Chapter 28
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Cameo’s mind was perpetually dark. Phantoms danced along the walls of his room when he was awake, and specters haunted his dreams when he was asleep. He saw his mother when he was asleep and his father when he was awake. He saw friends and family when he was drifting between these two stages of delirium.
One face, however, was constant. That of his brother, Colton, shifted between phantom and specter and was always present, whether he was awake or asleep.
In the ever-present darkness, he knew he was being pumped full of drugs. Pain-relievers, antibiotics, and fluids were being forced into his body, sustaining him and keeping him just out of reach of death’s door. He knew there were no phantoms, no ghosts, no specters. Just real people who cared about him. But, with his mind so clouded, all he could see were the horrid phantoms, ghosts, and specters. He believed it was Colton who clutched his hand and brushed his hair out of his eyes. In his more feverish moments, he thought it was his brother who lovingly dabbed the sweat off of his forehead with a cool cloth.
Some shadows, however, were less welcome. First of all, there was Thomas Seaton Wilson. His ghost haunted him with screams and smiles and sadistic laughs. His ghost floated along with a girl’s, one he couldn’t quite remember. Thomas’s phantom often kissed the girl’s, who screamed until his own phantom appeared and fought Thomas’s. Thomas’s phantom seemed to be responsible for his own real pain.
Second, there was an older figure, one of power and corruption. This figure hovered over him, whispering threats and deals into his ear, keeping him close. This figure seemed to cause harm to every phantom Cameo saw.
Third, a young boy, seven or eight, but five and a half feet tall and strong as a bull. This specter came with a younger version of himself. Every time these shadows appeared, the tall boy would break his arm, sending screams of hatred and pain through his mind. This abusive shadow was Thomas Ramone Olivera, his childhood bully, the reason Cameo had invested himself and his parents money into a dozen different martial arts.
These three figures often came in quick succession, and when the second Thomas left, he could barely breathe. The dreams made sweat pour down his neck and make his hair stick to his forehead. He knew he screamed. He couldn’t hear his cries, though. The fever ensured he was locked away in this silent, spectral world.
One day, on the morning of December eighth, his fever finally broke. His eyes fluttered open and he could see light, beautiful, blinding light that chased away his ghostly oppressors. When his eyes adjusted, he saw a girl, the girl that Wilson abused. She was dirty, bruised, and crying, but she was gorgeous. His hand was clasped between hers, and when his finger involuntarily twitched, she looked up.
“Cameo?” she asked, as if she was afraid to. He coughed in response, his voice stuck in his throat. “How do you feel?” He nodded, realizing that it was the first time since the fever that his arm didn’t hurt. The girl pressed her hand to her heart. “Oh, thank God, you’re okay.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’ll be right back, okay? Don’t move.”
How could he move? He was pumped full of drugs and still unable to lift his head. And she thought he could move?
The girl soon returned with another boy. Who was he?
“Tanner, he’s awake! And he doesn’t seem to think I’m-” She covered her mouth with her hand and whispered something to the new boy, Tanner.
Tanner growled. “Good. He needs to get back into command. Wilson knocked out two of our guards in an effort to escape before the other two got him.”
As Tanner said Thomas’s name, the memories came flooding back to him. The pain, the love, the heartbreak, the tragedy, it all came in a tidal wave that threatened to drown him.
This girl, her name was Infinity and he loved her and she loved him. The first time they had really kissed was in the closet of Simon Groth’s headquarters in Ontario.He knew she really loved him that moment in the rain, when she touched his bleeding lip and kissed him anyway, even though he was dirty, bloody, bruised, and anything but okay.
Tanner was one of the teenagers from Yellowknife. The teens were going to help him stop the evil president, the person who loomed over him in his horrible feverish world. Jaiden had his brother, Colton. Colton had never been here.
All of these people and more loved him and cared about him. He was their leader and savior and they had followed him.
Strength surged through his body along with the wave of emotion. He could hardly breathe. He heard Infinity call his name. Adrenaline coursed through his veins.
“Нет нет! Это слишком много! Это слишком много! Бесконечность, помоги мне!” He stretched his hands up towards her, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“Not again,” he heard Tanner whisper.
Infinity bent down and stroked his hair. “Hey, hey, shh, it’s okay, you’re okay. No one’s going to hurt you here. You’re safe.”
He wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face in her hair and sobbed. “Infinity!” he whispered. “Help me.”
Suddenly his muscles felt small and weak. His arms slipped from Infinity’s neck. Tanner had plugged some sort of fluid into his IV machine. By the drowsiness that overtook him, Cameo guessed it was some sort of sedative. Before his eyes closed again, he pushed himself up into Infinity’s arms and kissed her, holding on to her for as long as he could. Eventually, his eyes closed and he fell back on his pillow, feeling more exhausted and scared than ever.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9Zc6xPVjo
