The Grey's Curse

Chapter Twenty Four - Not Crazy

I screamed when I felt a hand grab my shoulder, but this time instead of the rough and tight hold they had on me earlier, their grip was gentle as it spun me around to face whoever or whatever had grabbed me.

"Maria? Maria are you okay?" My breath got caught in my throat at the voice 'Is that?' I forced my eyes open and the first thing I saw was Tanner looking at me with wide worried eyes that were filled with confusion but all I could do was tremble as I looked up at him, still not believing my eyes.

"Tanner?" My voice was has low as a whisper and I looked around wildly; looking for the monster people only to see that everything had returned back to normal and the people that was once nightmarish monsters was now looking at me with concern and giving Tanner strange looks.

After seeing everything was back to normal, I looked back at Tanner with tears in my eyes "Wha-what happened?" My voice was so quiet it was barely at whisper level and the look on Tanner's face was one of pure confusion and concern.

"Maria, nothing happened" I buried my face in my sweaty and clammy hands; trying to calm down and make sense of what happened 'No there was something there, it was behind me...and what happened to the lights? The people?' I could feel my heart racing and my whole body was covered in goosebumps, I looked down and saw my throw up still there, making my heart stop 'Real..it was real' I could feel Tanner shuffle around; uncomfortable from all the judgmental eyes on him.

"But that's impossible, Tanner, you disappeared" I slowly looked up at him with wide eyes as he looked at me with furrowed brows "Maria I was with you the whole time, then you started throwing up and screaming bloody murder, are you feeling okay? Okay that was a stupid question, do you need to go home? What about the hospital?" He had concern written all over his face. Even though I knew why I 'freaked out' Tanner didn't.

'He probably thinks I'm crazy now'

I looked around at everyone else and saw they were all normal with the exception of a few onlookers still giving us weird looks.

"I don't know, I don't know" I muttered out shakily, the joyful screams from the riders was deafening "I-I think I need to go home, I'm sorry" he gazed at me with worry in his eyes "Yeah that's probably best, but you are okay right? Did something happen?" I shook my head and crossed my arms "I don't want to talk about it" I mumbled with my gaze firmly on the ground.

'This is embarrassing'

"Alright, I'll walk you home, it's getting dark" I nodded once again, keeping silent 'Don't retreat Maria, don't retreat' I gripped my arms tightly, accidentally making my nails slightly dig into my skin 'Please, please, please' I could practically feel my mind begin to shut down.

Every time my mind shut down, the nightmares would come back ten fold and I would see the strange things...more than usual 'Please not again, not like when I locked Mom out, please' I felt trapped within my own mind and I feared it because I couldn't control it, like it wasn't mine anymore.

'Ever since that thing it's like I've been hollowed out, losing sense of reality and myself, slowly driven to madness by the monster that haunts me'

Tanner kept true to his word and walked me home, it was a quiet walk but I was thankful for it 'All that I can manage right now is walking home and even with that I'm just on autopilot' he walked me up to the door with his warm hand resting comfortingly on my back.

I couldn't bring myself to look at his face, knowing that all I would see would be concern and I felt guilty enough as it was that I had ruined the fair for him.