Control

Five Hours

Badbowski P.O.V

The voice was still in my head. I considered telling Matthew about it, after all, he was the one who made me, maybe he knew how to fix it. It was probably a small fault in his work; one of the only ones I'd noticed. However, I'd come to reason with this voice. It would keep quiet unless it felt something was seriously wrong. That was our agreement.

It told me it was part of me, it was the real me. It said it was who I was before Matthew made me into who I am now. It doesn't remember much about what happened before though.

I know I was stuck somewhere, with four others, my friends. We were trying to escape... but something was wrong. I can't remember what happened. I thought I'd set us free. It told me when I'd asked. It had a very bad memory, bits and pieces came but it couldn't remember any details or names. It couldn't even remember it's own name before this, or it's friends. It only knew mine now.

"Matthew said we're going somewhere in the morning. We have a task to complete." I said quietly. I didn't have to talk to make it hear me, it always heard.
Why? What task? It asked - always questions, always trying to figure thing out.
"I don't know. He said he needs me to help him with it and all will be explained when we find them.
Who?
"The people who hurt him, that all he told me."
How long until you leave? I looked around the room for a clock.
"Five hours." I told it.

Bazamalam P.O.V

I woke up gasping for air. I'd had another nightmare. I sat up with one hand on my chest, feeling my heart beat rapidly beneath it. After a few deep breaths I managed to calm down a little. Then I checked my phone, it was 4:12am. My first thought was to just go back to sleep. But then I remembered what day it was, and why going back to sleep would be a bad idea.

I opened my phone and went on to our group chat. There were quite a few messages, still none from Lewis. I put a message to ask if anyone else was still awake. I put my phone down on the side so I could get changed. I was sure that the others would have their phones close by. I put on some clean clothes and slipped my hoodie on over the top. As I pulled it down over my head, I heard my phone ringing. With a strange sense of relief, I picked it up to see Lewis was calling me. "Hello?" I said, answering it as quickly as I could.
"Hi." He replied, his voice shaky, like he'd been crying.
"Are you okay? And where are you? No one's heard from you since we were at the coffee shop."
"Yeah, I'm alright. Well... yeah. I'm at... Rhys's house." He spoke slowly, almost checking himself so he wouldn't burst out in tears.
"Ah, okay. At least you're somewhere safe."
"Can you... can you come here. I don't want to be on my own. But I think we should all meet here." He said.
"Yeah I'll come over. I'll message the others too so they'll see it when they wake up. Have you slept?
"A little, I don't understand how the others are sleeping so well."
"Me either." I said with a sigh. I told him I'd be over as soon as I could and hung up the phone. At least I knew where he was now. Meeting at Rhys's house first seemed like a better idea than going straight to the coffee shop.

I found my car keys and headed out to my car. I didn't really have anything on me - other than my phone. But I didn't feel the need to take anything. It was probably some joke. But we said that last time.

It was a 20 minute drive from my house to what was Rhys's. When I got there I saw that nothing had changed, everything was how it had been left. Sure the grass was a little overgrown, but it was like I could walk through the front door and be greeted by Rhys. I knocked on the door to let Lewis there, then opened it myself. Gently, I pushed it shut behind me.

"Baz?" Lewis called from the top of the stairs - his voice still weak.
"Yeah it's me." I called back, walking up the stairs. I found him in Rhys's room. Or what was Rhys's room anyway.
"I'm scared. What's going to happen? I know it was Matthew who did this. But I never thought it would get to the point where he'd kill someone for pay back. Or make them kill themselves." He panicked, everything rushing out at once. He burried his head in his hands, not bothering to continue. I sat down on Rhys's bed next to him.
"I don't know Lewis. I wish I did."