Labyrinth

Chapter Twenty-Six

Christian walks in and takes a seat for his weekly meeting with the shrink.

Christian is blinded by the white light, the smell of bleach fills his nose, and he hears nothing but silence.

"Good morning, Christian," the shrink smiles.

Christian looks up in a daze.

"I see the injections we've been giving you seem to be working."

Christian looks down at his arm that is connected to an IV drip. That wasn't there before, was it?

Christian looks up alarmed.

"Christian, tell me what you've been seeing," the shrink asked.

~

Christian wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of screams. It is so bone-chilling, he can feel the shivers travel down his spine.

Christian opens the door and sees a little boy wearing a red shirt and blue shorts running down the hallway. He can't be more than ten years old.

"Wait, stop! Come back!" Christian yells, but the sound does more damage to Christian's own ears than stopping the unknown boy.

Christian runs and runs and he sees the boy at the end of the hallway.

"Please, don't go. Who are you?"

The boy looks back to Christian and runs down another corridor.

"Christian what are you doing out of your room in the middle of the night," another shrink asks.

"The boy... Did you see the little boy." Christian stammers out.

"Christian, no one is there." The shrink replies.

Christian cries out feeling the walls cave in on him. He turns hysterical, kicking the wall, screaming his head off, crying out loud.

The doctors run in and inject him.

Christian wakes up the next morning and at nighttime the cycle repeats.

~

"Christian, we have been making real progress with you," the shrink acknowledges.

"Then tell that little boy to stop showing up," Christian cries out, exhausted.

"Christian, answer me one question," the shrink smiles.

"What were you wearing that day?"

"Huh?" Christian says confused.

"The day your mother left...what were you wearing?" The shrink clarifies.

"A red shirt, blue shorts..." Christian stops breathing and looks up at the shrink.

"It's me?" Christian says, tears welling in his eyes.

"Christian, you're sick." The shrink says.

"Please, I want to go home!" Christian cries out. "You're tricking me!"

"I can't do that Christian. We will be starting a new medication effective immediately." The shrink takes out a notepad to scribble down his notes.

"No! Leave me alone!" Christian cries out.

The shrink walks out of the room leaving Christian alone crying.

That next morning, the shrink starts the new medication and Christian never sees the little boy again.

The following day, Lawrence Miller is committed.

~

"You've never seen me take the blue pill, baby, but I am insane. The pill keeps my hallucinations away. I didn't want you to know because I was scared to tell you." Christian cries out to Cameron.

It's 2 am and Christian woke up from a nightmare. Cameron comforted his lover and that's when Christian told Cameron his truth.

"You're not insane, you just have a bigger imagination than most." Cameron starts. "And I love you regardless."

"You love me even though I need medication?"

"Yes, baby, I do."