Let's Start Over Again (Nygmobblepot)

• Chapter Five •

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Edward no longer showed up at work. After a few days of no contact from him, Oswald begrudgingly hired a new Chief of Staff. The media outlets in Gotham ate this news up. Rumors spread like fire: was Nygma going insane yet again? did he make an attempt on the Mayor's life? was he the "Chess Killer"? a drug addict? No one knew exactly but the rumors swirled. As Ed's appearances lowered his time spent cooped up in the Cobblepot Mansion increased.
Oswald stayed with Ivy for the moment. He swore that he'd kick Ed out after a month or so, to get out of Ivy's hair. The Mayor occasionally wondered about how Edward was doing, it was always snuffed quickly.
Ed sat up quickly, he was waking up on the floor, again. He suddenly turned to side and threw up the pills he had taken the night before. His body had begun to reject the pills so he was taking larger and larger doses. He was woozy, with a lack of food for days on end became a normality for the already skinny Ed. Suddenly a phone rang, blaring through the almost empty house. Ed stumbled to his feet and grabbed the phone bringing it to his ear. He gave a light, "Hello?" through the phone.
  "Hello Ed, there will be a party at the Sirens club this weekend." Edward knew Barbra's voice and simply gave an ok, hung the phone up. Ed slumped to the floor and rubbed his face.
  "You have a problem Ed." Ed knew the voice well, it was the Hallucination of Oswald. Simply a projection of his mind, telling him things he usually didn't want to admit. Like this. His small problem that turned into a big one. Edward looked at Hallucination Oswald, the Hallucination was decaying like a dead body. "Ed you need help, you need to get better," the Hallucination said, concern in his deeply sunken eyes. Ed did need help, it was just a problem admitting it.
  The Hallucination's skin loosely hanging from the bones beneath, the skin was also pealing awkwardly from random areas of his face. "Wh-why are you here?" Ed wondered aloud.
  "I'm you head," the almost skeletal figure tartly said,"I'm here to take care of you. Get yourself together you IDIOT!" The Hallucination began to distort and become increasingly angry.
  "Well, my life would certainly be better without you!" Ed screamed at the top of his lungs. "You are just a pill-induced nightmare, you psycho freak coming from my mind!" Ed was now panting on the floor and he was sweating profusely. He didn't notice but, he had begun to cover his face with his hands. Edward looked up quickly, the Hallucination was gone. Ed was now safe from his own brilliant mind.

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