ᴏᴜʀ sᴏᴄɪᴇᴛʏ| ʜ. ʙɪɴɢʜᴀᴍ

fourteen

The dream was a weird one. It was a quick flash of events yet it lasted what felt like weeks. The things she saw were odd, and even terrifying the more she thought about it. She woke up in the woods, a flash of blonde hair, screams, blood, flashlights, death. All things that didn't really go together but still somehow made sense to her.

Harry sat in the garden of his old home, the one he grew up in, the one he despised looking at. Everywhere he looked, he remembered her: the beautiful, happy breath of fresh air that he now got to call his wife. No one would ever compare; he wished it wasn't that way, that he could just grow up and act like a man and leave her behind if he had to but she was the first girl that came into his life and really showed she cared, despite them being childhood enemies.

Footsteps walked along the gravel beside him, his curiosity peaked but he didn't care to look. If it wasn't Effie it didn't matter. The man sat basked him, his hand out in offering. Harry turned to his right, seeing Campbell with a sly grin plastered on his face. In his hand, a blue pill talking to him, begging him to swallow it and feel it's effects. Harry turned away, shaking his head, his tongue piercing the side of his cheek. "You're unbelievable." He scoffed.

Campbell chuckled, patting Harry's back aggressively. "You've grown up huh?" He laughed, making fun of his old friend. "Go fuck yourself." Harry shrugged the man he once called his friend off him. "Get the fuck out of here." He muttered under his breath, although he meant to say it louder.

Harry no longer had the energy to deal with Campbell, especially after finally sobering up, the drugs used to make him bearable but now he couldn't stand the sight of his face. "What happened to you?" Campbell asks rhetorically, swallowing the blue pill in his hand. "You used to be a fucking animal." He laughed. "Now you're just a buzzkill."

"I'm guessing it's the wife." He placed a cigarette in his mouth, preparing to light it. Harry grabbed him by his shirt, standing up quickly. "What the fuck did you just say?" He breathed out.

"I said 'I'm guessing it's the wife'." Campbell repeated, almost confused as to why Harry was overreacting, pleased by the chaos he was causing nevertheless. "Keep her name out your mouth, dick." Harry said firmly, his hands still gripping tightly onto Campbell. "Woah no need to cry about it big boy." He held his hands up in defence before patting Harry's shoulder and walking away.

The boy stood there confused, wondering how Campbell even knew where he was before he watched him return to the house. Allie and Cassandra insisted people live together but after Cassandra's death people did as they pleased, Allie gave up on the law and now it's a spot for drugs and partying, somewhere the new Harry can't even look at without feeling disgust.

                                                                         ——————

     

After doing everything in her power, Kelly had no other choice but to give up, Effie was alive, that was for sure but it didn't seem like she could do anything to resolve her comatose state. That's just how it would be until Effie herself could push to wake up. In the meantime, Kelly sent Will to the library to retrieve as many medical journals as possible, if she wanted to be prepared, she would have to do her research.

Harry pushed open the door to the clinic, coming face to face with his ex-girlfriend, feeling the awkwardness of this situation. "Sorry." He coughed, avoiding eve contact. "Is she awake?" His eyebrows furrowed, although he knew the answer was most likely no.

Kelly looked at the ground. "No." She muttered, yet it was still so loud. Harry took a seat in the waiting room chairs, his hand ran through his overgrown hair before he slicked it back with sweat. "Well do you know what's wrong with her?" He asked, a hopeful tone in his voice before being shot down once again. "But she's alive, she's breathing and as far as I know her brain is still working so it's some sort of coma but I can't wake her up, she has to do it." Kelly tried her best to sound positive but it only made Harry feel worse.

Yes, Effie was alive but no one here was a professional, they really didn't know anything; his hope for Effie waking up decreased quicker and quicker and part of him wished he had just taken the pill Campbell offered to calm down, he could of gone home and slept this nightmare off and woken up in the morning to find that it was all just a bad dream and Effie was in fact right next to him, sleeping soundly with a little snore just like she did every morning.

In that moment, Harry realised he probably wasn't cut out for marriage, he was too scared to stay by her side, watch her sleep in that hospital bed and wait for her recovery with patience and all the love in the world to give her. He wasn't cut out for someone as good as her and he knew it - Effie probably did too and that's what hurt him even more.

"Harry." Kelly spoke. "What are you thinking?" She asked, wanting to know what thoughts were running through his head. "Nothing." He replied, returning his gaze to the floor as he begged god to forgive him for all his sins if it meant Effie would wake up. "I'm not stupid." Kelly carried on. "We dated for 6 months and though I know I never met the you that Effie did, I'm not a complete idiot. I know you're upset and that's understandable but don't isolate yourself like that, go sit by her side and talk to her, I've heard that's good maybe she can hear you, maybe your voice will motivate her to wake up." Kelly pushed him to try. "Forget all the doubting in your head and just speak to your girlfriend."

"Wife." Harry corrected. "Wife, yes, sorry." Kelly nodded, feeling awkward for her mistake.

A moment later, Will barged through the door, a stack of books in his hands. "Is she awake?" He asked, breathless as though he had just ran all the way here. A chorus of "no"s rang through the air and he practically flinched at the sight of Harry.

"Well I found some medical journals but I flicked past everything on comas and," his gaze returned back to Kelly. "Well, there's nothing. If she wakes up between 11-15 hours after entering the coma she'll most likely be okay but."

"But?" Harry questioned. "It says that if she wakes up after 24 hours she could die or end up in a vegetative state." Will shared. "So, what?" Harry asked, expecting there to be a simple answer.

"So, we wait." Kelly spoke. "There's nothing we can do to wake her up, Harry. I told you she has to on her own."

"Besides, she's breathing fine on her own." Kelly added to her point. "Is that not weird?" Will asked, Kelly stared blankly at him as he seemed to know more in this field than she did. "Well, most comatose patients are hooked up to machines because they can't breathe on their own but she's perfectly fine." His brows furrowed.

"So what are you saying?" Harry chimed in, rising from his seat and walking over to the pair. "I'm saying that she's not in a normal coma." Will said. "W-wait what are you talking about?" Harry asked again, more confused the more answers he received. "Well, what happened before she passed out?" Will questioned. "I don't know... she just held her head and fell."

"No, what happened before that?"

"What like before she went all weird?" Harry asked, a tinge of pink rising on his cheeks. "Yes." Will continued hesitantly. "Is that something I really have to share?" His cheeks burned redder.

"Oh, okay." Kelly clapped her hands together, trying to change the topic. "Ew." Is all Will spoke. "Anyways why is any of that even relevant?" Harry asked. "Because, normal coma patients usually endure an accident before falling into a coma but with Effie, I mean unless you were really rough-"

"Will!" Kelly slapped his arm, urging him to stop talking. "Oh my god." Harry squeezed the bridge of his nose. "We weren't having sex, Will."

Kelly and Will both glanced at each other in embarrassment. "Then what were you doing?" Will asked, forgetting the topic of the conversation. "Oh my god stop." Kelly mumbled, trying not to laugh. "Okay so what Will is trying to say is this is no normal coma, and I think it might be because of this other world." Kelly thought aloud. "Someone get Gordie."

-an
Okay so I really don't remember what happened in the society like character wise but we're making Will funny idc.