When Your World is Washed Away

When Your World is Washed Away- Chapter 5

When Your World is Washed Away- Chapter 5

I awoke to the strange sound of a padded door being slammed open onto a padded wall, hard. I opened one eye to survey my surroundings. I had fallen asleep on the floor next to Zack, and his left arm was still slung casually around my waist, sending tingles up and down my spine, but I didnèt have much time to ponder on this as the security guards in the doorway caught my attention.

As they approached, I didn't move or respond to them, I just lay there, savouring how close I was to Zack, knowing they would take me away from him soon. I felt strong arms lift me off the ground, and I saw Zack struggle to keep them from taking me away, but I just waited, limp in their grasp. Eventually Zack gave up, and I felt fingers pry my jaw open, and shove pills down my throat, I swallowed willingly knowing stopping them was pointless.

I was floating in my own blurry version of the world, with the drugs preventing any kind of focus, they carried me into the room next to Zack's a padded cell identical to his, almost so the same that I could pretend he was here with me. The door closed behind me and I pretended he was there, but I didn't really believe myself, the sun hit this room differently, and I could feel his presence missing.

As I curled myself into the corner closest to Zack's cell, I knew I wouldn't see him for a while, not if I didn't get out of here and go there myself. I remembered the faces of the security guards as they took me away, the pity, the fear, the sadness, this place was contagious, work here long enough and you would belong here. That's what happened to me after all, but something told me I belonged here long before that as well.

All the unanswered questions floated around in my head. How did Dad get out? Where had he gone? Why did I miss him, even though he left when Mom and Kyle did, long ago?  Why hadn't he taken me with him? The betrayal washed over me as I realised he had left me just like everyone else. Everyone but Zack. Zack.

I was forgetting something. I stretched out the hands of memory but the thought was beyond the grasp of my drug-hazed mind. I stretched out on the floor in defeat, leaning my ear against the wall, listening for Zack. I could hear bangs and thuds coming through the wall, and I knew he wasn't seeing again. What I wouldn't do to be with him. Nothing. There was nothing I wouldn't do. And so, I got up and walked to the door of the padded cell and I began to pound my fists against it screaming.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Within seconds the door swung open and I stumbled out and into John's arms.

"Can I help you?" He said, in a clearly annoyed town raising his eyebrows.

"....Zack..." I managed to choke out, still out of breath from all the screaming.

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, still steadying me with one arm.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that."

"Yes you can."

"No, I can't."

I reached for the keys dangling from his belt and unclasped them, walking to Zack's door.

"Yes you can."

He grabs me from behind, and spins me to face him.

"Look, the shrinks want you kept holed up for the night, think you can do that? Just one night?"

"No!" I screamed at him, twisting out of his arms and opening the door to Zack's cell. I slammed the door shut, still clutching the keys in my hands. I heard John's muffled voice shout through the door,

"Just this once Lil."

I nodded to myself before spinning on my heel to find Zack. Suddenly the memory jumped out at me, that's what I forgot!

"Happy birthday Zack!" I cheered, but he couldn't hear me, he was running around and around the room, occasionally hitting a wall, screaming and hitting at things that I couldn't see, and he shouldn't see. I walked straight towards him and hugged him. Holding him as still as I could. Soon his movements slowed down, and I could feel his attack coming to an end.

How horrible it must be to see things that don't exist, I thought. To fears thing that only you knew about, that you couldn't understand. To be reacting to something that was just and idea, it was a terrible yet amazingly intriguing thought. Zack was actually able to live in his own world, the horrifying part was, Zack's world was not a place he wanted to live in, but he would try, for me.

Slowly, the spark lit in those green eyes, feeding the fire of a person that Zack, was dampened by the depressingly unethical world he exists in, but still burning, and burning brighter than I ever would. He stared at me, clearly shocked at my reappearance that seemed sudden to him. But he didn't question, instead, he pulled me closer. For a while, I let the silence wrap me up in it's warm embrace, but I had not mastered the art of quiet like Zack had, and so I broke it.

"Zack?"

He pulled away enough to look me in the eyes, and raised an eyebrow in question. Almost speaking a totally new language with his body, as only Zack could.

"Why do you react, when you stop seeing you must know it's not real, so why not just stay still and watch the show?"

He pondered for a moment, a crease forming between his eyebrows before answering.

"Sometimes, the line between reality and lack of it is blurred. If I stopped reacting to the visions, I might stop reacting to reality as well. You can only react to what you see, not what you can't. Look around, the people of this world live in the illusion that the world is perfect, and that it revolves around them, that they have to be the best of the best, and that is the illusion they react to. That is their version of the world. What's yours?"

"Mine is a depressingly long tunnel with no light at the end. No escape. But I keep walking, I keep going because you're their with me."

"My version is a light-switch. When the switch is off, I see what isn't, the darkness of the depths of my insanity takeover. But when, the light is on, I see, and believe, me, the on and the off are equally depressing, but I prefer the on."

"Why?"

"Why do you think?" he says, smiling a full and genuine smile that I know is there for me.

I return the smile, and we both enjoy the moment, because happiness is a rarity here at Stonesville Mental Institute.

"Happy birthday." I whisper to him through parched lips, and his grin widens to match mine.

And, once again, I believe the illusion we all believe, the illusion that everything is okay again, even if it's just for a while.

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TA-DA!

*stretches out arms for and applause that never comes*

So yeah, being the socially awkward person I am, I don't know what to say now.

I LOVE Zack! He is like.....ahahahahaha....heh.

I need an adjective.

Anyways,

Vote. Comment.

Remember kids, don't patronize.

^heheh, get it? IRONY!! Cuz... yeah.... it's funny.

BYE!!!!!!