Chapter Two: Going Under

The black SUV left the highway and began heading towards Charlotte's medical district west of Kellum road. Dan and Karen were seated in the front of the SUV while Lucas and Nathan sat together in the back both staring out of their respective windows.

The blond boy was not looking forward to the hour ahead. He hated going to Dr. Smith's office and telling all of his family's business, sharing his emotions and talking about his dreams all of which made him highly uncomfortable. Just the thought of what was to come made him cringe and shift in his seat, anxious to get this latest session over with. Suddenly, finding it hard to breath in the confined space the boy let down the window and stuck his head out taking in s much air as he could. He had a feeling that today was going to be the day from hell.

Nathan sighed and lowered his head at the sight of his older sibling. During the past few months he had watched the blonds mind and body slowly deteriorate at a rapid speed, leaving behind only a shell of what his brother used to be. It was painful to watch his psychotic break downs, his constant wavering from calm and distant one minute to angry, deluded and violent the next. The changes in him were always so crudely abrupt, it was if a switch had been thrown and his brother was the object of manipulation for who ever dared to move their finger. In fact he was so scary one day that he had demanded that Haley stay away from him for her own protection. At first she had protested but in the end she realized that it was for the best. He just wished that there was some way that he could help his brother. Not knowing what else to do the dark haired Scott rested his hand on top of the blonds and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Lucas turned only slightly, just enough to look at Nathan out of the corner of his eye. He smiled a little with a flicker of loving acknowledgement in his eyes before the cold distance returned and he snatched his hand away.

Dan saw the whole exchange through the rear view mirror. He sighed in frustration and then looked away just wishing and hoping that somehow they could get the old Lucas back for good.

They arrived only a few short moments later at the office and now Lucas Scott found himself alone in the familiar hallway desperate for a way out of this place. He hated his parents for making him come here. It wasn't as if he were a God damned mental case that went around screaming about death and destruction or killing people. Maybe this was all Dan's idea, a way to make everyone think that he was mentally impaired so that they wouldn't believe the truth about him murdering Keith.

He stopped in front of Dr. Smith's door, looked at it and took two steps back. Shaking his head as he tried to rid himself of this insane notion about his father, a father that had been doing everything in his power to help him since Abby appeared.

"Stop it Abby. Stop trying to make me believe your lies. My father didn't kill my uncle. So just stop it" the boy spoke aloud as he leaned up against the wall.

He stood there motionless for several moments, fighting with the invisible enemy that was slowly creeping its way into his awakened state. She was like a virus slowly infecting his mind, driving him towards a darkness that would entrap him for all eternity, but he wouldn't break. He wouldn't let her do this to him, he wasn't about to let her ruin his life.

At this thought he smiled to himself in a way that even he would describe as psychotic.

He couldn't help but wonder, even for the briefest of seconds if he was in fact, really, truly losing his mind.

He felt slightly manic as the objects in the office swayed on their own accord as if they were the great waves of the ocean, leaping up towards the sky. Not knowing what else to do he placed his back firmly against the wall and slid all the way down until he was resting on the floor. He then tucked his knees into his chest, trying desperately to regain control of both his mind and his body.

"Lucas!" he heard a voice similar to his father's shout.

He couldn't move, he couldn't talk, he couldn't do anything but listen to the frantic cries of those around him until there was nothing left but silence.

He woke up to the sound of a series of beeps and heavy streams of air flooding his nasal passages. Opening his eyes he blinked several times trying to focus in on his surroundings. Once he was able to see things more clearly he noticed his parents on the other side of the room. His mother was laying down sleeping with her head resting in his father's lap while Dan was sitting up right with one arm over her shoulder and the other hanging over the arm of what appeared to be a love seat. To his left sat Nathan and Haley curled up together on a large recliner. The worse thing about it all was that he had no idea how he got there. All that he could remember was waking up from one of his nightmares the pervious night.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake, Lucas"

The unfamiliar voice came from the doorway. There stood a male that looked as if he were in his early forties with black rimmed glasses and dark slicked back hair that was graying at the temples. He had on a long white coat and held a clipboard in his hand, studying it with intensity.

Upon hearing his voice the others started to awaken.

"Hey Luke, how are you feeling?" questioned Haley, her big brown eyes showing just how worried she was.

"I'm okay I guess. Except for maybe a slight headache" he said just as his mother planted a kiss on his head.

"Are you okay sweetie? You had us all so worried"

"Yeah, if Dad hadn't decided to check up on you, you probably wouldn't be alive right now"

Lucas shot his father a grateful nod before turning back to the doctor.

"What exactly happened?"

"Well it seems as if you had a very bad reaction to your medication which slowed down the flow of oxygen to your brain and caused you to pass out but don't worry, with a lower dosage you should be fine"

"That's good news doc. So when can we take him home" questioned Dan, eager to get his son this place.

He always believed that this place had a way of making people sicker then what they truly were.

"Well we would like to keep Lucas here over night for observation and to make sure that the lack of oxygen didn't cause any damage or bleeding of the brain"

"Bleeding?" asked Karen who was on the verge of tears.

Her son's mental state was already shaky and he surely didn't need any more medical problems.

The doctor, seeing her distress did his best to put her mind at ease.

"It's just a precaution Mrs. Scott"

"Don't worry Karen Lucas will be fine, right son?"

When the boy didn't answer right away all in attendance turned to look at him what they saw was a pale face, eyes that were frozen wide open in horror. The boy's hands were griping the sheets so tightly that his knuckles were white and his heart monitor was sending rapid waves across the screen.

"Luke. Oh my God. Lucas what is it? What's wrong?" questioned his mother as the boy continued staring ahead, paralyzed by what he saw.

"What's the matter with him? Why does he look like that?" screamed a frantic Haley.

"Listen to me son you have to snap out of this. Come on Lucas" said Dan before turning to Karen "What the hell is he seeing that we're not?"

As much as he wanted to answer their questions he was too frightened to move his lips. For the girl who haunted his dreams had finally crossed over to his reality and was standing right in front of him sporting the most vicious smile he had ever seen in his life.

"NO! Keep her away from me, please keep her away!" he heard his own voice yell out while the doctor and his father fought to restrain him.

He needed to get away from her, he needed to wipe that smug grin off her face but he couldn't because the doctor had called a nurse in who stuck a needle in his arm filled with something that was now rendering him motionless, making him hers for the taking. And as the lights around him grew dark all that he could hear was her evil laughter.