Trapped in a circle

P2.8

It didn't take long until Five felt his mind going again. I was so bad he almost puked. Good thing he had decided to leave Patch behind. She would've been so worried. 

He wasn't. No, actually, he was scared. Losing himself into the nothingness was disturbing and terrifying. He thought, dying may feel the same. But then, at that time period, he was more scared to open his eyes later. Later, when he wasn't busy fainting anymore.

Shit, that was bad. Patch was right about him needing help.

***

Where was he?

He had left hospital after visiting mom and had been headed towards home, so where was this place? It looked all wrong. Houses were all made of wood. Didn't that change after the Great fire of Chicago? It showed them how dangerous houses made of wood were with so many people in the city.

So what was going on, it was all wrong. Even the fashion, people were looking strange. And they clearly thought he was the weird one.

He had to find a way out of that madness. Patch was surely worried sick about him.

It didn't take long before he realized that it wasn't just a very big filmset. It wasn't even the right time as newspapers told him. According to them, it was 7th October 1871. One day before the Great fire of Chicago. Of course they hadn't changed the way houses were built jet. They didn't know what could happen. That knowledge gave him a dangerous idea.

What if he prevented the fire? Stupid idea but that fire had almost 300 victims. What could it change if he kept that from happening?

"Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find O'Leary familys barn?"

"No, stop bothering me kid. Go, ask your parents."

That sheriff who he asked the question from, wasn't very friendly.  And his answer didn't help five at all. Kid kicked away a stone that wasn't guilty in anything and walked around in bad mood.

This age was stupid. If he had had to land in another time, couldn't it have been some time where people were friendlier? Now he had to walk around and ask for directions as he didn't remember  from which side the fire started although he did remember who owned the place it started from.

Useless facts. Couldn't he, for once, remember somethin important and useful in his life? Well, apparently, no.

***

It took him all day to find someone who would actually give him directions and he had to lie in order to achieve that. But it wasn't so bad.

He reached the barn by midnight. Walking around was tiring. Now, what time had it been? He was sure it was before one, but exact time? Horrible! he had to stay up all night long and he was already tired. 

But he broke into the barn and sat down into the hay. He was going to wait.

Loud noise caused him to jolt awake. It was coming from left so he turned to look towards that direction. It had to be that he was tired because otherwise there were people who had just out of nowhere and one of them was him.

Yes, of course he was tired and crazy, it was just impossible. But worsening itching was too real. 

What the fuck was going on? Were they there to kill him? That option became too realistic too soon. Old man who had just appeared to the barn, started getting rid of other intruder, one by one. Worst of all things, he laughed and set it all on fire.

Five had to jump up or he would have been trapped. The other him looked like he was almost dead.

Old man, who clearly hadn't expected company was so surprised by his appearance that he forgot to laugh and kill the other Five. He just stared at him, finally shouting

"How dare you do that!"

Five couldn't understand what he meant by that, but it didn't matter. That old man was clearly delusional. And he was the reason behind the fire.

"You're here to mess up all my plans again. Can't you just stay dead?"

Old man was talking again, only making things more confusing. And then he was done talking, what was bad. Because he was determined that he has to kill Five.

Five ran out, old man chasing him.  For someone as old as him, that man was fast.

***

Clear, his mind was clear again. And oh, how much of an asshole dad was.

Five stopped running, he had to go back into the barn. Or else he would've died. both of him because he can't be saved if he's burnt to ashes.

He lost dad somewhere in the streets, it was natural as it was complete maze out there and luckily for him, he had been there before. Five knew his way around.

Apparently, so did dad. Of course, he had been around for too long. Who knew, maybe he isn't human. Five wouldn't have been too surprised. There was too much wrong with that old man. 

Five had just hid his other body, when dad turned up again. He wasn't feeling good enough to fight anymore. Moving and staying close to the other him, was a challenge.

"You're different." 

Old man was calm again, what was worrisome.

"glad you noticed. You see, I'm right in the mind at the moment."

"That's troublesome. Mind if I fix it?"

"Nope, I don't want to die."

"Who said I will kill you?"

Five tilted his head and grin, asking really, came to decorate his face.

"That knife in your hand kind a gives it away."

His eyesight started to blurry, and he had hard time telling, which way was the ground. That caused him to panic.

Shit, it was happening again. Couldn't there be a worse moment for that? He couldn't even feel the ground beneath him when he fell.