Chapter 4 -- Am I the Only One Who Sees?
Hot tears rolled down Niall’s face, dripping into the corners of his mouth and putting the taste of salt on his tongue. He couldn’t breath, his heart pounded as if he had run a marathon, and blood ran down the walls of the supply closet.
Screams echoed through his mind, rattling around the darkest corners and making him sob. “Go away, stop it, GO AWAY!” The yelling intensified, and was quickly joined by the crash and bang of what sounded a lot like metal-on-metal.
Niall curled in on himself, shoving his face into his knees and flinging his arms over his head.
We missed you, Niall…
Such a good little boy…
Always taking his medication…
We think you deserve a reward…
“Stop,” he whispered brokenly. A tear dropped from his eyelash. “Please. I don’t like it.”
But you’ve always loved red…
It used to be your favorite color…
Why don’t you like us anymore, Niall?
“You scare me…”
Footsteps came hurriedly down the hallway, quickly approaching the closet. Niall’s breath came in quick, short bursts.
You have nothing to be scared of…
Well, except the monsters…
You shouldn’t have ignored us, Niall…
The handle on the door began to twist. Niall panicked. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t hurt me, make the monsters go away, please, I’m sorry, stop!”
Too late…
Here they come…
The red, red monsters…
The door swung open, and light flooded the small space. Niall screeched at the sight of the two figures in the doorway, their skin glowing red and their sharp teeth glinting. One reached out a clawed hand, and grasped Niall’s wrist. He screamed again, flailing and sobbing and trying to get away.
The other monster reached out as well, both arms coming to snatch him up by the waist. Niall kicked out, blinded by tears and fear and red, and caught one of the monsters in the side of the head. It dropped his wrist, but the other one only tightened its grip and dragged him out into the hallway.
“NO, PLEASE, LET ME GO!” He begged, wailing and spasming in a desperate attempt to escape. “STOP IT, PUT ME DOWN!”
The monsters hefted him up, trying to pin his arms down as well as his legs, and Niall could suddenly see down the hall. Through a heavy haze of red and horror and monsters, the distressed boy saw someone looking at him.
A gorgeous someone, who looked bright and friendly and safe. Someone that had the bluest blue eyes Niall had ever seen…
“HELP ME PLEASE!” Niall yelled. His voice was hoarse, and the monsters were still trying to drag him away, but Niall knew the beautiful blue-eyed boy would help.
One of the monsters growled at him, and it almost sounded like words. The mysterious boy’s eyes were wide, and Niall wanted to drown in the sky that they held. The red in his vision was fading, slowly melting into the same shade as the boy across from him.
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I See That You're Real, I Love That You're Here {A Nouis AU}
FanfictionNiall Horan has schizophrenia, and it makes it hard for him to tell the difference between what is real, and what is a figment of his imagination. When he was 13, he was sent to Maudsley's Hospital in South London, and he's been there for three year...
