Shared Demons

CHAPTER 29

~Theo

Anxiety, fear, and desperation...all crawled under my skin. Everything was choking my senses, needing to explode out. I wanted to explode. I wanted to sink on the floor and never get up.

Keegan almost died.

She almost died.

"I'm going to have to get rid of her, Theo. She's collateral damage."

I held my head with both my hands, to suppress his voice.

Gunshots. The crashing sound of a chandelier on the floors.

I winced at the loud sound of it.

"Put it on your head. Be a good girl, Keegan."

I groaned, his drawling voice bringing me to my knees.

"Theo..." I didn't even know who was calling at me.

"This is your son's fault."

"It's not my fault. It's not my fault." I muttered, bringing my knees to my chest. "I had to do it. You were going to kill her."

"Wha-what are you talking about?" I could now recognize Millie's voice. "Who was going to kill...who?"

"Theo..."

I now looked up at Vera who squatted in front of me. She was blurry. No, my eyes felt heavy. No...tears...tears were in my eyes.

They spilt on my already damp face. "I had to pull that..."

Her eyes widened and she cut me off. "Shut up!"

"...I needed to..."

"I said, shut up!" She looked around. "Nurse..."

"I'm sorry...I...I'm sorry."

"I need an empty room. Are any of the private wards empty?" She inquired hastily.

And just like that, she helped the nurses drag me to that empty ward. I didn't even know what I was saying on the way but Vera didn't want anyone else to follow...not Shayne...nor Millie. She wanted no one to accompany me except for her.

And even when the nurses helped put me down on the bed, she sent them away and closed the door and blinds.

She approached me. "Calm down...calm down, Theo. Control yourself."

I was already feeling claws scratching my mind. I was going crazy.

"Breathe..." She urged, holding my shoulder. "...breathe..."

I took deep breaths, hoping they calm me down. The demons in my head purred in response.

"Calm down..."

"If I don't say this I'm going to explode."

"Just breathe first. Breathe."

I took deep breaths and locked my eyes shut.

"If you are going to tell anyone, I need you to calm down."

I took slow breaths until there was silence in my head. A quiet kind, not a roaring one that made me go mad.

And I said something I didn't expect to, "Can...can I tell you what happened?"

"Do you want to tell me what happened, Theodore?"

A demon lashed out at me and I flinched. "He used to call me that. Don't call me that."

"Okay...okay..." Her voice was calm.

"I think I need to talk about it."

"Okay. Do you want me to get a psychiatrist?"

I snapped, opening my eyes. "No. Just you. Just one more person."