Cogent

FIVE

Noah was standing in an unfamiliar room. The four walls that surrounded him seemed to be closing in on a single chair—the only thing in the room besides him. He walked over to it and sat down. It felt as though he was waiting for something to happen, yet nothing did.

Why am I here?

He shifted in the chair to look around the room. There was no door, no windows, and no sign of how he got there in the first place. He was confused, but then he realized what this room was.

I'm in my head again. He frowned. I forgot how dark it is in here.

The walls stopped closing in and the tiny space became a vacant lot. The concrete stretched before him endlessly. He saw only more emptiness in the distance. There were no boundaries or sky; only a stony landscape that seemed never-ending. This place was clearly a figment of his imagination. It wasn't real. He was dreaming, effortlessly escaping from the cold, damp mattress in his messy bedroom. There was no one waiting for him to wake up, there. But here, it was different.

"Noah."

He turned slowly, recognizing the voice immediately. When he had turned around fully, his heart fluttered with shock, followed quickly by the sudden ache of intense relief. "Lenny," he breathed, his voice muted by the void surrounding him. "You're alive." The guilt that had been eating away at him like acid suddenly stopped its corrosive burn. "Thank god, you're alive!"

She tilted her head and several thick strands of long curly blonde hair fell across her face, brushing her lips as she smiled. "Noah, you know better than that." Her mouth curved downward as the words came out like a plea.

He shook his head. "You can't be dead." But she could be. This was a dream. Nothing here was real and none of it would stay when he opened his eyes. The guilt bit into him again; a parasite.

"I have to show you something."

"What?" he didn't move. Something felt strange to him now. The landscape remained the same, but Lenny was different. Something wasn't right.

"Trust me." she said.

"I can't trust anyone," he uttered.

She smiled again, letting her hand drop to her side. "That's my boy." She whispered.

Noah took a step toward her then, but she raised her hand quickly to stop him. "What is it?" he asked, confused.

"You can't do this, Noah." She told him forcefully. "You have to stop."

He clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth. He knew exactly what she was talking about. But stopping wasn't an option. She was the only reason he'd had to turn away from his past once before. Now she was gone, and so was his reason.

"I warned you," Lenny shook her head sadly as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I warned you about what would happen. You didn't listen to me."

Lenny began to dissipate like a mist. "Wait!"

Noah's eyes flew open. It took a moment of blinking for his vision to clear. When it did, he found himself staring up at the off-white ceiling above his mattress. He was lying on his back, his left foot on the carpet, his right one tangled in a wad of blanket. He had his arm tossed over his head, the other resting on his chest. Grunting, he swiped a lazy hand across his face before glancing at the clock. It said 2 p.m. He'd slept half the day. But at least his headache was gone now. He was surprised the dogs hadn't woken him sooner. They usually scratched at his door around this time of the day to be let outside or to have the food in their dish replenished. It was his job to feed them while Derek was gone.