Nigel:
There was no answer to Alex' pleas, either because Nigel didn't hear him or because he was pretending not to hear him in front of the doctor and guards.
He was escorted back to his room, where a tray with food was waiting for him. Nigel paid no attention to the food at all, though. In fact the moment he was left alone he walked up to his pillow and pulled off the cover, which he filled with the very few belongings he had here - no more than a toothbrush and the pair of clothes he'd worn when they brought him in.
He was swaying as he walked through the room, though. The drug was still heavily inflating him and he looked as though he could drop unconscious again any minute. No way he was going to escape the building in this state.
Alex:
Alex had left him for real at that moment. He really had to slow down, and so he did. He knew he would mess up Nigel his head if he would keep popping up at the wrong moments, and so he waited. In silence he did his best to get himself a plan, but did he got any good results? Not at all. His head kept being empty, empty as a solitary - captivating everything from the inside, and allowing nothing to come in.
As soon as the guards finally left Nigel perfectly alone in his own room again, he decided to serve him a little visit again - but he wouldn't reveal himself to him. Not this time at least. He finally seemed to understand what was going on in here. Whenever Nigel spoke to an - in their eyes - imaginary friend, they popped up and asked him what was wrong.
Alex followed Nigel as he walked, paying his total attention to his attitude, way of looking and moving. He pursed his lips a bit dissatisfied and thoughtful. Nigel had changed, in a wrong and weird way. His eyebrows lifted as soon as he noticed Nigel taking his stuff from the inside of his pillow. He seemed to be drugged, still. His way of moving, breathing and gazing around didn't suited Nigel at all. It had to be- Nigel was still drugged, and it seemed like he wanted to escape - this time for real.
'Don't,' Alex suddenly whispered as he popped up in front of him. He parted his lips and held Nigel at his shoulders. 'You're not ready to go, not yet. You've to rest, Nigel. Rest, and I'll help you escape afterwards.' He thumbed through Nigel his dark brown hair and liked his dry lips now. 'Okay?'
Nigel:
He hung his shoulders in relief and nodded weakly when Alex grabbed them and told him he could rest first. He didn't need telling twice and pulled away from Alex to let himself drop down on the bed. He knew that if he wanted to he could be asleep in a second, but he didn't want to, not yet. First he wanted to know Alex was by his side. So he lifted one arm, reaching for Alex. He wanted him to lay down next to him.
When he did Nigel buried his face in his neck and tried to calm himself.
"Why can't I feel you, Alex?"
He wasn't talking about physical feelings. He couldn't feel Alex in his mind anymore. He just left a huge gap where his presence used to be and even now it was still empty.
Alex:
Alex shut his eyes for a moment as soon as Nigel nodded. He could't describe how relieved he was right now. Nigel gave him certainty about him staying safe. Alex knew for sure Nigel wouldn't make it if he would try to escape right now. His body trembled because of the drugs and his knees nodded.
'Good,' Alex whispered as he followed him towards the bed. 'That's right, just relax.' As soon as Nigel extended his arm, inviting him to join his bed, he tried to entwine his hand into Nigel's, but he wasn't really able to - yet he tried so. As soon as Alex laid his phenomenon next to Nigel his body, he pursed his lips and tried to crawl as close as possible against him, wishing he could feel him against his body again - but he didn't.
Slowly he wrapped an arm around Nigel and closed his as he relaxed himself as well now. As Nigel asked him the question, he nuzzled his face against Nigel's.
'Because I'm stuck in a place where our minds and body can't reach each other. It's like a file in a computer, placed on the wrong spot. It's there, but not reachable when your in the wrong map. You're in the map, one of the some. And I'm in another. I'm stuck in the dementia between earth and hereafter. You can't reach me, and I only can reach you whenever I'm really trying to. But it costs time. Each time I'm revealing myself to you, death takes away some of my time. He gave me a change to come back, but I don't know how...'
Nigel:
He frowned, giving up on the answer halfway through. The drugs weren't exactly stimulating for his brain.
"Sounds complicated," he muttered, already pleased to know Alex was there even though he couldn't touch him.
"But when I was gone, I could still feel you."
Well luckily he did remember it. If he really stamped everything that happened off as things that in fact never happened at all he wouldn't remember a detail like that.
"I could feel our minds linked."
He frowned, trying to find an explanation for that. But alas he was still drugged and thinking was exhausting, so he gave up.
"Alex? .. I think I ..- I'm..-" he uttered a few more words, struggling to tell Alex one last thing but in the end he lost the struggle and was unable to finish his sentence. He fell asleep and slipped off into dark, quiet dreams.
Alex:
Alex couldn't keep himself from chuckling softly as soon as he heard Nigel his answer. It was quite a brain cracker, he had to admit that, so he truly understood Nigel his way of responding.
'It is,' he just muttered softly against Nigel his cheek. He closed his eyes again and pressed a kiss upon his skin, softly and tender without even knowing if Nigel could feel it.
'I don't know what's happening,' he whispered softly. 'It's like I'm fading away. It takes so much to connect to you. Perhaps it's that...' His fingers thumbed through his hair again but he saw how it didn't give any result. His hair only moved a bit by air, but now how it would move like when you would actually touch it. That confirmed Alex he was losing his power again - or Nigel was slowly thinking less about him because he was about to fall asleep any moment. He knew that Nigel had to spend so much energy whenever he saw him. It was energy of them that had to connect to each other, otherwise it wouldn't work and Nigel wouldn't be able to hear or see him. That was also something why he had to take some rest, otherwise Alex couldn't help him tonight with running.
When Nigel questioned Alex his name, he frowned lightly and pulled back his head with a little smile hiding in his mouth corners.
'Yes?'
Nigel was gone, falling into a deep deep sleep with quiet dreams, and Alex his arm fell straight through Nigel his body. The connection was lost... But Alex never left the bed that night...
Nigel:
He had the same dream he always had, standing in temple church. The ground would begin to shake and the building would start to collapse on top of him. But Nigel didn't. He didn't try to get out of there. He knew the collapse was inevitable. It didn't take a genius to see what it symbolized. His word that crumbled down around him, - or already had.
This time was no different except for one part. As the building collapsed he could see Alex in front of him, but his feet were buried solidly in the stone ground and he couldn't run away even if he wanted to. He needed Nigel's help. Nigel wanted to help him but he couldn't move. Not because his feet were sowed to the ground like Alex' feet, but because he seemed to be frozen.
When the roof finally cracked down entirely and fell down on the both of them Nigel's eyes shot open. His eyes scanned the room as he sat up. When he didn't see Alex right away he covered his face and eyes with his hands and let himself fall back, even more miserable.. He knew it was too good to be true. It was all just another dream.
Alex:
Alex had been there. The entire dream. He had been laying closely against Nigel, hoping he would feel him in several ways again. He knew it was a wish that might would never come true again. A smile crossed his lips for all the agony appease him. He kept having hope though. He knew that even thought all the wonders would be maybe lost, there would might be a chance for the both of them.
He flinched as soon as Nigel popped op out of nowhere, heavily breathing and looking around as if he'd faced death again. Alex pressed himself up by his elbows, following Nigel his eyes. He knew he searched for him, but he couldn't see Alex. Not anymore. And now, was it time to leave and turn to dust?
His fingers stroked over the back of Nigel his hands, and he clenched his teeth as soon as he saw the miserableness in his attitude. He wanted to come back, so desperately. Alex wanted to come back, and be able to breath again, to feel again, to sleep, to live...
Alex could remember himself dying. He thought in the beginning he wouldn't have any pain. But it all had been a stupid fault, because it hurt. It had hurt so much. He could remember himself, trying to make himself choke, hoping he would vomit out all of the poison he had took. Trying to improve his stupid fault by killing himself. But he died...
By the cracks of the skin he climbed to the top of the tree he'd once imagined, trying to find his path back to life again. He had climbed the tree to see the world. When the gusts came around to blow him down, he had always held on as tightly as Nigel held onto him - hoping he would get help. As soon as Nigel began to try to forget him, the gusts took him away and pulled him into a dark big tomb. And the only thing he could do was pray...
Nigel:
He sat still like this for a moment. How cruel could one's mind be? Very cruel in Nigel's case. It had all seemed so very real. But he should've known better. It was ridiculous, - it was preposterous, - it was imposs..-
His thoughts got cut short when he suddenly felt a cold itch on his hand. The first second he just scratched it but the second after he froze again and looked at his hand. Was it a sign?
"Alex?" he whispered, trying to reopen that connection. He couldn't see him, or hear him but when he felt another gust of air stroking his cheek he knew enough. It was not a dream. Yesterday had really happened. The untouched plate on his desk confirmed it.
Immediately Nigel jumped from the bed and turned to the clock.
5:30 am. By now the guards should have gone to bed as well.. Just one hour without security.. At least that's what the other patients had told him. It was his only chance. He walked to the matrass suddenly and toppled it over - trying to make as less noise as possible, - and after a few minutes he managed to wriggle two springs from between it. Picking locks was not his specialty. But it was worth the try.. He straightened both strings under the heavy paw of the bed and then turned to the door in an attempt to force the lock with both wires, in the meantime he mumbled up a prayer, asking for a miracle.
Alex:
Eyes full of pity made his way over Nigel his pale countenance. He knew what Nigel thought right now. Alex had experienced the same a long time ago. Afraid of getting crazy. Instead of ending up in an institute, Alex drunk and drunk - hoping he would once be blessed and get better. To get loss of all of his sorrow. It did happened, but he made it worse for the two of them.
Alex flinched when Nigel seemed to feel him, or at least the cold air kissing the skin of his body as he tried to touch. There was this energy he must feel, somehow, and so he did.
As soon as Nigel whispered Alex his name, he nodded - though he knew he wouldn't see it anyway. He didn't wanted to talk - or well, he did, but it could have bad consequences so he decided to stay quiet for now. As soon as Nigel popped up and jumped out of the bed to make less noise as possible, Alex moved toward the door already and watched Nigel doing a great thing that hadn't came up to Alex yet. Taking pins from the slats was a great idea, he had to admit that. A satisfied smile climbed up Alex his face, and his eyes sparkled for a second because of recognizing the old Nigel a bit. Apparently he didn't loss his mind.
Alex stepped aside as soon as Nigel tried to break open the door. Perhaps Alex could help him? He turned into gust and cold air, and went straight through the door what made a click audible. The lock twisted by itself, and before Nigel could even know it, the door swung slowly open as a sign. Alex was there, and he'd always been, and he could've helped him any time - only if Nigel had wanted him to.
He slowly made his way toward the end of the corridor where they should go to the right if Nigel would follow. For a second he appeared, visible for Nigel, and he pressed his index finger against his lips as a sign that he had to keep his mouth shut. Alex could perhaps open all the locks on the doors, but perhaps he also couldn't. They would see... There was only one thing that mattered. Nigel needed to get out of there.
Nigel:
He moved the two wires through the keyhole to unlock it. Of course it was impossible, at least with this kind of locks.. So when he suddenly heard a click in the lock, - even though he hadn't moved the wires at all to stimulate such a happening, - he frowned and carefully pushed against the door, which opened to his surprise.
For a moment he just stood there, considering what just happened. At first he thought this may be some kind of truck and he looked around for present staff but there was no one there. Which led to the conclusion it could have only been Alex. It made him feel a little more confident. If only a little.
Quickly but quietly he moved out of the door and followed the hall towards the end. He would've gone to the left if it wasn't for Alex showing up suddenly. He stopped in his tracks when he did and stared at Alex hazily before he got what he meant and then moved to the right. He questioned the decision because all those doors were heavily locked as well, but if Alex could do it once perhaps he could do it again.
Alex:
It made Alex softly chuckle as soon as he saw Nigel his face. He seemed to be quietly mindfucked about the fact that the door just opened in front of his nose without doing a thing - because after all he hadn't done much yet. It was good how Nigel hadn't been able to see him yet, probably.
For a moment he believed Nigel had been frozen, and that he wasn't about to move at all - but luckily he did in the end. He had smiled before he'd disappeared again, and moved toward the end of the corridor again to show Nigel which way he had to go now.
They did this for a few minutes, and each time Alex had opened the doors for him without any troubles. After a little while they passed big windows which released the signs of many things, things Nigel hadn't seen for a long time - perhaps. Out in the garden were planted seeds. Branches were sewn with the color of green and brown, and the moon shone half above the sky, full moon to be exact.
'You'll be free in a bit,' Alex whispered out of nowhere when he stood next to the last door, the entrance. A little smile crossed his face and he disappeared again.
But nothing happened this time...
Nigel:
He looked at Alex and nodded hopeful. He was actually getting outside again. On his own. So when Alex disappeared through the door Nigel reached out to open it. But the moment he pulled down the handle an ear deafening alarm went off and the door was locked solidly.
He turned around in shock and heard the guards already making their way up to him. Within a minute they had him surrounded and at seeing Nigel was not armed one of them grabbed him. Nigel struggled massively now, getting another panic attack.
"NO! Jack, you promised! LET ME GO! JACK!?"
Alex:
Even so, Alex knew that one day he would have an "accident". There were so many different kinds, and I thought the most likely was the one that was the hardest to avoid or plan against - unlike any other. The unexpected. And so it proved. But honestly Alex had never thought it would actually happen on the last moment, exactly when they almost reached the "light", their destiny.
In Alex his head, he was only a few minutes away from freedom. And Nigel and he could've finally thought out a plan without being disturbed by stupid guards which tried to brainwash Nigel. If Nigel would really believe Alex had left him for real, and it had all been his imagination, coincidence and luck, Alex was dead. Gone, for permanent. HIs only change of coming back, was by getting help of Nigel. He couldn't be forgotten. He had nowhere else to go to.
Alex startled when he nothing happened, and the connection between earth and him was suddenly gone. It was like they had shut the power off, they had broke the connection because it had already took too long. Was he really to late? Had he really ran out of time?
'Nigel!' he yelled as he shook his head and grabbed his own hair to pull at it panicky. Of course it didn't helped at all, and he could neither feel it. 'Nigel, no! No, don't do this! I'm here, I can't-' Alex yelped and tried his best to opened the door nevertheless. 'Nigel!' he screamed as he finally managed to open the door. It slammed open, and within a second the whole alarm-system went on. The glass of the door broke, and Nigel had two choices. He could just walk through the doorway, or he could just walk through the window.
'For god's sake, run!' Who was saying Nigel was actually able to hear him? Alex stood outside now, facing how Nigel got grabbed by some guards and he couldn't do a thing. The only thing Alex could do was praying now, hoping Nigel would get the hint and would get his ass out of here by a miracle.
Nigel:
Nigel kept on struggling for some longer but the guard held him down tightly, and another guard was already walking up to them to give him the syringe again. He weakened into the guard's arms finally and it seemed he had given up.
At this point, he suddenly remembered something he did, though. Or better said, something he took and still had on it. When the syringe was almost there Nigel suddenly launched out and jammed something in the neck of the guard holding him. It was the spring he flattened to a wire that now stuck from the man's air pipe. The guard with the syringe was taken of guard for a moment and Nigel managed to jam up the arm of the guard until the syringe ended up in the man's own chest.
He made a run for it after that, out of the mental home. A whole group was after him, he could hear guarding dogs approach him too, and Nigel had never ran harder in his life.
Alex:
Normally the pain would gradually start to locate itself. It should've been like this rain that had fallen and was now settling into puddles and rivulets. But that would be only if Alex would've been alive. Then he would've felt the scratching pain of the glass stabbing through his skin. His upper back should've been numb, because he would've landed on that spot. It must have ached a lot. His arms, his knees, his elbows, his face. Now it was like a gigantic shield protected him. Though, Alex did felt dizzy, he couldn't feel a thing of course. There was only this thing that messed up with his mind which was indescribable. Alex was a ghost now. He had no body so no limp could actually hurt since there were no nervous systems.
A tiny part of his brain had time to think: How stupid. If this all had not happened, he would be in the house together with Nigel and everything would be normal. Or well, in the house... normal. It would've been better then this, nevertheless. Nothing could be worse then this - in Alex his opinion. But now, now he was there and he was going to have to deal with it, and if only he didn't.
He gazed at Nigel, how he managed it to release from the guards their grip, and how he ran for his life as the black aggressive dogs appeared in the background. Alex wanted to help him so badly. The thing that hurt Alex the most? It had been mostly Alex his purpose to do this all. It wasn't only for the eternity he would get afterwards - or at least he thought he would've. But also because he wanted Nigel to suffer for what he'd done to him those years when he'd been away.
Alex had always kept his dark side. His side of wanting revenge, of not being satisfied with the things he got. He always wanted more, and took the wrong choices. Just like now...
The thing he could do for Nigel now? Praying- Praying he would get out alive, not being caught by those aggressive, rabid dogs. And hoping he would be able to help him again, as soon as possible. Alex recognized one thing now, though. He got his connection back. His total connection- He could feel him breath, he could feel the things Nigel felt. Impressive it was... But was it also safe?
Nigel:
It was raining by the time he ran out. Not much was going through Nigel now but terror. The pure need to survive. The adrenaline. On the way a dog caught his ankle between it's jaws and Nigel toppled over, but he managed to kick the dog's nose - break it, - and struggle himself free. He resumed the running and headed straight into the forest. Even as the sounds behind him had disappeared into the trees behind him he kept running. He probably didn't even have to run anymore but he kept going until he could go no more. Until his legs gave in and further, for fear of what would happen if he stopped running. He'd realize what he had done.. knowing that there was still nothing he could do to get Alex back.
Finally his legs really did gave in, - it was a miracle his injured ankle had even gotten that far,- and he dropped down between the bushes, cheek in the dirt. He just kept laying like that for hours, for he felt like he couldn't move anymore. The sound of police sirens slowly blacked out. They couldn't find him.. And Nigel was satisfied just to lay in the rain and block it all out.