Skylar looked around Jack's mind and noticed the strangeness of the bat, falling into deep thought. Unlike James, which was filling cabinets and her, which was a web, Jack's was dark, cold and red. Red as deep as blood lathered the entire mind world. Inside that sea, there was nothing but a few wardrobes sprinkled around and a house in the centre.
Leon went to speak, but stopped seeing James lift his hand. Looking at Skylar, he could tell she was trying to understand her patient and needed to concentrate. Skyalr moved around, lifting her hand and dragging a wardrobe to her. Touching it, James got the impression she was suppressing tears, "Trauma, very deep, very cruel trauma." Her words were lathered in pity. "Everything he experiences, he hides away in a wardrobe. Like a child." Looking around, she noticed how empty his mind was. Unlike both hers and James, there was anoticable lack of memories he clung to. "It's like his life is trapped in that moment. He died in there, and doesn't experience what came after."
Skylar wavedher hands, sending the wardrobe away, and looked at the distant house before turning away, focusing on something deeper in Jack's mind. Holding her hand out, they all heard a deep rumbling in the distance. A large wardrobe rushed forward, different from the others. Whilst the rest were brown, this one was black. All of them froze up in front of it, feeling the heavy emotions inside.
Skyalr was the worst, taking a few deep breaths. "So much hate and fear." Resting her hand on it, she winced as she felt the emotion come from it. A touch was enough as she pulled away, not wishing to open it. Looking at Leon, there were tears in her eyes, "What did your friend experience to hate someone so strongly?"
Leon looked away. "His mother was killed." Leon coldly said. Skylar nodded and looked into the distance. This time, instead of pulling the memory towards her, she walked towards it. James and Leon followed behind as they made their way through the endless sea of blood and wardrobes. It felt like an eternity they walked before arriving at another wardrobe out of place with the rest. This time, it brightly glowed, but underneath it, a long shadow loomed.
Skylar stepped forward and touched it, a loving smile forming on her lips. Pulling the handles, she opened it, blinding the three with a light. There was nothing inside but a single painting of a young woman, who looked no older than eighteen. The woman's face wasn't clear; the top half was shrouded in light, but James could see the loving smile that sat on a pair of thin cheeks, nestled beneath freckles.
All of them were affected by the wave of emotion that came from it. Feeling Jack's immense love, happiness and longing from the painting. Whilst it made the two men warmly, Skylar lowered her head in sadness, "He can't even remember her face properly." Saying that, she closed the doors and turned to the house. Making her way towards it, they opened the front door and walked in.
Laughter echoed from one of the rooms, and stopping outside, Skylar pushed the door, letting them see a young Jack, happily running around holding a toy. At the table, his mother sat with the top half of her head covered in light. Leon and James watched as Skylar turned to James.
"Remember when I told you never to get stuck in a memory." James nodded and realised what had happened, why Jack didn't wake up, even when the ability vanished from his mind.
"He's doing it to himself?" James asked, making Skylar nod.
"Yes." Skylar stared at the young Jack, who happily ran around holding a toy of a superhero laughing . "He may be an adult, but he's still a child. He never left this moment of his life, but was likely forcibly dragged from it." Leon was noticeably silent, suppressing his emotions as he watched Jack, hearing his voice for the first time in a over decade.
"Then how do we wake him?" James asked. Skylar looked at the young boy and clutched the end of her dress.
"Remind him of reality." She said with deep hesitation, remembering the hatred inside of Jack. "And there is only one thing that can do that."
"Do we have to?" Leon finally spoke, looking at Skylar. "Can he not stay here?" Skylar looked deep into Leon's eyes and meekly nodded.
"He can't stay here. I'm sure he is happy, but it's fake. You can't stay locked up in a dream forever." Skylar said and turned around, leaving the house. Looking into the distance, there was one thing she had noticed when she first entered, and finally worked up the courage to look at it. Lifting her hand, she pulled the wardrobe towards them. It was different once again, full of cracks and black, blacker than the one filled with his hatred and fear.
Skyalr took a deep breath, "When I open this, you must remember, it isn't us who experienced it. Don't get swept away by anything, don't intervene, no matter how desperately you want to." Opening the doors, the three stepped in and arrived at a house. Looking around, every detail was perfectly memorised.
Jack sat at the table, drawing a picture whilst his mother watched with a soft gaze. Skylar pulled the three to the side and held them, making sure they didn't do anything. A loud baning followed, and the three saw Jack's mother tense up. Leaving the room, she quickly returned. Although they couldn't see her face clearly, they could tell she was deeply worried and scared, but tried to hide it.
Grabbing Jack's hand, she pulled him away to a nearby wardrobe and opened it. Crouching down, she smiled and tapped his nose. "Listen. Stay inside and don't make a sound. No matter what you hear, don't say a sound and don't look. Can you do that for me?" The three watched Jack nod in confusion. His mother moved, rubbing his head before kissing his forehead, "Listen to mommy's words, Little chicken."
Closing the door, the three noticed Jack push the wardrobe doors open, peeking through them. His mother left and quickly returned, screaming, followed by two men's voices. One of them walked around with a disgusted look, picking up the picture before dropping it and scoffing.
Leon and James instantly recognised who the two belonged to; their suits were the ones worn by members of the Gentleman Society. "You are a stupid woman." One of the men said, throwing a heavy slap across Jack's mother's cheek. She nearly cried out, but stopped, remembering Jack was there. "What right do you have to take what doesn't belong to you?"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't know." Jack's mother said with scared, rapid breaths. "I didn't use any. I was just desperate." The man scoffed and shook his head.
"That's not how it works." One of the men left the room and stepped out. Coming back in, they heard the dragging of an axe on the floor, "You should have run. Why you stayed is beyond me."
"PLEASE!" Her voice screamed out, "It's under my bed. Just take it, please." The man thinly smiled and shook his head. Resting his hand on his chest like a gentleman, he lowered his head in a fake apology.
"We take no pleasure in this, but people have to know not to make the same mistake as you. You must understand, it's only business." The man raised his head and stepped back. The other one walked into the room and took his place. Lifting the axe up, he showed no emotion.
"NO!" Jack's mother screamed and tried to reach out to stop him. The man easily overpowered her, pushing her off him. Falling down, she faced the direction of the wardrobe and saw it cracked apart, seeing Jack's young gaze inside. "No, no, no, no. Please." Reaching towards him, the men paid no attention," Don't..."
Before she could finish speaking, the axe fell, cutting off her outstretched arm. The sound was vivid in all their minds as Skylar covered her mouth in horror. Leon and James stared ahead in complete shock as they saw the axe come up again. Each one could vividly feel everything. The smell of blood, the desire to run out and stop everything, the sorrow for not doing as he was told. For five minutes, they were forced to experience it all as Jack watched, staying as still as he could. But above everything, they felt the most intense amount of fear they had ever felt.
After those five minutes, the two men spoke; it was nothing more than a drowning buzzing sound in the background, and they left. Leon moved, trying to approach the wardrobe, but was stopped by James, who rested his hand on his shoulder. All of them saw Jack through the crack, staring at his mother, what she had become, covering his mouth as tears filled his eyes.
Sirens could be heard in the distance, but before anyone arrived, the memory ended, throwing the three out of the wardrobe.