The Mind Bender

Chapter 2

Dane woke up covered in white sheets. As skinny as he was, the 5-foot 10-year-old appeared frail. He had intravenous fluid fed to him through a needle that hurt him a bit. His disorientation soon subsided as he looked around. His mom had dozed off in the corner of the room. "Mom?" he croaked in a weak voice. The dryness of his throat didn't bother him.

Elaine woke up from her chair. She stood up and walked forth. Her hair was a bit unkempt, clipped only in the back of her head. "How are you?" She spoke with a low voice.

"A bit dizzy," he said in a light, albeit raspy, voice. Dane could see how worried his mother was. He felt her hand through his hair as she looked at him.

"You're going to be all right." Elaine kissed her son's forehead.

"Mom, how's dad?"

Elaine smiled. "Don't worry about him."

"Mom..." But Dane couldn't think of the right words to say.

Elaine tapped Dane's shoulder. "Dr. Griffith will be here soon."

The blue door creaked open. Both of them turned to the bald man in white garb who had entered the room.

Elaine smiled. "Here he is."

"Who is he?" Dane shot a blank look at his mom.

"He's a psychiatrist."

Dane didn't respond but simply eyed the doctor. He wanted to protest, but his confusion kept his lips shut.

For a few years, he had been feeling weird, hearing people in his head. He knew he was unlike the other kids at school. He was different. Maybe his dad was right. But where was he? He looked at his mom who had walked into the corner, folding her arms, looking back at him with an expression of mild anxiety. "Where's dad?"

Elaine's lips twitched. "He..." She hesitated. "He's fine."

"Mom?" Dane frowned.

"Dr. Griffith?" Elaine faced the psychiatrist.

"Mom, where's dad?" Dane asked this time in a louder voice.

"Calm down, Dane." Elaine walked closer to him.

Dane felt something wasn't right. He could see it in the way his mom avoided his question. He stared at her deeply. He wanted her to look at him back. And she did. He peeked into her eyes and felt as though he was moving into them. He found himself in that dark void again, but images quickly formed in the dark.

He soon found himself standing in a cold room where a body was covered on a table. He saw a pair of hands lifting the cover. For a moment he thought those hands were his, but he realized they were his mom's. He felt weird. He was seeing the scene, but the hands that pulled the sheet were his mom's.

He was inside his Elaine's mind, watching her stare down at his father's pale face. Henry's skin was cold. His lips, purple. Startled, Dane drew away, and in a second his consciousness was back in the room with Dr. Griffith and his mom. He looked at his mother in fear and shock. "Dad, he's... Mom?"

Elaine's creased forehead suggested confusion. She looked at Dane and shook her head, tears welling up on her eyes. She shifted her glance to Dr. Griffith, who nodded.

"Mom, what's wrong?" But Dane saw her flustered face as she started to weep. He saw her reach for the door, but he wanted her to stay. He wanted her to tell him what happened. "Mom, don't leave." But he saw her ignore him. "Mom!" he cried. He saw her freeze and turn her head in his direction.

Elaine was expressionless.

"What happened to dad?" But before his mom could answer, he saw images of doctors and nurses trying to revive Henry, but to no avail. He saw them removing the tubes they had inserted in different parts of his body. They had unplugged his life support system. Dane watched the scenes in shock. He looked at his mom again who had shed a tear. He started to cry, but just as he did, the ringing in his ear returned.

The voices that had plagued him came back swarming inside his head like restless bees homing into their hive. He covered his ears with his hands, but the voices, screams, and cries only grew louder. He shook his legs and then dropped his head into the pillow, screaming in agony. His face, flushed. His eyes, shut with creases beside them as he grimaced and groaned. "Stop! Make it stop!"

"Dr. Griffith, please do something!" Elaine panicked.

He clenched his jaw, bit his lips, and grabbed his hair, hoping doing so would abate the deafening noise that disabled him. He opened his mouth to let out a scream. "Make it stop!" He punched his temples a few times. The next thing he felt was a sharp, pointed object into his neck. In a few seconds, the voices subsided. The room went quiet. So did his consciousness.