Hometown Heroes, National Nobodies (All Time Low) TO BE UPDATED NOV 13

Hometown Heroes, National Nobodies - Chapter Five

Chapter 5

Alex’s P.O.V

I sat alone in the hotel room while the others went to get take away for dinner. It had been a long day, and felt like a lifetime since the fire at the hospital that I’d apparently caused. My head was throbbing and had been since I’d woken up outside the hospital. I took a mouthful of water, but found it hard to swallow. I felt my stomach grumbled and I really longed for the taste of a greasy, triple cheeseburger.

I stood up and headed for the bathroom, hoping a warm shower would help me feel better. I turned on the water and stripped off before climbing into the bath bottom of the shower. After letting the water run down on me for a few moments, I put the plug into the bath, filling it up and shutting off the water. I sat down in the bottom, patting the stilled water with my hand. When I went to move my hand to push my fringe out my face, I watched as the water I’d been touching followed my hand. I sat up straighter, watching as the water spun and twisted with the movement of my hand.

When I lost concentration, the water fell, splashing into the bath below. I pushed my hand under the water, making a cup with my fingers before pulling it back above the surface. Inside was a perfect ball of water. I didn’t know what to think, so I kept testing out to see if I wasn’t dreaming. Every time, the water would follow my hands or appear in small balls. I cupped both my hands and scoop a large ball out, but it splashed into the rest of the water when a knock on the bathroom door distracted me.

“Get out Alex, dinner’s here,” Jack shouted from the door.

“I’ll be out in a sec,” I called back.

I climbed out of the bath and dried myself off before pulling on a pair of pants and heading out to where the boys had left a McDonald’s bag on the counter for me.

“What’d you get?”

“Three triple cheeseburger, like you asked.”

“Sweet,” I murmured as I ripped bag open.

The first bite of the greasy, cheesy mess tasted so good. I’d really missed what solid food actually tasted like. I looked up after I finished my first burger to see all three of them staring at me.

“What?” I asked with a mouth full of food.

“You look really sick,” Jack murmured, “Are you feeling alright?”

My eyes widened as I felt the sudden urge to vomit and I quickly ran into the bathroom. Sure enough, my reflection supported what Jack had just told me. I felt myself gag before throwing up into the basin. I leant over the bathroom sink, breathing heavily and staring at my reflection in the mirror.

I’d never really taken the time to look at myself in the last six hours, and now I suddenly saw what everyone else did. Dark circles hung under my eyes, and my skin was pale and blotchy. My hair was greasy and had lost its usual volume. My fingernails were brittle and my arms and torso were covered in bruises. Mentally, I felt completely drained of energy and life, and I didn’t know what was taking this toll on me.

I felt a tingle of warmth on my hands and looked down to see small flames flickering on my fingertips, lapping at my palms. It didn’t burn, just tickled slightly. I held my hands up to my face before clamping them together. When I pulled them apart, both hands were completely smothered in fire. I turned the tap with my elbow before holding my hands underneath the water. The flames went out as quickly as they has started and didn’t smoke or leave a trace of ever being there. I splashed my face with water before returning to the boys and my now cold, half eaten cheeseburger.

“Are you okay, Alex?” Jack asked.

I didn’t answer, instead shrugging my shoulders.

“Has weird stuff been happening to you guys lately?” Rian asked.

I looked up as he collected the rubbish and threw it out before sitting down across from me.

“Like, stuff you can’t explain?”

I wanted to nod, but I waited to see if anyone else would answer.

“Yeah,” Jack said, “You know how I went all, all weird at the hospital? It was almost as if I’d been sucked into Alex’s dream. Like, I was seeing what he was seeing in his head.”

“That’s not possible,” Zack muttered.

“The first day we got to the hospital, I went to get a drink of water and when I got back, it was like I’d disappeared. You guys couldn’t see me, but I could see you. It was like I was invisible.”

The room went quiet before I decided I should speak up.

“When you guys were out, I had a bath and I don’t know what happened. It was like I was controlling the water or something, it moved with my hand. Then before, my hands were on fire. They just lit up themselves.”

Silence fell over the room again before Zack shook his head.

“This is stupid. Those things can’t just happen!”

“Surely you’ve experienced something,” Rian prodded.

“No.”

“Yeah,” Jack pushed, “What about when the tv fell? As if you could get to me that quickly? And that broken chair? No one can snap metal clean in half with one bare hand!”

“It was just adrenaline of the moment.”

“Adrenaline my ass.”

“Whatever. This shit doesn’t, and can’t happen. End of story!”

Zack stood up and left the hotel room, slamming the door shut behind him. I swallowed hard as we all just stared at each other. None of us had an explanation for what was going on, which made it even harder to understand.

“You guys believe me, right?” Rian asked.

“Of course,” Jack answered, “We were both there when Alex set a whole hospital on fire with nothing but his own skin.”

“I can show you guys what I did, if you want?” I suggested.

Rian and Jack nodded before we all crammed into the tiny bathroom where I cupped my hands in the dirty bath water. I pulled them out, only to have water seep through them out of a pool that didn’t resemble the ball I was holding before. I tried again and again, but it didn’t work.

“it works, seriously,” I said, frustration leaking into my voice.

After at least ten more tries of nothing happening, we all gave up. Maybe Zack was right. Maybe it was just all in our heads.