The Aftermath

Autumn (3)

Demons-
At the curtain's call
It's the last of all
When the lights fade out
All the sinners crawl

So they dug your grave
And the masquerade
Will come calling out
At the mess you've made
................

I'd gotten a call from James. That's what actually woke me up, not my alarm clock that went off moments after I woke up. "Hullo?" I sleepily said. "Hey Autumn!" He cheerfully said,"Would you come over?" I was confused. He never asked me to come over. Not since Winston had disappeared eight months ago. "Ummm....sure?" I hesitantly agreed, "Hey..err...James? Can I ask why?" I'd gotten one answer, "Winston's back."

I rushed over to their house and was pounding on the door when Winston answered. I smiled, and pulled him into a hug. "Win!" I yelled excitedly, "You're okay!" He chuckled and pulled away. "Ow...and I thought I was the loud one." He said, laughing a little. Something seemed....off.

"Win are you okay?" I asked. He simply nodded and we went inside. I noticed that Winston was quieter than normal. He was never quiet and he was wearing shorts and a tank top but...not his binder. It was probably a break day for him. I shrugged it off. We sat at the kitchen table. I was curious as to where he went. What he was doing and if he was okay. Clearly he wasn't okay and I knew he wasn't. "You probably have some questions for me." He said, and I nodded. "I do...I just don't know how to ask you, them." I told him. He placed a hand on my arm. "Silly," he said, "just ask Fall." I sighed and knew I was being silly. He and I have been friends since we were five years old.

"Where did you go?" I asked, "After the battle, and Leo and Naomi's wedding you just...disappeared on all of us. I was scouring the news and the internet making sure Hydra didn't get a hold of you and used you as a weapon." He sighed. I knew how hard this was going to be for him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just...I just didn't want everyone to worry. But I fucked up on that since you were worried about me. Everyone is probably worried about me." He gave me a sheepish grin and continued, "After battling Rose's grandmother and his evil half I decided to go get some help. But I stayed long enough to get shit in order before I went. I was in a rehab place. The entire eight months, I was trying to finally accept everything that was done to me. All of it but....they had to place me on a lot of medication and diagnosed a lot of things."

"What did they diagnose Win?" I asked. He sighed and told me, "PTSD, depression, anxiety, and schizophrenic. I sometimes hallucinate and think I'm somewhere else. The nightmares only got worse. I had to be restrained and sedated at first just so I'd get some sleep. But I'm on my meds and I am 'stable'. I don't really feel my emotions as intensely as I had before being on the meds." This wasn't fine. He was supposed to be lively and hyper; not sedated and mellow as fuck. Those people sedated him and I guess that's so he doesn't hurt himself. But...he wasn't the same. I was just happy he was okay and alive. "I'm glad your okay." I told him. But I saw the pain in both James and Win's eyes. I knew Winston wanted to be his happy self again.