The Whisperings Of Insidious: Aftermath

Comatose

Orem had been visiting Kale every day for the past six months. When he was first admitted, his brain injury was so bad that they had to medically induce a coma straight away. His brain had swelled badly, and the doctors couldn't get it under control. For five days, Kale was kept under as they watched him closely. When he was brought out of the medically induced coma, he didn't wake up.

The doctors had warned Orem and Kale's parents that he may never regain consciousness. They said it was something they needed to prepare themselves for.

Orem hated seeing the man he loved connected to so many machines just to keep him alive. He looked so small and frail with all those wires and tubes running here and there. The hose connecting Kale to the ventilator looked like a large snake running between his thin lips. Orem couldn't stand it.

Every evening after work, Orem would stop by the hospital to talk to his boyfriend about his day. He would sit for hours holding Kale's hand or stroking his hair as he jabbered away. Orem was told coma patients could possibly hear and feel you even though they couldn't respond in any way. The doctors said patients had a better chance of coming out of comas if they had people who loved them talking to them regularly. So that's what Orem did.

Some days, he sat quietly and just rubbed Kale's arms gently as he watched him breathe. Orem had times when it was too much. The guilt and grief overwhelmed him, and he couldn't do anything but silently cry as he caressed his lover's arm, letting him know he wasn't alone.

As Orem sat beside Kale, rubbing his arm slowly, he thought back to right after they landed. It was a whirlwind of activity. They had flown to the big city an hour away from the hellish rock where they had a hospital large enough to take care of Kale's injuries properly.

When Kale was taken away by the doctors, the police began to flood the waiting room. Orem answered all their questions as best as he could without incriminating himself. He told them he accidentally dislodged the big rock that smashed into Kale's face and almost killed him. He told them how he left Kale on a ledge where he would be safe, but he must have tried climbing anyway.

Then he told them about the sheriff and how he was talking about all this crazy stuff like he'd lost his mind. He emphasized how the sheriff went on and on about demons and sacrifices and how he demanded that Orem needed to kill him in order to save Kale from someone named Asmodea. He talked about how the sheriff pulled a knife and threatened to kill Orem if he didn't kill him. He made a point to show it was self-defense.

He had to answer questions for hours before they allowed him any peace. But it was short-lived. FBI agents named Detective Hudson Carter and Detective Lori Adler were quick to take over the case.

Once all the questions had been answered and Orem was alone, he knew he had to do the hardest part so far. He had to call Kale's parents. His parents had never been very fond of Orem. They usually treated him nice enough to his face, but he could always feel a coldness coming from them. When they spoke to Kale, they made a point to leave Orem out of the conversation. He'd caught them glaring at him plenty of times when they thought he wasn't paying attention. He knew they didn't approve of him and Kale's relationship, but he wasn't sure why. Kale had told him on several occasions that his parents had begged him to leave Orem. He wasn't looking forward to this at all.

The phone rang six times, and Orem was just about to hang up when Kale's mother, Kathy, picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mrs. Taylor, it's Orem."

"Oh, Orem." She paused as if she were deciding if she should hang up or not. "I wasn't expecting a call. Is everything alright?"

"Actually...no." Orem took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "There was an accident, and Kale was badly hurt. He's back with the doctors now. I'm not sure what's going on. No one told me anything yet." It all came out in a rush, and his voice broke on the last sentence. He was instantly reminded of how badly his boyfriend was injured.