Mental Fiction Follows Me

“You know, we’d have a peaceful morning if you’d shut up for just once!” I yelled out loud.

“Syd, are you okay?” I turned around and saw Aiden standing in the doorway to the kitchen area, staring at me.

“I’m fine. Just the usual,” I said and turned back to the pop-tart that was fresh out the toaster.

“Usual for you, or usual for everyone else?” Aiden asked. I could almost hear the smile in her voice.

“Depends. Heard any voices recently?” I asked. I turned around with my hot pop-tart and leaned my back against the counter.

“Can’t say that I have,” Aiden replied as she pulled a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Where’s everyone else at?” I asked.

“Asleep, since it’s five-thirty in the morning,” Aiden said and leaned against the wall.

“Then why are you up?”

“Why are you?

“Because I always get up early. Old habits, you know.”

“I couldn’t sleep.” I heard Aiden’s sigh, and my smiled slowly faded.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just couldn’t get to sleep,” she said with a small shrug.

“Nightmares or something?”

“No, that’s the weird part,” she said and looked over at me.

“I’m fine, hun. You gotta quit worrying about me,” I said.

“Yeah, Syd’s a big girl now,” Deandra mumbled as she walked in.

“What are you doing up?” I asked.

“I always get up early,” Deandra said.

“You’re both crazy. I’m going back to sleep,” Aiden said and walked off.

“Why are you up?” Deandra asked as she stopped in front of me. I saw the two pieces of bread in her hands, so I stepped out of her way and sat down in the small kitchen booth.

“Old habits, I guess. I’m still not used to sleeping in,” I said casually.

“Were you in the military or something?” Deandra asked. She didn’t have a sarcastic tone to her voice for once, so I didn’t fire back an angry response.

“Yeah, army,” I said.

“So, that’s why you helped me?” Deandra asked as she pulled out the toast.

“I guess so. It was an instinct to help,” I said.

“Well...umm...thank you,” she said in almost a whisper.

“Can I get that in writing?” I asked with a smile.

“Hell no,” Deandra said with a laugh. I felt the bus come to a stop, and I peeked out the windows.

“We’re stopping for gas or something,” I said as I stood up. Deandra mumbled something, but I didn’t hear her. I snuck back to my bunk and smiled at the ceiling.

”Syd, you can’t! Not again!” Lillian yelled.

”Go for it, Syd!” Sage yelled.

”It’ll only be for a second, Lils, I promise. Sage, quit cheering!” I thought as I pushed myself through the small opening in the ceiling. I quietly crawled down a little, and then I stretched out on top of the bus. The sky was still dark, and a few stars twinkled in the sky. It was peaceful, and I loved it.

“I thought Aiden told you not to come back up here?” I turned my head and saw Jimmy crawling towards me. He stopped next to me and laid down.

“She did, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” I said and smiled over at him.

“If you say so,” Jimmy said and smiled back.

“I do,” I said and turned my face back to the darkened sky. The sky seemed to stretch for miles and reach into infinity. How can people go without ever appreciating something like this? It’s so beautiful and relaxing.

“You know, I kinda like it up here,” Jimmy said quietly after a few minutes.

“It’ll be our little secret,” I said. I felt warm fingers trace the back of my hand and then lace through my own fingers. I gave Jimmy’s hand a small squeeze and continued to stare into forever.

“Sydney Haner!”

“Dammit!” I whispered and quickly rolled to my knees. Jimmy was still laying down, his fingers laced through mine, and smiling up at me.

“I’ve never seen anyone move so fast,” he said.

“Well, you better start moving that fast. Aiden’s scary when she’s mad,” I said.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Jimmy said and started crawling back towards the hole. He slipped through it first, and then he caught me when I jumped down. His hands landed on my hips from behind to steady me, and the first thing I saw was Aiden’s flashing violet eyes.

“You said you wouldn’t go back up there!” Aiden said.

“I said I’d think about it,” I replied.

“Syd!”

“I just wanted to see the sky,” I said, sounding like a defeated child.

“Why is there yelling?!” I looked around Jimmy and saw Johnny standing behind Aiden in nothing but his boxers and his hair all messed up from sleep.

“I...well...umm-”

“You were yelling,” Johnny accused and pointed to Aiden.

“Maybe,” Aiden said and shrugged.

“That’s it. Everyone go back to sleep,” Johnny said and grabbed Aiden.

“I’ll finish with you later!” Aiden yelled and pointed at me before Johnny pulled her into his bunk.

“Did you understand any of that?” I asked and tilted my head back so I could see Jimmy’s face.

“Not a bit,” Jimmy said and shook his head slowly.

“No more talking! Sleep!” Johnny yelled. I groaned and hung my head. Sleep was such a waste time! There was no point in sleeping, except to slightly recharge your body. I was fully recharged, so there was no point in me sleeping. None at all.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“What the gnome said, for once,” Jimmy said as he disappeared into his bunk. A good portion of my arm disappeared with him, since his fingers were laced through mine.

“But I don’t wanna sleep,” I whined.

“Too bad!” Johnny yelled. I sighed and crawled in next to Jimmy. Why I didn’t go back to my own bunk, I can’t explain. As thoughts swirled in my mind, Jimmy wrapped his arms around my waist and dropped his head to my chest. I started to ask him what he was doing, but then I changed my mind because I no longer cared. I began running my fingers through his wild, black hair, and then I closed my eyes.

”What are you so uptight about?” Danny asked as we walked side by side down the abandoned street.

“I am not uptight,” I said.

“You are definitely uptight,” Danny said with a small laugh.

“I just got a bad feeling, okay?” I asked and tightened my grip on my gun.

“Come on, Syd. We’ve done hundreds of these. It’s just a routine check. There’s nothing to-”

“Get down!” someone up ahead yelled. I heard the distinct whistle of a bullet, and then a scream erupted beside me.

“Danny!” I screamed dropped to my knees beside him.

“I’m okay, Syd. I’m okay,” Danny whispered. His fingers reached towards me and grabbed my own. I frantically looked around and saw an empty building beside us.

“I’m going to take care of you, Danny. I promise,” I whispered as I looped his arm around my neck. I drug him towards the building and slipped inside. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I saw a few other moving bodies.

“Holy shit. Is that Danny?” Marcus said as he came over towards us.

“He’s been hit,” I said as I looked down at the spreading stain on the chest of his shirt.

“I’ll be fine, Syd,” Danny whispered. His usually tan skin had turned pale and he was shivering slightly.

“I know you will be,” I said and started pulling off my top shirt. I was left in nothing but a plain white shirt. I applied pressure to Danny’s wound, but my shirt was soaked almost instantly.

“He’s not going to make it!” Marcus yelled and yanked my arm. My other hand automatically grabbed my gun and I pushed it into Marcus’s temple. His brown eyes widened in fear as he stared at me.

“Say that one more time and you won’t make it,” I said slowly. Marcus nodded his head, and I turned my attention back to Danny.

“Syd?” Danny asked weakly.

“Yeah?” For the first time, I realized I was crying.

“Don’t leave me here. Make sure I make it home. Please, Syd. I just wanna go home,” Danny said as tears started coming from his own eyes.

“You’ll make it home, Danny. Even if it’s the last thing I do,” I said. Danny nodded his head, and then I felt the whole building shake as I heard a deafening explosion. The wood and glass around me shattered, and a piece of glass landed in my side, between my third and fourth rib on the left side. I threw myself over Danny, and something skimmed over my back, ripping my shirt in the process. The pain was maddening, but I never heard myself scream.

Everything went still; silent. Pieces of wood laid on my bloodied back, and I pushed it off as I rose onto my knees. I took my bloodied shirt and used it to pull the glass from my ribs. This time I heard my screams, and the screams of fellow soldiers. The dark helped cloak us, but it wouldn’t last for long.

With a hiss of pain, I picked Danny up and drug him somewhere far away. I could still hear the screams and see the smoke, but I knew I was a safe distance away. I placed Danny behind yet another building, and then I realized he was gone. I shed a few tears, but I held my sobs inside. They could wait. There were still a few people alive who needed help, and I was still able to walk. I gently closed Danny’s eyes and started back.

The screams were becoming louder, and now I could hear gun shots. My own gun was still in my hand, and sand licked at my back and wounds. It hurt, but I didn’t care. They had killed Danny, so I was going to kill them. My eyes were used to the darkness, and I saw the first one on top of a nearby building. He was gone with one pull of my trigger.

Three more fell before I felt arms wrapped around me from behind. I kicked, screamed, and fought with all I had. Every moment pulled at the gash in my ribs, but I was hoping to bleed out. Before long, my limbs grew heavy and I fell into a merciful blackness, only to awake as a POW.

Jimmy’s POV:

I felt Syd jerk under me, and I quickly lifted my head. Brian had said she hadn’t had any nightmares since that first night, but maybe she has. Maybe she just doesn’t flip out anymore. Her face was smooth and relaxed, and her lips were moving slightly. I leaned my ear close to her mouth to see if I could hear her.

“You’ll make it home, Danny. Even if it’s the last thing I do,” she whispered softly.

“Syd? Syd?” I asked and grabbed her shoulders. Her whole body came to life and seemed to come completely off the bunk. Her mouth opened and released a scream, and I had to resist the urge to cover my ears. Her scream seemed to last forever and was full of pain and agony. Her hands went instantly to her side and she clawed at her shirt.

“Syd, wake up!” I yelled and shook her again. She stopped screaming, and then she tried to climb out of the bunk. I hadn’t seen her eyes open, so I assumed that she was still asleep. I grabbed her and pulled her back. I pushed her shoulders back onto the mattress, but the rest of her body strained upwards.

“What’s wrong with her?” I looked over and met Aiden’s troubled eyes.

“I don’t know. I think she’s having a nightmare,” I said as I struggled to keep her down.

“Sydney! Wake up!” Aiden yelled.

“All gotta die...” Syd whispered and continued to jerk her body.

“Syd, come on, wake up,” I said quietly. She went still for a second, and then her whole body gave a lurch.

“NO! Let me go! Dammit, I said let me go! You ain’t killing me, you sonofabitch! Do you hear me! Put me down!” Syd screamed and started kicking. Someone grabbed her legs, but I didn’t look back to see who it was. Syd quit screaming out, and then she just screamed as she continued to fight against me.

Then, suddenly, she went limp. Her body sagged against the mattress and her breathing became even and deep. Her struggling arms went to her sides and stayed there. I let go of her and slumped against the wall.

“Someone wanna explain that?” Deandra asked. She must have been the one to grab Syd’s kicking feet.

“Maybe later,” Aiden said and looked at Syd with worry in her eyes.

“I think she’ll be okay now,” I said quietly. I was still trying to catch my breath.

“I thought she was better,” Aiden whispered.

“She’s getting there,” Johnny said reassuringly.

“I’ll tell everyone that she’s okay now,” Aiden said. She closed the curtain behind her, and I looked down at a sleeping Syd. She was laying so still, I could barely tell that she was breathing.