I feel marginally better. I open my phone and scroll over any missed notifications. I notice two outgoing calls from Saturday. Calls I don’t remember making at all.
One to Emmet, and one to my father.
What in the fuck?
My heart rate picks up as I begin to freak out. I feel as if I’m about to pass out at any second. My body crawls with a tingling sensation, up my chest and into my face. My muscles shake uncontrollably from my jaw down to my calves.
I haven’t had a panic attack in years, and it isn’t any easier now than it was then.
I breathe in and out just like my old therapist taught me. In for five, out for five. I focus on things I can feel, see, hear, bringing me back slowly to normal.
Though I just slept the weekend away, that overwhelming feeling of terror has exhausted me. Even my muscles feel fatigued.
Nothing makes any sense. I wasn’t drunk enough to pass out that hard for that long.
I go to the mudroom where Garrison has a printed calendar of all our schedules. I note the time and see Walker and Garrison should be out on break now.
I flip open my phone and dial Garrison first. He answers right away.
“What’s up, Ledger? Shouldn’t you be in class right now?”
“Listen, I just woke up and I can’t remember anything from this weekend. I was going to get beer in the kitchen and then nothing. You guys didn’t notice I was missing?”
“I just talked to you last night…”
“Wait, what?” I ask, racking my brain but nothing is coming up.
“Yeah, man. We talked about our parents and then you headed off to bed. You know, maybe you should talk to a therapist? You’ve been through a lot of trauma lately and that could be the reason for your mental block.”
Logically, his words make sense, but that doesn’t seem like the root cause. No, this feels… off. Different.
“Yeah, maybe I’ll do that.” I hang up, deciding to head to my next class. Hopefully something would spark my memory. I’d talk with the rest of the guys tonight and see if they can help me piece together the weekend.
I can’t shake the fact that I had two outgoing calls to people I would have never contacted under normal circumstances. Something wasn’t adding up, and I was determined to figure out what it was.
ChapterTwenty-Eight
PIERCE
SONG: THROUGH GLASS BY STONE SOUR
My body feels like it’s starting to shut down. I can barely keep my eyes open. I spend most of my time unconscious, not knowing if the next time my eyes close will be the last.
The only consolation I have are the moments the mirror lets me see my brother and Salem. I ache to be reunited with them. I acted like I had all the time in the world, not realizing that one day I’d be pulled away from them in the blink of an eye.
“Where is he?” A deep angry voice demands. I peel my tired eyes open to see a man with billowing black robes as he stalks towards my cell. He fiddles with the lock, prying open my jail door.
The demon known as Pride walks slowly behind the man.
“Really, Pride. Would it kill you to clean him up? It smells like rotted flesh and feces in here.” The man covers his nose dramatically.
“I’ll have it done.” He says with a sneer.
The man kneels in front of me, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look into his golden eyes while he covers his mouth with something that resembles a handkerchief.
“How is it, a mortal such as yourself could manage to capture one of the most powerful demons?”
I have no idea what he’s talking about, but I can’t seem to form the words to respond.
