Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back

The crazy, intense, psychotic laughter was knocking on the side of my brain. BAM. I cried out, kicking my feet repeatedly until a hand rested on my shoulder. It was one of them. It had to be. I pushed the hand away, "Go away!" I screamed. The hand touched me again, and this time I completely broke down. I clenched onto the demon's legs and begged, "Please just leave me alone! I don't deserve this! Please, please, please-"
The voice hushed me, "Come on buddy. Let's get up from the ground, get your pills, and listen to nice, calm music, okay?"
I looked up, my eyes watery from the tears. It was Ray. He was smiling at me. I felt a small hint of relief. It was just him. His hand rested under neath my arm. He carefully led me up onto my feet. The voices in my head seemed to die down except for his. He smiled as he led me toward the kitchen, "Get your pills." His voice echoed.
I wiped my nose with my sleeve before opening the drawer. The small tube of pills were right in front of me, but I didn't move. What was the point of taking them? They hardly work. Still, with Ray's smile beside me, I grabbed two pills and swallowed them. I can taste the bitterness as it trailed down my throat. Ray led me toward the living room and set me down onto the couch. He handed me the remote for the stereo, "Go on." He said. I clicked it on and shut my eyes. The voices were hushing each other and my head spiked images of random people pushing their fingers against their lips and saying, "ssshhh". It was a slideshow of images. First they were going slow, steady. Then the images went faster and faster, and faster until my head spiked images of blood rushing through a vessel, a knife stabbing a friend. The images grew more violent, too violent.
My eyes jolted open.
I was I'm a cold sweat with my heart pounding against my chest. The music was still playing. The soft tunes rushed through my ears as I stood up from the ground. I took off my shirt and my shoes just to get comfortable.
"The voices are gone."
I sighed as I leaned back onto the couch, "They'll come back. They always do."
Ray just smiled. That's what I liked about him. No matter what he always kept a positive attitude.
A knock went on the door. It had to be one of two people: my mother or my counselor. I rushed toward the door forgetting I didn't have a shirt on. I swung it open to find both. My mother's eyes gloomily stared at the ground. My counselor, on the other hand, had his head up high, "Pack up your things."
"what?"
My mother muttered, "Honey, I booked you into the city's ward."
"The ward?"
"The Mental ward." my counselor said.
"Mental...but I'm not a danger to anyone! I take my damn pills, I stay in my apartment!"
My mother shouted, "I don't sleep at night because of you!" I stood there, frozen. She added, "Every night I get worried because you hear voices. I get worried that you're going to do something that will put you six feet underground!" Her voice was calm now, "Honey, I just want to sleep at night knowing your safe."
I shook my head slowly, "I'm not going."
My mother said, "You're a troubled teen, Frankie. You're too young to be living this way. Let the counselor help you."
"No." I said firmly.
My counselor sighed, "You're eighteenth birthday isn't until next year. Your mother has given me permission to use force if I have to...and Frank, by the time your eighteen, you have the option to leave."
"Well, I don't want to go. Not now, not ever-" In a swift move a needle dove into the side of my neck. Once the liquid entered my body, I lost my balance quickly and fell onto the ground. I could hear my counselor say before I blacked out, "Force was needed."

Notes