Have I told you guys how much u rock yet? 3 :) XD: D etc. Seriously, the reviews I got for the last chapter almost made me pop with happiness. I only managed to stop myself from exploding by considering the mess that would make on my computer. And then I would have to clean it up instead of continuing this story. Lol. Anywho, thanks again, I love you all! To Miluki : I would like to apologize for using the same title name:) I'm actually trying to think of a different title for this story, but I just suck at titles. To thecuriousoracle: I hate cliffhangers too. Trust me it really hurt me to leave it there. XO. To my most faithful reviewer JoyHeart: Wow, I never really thought of that, but you're right. Man I'm sadistic…huh…ah well. XD. And thank you for the good advice, I am trying to favor quality over update speed, but right now I'm so into this story I'm practically typing it every night. :D. I really enjoyed your Mysterion drabble by the way :). To all the rest of you who took the time to read my story and tell me your opinion on it (this concept still floors me by the way): THANK YOU I LOVE YOU ALL SOO MUCH IT'S SCARING ME!
Wow, I was pretty surprised at how strongly you guys all felt about Kyle not dying. I'd probably do the same though XD. Well anyway, on with the story! (I'm not giving any story hints for this chapter. Read it. XP)(I do apologize for how slowly it moves though, trust me, it hurt me too OX)
Sorry about how long it took. I had homework, tests yada yada you know the usual excuses. Oh, and my mom confiscated my computer cuz she thought I was staying up all night writing. Silly mom. O_o
Chapter 4
Despite the fact that he had just walked halfway across town twice that night already, once carrying half a ton of pizza that was now growing cold on the Marsh's living room floor, Kenny didn't even hesitate to join Stan when his friend announced he was walking to the hospital. Those asshole paramedics wouldn't let him or Stan ride in the ambulance to the hospital and since Stan's parents were out of town for the weekend, they were stuck with only one mode of transportation: Left foot and right foot. Cartman had opted for staying at Stan's house and "guarding the pizza". Bastard. I paid for it and now I probably won't even get any. Stan was completely distraught. He was out the door in only his pajamas before Kenny suggested he get his coat. The second time Stan bolted out, Kenny suggested he should probably put on some shoes. The third time Kenny sighed and recommended he would probably get there faster if he went the right way. He tried not to feel too offended. There had hardly been this level of panic any of the times he had died. There's a big difference. He had to remind himself. You come back. Kenny constantly had to remember that for others who did not defy the laws of nature, death was final. It was an irreversible darkness that ripped the soul of humanity from this earth permanently. The blonde haired boy frowned. Okay, looking at it that way made him began to worry about his friend's well being as well. He ran to catch up with Stan who was making a left turn when he was supposed to go right.
***
They were both seriously out of breath by the time they made it to the hospital. Stan looked like he might have an asthma attack which would not be good since Kenny had no doubt his friend had left his inhaler at home. Then again, I guess we are in a hospital, so if he did forget it, well…they probably have spares kicking around here somewhere.
"Can…you…tell me…where Kyle…Brof…lovski is?" Stan panted to the meek looking receptionist. She glanced down and after a brief silence punctuated only by the tik tik of fake nails on a keyboard, looked up again.
"He's been taken to surgery right now." She replied, "Are you family?"
"Well no, but…"
"Then you won't be able to see him for some time. He'll be in surgery for at least an hour yet."
"Is he going to be okay?" Kenny couldn't help but interrupt. The silence was the most deafening thing Kenny had ever heard. It seemed to grow louder with every second that passed.
"It's hard to tell at this point." The receptionist finally replied, pushing a stray strand of mousy hair behind her ear. "I'm afraid you boys will just have to wait." She gestured to the empty waiting room. Stan looked like he might protest, but finally nodded in numb agreement.
***
Stanley Marsh was convinced that waiting rooms were God's punishment on him for some sin he must have committed. Honestly, there was nothing more tortuous he could imagine then waiting in that uncomfortably plushy chair, playing the images over and over in his mind. And worrying. What if he dies? Oh God, I don't think I could stand that. And then the evening would play over in his mind again. His friend slipping away, eyes slowly closing for what could be the last time…F**k I hate waiting rooms! Had it not been for Kenny, Stan was sure he would have gone insane, ripping up the too-comfy chairs and screaming.
"How did it happen?" Kenny's baby blue eyes held a serious note that Stan had not seen before. He found himself spilling everything out to his friend. For his part, Kenny was a good listener; he looked riveted as Stan explained the events of the week.
"Dude." Kenny breathed when Stan had finished. "That is f**ked up." Stan nodded miserably.
"I know." The silence stretched on, Stan's mind drifting back to worst-case scenarios. Despite the thoughts plaguing his mind however, Stan could feel his eyelids begin to droop lazily. It had been a long night already. He could hear Kenny snoring softly on his left. I'll just rest my eyes for a little while I guess… Before he could even finish the thought he was sound asleep.
***
Ugh, why does my neck hurt so much? He groggily blinked, lifting his head. Testing his sore neck muscles Stan examined his surroundings. What the hell? Where am I? The night's events came crashing back to his bleary mind and he snapped to a sitting position. The waiting room, which had been completely empty when he'd closed his eyes, was now uncomfortably full of people. His mother, who was sitting in the chair next to him, smoothed down a stray strand of hair that had escaped his poofball hat.
"Hey honey." She said softly. Stan glanced around the room, his tired mind trying to take in everything at once. The Broflovskis sat in one corner, Ike sleeping soundly in Sheila's arms. Gerald and Sheila murmured softly to each other, casting quick looks at Stan once in a while. Stan was surprised to see Cartman in the waiting room along with his mom. He was less surprised to see the open box of pizza on the large boy's lap. Kenny was standing in front of him, looking like he wanted to strangle something. Cartman licked his fingers and tossed the empty box towards the fuming boy in front of him. And then there were his parents. Stan knew they had just come back from a refreshing, relaxing night at the spa. Unfortunately it didn't show. His mother's eyes had dark circles underneath and her short hair, which had been styled artfully with gel, was plastered at awkward angles across her head. His father was passed out in one of the chairs, snoring loudly and drooling slightly. Stan glanced up at the clock that seemed to be the focal point of the room. 6:30am. They had been escorted to the waiting room at 4:30am.
"How's Kyle?" Those words seemed to make the whole room freeze. The silence hurt like a knife.
"Well, he's out of surgery, but they have him on life support right now…" His mother trailed off and Stan swallowed.
"Er…Stan." Gerald cleared his throat. "We were wondering if you could tell us what happened exactly. All we were told was that Kyle was in surgery for several broken ribs and probable internal bleeding." Stan's mind raced. Oh crap, what do I say?
"We asked Kenny, but he didn't know; he said we were supposed to ask you." Sheila put in. Stan spared his friend a withering glare before turning back to the sea of curios eyes. Kenny only shrugged. He had been getting a lot of evil glares lately and was getting pretty good at ignoring them. What should I tell them? The truth? He immediately discarded that idea, preferring not to be restrained by a straight jacket. Um…fell down the stairs? Yeah right. Well, when all else fails…
"I don't know." Go with what works. His mom was not convinced by his answer. He could see it in her eyes. She let it go though, much to Stan's relief. Gerald didn't look like he was as willing to let Stan's obvious lie slide. He had just opened his mouth to call Stan's bluff when the doctor walked in. Everything else was immediately forgotten and all eyes were riveted to the weary man in scrubs.
"Well, we were able to stop the bleeding. Physically, he should make a full recovery." There wasn't a person in the room that had missed the first word in the man's second sentence. There was a collective silence, as everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath.
"At the moment however, he appears to be in a comatose state."
"But…he's going to wake up, right?" Stan asked, sharing a nervous glance with Kenny. The man sighed, clearly not enjoying his current job.
"It's always hard to tell with coma patients. It could be a couple of hours, several days, weeks, even years or…" Never. Stan finished in his mind.
"Can we see him now?" Sheila echoed Stan's thoughts out loud. The doctor nodded and gestured for them to follow him. Sharon held out her arms and Sheila gratefully passed her sleeping son to Stan's mother.
"No more than four please." The doctor said softly. "It is technically before visiting hours and most of the patients in that wing will be sleeping." Sheila nodded at Stan and Kenny who quickly hopped from their seats and followed the doctor and Kyle's parents. Stan swore the doctor was walking as slow as possible just to torture him. The group meandered down the hallway to the elevator where they spent another eternity waiting, the flashing yellow button with "Floor 2" seeming to taunt him. Finally the doctor stopped and gestured to a slightly ajar door. Putting a finger to his lips as a final reminder, the weary man left them. For the longest moment the only sound Stan could hear was the tired footsteps of the doctor making his way down the hall. Slowly the footsteps faded and he became aware of the soft beeping of machinery from the room. He took comfort in the steady tone, knowing that it meant his friend's heart was still beating. He looked dead. It was the first thought that came to Stan's mind and stayed there like an annoying relative that insists on spending the night. Kyle's face was as pale as the pillow his head rested on. His arm was in a sling and his whole upper torso was wrapped in bandages. Sheila was stroking her son's face and Stan could tell she was trying very hard not to lose it. The somber atmosphere was affecting all of them. Stan had never seen Kenny's carefree eyes so full of worry and seriousness. Stan edged closer to the bed, fighting back his own dark thoughts. Please wake up. Don't you dare die dude; you can't die until I do, remember? Come on Kyle… Stan could feel the familiarity of the situation weigh heavily on him. It was the same feeling of helplessness, just like when Kyle had been dying and needed a kidney transplant. Unfortunately the only match in South Park was a racist, greedy, anti-Semitic asshole also known as Eric Cartman. But it all worked out. Stan thought desperately. We managed to trick him into signing the release form. There has to be a way for this to work out…Kyle you can't die… Stan felt the lump starting to form in his throat and fought it back down. Kenny placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. Stan raised his eyes to his friend's face. Please…wake up. Kyle twitched. Stan's heart jumped. Did he… The heart monitor's beeping picked up speed. Sheila and Gerald looked intently at their son.
"Kyle, honey can you hear me?" Kyle's mother leaned in closer, "Wake up honey." Kyle twitched again. Stan and Kenny traded looks.
"Do you think…?" Kenny trailed off. No, he can't be having another nightmare, not now… The beeping was picking up speed now and Kyle's breathing was getting faster. Oh shit, come on Kyle, just wake up. Kenny shot him another worried look and Stan just shook his head, unsure. The heart monitor was beeping so fast it was nearly a constant whine. Suddenly the spikes on the small black screen disappeared, replaced by a solid flat line. Oh f**k.
***
He had been floating in a pool of blissful numbness when an annoying feeling began tugging at him. Go away, he thought I want to stay here. The tugging was persistent though and before he could stop it, he felt himself slip into semi-consciousness. Ow, f**k that hurts, let me go back… And then the blackness enveloped him again. Satisfied, Kyle waited for the peaceful numbness to return. It didn't. In fact, he felt more awake then before. But this isn't right, if I was awake I would be at Stan's house…or maybe the hospital I guess…His thoughts trailed off as a familiar breath on his neck made every hair on his body stand on end. Oh shit. Before he could react the familiar shadow had grabbed his arm, causing pain to shoot through his whole body.
"Hello Kyle." If it were possible for such a vile voice to sound friendly, it would have. "Finally I will be free from that hellhole in Imaginationland."
"Imaginationland?" Kyle couldn't help but ask. Anything to keep it talking, talking was good. It was better than getting killed.
"You still haven't figured it out?" The evil shadow chuckled darkly. "Your amazing "psychic" ability, your connection to the Imagination. After your little accident, your mind was once again vulnerable, allowing me access to the real world through you." Kyle's mind spun, trying to take in this information. It was a lot to process under the best of times, nevermind in the face of imminent death.
"You're from Imaginationland?"
"That's right," the bloody mouth moved closer to Kyle's head, he shrank back, trying to buy time.
"What…what are you?" The evil thing seemed to get a good laugh at this.
"I am fear. I am everything that frightens you pathetic humans. I am the thing that goes bump in the night, the monsters under the bed, the shadows in the corner, the boogeyman in the closet, I am fear itself." Kyle swallowed, his hammering heart feeling like it was going to pop out of his chest. This is the end. Shit, I really didn't want to go out like this…F**K THIS!
"And you, you are the link between Imaginationland and your world. And now, you're mine." Summoning all his strength, Kyle tore loose from the vise-like grip, gritting his teeth against the pain. He didn't know where he was going to run; it had never helped before, but he wasn't going to sit there and wait for the end either. He heard an amused chuckle behind him.
"Where do you think you're going to run to?" The voice behind him taunted him. Kyle grit his teeth harder. I don't care! Maybe I am screwed, but if I'm going to die, I'm going to be a f**king pain in the ass! There was a light. What the hell? He'd never seen a light like this before. A light at the end of the tunnel? Great, how much more cliché can you get? Despite this, he headed for it.
"Stay away from that!" The angry beast roared. Kyle glanced over his shoulder and saw the shadow make a swipe for his head. He ducked, feeling the air woosh past his ears as the razor claws missed his head by inches. Stay away? All the more reason to keep going. With a final lunge the unearthly light enveloped him. His body felt light like he was floating. Maybe I'm dead…damn.
"I warned you." The dark voice followed him, but it was fading. He could hear distant voices becoming clearer. Maybe I'm still alive! Considering he never expected to escape with his life, Kyle was elated by this possibility. Things were starting to feel more solid. Kyle blinked and a bright light poured into his eyes.
***
Kyle's eyes flew open, much to everyone's surprise. He looked around the room, confused for a moment.
"Kyle?" His mother hesitated for only a second before engulfing her son in bone-crushing hug.
"Honey, be careful. His arm is still broken…" Gerald reminded her, placing a hand on her shoulder, but Stan could see the tears pooling in the man's eyes as well. Kyle's mother finally released him from her death grip and he fell back, still looking around the room in confusion.
"What…?"
"Kyle, are you okay?" Kenny asked worriedly, going over to his friend's side. Kyle didn't seem to notice the question, still slowly scanning the room. "They said you might never wake up." Kenny told him. Kyle still ignored the muffled boy, his eyes darting from his parents to Kenny and finally to Stan. Kenny turned curiously to Stan.
"Isn't it great Stan?" he asked cautiously. Stan forced a smile. Something was not right.
"Yeah, its really good to see you awake dude, we were really worried." Kyle was staring at him now. There was something really unnerving about his eyes. Stan shifted uncomfortably. Something was really, really wrong. He didn't know what, but he had a feeling that things were not back to normal. Not nearly.
***
Kyle blinked, trying to clear his eyes. Something was not right here. He'd expected to wake up in the Marsh's living room, the ambulance or the hospital. This was definitely none of those. He groaned, slowly sitting up. Kyle glanced down. He was sitting in grass. Purple grass. What the hell? He climbed to his feet and looked up. Kyle realized where the voices he had heard in his semi-conscious state were coming from; not from worried friends and family like he'd thought but rather from the very surprised crowd that stood in front of him. Freddy Krueger, the headless horseman, a handful of storm troopers, Jason, Frankenstein and many other evil creations of the mind stared at him. He was stuck on the evil side of Imaginationland, with every vile creation ever conceived by the human mind staring at him. Still in shock, Kyle took a step back, bumping into a pair of hairy legs. He slowly turned staring at the creature he had hoped never to see again. For his part, Manbearpig looked pretty surprised to see him too. …Shit…
Wow, poor Kyle just keeps getting more and more screwed over by the end of every chapter. Yeah, so things are getting pretty interesting now, there probably won't be too much more slow stuff now. (I hope not, I REALLY struggled through this chapter) Anyways, sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes, I wrote this late at night (as usual, hopefully my mom won't catch me this time XP) so it might have some errors. I plan to go over it in the morning before I post it (I don't have internet on my computer in my room (my mom thinks I'll be up all night, seriously, where does she get these ideas? XD) so I have to borrow my friend's laptop to post new stories)
Anywho, let me know if you liked it. Ideas are also appreciated, I have a general idea of where this story is headed, but I would be more than willing to incorporate any ideas that you guys might have. Once again, much love to you all and good night…or morning…whatever:)
