Friend of Freedom

Freedom

Author's note: I originally made this as a dialogue practice in my Creative Writing class. But I fleshed out some details in more then the dialogue/speaking. Enjoy and review!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Go away! Stop talking to me!" Miles shouted, clapping his hands over his ears and closing his eyes tight. But nothing seemed to block out the sound of his friends voice. He sat on the cold ground, with Callahan looming above him.

"I thought we were friends Miles. And if I don't talk to you, who will?" Callahan replied, his voice thick with a sly anger. Standing over his friend, Callahan felt powerful over the other.

Miles looked up and stared at the shadowy figure in front of him, nearly no light penetrating through the small window causing the room to be dark. Callahan's skinny arms were crossed in front of his slim body. A smirk was painted across his face, as if he knew he would win.

Miles stood up angrily to look Callahan in the eyes. "They will!" He yelled, pointing towards a metal door. "My friends who want to help me!"

Callahan's smirk dropped, his expression turned irritated, and sour. "They don't want to help you. They want to hurt you Miles." He said in a low voice.

"No they don't! They wouldn't" Miles persisted, not wanting to believe his friend.

"Yes they will!" Callahan insisted. "Remember what your family did Miles. They hated you, so they sent you away. Forced you to leave home."

Miles looked up at the shady other in front of him. He was terrified that Callahan was right. But Miles couldn't believe anything Callahan said, could he? "My family loved me! They wanted me to get better! They thought moving to a new home would help." Miles futility argued.

"They wanted you gone!" Callahan declared.

Miles looked down at his feet, letting out a defeated sigh. They had had this same conversation every day for a long time. Every time, Callahan would say the same thing, that Miles' family didn't care about him, didn't want him. With each passing day, Miles slowly started to believe him.

"But what about-" Miles started but was cut off.

"Your friends?" Callahan finished for him. "They can't help you. Only I can. I can help end your pain and problems, if you would let me." He said in a softer, more comforting voice.

Miles thought about it, as he had almost every night. It was true his friends never seemed to help. Callahan sounded so genuine and kind, like he actually wanted to help Miles.

Finally, after a long time spent in denial, Miles gave in. His shoulders sagged, and all anger left his body, leaving an emptiness behind. Callahan had to be right, he was the only person Miles could trust.

"How?" Miles said sadly, looking defeated. "How can you help me?" He was beyond the point of help now, wasn't he?

Callahan smiled, knowing that finally, he had won. "You still have that long, golden chain your sister gave you, right?" He asked kindly.

Miles remembered the chain his sister had given to him the day he left, as a going away present. It was precious to him. "It's hidden under the bed." Miles answered.

"Get it."

Miles obeyed. Mechanically he reached under the cot for his precious gift.

"Loop it around you neck like your sister did before you left. So it can be close to your heart." Callahan ordered. Miles did what he was told, his thoughts distracted. He couldn't stop wondering about what his sister was doing now. The cold feeling of the metal on his skin made him feel as if he was back home in the cold season.

"Stand on the chair near the pipe on the roof." Miles did just that. His mind was still distracted. He remembered skiing down the mountain. At the top, the steep slope loomed in front, the snow blinding white in the sun.

"Behind your head, tie the chain to the pipe." Miles did that, remembering when he would tie his goggles on, ready to go. He tied the chain with little struggle, his nimble fingers skilled.

"Now kick the chair out from underneath you!" Callahan screamed. His loud angry voice startled Miles, waking him from his mesmerized state. His hands shook in fear, as he comprehended what Callahan was making him do.

"No wait! I can't-" Miles' terrified voice was cut off as the chair wobbled underneath him and fell to the ground. Mile's body was pulled down by gravity, and was held up by the chain. It dug into Miles' skin painfully, and tightened around his neck.

Miles thrashed around in a desperate attempt to save himself. His chest burned from the lack of air. The pain in his neck and lungs to much to bear, as his struggling became weaker.

In front of him, Miles could see Callahan leaning against the wall, an evil smile etched across his face. The man made no move to help Miles, as if all he wanted was for then man to die.

As Miles' vision darkened, he heard Callahan say, "No one ever loved you, but now, we can both be free."

As Miles felt his body go numb, the last thing he remembered was skiing down full blast down a mountain side, until his vision went completely white.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The nurse made her usual rounds, bringing food to all the patients. Finally, she was at Miles' door. She knocked on the door gently calling, "Miles! Supper time!"

There was no answer at the door, which was strange. Miles was always happy for supper time.

After a minute of waiting, the nurse opened the door. "Miles? Are you-" she stopped before shrieking and bringing her hands up to her face.

To her horror, Miles' lifeless body was swinging slowly by a golden chain. His skin was pale, and his blue eyes stared into nothingness. Terror still visible on his face. The friend Miles often told her about, Callahan, was nowhere to be seen.

The nurse took off running down the hallway, her heels clicking loudly, echoing off the walls. The nurse quickly made her way to the doctors office.

The doctor was peacefully working away, writing down notes he had taken from the day's work. Suddenly the door burst open to reveal a horror stricken nurse. He looked up at her as she tried to regain her breathing. Taking a deep breath she managed to say, "Doctor! Miles is dead!"

The doctor stared at her for a moment before flipping through pages of notes and writing down more notes on a fresh page.

"Miles Callahan, you say? He was hearing voices and having hallucinations. It was only a matter of time before he committed suicide."