“Where's Jarrah?” Mike asked.
James didn't know what to say, it didn't make any sense, any of it.
“He just broke apart, he -”
“What?”
“I couldn't do anything, it's impossible” shrieked James, “Something followed us down the mountain, it was, I don't know what the fuck it was; it just appeared. I've never seen anything like it”
Mike was understandably confused, they had encountered a wild animal of some type, but this description made no sense.
“Come and show me” said Mike as he started walking out of camp holding his shotgun that he brought in case of an emergency.
“No, wait, we can't go back there, the thing will still be out there somewhere”
“I'm not leaving Jarrah out there with whatever the creature is, can you give me a better description of it? What you said, well, think hard and try and describe it” Mike said.
James was still trying to get his breath back and shook his head.
“I know it sounds crazy, it's hard to describe, but it's what the forest would look like if it decided to grow a body. Sorry I know it sounds insane, it had blue veins, it made the weirdest noises. I don't know what more to say” James said still shaking his head.
Mike beckoned James to follow him, to which he reluctantly did.
“You're right, it does sound crazy, you're probably just imaging things due to the shock. Trauma can do funny things to a man you know” Mike said not believing the strange events James was relaying.
They frantically retraced their steps back along the track, Mike trying to explain the creature away as some kind of bear or perhaps a big cat; they were both known to roam these forests but rarely attacked humans. James wildly denied it, sounding crazed but adamant that he saw what he saw.
DR. MONROE’S
Danny sat back in the psychiatrist's chair, looking around the office adorned with the clichéd wall of certificates. Dr. Monroe was not what he typically expected a psychiatrist to be, he was younger than him, and dressed from head to toe in designer gear. Danny was expecting tweed and thick rimmed glasses.
“So, Sam recommended me to you” Dr. Monroe said, “That's why I slotted you in so quickly, he phoned me and explained how you two were good friends so I promised him I'd see you as soon as I could. He seemed pretty worried about you”
“Did he tell you about it all?” Danny asked.
“Of course not, as doctors we all have confidentiality to contend with” he laughed, “he just explained that he really thought you could do with my help. So, do you want to tell me what the problem is?”
Danny cleared his throat; this was going to be difficult but he had to do it. He started from the beginning. Olivia going missing, her house being empty, no one remembering her and her disappearing from old photos. The way he had full memories of her and the things they had done. Dr. Monroe listened carefully, and seemed to find it all very interesting.
“Has anything like this happened before” He asked.
Danny told him that this was the first time. He then explained how earlier that morning Samir was also doubting the existence of his other friend David, but Danny thought he must have been playing games with him, perhaps to make sure he came to see Dr. Monroe. He couldn’t think of any other explanation, as David was his friend.
“Ok, apart from missing friends, is there anything else unusual that has been happening?”
Danny thought about it for a moment. He mentioned his sudden lack of sticking to times, that the clocks always showed a later time than he was expecting, as well as seeing someone as Julie, when it clearly wasn't. He also mentioned that he was noticing small things changing, like the colour of a wall, the make of a car on a neighbour's drive; just small details that hadn't alarmed him until he was relaying them all in the context of this conversation. Dr. Monroe took a copious amount of notes and asked lots of other questions about his childhood, his work, any stress he was under and if he was self-medicating. After about thirty minutes of this Dr. Monroe jotted some points down on his computer and scratched his chin for a moment.
“So, am I crazy?” Danny asked.
“Ha, well we don't use that word” Dr. Monroe replied, "It's hard to determine at this stage. Well I have to be honest, as why else would you be here other than for me to help you, so I would say it appears you are exhibiting early signs of a delusional disorder. Typically, sufferers do encounter the same experiences you have described. They are unable to tell what is real and what isn't real. I don't think you're having full-blown psychosis, but I think you may have some triggers that are causing it buried deep in your mind somewhere. I think the best course of action for now is some cognitive behavioural therapy and some psychotherapy sessions, so I'd like to have an appointment with you twice a week.”
“So, no magic pills?” Laughed Danny.
“Not at such an early stage no, I believe that you are treatable at this stage. If you were exhibiting more severe symptoms and signs then I'd prescribe anti-psychotics, but I don't think that's necessary. The only medication I would recommend is some Valerian, which you can take if the stress starts to gnaw at you, but you don't need me to prescribe that you can just pick it up yourself” Dr. Monroe replied.
“Okay, well you're the Doc”
Danny thanked him for his time and Dr.
