I AM NOT A ROBOT

Sixteen or 'Windmill Creek'

I jump over the same shrub Sammy had, calling out for him. "Sammy!"

   My mind freezes again when somebody says my name behind me. I recognize the voice, and turn around so quickly that I nearly lose my balance. Dad. My dad. Is standing behind me, and he's smiling.

  He's actually smiling. His expressionless face has overcome the walls that stopped it from being anything more than disappointed, and he's smiling kindly at me.

     I run towards him, but I fall in my blind daze. I hit the ground with a thump, and the wind is knocked from my lungs. I can't breathe of a moment. I lift my head up to look before me, but dad is gone.

    I stumble to a stand, and I hear twigs snap from footfall all around me. I spin and spin and spin, trying to find the culprit. Everything starts to become confusing and irritating and I don't know where I am.

   Somebody grabs my shoulders suddenly, and I scream for everything that I'm worth. I fight against them blindly, trying to kick and push away.

   "Aaran, it's okay. Calm down, you're safe." Salt's voice actually makes my eyes adjust from confusion, and I stare at him like a lost goldfish, trying to figure out what's going on

      "Where's Sammy?" I ask blindly, and look around.

    All of the faces I see are male, but they're not any of my family's. I turn around to search behind me. "And dad? Where's Jarvis? Where are they?"

    "They're not here." Salt says, and something in my head registers that he doesn't know who the hell I'm talking about. He talks soothingly anyway. "They're not here right now."

    My mind doesn't catch up. "But...But I saw them..." I look around more. "They were..." I start to break down when I think that I might be crazy.

     "It's okay. Calm down." Salt puts his hands on my cheeks. They're not as cold as I expect. "You're human, you're susceptible to hallucinations. They're not here right now."

     I stare at him until my mind comes back to my conscious, and I do a series of sums ot make sure I'm thinking straight.

    Of course Sammy isn't here. Or Jarvis. Or dad. Of course they're not. They were shot in the city. And even if they did somehow fall, they'd have to cross open water to get to the mainland from Brownsea Island. It's impossible. Of course they're not here. Of course.

     Eli calls sombody's name suddenly, and we all turn to him. He's staring into the thick woodland, and his face is drained. He looks shocked. Then he drops the messenger bag he'd picked up after I dropped, throwing it towards the ground.

    He starts running.

    Then Barron starts to shout for Terra, and he's staring into the wood. He runs after where he was shouting.

    Orion makes a face, looking around in confusion.  "What the hell is going on with you, dears?"

    Salt sounds like he's about to answer, but then Orion's head turns towards the depth of the woods. He shouts for a series name that I don't fully hear. And runs past us both, dropping the messenger bag.

    My mind is spinning, and I look at Salt. I see that he's holding my messenger bag, and something clicks. Something in my brain snaps puzzle pieces into place. "Drop that! It's not normal salt with which she lined it; it's hallucinogenic!"

    Salt looks down at the bag. "How mean of her." He says, and proceeds to remove my gun, hold it out until I grab it, and then toss the messenger bag towards the ground. It lands behind a shrub, and I wonder if the smell of grass will cover whatever smell that causes you to see hallucinations of dead or wounded loved ones.