Before the Madness

Chapter 1

Timothy

I lay in bed awake, did I sleep last night? Who knows anymore I haven't gotten a full night of sleep in months, I don't even remember the last time I slept well.
A loud beeping interrupts my thoughts, oh that voice, my favorite voice in the world. My alarm clock. I groan and force myself out of bed, pulling on some baggy jeans and a t-shirt, did I wash it? Taking a little whiff of the shirt I determine I probably washed it. Another day of hell. After a cup of coffee and a piece of toast I head out and walk to my class for another four hour lecture.

It was just as boring as it usually is here, hours of school, do homework, eat, sleep. My thoughts are rudely interrupted by running into someone. I look up to see a kind faced man, he smiles at me.
"Sorry dude, didn't see ya there." he says, his voice is strong and confident. He looks down at all the books and papers which spilled when we collided, making a mess on the floor.
"Oh yea, sorry," I mumble "I wasn't paying attention to where I was doing." I meet his gaze, looking down at our books which were spilled onto the stone floor. I kneel down to help pick them up. I'm not great with people so I didn't know what to say to him.
"So what's your name?" Name. My name, what the hell is my name? I panic not prepared for him to ask me questions.
"Er, Timothy, Timothy Wright." I manage to say through gritted teeth, mad at myself that I couldn't even remember my own name. "Umm, wha-what about you" my voice shakes.
"I'm Brian Thomas," he states "how do you not know me I'm super popular" I can't help but laugh at his sarcasm.
"Well I don't talk to many people so I don't know who is and isn't 'super popular' as you put it." after sorting out the last of our books we stand.
"Ya know I was about to go get dinner, wanna join?" Join, dinner, people. I try to make sense of what he'd just asked me. I guess I took too long to answer because he starts talking again. "Is that a no?" he asked looking at my hand which I started biting without realizing.
"Oh, er, yea, sure let's go" I quickly pull my hand out of my mouth, "I don't have anything better to do." Was that the wrong answer? Knowing my people skills it probably was.
"Cool, I need to run home and grab my wallet, where can I meet you?"

After deciding where to meet we go our separate ways. I enjoy the walk home for once, instead of glaring at everyone that passes me, I take in the trees and the fresh air. After making it back to my apartment I take a shower, change into clean clothes.
The walk to the restaurant wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, it's nice and warm out. As I sit outside waiting I decide smoke a cigarette. After about fifteen minutes of waiting for Brian to arrive I start to get worried, what if something happened to him, what if he got in a wreck, what if this was just some joke to make me look stupid. He isn't real. He was another hallucination
"Tim! Hey man, sorry I took so long, my roommate needed me to help him with this dumb film thing he's making." Tim, no one calls me Tim, I'm always Timothy. I look up and see Brian standing in front of me. He's real. I smile, probably looking super stupid, then nod and follow him inside.
"What can I get ya darlin'?" the hostess asks, picking up our menus. After ordering we talk, and get to know each other. I find out his name is Brian Thomas, he lives on campus with his roommate, Alex, who are both film majors. I try not to get too much into my 'problems' since I don't want to drive him away the second I meet him, knowing from experience that that'll happen.
I notice Brian keep glancing down at his phone, probably his girlfriend or something. "Alex you idiot," he mumbles under his breath "sorry I have to go, my roommate got himself stuck in a tree while trying to film.
"He's in a tree filming?"
"Yea."
"I need to meet him."
"Alright if you insist." He says, obviously questioning why I want to go. He's really letting me go, we stand up and walk out of the restaurant towards his car. "Just follow me in your car, he's not too far from here."
"Er, I don't have a car." That must have been the wrong thing to say because he looks at me like I'm crazy.
"No car?" I nod, feeling ashamed for some reason "Welp guess you're riding with me." he states in a matter-of-fact voice like it should have been obvious. I reach out for the car door, "Wait did you walk here from your apartment?"
"No I teleported" I shrug, being the sarcastic little shit I am "Do you not teleport everywhere you go?"
"Well no I guess I don't, guess I'm not as magical as you." we both laugh and get in the car. As we drive I get increasingly more nervous, for some reason cars have always just struck a nerve for me. I get incredibly anxious while in them for no reason. Probably something else from my childhood that I've forgotten.
We arrive at a nearby park called Rosswood Park, "He's like a mile in so be prepared to walk" I nod, memories flooding back from my childhood, when I ran away from home and the mental hospital I had called home for years I'd come here and hide from my mom or whoever was supposed to be watching me that night.
"Tim!" I'm snapped out of my thoughts by Brian yelling at me, I flinch and look at him.
"Sorry I zoned out." I laugh nervously, I tend to space out a lot, suddenly out of the corner of my eye I see something moving through the trees. Before I can tell myself it's just one of ny hallucinations, Brian looks over to see what I was looking at.
"You okay dude?" he looks around to see what I'm looking at. He's going to know what's wrong with me. He's going to know that I'm crazy. What do I say to him, I know it wasn't real but telling him I know that will make him suspicious, but lying will make him worried.
"It was nothing, I just thought I saw something." I lie through my teeth, avoiding eye contact so he won't be able to tell I'm lying. "Probably just some kids or something." That part might actually be true, it could just be some kids, we are in a park after all. Though he looks like he objects Brian drops it and we continue walking.
After a nice quiet walk we get to a small clearing, a tall man with dirty blonde hair, glasses, and a camera in hand hangs upside down from a tree from a foot caught between two branches, he looks really stuck.
"Brian!" he yells as he wiggles, trying to get down "I'm over here!"
Brian bursts out laughing, he ends up doubled over gasping for air, I didn't think him hanging there was too incredibly funny but I guess he did.
"Alex you idiot!" he yells through gasps, trying to compose himself.
"Yes, ha ha, it's so funny, now get me down!" Alex retorts, his face is red from all the blood flowing to his face, his glasses lay on the ground, one of the lenses are broken.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming." Brian walks over to help him down while I stand there staring at them, feeling extremely out of place.
When Brian finally gets him down and Alex stops staggering, he looks at me. I can feel his dark brown eyes piercing through me. Then it happens. For a few seconds my vision is completely black, like an endless void of nothingness, but then when I look up I see Alex, but he's not the same. Alex is wearing a black and blue striped jacket, it's covered in blood, he's covered in blood. The energy and happiness in his eyes has vanished and is replaced with a lifeless cold stare.
"TIM!" when I blink I'm on the ground lying on my back, with Brian and Alex standing over me. "Tim, what the hell is wrong?!" Brian practically screams at me, tones of worry in his voice.
I give an involuntary jerk away from him as he sits his hand on my shoulder, I'm automatically aware of what happened. I had another episode, how do I explain to them what happened.
"I-I'm fine." wow so reassuring Tim, good job. They totally believe that you're fine.
"Here, let me help 'ya up." Brain grabs me under the arm and pulls me to my feet, I stagger a little and grip his shoulder to steady myself. Out of the corner of my eye I see Brian and ALex look at each other, I already know what they're thinking. That I'm insane. They're right, I am, I probably shouldn't have tried this, it was stupid of me.
"I need to get home." I try to muster the most I'm-not-crazy voice I can make.
"Okay, come on I'll take you there." Brian tries to help me stand by myself but him saying this takes me completely off guard.
"What, no, I'm going to walk home." I manage to stand on my feet by myself but I feel like my legs could give out at any given moment.
"Ha, ha, no you're not, I'm taking you" he almost sounds like a mother lecturing her child.
"Hey guys, we should be leaving however we're getting home, it's gettin' pretty dark." Alex says, he sounds like he's starting to get nervous, at least it's not just me.
"I couldn't agree more." Brian starts to walk the trail back to the parking lot where he left his car. The walk to the car is mostly silent, aside from me tripping over my own feet and apologizing when I have to cling to Brian for support. He must think I'm an idiot.
Once we get back to the car Brian shoves the stuff in the back into a pile so I have somewhere to sit. On the way back to the campus I feel extremely tired, but I can't let myself fall asleep, I'll look stupid. As my head falls and I jerk it back up Brian turns on the radio and hums along to the music, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he drives. Alex stares out the window nervously; just like I do, weird.
As I watch Alex I see something out of the corner of my eye; a face. A paper white face with black eyes and lips watching me through the window. I jump away from the window, my seatbelt keeping me in place and open my mouth to scream. No! No, I can't scream I'll look crazy so instead of screaming and lock my jaw and look away from the window. You're just hallucinating Tim, it isn't real.
I force myself not to look out the window and focus on Brian's face, surprisingly, his calm, happy expression makes me relax. His smiling face somehow makes me happy and relaxed as well. Sometimes I wonder what it'd be like to be normal like him. Not having to worry constantly that the things you see are a hallucination and that you'll lose it any day.

We pull into the lot of my apartment building; I can't help but feel really disappointed we didn't get to spend more time with just Brian and I. I mean, we just met but, I wanted to spend more time with him. He seems like he'd make a really good...friend. I shake the thought from my mind and I smile at Brian.
"Bye, I had fun today," he says to me, I'm glad he had fun "we'll have to do it again sometime." His smile is so bright and happy, it's like nothing's wrong in the world.
"Yea...me to." I smile and walk into my apartment, today was a good day.