The October Amaryllis

Chapter 73 - May 23rd, 2020 1:46 P.M.

"Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus?" I interrupted.

"That's the one. It has the worst lyrics in history, and yet it's so catchy," she said with a chuckle.

"Let's listen to it together, just you and I."

"Okay, but don't blame me when the song gets stuck in your head for the rest of eternity."

"No promises," I said with a chuckle.

As she played the song, I was flooded with memories of all the awkward high school dances I went to. They always played inappropriate shit like Low by Flo Rida and Salt Shaker by the Ying Yang Twins. Those songs would have been fine to play in 2007, but this was over ten years into the future. I gotta admit that as much as Flo Rida's rapping sucks, his songs are insanely catchy. I sometimes hum his song Whistle despite hating it. I don't recommend you listen to it; it has some of the worst lyrics in history. I also have I Cry play in my head from time to time. But seriously, the guy is the definition of corporate.

"If something is so bad that it's good, is it still bad?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, and no. It's good because it's bad. That sounds so weird to say."

"It does, but I get what you mean. Anyways, I should probably get back home," I said with a massive yawn.

"Why so soon?" she asked, surprised.

"I'm writing a book; I want to work on it," I lied. The real reason I wanted to go home at that moment was that I started hearing shit again. I listened to some asshole yelling at me over the phone for no reason and knew that I had to get out as soon as possible. This annoying imp thing also kept laughing at me in a high-pitched voice.

"Well, be sure to send it to me when you're done with it!" she said excitedly.

"I will," I said hurriedly as I left the room. I didn't want to go, but I knew that I'd freak Analee out if I didn't. The worst part was I was about five seconds away from kissing her. The universe wouldn't let me feel joy; it wanted me to suffer in purgatory.

The hallucinations only got worse after going outside. I hallucinated a cop who told me I was under arrest for time traveling and took out handcuffs. Before he could put them on me, he vanished into thin air. Well, more like exploded into a thousand glass shards, but still.

Another terrifying hallucination that I had was that of a girl screaming in agony. It was purely auditory, but it felt so real that I nearly tried to find the source of it. I knew I had to keep going and not pay any attention to my hallucinations; I had to overcome hell.

I had experienced a minimum of twenty-five auditory and visual hallucinations by the time I arrived home. Most of the auditory hallucinations were of people yelling at me or my family asking me questions. I remember my mother kept asking if I was okay and if I wanted to be taken to the hospital. I responded in my head that I was fine, and she asked me, "Are you sure you're okay?" I answered that I was sure, and she disappeared.

The visual hallucinations, on the other hand, had no rhyme or reason. I remember seeing a Ford Model T in the middle of the road and walking towards it. I touched it to confirm it was real, and the car exploded into a thousand pieces.

I hallucinated Malcolm as I walked and asked him what he was doing in the middle of nowhere. I was so delirious that I had entirely forgotten he was dead. The situation felt strangely normal to me as a result.

When I finally got home, I ran straight to my room and locked the door behind me. I couldn't let anyone know what was happening to me; I had to suffer this hell alone.

I looked at my posters for comfort and hallucinated Spike giving me the middle finger. It would have been hilarious if I wasn't so paranoid and anxious.

I stared at my smoke detector since the posters weren't of any use and was horrified to see it drifting about like that doorknob I told you about. If I looked away and then looked back at it again, it would snap back to its original position.

I closed my eyes to escape the hallucinations, but they continued. I witnessed countless insects and saw the hat man again. Once again, he said nothing and just stared at me. After he disappeared, the hallucinations ended. I was beyond thankful for that brief moment of sanity.

I put on music to take my mind off this hell, choosing Shine On You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd because of how long it was. I would have twenty-six minutes of heaven.

Listening to it reminded me of the day my mother introduced me to Pink Floyd. She played Wish You Were Here in the car, and I asked her what the song was. After telling me about Pink Floyd, I started listening to them like crazy. I remember hearing Any Colour You Like for the first time and feeling like I was floating in space. The most incredible experience I've had with one of their songs was when my mother played Welcome to the Machine in the car. The audio is super trippy and messes with your head.

I fell asleep before the song ended, and that was my ticket out of hell. Sleep is the one time I don't worry about everything; it's my escape from the real world.

The real world sucks.