Our Minds

Chapter Eight

Ethan successfully calms down his friend with his whispering and hugging. The men continue their journey through the floor they were assigned to. While Clive is suddenly fine and dandy his friend feels otherwise for him. Ethan nudges Clive, “I think we should go back. Are you sure you can go on?” Clive pushes Ethan’s question aside and he walks into another room. An object shines in the little sunlight peeking through the cracks of the room. “Woah.” Clive drops to the floor and crawls under the decaying bed. Ethan moans and rubs his arms. He is annoyed by the fact Clive didn’t answer his question. He is genuinely worried for Clive.

Clive jumps up with a slick pistol in his hand, “Lookie what we have here.” The bigger teenager admires the weapon and tries to give it to Ethan. He shakes his head, “No thank you.” Ethan uncomfortably chuckles and pushes the gun away from him. Clive shrugs and examines it. Meanwhile, Ethan explores another room. Not to far away though. It’s merely across from the room Clive is in.

The room smells just like the others; like death and rust. The only difference from the other rooms is the fact that this one has an actual mattress. Ethan sits down on the mattress. Maybe he could see what it felt like to be locked up in here. Just waiting for your daily medication to come. The medication that would never help you mental malady. Ethan sighs and thinks he can close the door. He’s oblivious to the fact that it doesn’t open from the inside, but the building was rusted enough he could easily break it open. He gets up and shuts the door. The eerie click of the door echoes through the room. He makes his way back to the bed and easily sits on it. He stares up at the concrete ceiling, waiting for it to fall on him. In the corner of the room he notices a black blob of nothingness forming. Ethan sits up and instantly moves toward the door. He tries to open it, but it doesn’t budge. He wishes he were as big as Clive so he could break the door down. Why did he think this would work? Ethan turns around to face the blob. He’s just seeing things, right? It’s getting harder to breathe. He’s going to die. This blob is going to kill him. Like the blob is reading the mind of the teenager, it gets bigger and moves toward Ethan.

In the other room Clive finds a container of bullets. The gun has five, so he has to be careful and use the gun wisely. He turns to show Ethan, but notices he has left the room. Clive walks out of the room. The jock spots the door across from the room he was just in. The door is shut, but why?

Clive wanders over and peeks through the little frame. He spots Ethan in there; unconscious. “Oh shit!” Clive sticks the gun into the waistline on his jeans. He takes a few steps back and then rams against the door, breaking it open. He rushes over to Ethan. He’s barely breathing. Clive gets down with him and starts pushing on his chest. He’s panicking and doesn't know what he has to do to help his friend. His friends were just downstairs, but he didn’t want to leave Ethan alone. Clive’s pressure on Ethan’s chest doesn’t seem to work. Why was Clive so stupid? Why couldn’t he be smart like his mother? He was just like his father; dumb and hurting the people he loved. Clive cares about Ethan. Ethan helped him with his little flashback. He calmed him down. It was Clive’s turn to return the favor.

Clive pushes his lips onto Ethan’s and pushes air into his mouth. Ethan thankfully starts coughing and breathing regularly again. His blue eyes open to a face on his face. Clive’s lips are very soft for a football player’s. Is that why all the girls fall for him? Even after coughing Clive continues placing his lips on Ethan’s.

Ethan sits up, and actually kisses the tougher boy. Clive instantly moves away. Ethan’s face is as bright as a tomato. The two avoid any eye contact. Ethan stands up and hugs himself. He looks down at Clive, still on the floor. “Thanks.”

“Are you okay?”

“I had my first panic attack,” Ethan blankly states. It’s not a good thing. Clive nods and stands up. He quickly looks Ethan in the eye and then walks out. He mumbles on the way out, “We should go back.”

Ethan Jett just kissed the best football player in the school, after having his very first panic attack. Life in an asylum is confusing as hell.