Hit the Road, Jack (Jelix)

Schizophrenia

Marks POV
It was 3 AM when my phone began to blow up.
It lit up suddenly, illuminating the dark room around me, causing both me and Chica to wake up.
Then it began to vibrate, which caused Chica to bark.
"Shhh Chica, you'll wake everyone up..."
Just as these words left my mouth, the sound of a light switch being activated at the end of the hall caused me to groan. I sat up in bed, and stretched. Before I had time to even pick up my phone, Ethan barged into my room, almost slipping on the hard wood floor.
I began to laugh at his failed dramatic entrance.
He didn't laugh back.

An hour later and we're all downstairs. Everyone is here, Ethan, Bob, Wade, Catherine, Tyler, Amy....
Although the room is packed with friends, the only sound is the kettle, which soars up into painfully high notes, until Bob has the common sense to turn it off. He pours tea, but no one drinks.
Amy is the first to speak.
"Why would he do this?"
I shrug, and say, "I'm sure he had his reasons, but for now I think it's best not to question it"
"But..."
"I said don't question it".
I am surprised at myself how harsh this came out, but the truth is, I do know what made him do it. And I could've stopped him.

I hear sobbing. I turn back the way I came, and gravitate toward the sound. Its coming his hotel room.
Number 317s door is slightly ajar, and I can hear many sounds coming from within. Crying, the sound of water running, and the heavy clink of metal falling to the ground.
I don't hesitate to push the door open further. The hotel room is identical to mine, so it doesn't take me long to locate the bathroom. The door of this room is locked from the inside, and I can hear the sounds clearer than ever.
"Jack?"
I hear a slightly muffled voice reply.
"G...Go away"
My heart breaks with the obvious pain in his voice.
"Jack, please let me in..."
There is no reply.
"Jack, if you don't let me in, I'm going to break down this door, and you know that I am bloody well able to".
The sound of a key being wiggled in a lock is my only response, and I going the door open before he has a chance to. He steps back in fright, and I see that he was kneeling in the bathtub. There was a knife in the tub beside him, and he was washing away the blood on his arms with running water. The water is a dark red, and is running down the drain speedily.
I gasp, and have to sit down. He is pale, too pale, and his usual baby blue eyes are not sparkling with his usual merriment, but with tears. I've never seen him like this.
I start to cry, choking on my own words.
I can only manage a whisper.
"Why?"
He looks at me with the innocence of a small child and hands me a letter.
I extract it from its envelope carefully, like it was a ticking bomb, for fear of not knowing what was inside.
I open it up and read the whole letter. Then I read it again.
Words are jumping out at me from the page, and everything is blurry.

Cognitive difficulties
Social withdrawal
Delusions
Hallucinations
Thought disorder
Drugs
Self-mutilation
Shock therapy
Suicide
Schizophrenia

I lean forward and wrap Jack in a big bear hug. Tears mix in with the pink water, making it salty, and I refuse to let go.
Jack speaks.
"I'm broken, Mark"
My heart shatters into a million pieces.

"Well then I'll find a way to fix you".