With the walls shaking around them and the ceiling threatening to cave in on top of them, the Boys ran hard, seeing nothing but the glowing orange door ahead of them. It was as if they were in a dream. No matter how fast they seemed to be running, no matter how hard they tried, the door just didn't get any closer.
"Nick, let us out!" Brian yelled, but Nick was nowhere in sight.
Howie was cursing himself as he ran. He had convinced himself that when it was time, he would know what to do. That he would magically save them all from getting stuck. Now even Brian couldn't get out. The door throbbed orange, mocking him. "How-ie, How-ie, How-" he stopped dead. A.J. ran into him and they sprawled on the ground in a tangle of arms and legs.
When they were back on their feet, Howie listened again. He wasn't imagining things, the door *was* calling him. With Mindi's voice. "You guys hear that?"
"The whole place shaking?" A.J. dripped sarcasm, "No, D. We can't hear that over the roar of our own breathing."
"No, nitwit." He gave his friend a withering glare. "Mindi."
Brian shook his head. "You sure?"
"Howie!" The sound made him jump. He glanced to his right... it sounded as if she was yelling in his ear...
"I'm such a dunce!"
"We know Howard."
"Shut up, Bone." Of *course* it sounded as if she was yelling in his ear - she was. He wasn't really here, after all - he was sitting in his hospital room, looking into Mindi's eyes.
"Uh oh, D. You're going all fuzzy again." The TV screen effect returned. If he blinked, he'd probably be seeing Mindi's face instead of the grey and orange landscape. But what would happen to the rest of them?
When you need to come back, look at Howie. He'll take you out.
I guess the 'zoom' button means 'walk towards'
You're the anchor.
"That's it!" He was so excited he would have bounced, if he'd known how in this state.
"Sometime soon, you're gonna have to start making sense Howie," Kevin warned.
"Mindi warned me we'd probably have trouble getting out," he explained. "She told me I had to lead you out. I think I've figured out how."
"Wanna hurry up?" A.J. demanded, eyeing the ceiling.
"She called me 'the anchor'. I need you guys to hold on to me - I think I can zoom in on the door and get us there."
"'Hold on'? I went through you!"
"But Brian didn't. If you really need to get hold of me, I bet you can." The room gave another ominous rumble and A.J. made a grab for Howie's hand. This time, it held.
"Still don't know how long this will last," he muttered. "C'mon guys."
Once everyone had a grip on him somewhere, Howie focused on the door which had been taunting them. He stared hard, inspecting it closely. Sure enough, it grew larger and larger, until they were standing right at the edge. "See you on the other side, guys." He blinked.
Brian fell through the door and landed, waking with a start. Heaviness and fatigue descended upon him, along with a vague awareness that he was no longer seeing or thinking for two. It took him another few moments to realise that the heaviness was his own body, and that he was sitting in the hospital again. That awareness gave him energy.
"Frack?" He looked towards the still-motionless form on the bed. "Frack you said you'd come back."
"If we gave him something to focus on." A.J. looked haggard, and about to fall over. "I made Mindi send me down," he explained briefly. "Kev's gonna walk. Howie's.... Howie *wants* to come down, Nick. Looks like you're gonna have to go to him instead."
"He's ok?" Brian asked, concerned.
"Mindi says so. He passed out before I woke up."
Nick swam slowly towards consciousness. When he said 'something I can focus on' he had meant singing, but in the last second before Brian let go of his mind, he realised where his friend was, and that Brian was holding his hand. His left hand. So there should be some warmth, a little pressure... Brian's aura. He didn't have to be fully conscious to sense *that*. There it was, shining strong and true as always. The closer he got to it though...
You're in a hospital, doofus. Of course there are other people around. Once he thought about it, it didn't take much to rebuild his mental sheilds. That done, waking up became safer. A.J. was close by, too. There was Jacob, Suzanne was a little further away, with Kevin. Where was Howie?
"Howie *wants* to come down, Nick. Looks like you're gonna have to go to him instead." Right. Allergic. Didn't need prying minds right now. God, waking up was hard. His body was...
The physical sensation of pain woke Nick right up. "Ow," he groaned, eyes still shut.
"Am I hearing things?" A.J. inquired.
"I think he's complaining again," Brian confirmed, his eyes bright with happy tears. "What's wrong Frack, can't take a little pain?"
"Brian..." Nick began, "if you call me a wuss, so help me..."
"Open your eyes if you're gonna threaten me."
"Ow. Light. Ow." He squinted through the fluorescent glare. "You *enjoy* seeing me in pain, don't you?"
"Shut up, Nicky." A.J. returned affectionately.
Kevin's coming in, Suzanne broadcast. He gets to 'discover' Nick. Alex and Brian, go get some rest. She sent them back to the hotel in an instant. Welcome back, kiddo.
Nick struggled to sit up as Kevin entered his field of view, and discovered the restraints. Kevin shook his head. "Relax, junior."
"I'm sorry, Kev." For a moment, Kevin glimpsed the timid little boy again. "I know you hate lies."
"You did what you had to," he reached out and tousled Nick's hair. "I shouldn't have reacted like that."
"No more lies," Nick assured him. "The truth's pretty weird, though."
"No more lies," Kevin agreed. "But the truth can wait." He pushed the call button by Nick's bed, and waited.