Liberty Chapter 4: Fever Haze

I groggily propped myself up on my elbows, too disoriented to thank my savior.  I mumbled incoherently, wondering what had happened. I wasn’t dead it seemed. Maybe my savior, Whatshisname, has sacred the demon behemoth off. Why couldn’t I remember his name? It was right there, dancing on the edge of my mind. My mind. I winced as a splitting headache erupted in it. A thousand questions about Whatshisname flew through my mind. Maybe he had found Grace? Grace. Where was my Budew? I don’t know what I would have done if that demon ate Grace. I started to speak, but my throat decided to refuse me and the only sound my mouth made was an odd gargle. I bent over and almost hacked up a lung as I tried to get the remaining water out of my throat. I pulled myself back up and pushed one of the longer strands of my brown hair out of my face. I balanced wobbly on my elbows, which were threatening to give out at any moment. I bit back yet another cough and managed to wheeze out a single word: “Grace...”

Whatshisname stared at me, as if confused on what I was asking. It should have been instantly obvious what I was asking. I hadn’t stuttered or choked on my words or water. I saw a large shadow move behind him and glanced up at it. What I saw made me scream and hurriedly get up into my shaky legs. I almost fell over right away but managed to keep my shaky balance. The demon behemoth from the night was back. In the dawn’s light I could see that the monster was even more terrifying in the day. Whatshisname couldn’t see the monster as it was standing directly behind him. It slowly extended its clawed hands and brought them closer to Whatshisname. It was going to slash him into ribbons! My mouth started moving, but in my panic I couldn’t form words. It’s arms started wrapping around Whatshisname and he started to smile. He was smiling as a monster stood over him about to dice him as easily as you or I dice a carrot. As the behemoth grabbed Whatshisname I turned and ran. He was as good as dead now, nothing I could do to save him. I stumbled and fell, bumping my knee on a rock, but pushed myself back up. I couldn’t hear it, but the demon was after me. I knew it was. I couldn’t hear a scream from Whatshisname. The demon had killed him before he was even able to scream. I still didn’t remember his name, but he’s dead; it didn’t much matter. It mattered even more, actually. I wouldn’t be able to apologize for letting him die. Wait, why would I have to apologize to a corpse? Another splitting headache erupted in my mind and I bit back a scream. My thoughts were in a complex jumble as I steadied myself from the mind eruption. I sprinted a few more steps before I fell and scrambled to the side of a tree. A quickly poked out from behind the tree to watch my pursuer. I hadn’t at all expected what I saw. The demon still has its arms wrapped around Whatshisname, but they weren’t posed in a manner where it could easily kill him. It was embracing him. The behemoth was giving Whatshisname a hug. I stumbled towards them, instantly suspicious. The two were allies. Whatshisname murdered Grace. I walked close to the two, only a few feet away now. My voice denied me as I tried to scream at him. I could only manage a hoarse whisper of my thought. “Murderer.” My hands balled themselves in rage. Whatshisname looked confused. He had the gall to act like he knew nothing. He knew exactly what I meant. He had ordered the behemoth to attack Grace. Just because I hadn’t witnessed it didn’t mean I was clueless as to what had happened. I whispered it again, this time louder. “Murderer. You murdered Grace. I know you did. You abused her and killed her.”

Whatshisname’s look of confusion quickly turned to one of realization and then complete surprise. “No no no no. I’m not murderer. I saved you, not tried to kill you. Grace is the Budew right? She’s... alive. I haven’t seen a Budew today.”

“Lies! She’s gone because you killed her. And now you will hunt me down because I found out about your little scheme.”

“Shut up. I am not a murderer. How do you not understand that? I didn’t kill her. I never even saw her. You’re going insane.” Suddenly Whatshisname’s voice dropped to almost a whisper that was clearly not meant for me to hear. I heard it anyway, “Maybe I used too much...”

“Too much? Too much of what?” Instantly my mind kept to a conclusion right as the world started to spin slightly. I clutched my head to try to shake off the headache. “Poison! You poisoned me, didn’t you!” Whatshisname took a few steps back and held his hands up as if to say he didn’t do it. I don’t remember running towards him, but I swung a punch at him. He sidestepped and suddenly the Behemoth was launching itself at me at speeds I didn’t think a creature of that size could attain. I dove to the ground and the monster missed me by mere inches. I scrambled back to my feet and sprinted off into the forest. Branches scratched all over my body and roots seemed to appear out of the ground. The incessant buzzing I could hear wasn’t helping my headache, which was becoming increasingly painful with every passing second. One of the roots got me as I span around a tree and I sailed face-first into the ground. A familiar chirp almost made me jump out of my skin. I pulled myself up and saw a Budew enjoying a particularly sunny spot under a tree. It was Grace. Suddenly she blurred and as I reached my arm out towards her, she just seemed to get further away. The blurring stopped and Grace suddenly had a clone of herself. The only difference was that one was red. The blurring happened in both of them and suddenly four Graces were before me, each another color. I heard the rapid fluttering of wings and hurried footsteps across the ground as the world started to swim into blackness. The buzzing was painfully loud now.

Cold, that was the first thing I noticed. It was cold. Not as cold as the river, but cold enough to make me shudder somewhat. Then I noticed I was back in the swirling black void. Unlike last time there were no pinpricks of light, only random flashes of colorful light and something constantly dancing on the edge of my vision, yet never coming into my line of sight. I then registered the pain my head was in as I tried to concentrate on the flickering shadows I couldn’t quite see on the edge of my world. It felt like someone took a hot knife and simply tried to melt my brain with it and then someone else put frozen and searing pins and stuck them in my brain. I struggled to think over the pain and I opened my mouth to scream, no sound came out. I moved my mouth in vain and willed sound to come out but nothing happened. I felt myself bouncing uncontrollably and suddenly a shapeless blob formed from the void. The blob started to shift from black to teal and started to grow upwards and outwards until it formed its final shape: the demon behemoth. It split itself into copies and I found myself surrounded by a wall of demons as far as I could see. Suddenly, as though a single being, the demons lunged forward at unholy speed. I closed my eyes and braced for the attack. Nothing. I opened my eyes again to see they were gone. Suddenly I felt a short stabbing burst of pain in my forearm. It faded quickly after, but some pain lingered, this time becoming more stinging. I could hear the faintest hint of a monotonous slow beeping. “Beep. Beep beep. Beep. Beep beep. Beep” My head started to lighten a little bit and I could hear the faintest murmurings of nothing. The murmurs started to grow louder and I focused more intently on them. A few sounded vaguely like words. “What... Venomoth... river... delirious... Budew...”

Budew. Grace. They were talking about Grace. I had to get out. What if Grace has been hurt? I swore I wouldn’t have let a Pokémon come to harm. I started struggling and thrashing about. I had to get out. Suddenly the once comfortable darkness seemed to try to choke me. I started fighting and struggling. My headache was burning at full force now and my brain felt even more seared than before. Lights started flashing all around me in an angry flurry of blue and green, red and yellow. I felt my consciousness bubble up higher, close to breaking the surface. I could hear more of a conversation now, although none of it registered in my brain. I concentrated harder and felt my eyes shoot open. I was blinded by the sterile white, which was such a contrast to the blackness and flashing colors. My eyes began to quiet and I could see white tile walls and ceilings. I could see familiar green hair on the edge of my vision. Whatshisname was here. My murderer was here. I tried to rise, but I felt a cold strap restrain my wrists. I was pinned down. Whatshisname and the nurse he was talking to looked over at me, just noticing I was conscious. An awkward silence broken only by the mechanical whirs and beeps filled the room.

The nurse was the first to break the silence. “You’re awake. You’ve been out for... thirteen hours give or take. You were in a delirious state when your friend brought you in. Your delirium was brought about by inhaling Venomoth scales. Don’t try to do that again, okay. You also had a few minor cuts and scrapes. Unfortunately we need to put you on bed rest for a day or two to make sure the poison is out of your system. Call me if you need anything.” The nurse turned and went to leave.

I called out to her and stopped her. “Grace...” I managed to grunt out.

The nurse paused and turned towards me. “Hmm? Oh, your Budew is fine sir. Now please try to get some rest.” The nurse walked out the door, leaving me alone with my murderer. Except, he wasn’t. I was still alive. Grace was apparently fine. Whatshisname wasn’t a murderer. I had wrongly accused him of being a murderer. I was at a complete loss for words and struggling to think of any while my headache still raged on. “Wha?”

Whatshisname apparently picked up at my confusion. “You’re at the Oldale Town hospital. Err, sorry about all of this.”

I spluttered as I tried to speak coherently. He was apologizing? I was the one who tried to attack him and called him a murderer. “What happened?”

Whatshisname shifted uncomfortable. “I found you drowning in the river and sent in my Golisopod to get you. Oh, that’s the demon behemoth by the way. You talk in your sleep. When he pulled you out you were mumbling incoherently and thrashing about. I- Venomoth scales are poisonous, but they can paralyze people. If you grind them up enough you don’t have to worry about any poisoning. I think I didn’t grind them up enough. You were paralyzed, but you were out of it. You woke up as a delirious madman. You knocked yourself out and I had to carry you here.”

“Oh.” I truly was at a loss for words, and not just because of my aching head. I barely knew this guy and he has already saved me and dealt with me while I was insane. Most people would have abandoned me like that. I could have been a murderer for all he knew. He helped me despite not getting anything out of it. “Err, ehh. I feel, ahh my head, silly for saying this but, ugh, what’s your name?” I tried to grab my head but my restraints held me in place.

Whatshisname let out a small chuckle at my plight. “Jayden. You were in a frenzy when you got in here. We had to chain you down after you gave the doctor a black eye. He wasn’t very happy about that by the way. I assure you your Budew is fine, she’s right by the window. Her name’s Grace, right? Again, you talk in your sleep.” I glanced at the window I hadn’t noticed before and saw a small clay pot with an oval plant sitting in it, enjoying the sunlight.

“Grace... She’s okay. Sorry about... me.”

“She was pretty worried about you. And, it’s okay man. You were insane. Everyone’s deepest fears guide them when insanity strikes. I won’t hold it against you.” That was a surprising thought; I couldn’t ever imagine Grace as worried.

“Thanks Jayden... I seriously don’t... just thank you.” I meant it too. Jayden had put up with me despite my insane ramblings. I could only hope I hadn’t revealed anything important while I was insane.