Par Avion/Issue 9

This is Issue 9 of Par Avion.

205; I Ain't No Schizo
I can’t tell if I am angry or sad. Rachel was the best person I knew and I miss her so much already. We were, what’s that saying? ‘Two peas in a pod’? Anyway, Greg and I reach Dr. Jerome’s. I’m terrified, and try to crack a smile, but it won’t go. I take a deep breath as Greg silently opens the door. I follow. Just as we enter, closing the door behind us, Dr. Jerome is standing there with a pistol pointed at us. “Woah, we’re friendly.” Greg says, raising his hands. I follow and do the same. “How do I know you’re not one of them?” Asks Dr. Jerome. He looks petrified. I examine him quickly; he is shaking and fumbling with the gun. Behind him is a room with an open door. I can see Tess Fergerson hiding in there. “Tess, come on out.” I say, which makes Dr. Jerome look back. Tess slowly makes her way out of the room. She gets over behind Dr. Jerome. “Listen, we can help you guys.” Greg says. “We don’t need help, you’re gonna eat us.” Says Dr. Jerome, fumbling a little with the gun. “There’s a lot of us holed up in Clancey’s Coffee Shop.” I say and look at Tess. “Erin’s there.” Tess’ whole expression changes; she goes from scared to happy within a second. “Erin’s alive?” She asks, sounding very happy. “Yeah, she’s still there. Come with us, we’ll take you to her.” Greg says, smiling. Dr. Jerome starts lowering his pistol. “What... what should I bring?” Dr. Jerome asks, finally convinced. “Meds.” I say, remembering Rachel. “All of them.” Dr. Jerome nods, and then turns around to get into the room where Tess was hiding. “Give me a second.” I now stand here with Greg and Tess. Tess is looking unusually calm, I am guessing she just got a dose of her medication. I go over to her, and pat her shoulder. It’s hard on all of us what’s happening, but an 18 year-old slow girl? I can’t imagine what she’s thinking. I look at her and she back at me. She is still terrified, I can hear it in her voice. “Where’s my sister?” She asks. We just told her, but I guess that’s a symptom of being a schizo. “At the coffee shop.” I say. “All I want is my sister.” Tess says. I smile and hug her to help her feel better, but in all honesty, I needed the hug more. I miss Rachel to badly. Dr. Jerome comes back with a suitcase full of medication. “Let’s go.” He says, and we leave the building. I lead the way back to the coffee shop. I don’t know what’s up with me; I never would’ve dreamed of killing a person, but I am so upset over Rachel’s death and I can’t help myself. I am slicing my way through those dead things, followed by Greg, who is helping Tess walk as she is in shock from my actions. Dr. Jerome keeps slacking behind. Soon enough, we come in eye view of Clancey’s. I lead them up to the door and knock. I am greeted by Sasha, who lets the gour of us in. “Where’s Erin?” Tess asks right away. “She went to get guns.” Clancey says, walking up to us. I turn around, taking off my jacket, seeing Seth and Craig boarding back up the door, and Greg goes to give them a hand. “What? Is she safe?” Tess asks Clancey. “Trust me, she’ll be fine.” I say, putting my hand on her shoulder. Tess suddenly collapses, causing me, along with the rest, to panic. “Guys, it’s okay.” Dr. Jerome says, running towards Tess. “It’s a part of her disorder. Under stress she’ll occasionally get blackouts. Nothing we can do until Erin comes back. It may just happen over and over for now.” Dr. Jerome says, and I help him getting Tess to a more comfortable place. “We’ve got the meds.” Greg says, getting everyone’s minds off Tess. “We’ll save them in case of an emergency.” My heart drops remembering Rachel. “That’s not it.” Craig grunts. Greg looks at him. “What do yo mean?” “The bite...” Clancey says, continuing for Craig. “that’s what made her turn into one of those things. There is nothing we could’ve done.” I try and hold back the tears, as I help Dr. Jerome getting Tess down. Once I let go of Tess, I burst into tears. I can’t control it. I wish I was there for Rachel, and I wasn’t. Dr. Jerome lays his hand on me, but I brush him off and walk away. I sit down at a booth and put my head down, wishing it was all just a dream.

Credits

 * Tess Fergerson
 * Craig Nelson
 * Greg Demoor
 * Julio Valentin
 * Seth Tillberg
 * Clancey Baron
 * Sasha Baron
 * Nicolae Jerome (First appearance)

Deaths

 * None