Larger Than Life (Backstreet's Back sequel)

Chapter 9

AJ sat next to Nick's bed with his head resting on Nick's sheets. He felt a twitching. He bolted up to see that Nick was moving. He looked as if he were having a nightmare. His body began to jerk and spasm, and he was uttering some strange noise that was scaring AJ to death. The monitors began beeping faster and faster until the alarms went off, but AJ had already run out of the room before that calling for a doctor. A team of doctors burst into the room, knocking AJ over. Bob and Jane Carter weren't far behind them," Alex, what's happening to him?"

"I don't know, I don't know!" AJ was panicking. He kept running his hand over his short red hair, "He was fine before. I fell asleep, and then I felt him moving around... and then, and then..."

The doctors were yelling at one another. The alarm had been turned off, but the heart monitor was still beeping out of control. AJ and the Carters stepped farther into the room where they could see Nick's body being held down by the doctors as they injected him with some clear fluid. Nick began to settle down. The doctors took his pulse again and began to check him over.

"Doctor, what happened?"Bob asked the first doctor that walked by.

"A seizure," the doctor said, "We're going to have to run a cat scan in a few minutes."

Jane sobbed and Bob reached to hold her,"It'll be ok honey." AJ approached the bed. His young friend lay curled in a ball on his side. He was as white as the sheets on his bed, and his skin felt cool. Fresh tears had formed paths on his cheeks. He shivered lightly making AJ pull the thin blankets back over him.

"Alex," came the shaky voice of Jane Carter," you should go. Get some sleep, he'll be up and waiting for you boys in the morning." She smiled at him weakly. AJ gazed at the two distraught parents, and wondered what it would be like to have that. Two distraught parents. AJ grew up having only his mother and grandparents. He did eventually go seek out his father, and he found him, but it wasn't the same. Nick has everything going for him, two loving parents, four adoring younger siblings, and a big family. He threw a look back at Nick's tearful sleeping face. He'll be ok, AJ assured himself. He can wake up.

AJ smiled and left the room. The minute he was at the door the two parents had rushed to Nick's side. He was tired, and he felt agitated. He thought about smoking another cigarette, but then quickly decided not too. He had almost smoked a whole package today. He found a quiet lobby, and sat on a love seat. The small non-cable television was tuned into the news. Pictures of several missing children were shown across the screen. It made AJ uneasy to see this. He turned the television off. He needed a nap. Yeah, he would feel better after a nap. AJ spread himself out on the small couch and folded his arms over his chest. Within 5 minutes he was asleep.

There was terrible screaming coming from below AJ. He was standing in the landing bay of a spaceship? He looked and saw various lights and machinery lining the walls. The screams came again. They were desperate pleas for help. AJ ran his hands through his hair. Then he decided to explore his new surroundings. He had begun to follow the tracer lights when he heard the screams again. He jumped. The sound was terrifying in its intensity. It was the sound of pure fear and it struck a chord deep inside the pit of AJ's stomach. As he ventured the hallways the screams only seemed to become louder, and each time they seemed to come from a different direction.

"AJ!!"

The person screaming had called his name! The person screaming thought AJ could help him. "ALEX!" AJ was beginning to recognize the petrified voice. It was.. It was... "ALEXANDER GET ME THE HELL OUT OF THIS!!!"