We're On Recovery Road

Chapter 1

It was quiet, save for the tapping of Harris's fingers on the plastic chair. He couldn't stand quiet. Quiet gave him time to think and when he had time to think, it allowed him to go back over the events that had brought him to this room. Why did you do it, Harris? And why had it not finished you off? Those were the thoughts that took over during the silence. He hated those thoughts.

The sound of the door swinging open and the sound of footsteps drew him out of his thoughts. He looked to the door and saw Ms. Colbie Fields there with a younger girl beside her. The girl was thin and had brownish-reddish hair.

"Harris," Ms. Colbie said. "This is Myra. She will be joining us for our session today."

"Why?" Harris asked. "I thought these were supposed to be private sessions?"

"We're moving up to group sessions."

"But–"

"Everything anyone says will be confidential."

"But Ms. Colbie–"

"Harris," the woman said sternly. "It'll be fine."

Harris fell silent and turned back around in his seat.

Ms. Colbie led Myra over and had her sit down in a seat she had moved from the corner. The older woman sat in her usual seat, which was now between the two.

Harris already hated this; Myra Whatever-Her-Last-Name-Is hadn't spoken a word so far, she was cutting into his time with Ms. Colbie, and she looked like simply skin and bone.

"Alright," Ms. Colbie said. "Since we're starting group sessions, I want you two to introduce yourselves to each other."

Myra and Harris simply stared at one another, neither saying a word. Ms. Colbie looked between the two.

"Well?" she said.

Myra opened her mouth, but Harris started speaking.

"Hi, I'm Harris Raymond McCarthy. Room 415. And I'm in here because I tried to kill myself!" he said, holding out his hand.

Ms. Colbie and Myra both stared at him.

"Mr. McCarthy, what the hell was that?" Ms. Colbie said after a moment.

"What? You said for us to introduce ourselves, so I did!" Harris said.

"That was very insensitive!" Ms. Colbie shouted.

"You didn't specify what to say and what not to say!" Harris shot back.

Myra watched the two silently from her seat. She had a small smile on her face now.

"Myra," she said.

Harris and Ms. Colbie fell silent and looked at her. Harris went back to leaning against the beck of his chair while Ms. Colbie looked back to her clipboard.

"I'm Myra Pierdat," the young ginger repeated. "And I have a dangerous mind."

Harris nodded. "I see," he said. "Like, how dangerous?"

"We don't have to talk about that if you don't want to, Myra," Ms. Colbie said.

Myra nodded and looked down again.

Harris kept his gaze on her. She was small and looked damaged and as though she was hiding a horror of a life-story behind her eyes. And in that moment... Harris decided he didn't mind being in a group session with her.

***

Edward was sitting in the activity room, drawing on a piece of scrap paper. He nibbled at his lip as he inspected the sketch. He shook his head and quickly erased it.

He was getting ready to redo what he had erased when the door flew open with a BANG! and a boy ran in and slammed it shut and pressed his back against it, eyes wide and terrified.

The nurse who watched this hour in the activity room stood up quickly and went over to the boy. "Ryan, Ryan sweetie," she said. "You're not supposed to be out of your room right now."

"He found us– He found us!" the boy, who Edward now knew as Ryan, said nervously.

"Who?" the nurse asked.

"Corrupt. Corrupt found us!"

"Who is 'us,' Ryan?"

"Me and Sly..."

"Who is Sly?"

"The alien in my body."

"Alien?" Edward spoke up.

"Yeah," Ryan said, looking at Edward with wide eyes. "He's in me. Right now. Always. Always talking and he's always hungry and–"

"Ryan, dear. Let's go back to your room," the nurse cut in.

"But- but Corrupt's gonna get us!"

"No he won't," the nurse said. "You're safe here. He can't hurt you."

"Let me... let me see what Sly thinks," Ryan said, and stepped away. He started muttering to himself. Edward watched him from the table, his drawing long forgotten.

He got up and went to the nurse.

"What's his deal?" he asked her.

"I'm not allowed to discuss the situation of one patient with another," she said.

"Then who's Sly? And this Corrupt guy?"

"I'm not allowed to discuss it!"

"He said fine!" Ryan announced, coming back over. "But just us. He'll make sure nothing happens."

He opened the door and started off. The nurse squeaked and grabbed Edward. "I can't leave you here by yourself. You've gotta come with us."

"But–" Edward started.

"We'll come straight back here. I promise."

Edward nodded and followed her out. As they walked down the hallway, they passed several rooms. There were windows and there weren't any blinds. He could easily see the rooms' residents.

In one room, he saw a scrawny blond boy sitting on a bed beside a boy with long black hair who was missing an arm. The one armed boy looked up and made eye contact with Edward.

Edward quickly looked away and looked through another window as he passed. Inside was a girl curled up on the bed. All that was visible were her white pants-covered legs, her bare feet, her pale arms, and a mess of short red hair. She was rocking back and forth.

In the next room, Edward saw two more boys. They seemed to be talking animatedly and spastically. The younger had a mess of brown hair, and the older looked like he had been burned, and he had bandages wrapped around both arms.

As he moved further down the hall, there was a room with two more guys, a boy with dark skin who was hunched over on his bed, and another boy who looked sort of lost. He kept snapping his fingers beside his ear, as though he couldn't hear them. Then he sighed and put something—a hearing aid—back in.

One final room and Edward will have enough.

In this last room, Edward saw a kid not much younger than he; but this kid seemed, to him, to be having a tantrum. He was throwing things around his room and screaming angrily.

Edward had never been this far down this hall. He only ever goes as far as his room, which is at the beginning of the hall, that he shares with Robert Lammet, a fellow PTSD sufferer.

"Ms. Williams," Edward spoke suddenly.

The woman looked to him. "Yeah, Edward?"

"I'm gonna go to my room," he said. "I suddenly feel very tired."

"You sure?" the blonde frowned. Edward nodded. "Okay then... I'll see you when it's time for dinner! And if you need anything, you know to–"

"To ask your aunt. I know," Edward said with a grin. He turned, his smile fading, and headed back down the hall to his room.