hold on much longer. The pain is growing with every breath that I take and I can hardly string together a thought. The urge to fight is growing weaker with every passing second and with it, comes the looming darkness. I turn my head to the side and manage to open my eyes a crack, catching a glimpse of Sam's unconscious face, pain etched into every line of her features.

With one last breath, I slip into darkness, welcoming the peace that comes with it. It envelops me, dragging me under and promising me a restful sleep. I know I should be worried, in some far-off corner of my mind, but my body can't hold on any longer so I let go, drift, drift, drifting on an endless sea.