- Text Size +
Strobes


I can’t even recall how long we all sat there staring at Nick as he slept, my hand still grasping his although the grip had loosened considerably. Part of me wanted to shake him awake, impatient and wanting to know all that had happened. There would be time for sleep later, now I needed to have him alert, smiling next to me just the way it used to be.

The selfish me was once again making himself known, because what I really needed more than anything else was his memory of that day. I needed to hear from him what happened since my own brain had managed to block out most of it.

“Wake up Nick” I whispered not even meaning to which caused Howie to place a loving hand on my shoulder, “Don’t Brian…he needs his rest”

“I know…sorry”

I looked across the bed at my cousin as he stared at Nick’s arm. The faintest hint of an E could be read through the cotton and that is what Kevin was staring at. He sighed and looked up when he felt my eyes on him; all I could think to do was give him a small smile which he returned before looking away from all of us and focusing his eyes on the wall.

I turned my attention back towards Nick, it may sound odd to say but for as long as I have known him, I’ve always delighted in watching the boy sleep. There was something about the way he laid, so quiet and calm in contrast to his anything but personality. When I’d be completely homesick, longing for nothing more than a piece of my mother’s homemade apple pie and her warm embrace, watching Nick sleep usually in the hotel bed next to me, transported me to home and everything normal that used to be my life.

On some horribly lonely nights I would even go so far as sliding into bed beside him, letting his rhythmic breathing lull me to sleep only to make sure I would wake up and go back to my own bed before he ever found out. Seeing him sleeping so soundly made me almost want to forget everyone else was in the room and jump into bed with him now. I longed for that kind of sleep. One without dreams and thoughts.

“The police keep asking to talk to him even though they know he has barely woken up” AJ walked closer to us now, he had stayed in the background which I guess I couldn’t blame him.

“Well they’re just going to have to wait” I saw Kevin clutch Nick’s hand once again staring at his wound, it was hard not to actually. I wonder how often that would happen to my friend now. Walking in the street as people randomly gazed at his graffiti.

“Mine” Everyone looked at me, I hadn’t realized I said it out loud.

“At least it’s far enough up on his arm that a longer short sleeved shirt can hide it”

“I’m sure that will be a wonderful consolation for him D” Kevin’s sarcasm wasn’t meant we all could tell but Howie moved from behind me and towards the door, “I’m going to get some tea…does anyone want anything?”

“Nope” I answered for us…I turned back to look at Nick when my eyes locked onto his arm only this time, the wound was still fresh and bleeding. Blood clotting at the bottom of every letter looking like a font one would use for Halloween. I became claustrophobic and stood up myself, “Actually Howie…I’d like to come with you”

When I started to move away I realized Nick was still holding my hand in his. He tightened momentarily before loosening his grip all together. “I’ll be back Nicky…I just need some air” And I did. If I didn’t leave at that moment I am convinced that I would have thrown up on him.

Once we were out of the room, Howie noticed my unsteadiness, “You okay Brian?” I wanted to say yes but flashes of memory came at me again, like strobes on a disco ball, one second it was Howie and I in the hallway the next it was Nick and I in the bathroom. He was lying unconscious and had his head in my lap.

“Brian?”

“I’m going to be sick” I turned to run towards the bathroom with Howie on my heels. Throwing the first stall’s door open I bent over and vomited, “Do you need me to get help Brian?”

I stood up and wiped my mouth with my sleeve, “No…I’m okay” Pushing past him I made my way to the sink and splashed water on my face. “Brian…”

“I said I’m okay… Leave me alone!!” For the three or so years that I had known Howie D, never in my life had I yelled at him. I guess there is a first for everything. “I’ll be right outside if you need me” I wanted to apologize but instead I nodded at him.

Once he left I sat on the hard, cold floor with my knees up to me chest, the water was still running but I didn’t care.

“God… please wake up Nick…you have to wake up”

“That was your fault!” I heard his voice loud and clear in my memory as the public bathroom in the hospital transformed into the private one in the hotel room.

“Please Nicky… for me please open your eyes”

“Please Nicky for me…open your eyes” He mimicked me as he sat on the toilet watching.

I tried to ignore him, focusing my attention on Nick, he had to be okay because it was my fault, the guy was right.


In the hospital bathroom I moved my head to hit the wall, moving my arms to wrap around my legs. “What was my fault? What did I do?” I tried to remember.

He stirred on my lap, turning his head slightly to show the wound that had resulted from his fall. “He hit him” I closed my eyes and said it again hoping I would remember more.

“You hit him”

“Only because he was trying to help you” Derek Jones said as he moved to sit right beside me. He laughed when I tried to move away from him. There was nowhere else to go though, maybe that’s what he thought was so funny.

“Why are you doing this to us?”

“Wow that’s a good question…I wish I had a good answer for you”

Nick stirred once again, “Awe look sleeping beauty is waking up…maybe he won’t try to be a hero again” Nick opened his eyes and they instantly locked on mine. I placed my hand on his forehead to move away the blood smattered hair that was in his eyes.

“Brian…did I get him?” I smiled through my tears, trying so hard to be brave for my friend but I couldn’t. He was a hero not me.


“Brian?” I opened my eyes to see Kevin walking into the bathroom slowly followed by Howie. “You called for backup I see” I said through tear filled eyes. Kevin walked over and squatted down next to me, “What’s going on Bri?”

I couldn’t even answer him because I had no clue so I just laid my head on my knees and turned my face away from him. “Want can I do Brian?”

“Nothing Kev…there’s nothing you can do…I’ll be okay I just need to think”

“By sitting on the floor in a bathroom?”

“The last place I ever wanted to die was in a bathroom Brian”

“You’re not going to die Nicky; we’ll get out of this okay”

“You are a liar”


“I’m a liar…” I whispered to my cousin as I felt my tears dripping onto my cheeks.

“What?”

“I told him we’d get out of this okay…I lied”

“Brian what are you talking about? You aren’t making any sense”

I turned to look over at Kevin but saw the frightened look of Nick staring at me, “I’m not lying Nick. This guy wants money or something”

“If he wants money then why didn’t he just take the money and leave? Why did he hit you on the head and then …”

“Then what?” I tried to read his eyes, but nothing came.

“He doesn’t want money Brian you heard him…he said he wanted me” He was massaging his wrists, still red from the handcuffs.

“He’ll have to go through me first”

“Oh interesting proposition, I’d very much like to go through you first!”


“Brian you’re scaring me…Howie go get some help”

“I’m fine…Howie I don’t need anything”

“Brian what were you talking about? Then it looked like you zoned out on me”

“I am starting to remember things Kevin”

“Oh” The way he said it made me mad, like he wanted to end with not this again. “You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to but it’s true, there was so much more that happened to…”

“Fine” I said standing up and making my way towards him willing my shaking legs to steady, I would be so much more convincing if I wasn’t walking like a big blob of jello.

“I thought that little knock on the head with the bat would have taught you a lesson the first time”

“I guess I’m slow” He didn’t give me time to even think he pushed me and I went sailing out of the room. “Brian!!” I heard Nick scream from his spot in the bathroom.

“Seems like I need to teach you an old fashioned lesson boy”


“Brian what were you about to say?” I looked over at Kevin, “Us…so much more happened to us”

Kevin and Howie looked at each other at that point and as if reading each others minds, Howie shut the bathroom door and locked it so no one would interrupt us.

“What are you remembering?”

Once again he came at me, shoving me against the wall, “So let’s see what exactly do I have to do to get to him?” He said pointing back at Nick who was just now getting to his feet. He was shaking so violently I thought he was going to wet himself.

“If it’s money you want…”

“So that’s how you plan on standing up for your friend? By bribing me?

“We won’t tell the police you can just take the money and go” Any cool I had was now lost as he once again put his hands around my neck. I slowly felt my feet leaving the ground.

“Let him go!” I heard from behind the guy as he suddenly grimaced in pain and let me drop to the floor. Coughing and struggling for breath I saw him going at Nick now, grabbing him the same way he had grabbed me. I had to find my strength to help him.


I took a deep breath once more feeling the need to vomit, “After he hit me with the bat I woke up after that, he had Nick handcuffed to a chair”

“Oh my God”

“I tried to get him free but I couldn’t…I don’t really remember what happened next because the next memory I have is me in the bathroom with Nick”

“You were in there…with him?”

I nodded straightening my legs and wiping my tears away. “Brian we need to tell the police about this”

“I know”

I threw Nick’s backpack at him, that thing had served as a good weapon since we got into this mess. It worked because he let go of Nick and looked back over at me. “This is going to be so entertaining I can tell already”

He walked over to the bat, how I missed the bat when I was looking for something to hit him with was beyond me but he started walking towards me with the bat and I backed myself into yet another corner. “Maybe you need a knock on the other side of your head this time”

That’s when Nick went at him full force, throwing himself on top of the guy, tackling him to the floor. “Go for help!” He yelled to me and I briefly saw an end to all of this. I started for the door as the guy managed to get out of Nick’s grip and I turned towards them to see Derek Jones hit my best friend upside the head with the bat.

“No!” I screamed as Nick sailed to the floor.

“Take another step and I’ll crush his skull” He said holding the bat over Nick’s unconscious body.


“He made me help him drag Nick into the bathroom, the whole time telling me I was a wimp”

“Brian you did the best you could” Howie said reassuringly, trying his best to not visualize the images I had created in his mind.

“That’s when he was lying there with his head in my lap…I’m just remembering random things, out of order…but it’s all starting to come back to me now” I placed my hand over my face trying to forget what that felt like, to feel so close to freedom and then just a few seconds later know that it was only the beginning of hell.

“Maybe we should go find the police and you can tell them what you remember while it’s still fresh in your mind” I nodded and let Kevin help me to my feet. As I turned to leave the bathroom another image came to me which made me run into the stall and vomit once again.

“Brian what is it?” Kevin asked standing outside of the stall and letting me do my business. I wanted to tell him but I couldn’t because I wasn’t sure if my mind was playing tricks on me or not.

“I’m okay let’s go…”

“You sure?” I nodded not very confident in my own words as I closed my eyes and once again pictured myself carving an M into Nick’s arm as he looked on in horror.


I'll be back on Wednesday with chapter 11. Thanks so much to the people who have reviewed after every chapter. You guys are awesome so thanks much!!