Our Minds

Chapter Six

"Jake! Oh my god! Jake!" Lillie tries over and over again to wake up her friend. "Lillie, it's no use. He's out like a lightbulb," explains Ethan. "No shit. What made him spaz like that?" Lillie's light brown eyes search the body of her friend. His red hair is so bright, wonder how he got it that way; what products did he use. His salmon red jacket, his black skinny jeans, and his yellow high tops. Lillie suddenly liked his clothing choice and every other little detail about him. He said he'd always be with her; no one has ever said that to her. She was always in the library alone, reading a book or sorting everything out. Jake was the first person she'd actually felt a connection with; even though they merely met yesterday. Miyo was her friend as well, but so was every other student she gave a school tour to. If her stupid "disorder" would kick in, Jake would be there for her, and vice versa.

"Someone didn't like the fact she threw the book," Ethan pushes his glasses up as he speaks. His heartbeat has softened, but his mind has only just begun spinning. "No shit," Miyo curses and tries standing up again, but Gwin stops her. Miyo growls, "I'm fine." Gwin gives in and helps her stand. "We need to worry about Jake right now." The ponytail is frizzy on the teenager; her attitude is a little worked up as well. She didn't really have a teenage mood like other girls did; Miyo respected both of her dads and didn't take her anger out on anyone but herself. Her blue eyes widen when she grasps the fact that it's apart of her disorder; her mean side is coming out.

Lillie explains everything that went down before Jake passed out. He was shaking violently and there was pure horror spread on his face. Then just like that, he was out, no visual cause as to why. "Is it his schizophrenia?" Gwin chimes in, hoping her question wouldn't trigger Lillie. "I don't know. Was he talking when he passed out? Did anyone hear?" All the kids shake their heads. "We can always ask him when he wakes up," suggests Miyo. "If he wakes up," Ethan adds; adding on to Lillie's stress level. Gwin lips a "shut up" to him. Ethan obeys and keeps his mouth shut.

"Maybe we should search around for some food, or nursing stuff. Something to help Jake." Miyo stands up again, taking the lead fearlessly. "We should split up between floors," Gwin declared. "Okay, who's with who?" Miyo asks as a warm feeling hits her hand. She looks down and notices Gwin grasping onto her. "Alright, Gwin and I will take the top floor," Miyo states. "And if it's reachable," Gwin adds. Clive throws his arm over Ethan's shoulder, "Team Jett and Dyer over here," Clive smiles obnoxiously. "This isn't a game you play in gym class Clive," Lillie barks. Gwin ignores the slight bickering, "Lillie, are you sure you'll be able to stay down here with Jake? You'll be the only one on the first floor." Lillie doesn't tell anyone, but a huge wave of worry swarms her. She nods, "Yeah. I think I can defend myself from a ghost." She scoffs and scoots closer to her unconscious friend. Her brown eyes watch everyone slowly disappear; she was alone now.

On the second floor, Clive and Ethan stand super close to each other while wondering around. "Do you have your phone?" Ethan asks the broader man. He says he does and pulls out the cellular device that every child should have. Ethan, however, dropped his when he freaked out over the whole spooky nurse thing. He aversions the idea of having his panic disorder being a real thing. This was all just a huge Halloween prank getting out of hand. Way out of hand.

Clive pulls out his slick black iPhone and turns on the flashlight. The second floor was all boarded up; all the windows to outside were completely shut. "Why was the building ever shut down?" Clive questions. He doesn't want this eerie silence to consume both of them. The hallway was long and dark. On each floor there was the main staircase that led up into a little common room for people to hang out; play chess, read the newspaper, or talk with your fellow inmate. "Well, I'm pretty sure it was shut down for its structure purposes. People said it was basically falling apart. Rats were everywhere, same with the blood and feces of other patients." Ethan gestures in front of them toward the ground. The ray of light on Clive's phone shows little dust specks and focuses on the dirty cemented floor below them. Nature from the outside has taken a toll on the old building.

The boys continue discussing certain flaws about the building and its age. While they chat a certain noise startles both of them. "What the hell was that?" Clive wonders and whips around on his feet. "It sounded like a belt. Or like a thick piece of plastic smacking on the ground." The sound gets louder and closer. "Let's hide in this room!" Ethan orders and starts towards room 3B. Clive, however, doesn't follow him. He merely stands there, his breathing slowly inclining. "Clive, what's wrong?" The noise gets closer and closer. It must be a ghost of one of the victims on this floor. "No," Clive finally mumbles. "Unless you want to end up like Jake I'd get in here." The noise is right in front of Clive. He winces and he goes into a trance.

He's suddenly in his room as a three-year-old. He's lining up cars on his little track his mother got him for his birthday. Little "vroom vrooms" sound from his small plump lips. While playing, his cars crash and at the same time as the crash a huge smack echoes through his small one-story home. The toddler wanders out of his room and down the hallway. The noise sounds again, but this time louder and followed by whimpers. The smaller Clive trembles in fear. "Mom!" He quietly shouts, afraid of the noise. The noise stops as he pushes the bedroom door open to his parents' room. His father smacks his mother across the face one last time and she falls to the ground.

Ethan watches Clive fall to his knees, his head in his hands, violently sobbing. "Clive? Clive! What's wrong?!" The harsh sobs echo throughout the hallway of the second floor. The noise stops, but Clive's tears didn't, not even the soft whispers of Ethan did. Maybe he wasn't whispering the right things. "It'll be okay," and "don't worry, everything is fine." Nothing was working. Ethan takes another step forward and wraps his arms around Clive. They both rock back and forth. If the asylum was still up and running, Clive would have been taken away by creepy nurses to be "calmed" down. Ethan's whispers fail to calm his friend. "I'm sorry Clive, for whatever you saw." Ethan's soft voice echoes through Clive's ears. The noise slightly brings him back from the nightmare. It was awkward for a smaller, honors biology guy to be hugging a number one lineman for a high school football team. At that moment something starts to grow between the two; a nice relationship in this hell of a place. Right now a shoulder to lean on is the best thing to have in a run-down asylum for God's sake.