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Get away from me.

I’m not leaving without you.

She screams.

Get the fuck away from me.

I step forward.

No.

She huddles deeper into the corner, clutches the bag and the pipe.

Get the fuck away from me.

I step forward, lean over, put my arms around her. She struggles, tries to push me away, tries to fight. I hold on tight, stand straight, pull her up with me.

Come on.

She’s grunting, growling, struggling, fighting. I know it’s the drug the crack the rock that’s fighting me, I know it’s not her. I know if I hold on long enough, I’ll beat it.

Come on. We’re going Home.

She tries to push.

You can fight me all you want, but we’re going Home.

She tries harder. Harder. Harder.

I raise my voice.

Stop fucking fighting me. We’re going Home.

There is a last burst of anger and fear and punching and pushing and she stops. Goes limp. I feel the pipe and the bag against my chest. I feel them fall away, hear them hit the floor. I think about picking them up the urge is so fucking strong I hold on to her. I hold on until it goes away. Hold on.

She starts crying against my shoulder weeping. She has broken the drug has broken I stay still for a moment to make sure. I hold her and I turn her and I start walking toward the door. We get into the Hall start moving toward the stairwell. The Ghost is screaming again and the cackling has returned. I hold Lilly and she cries and we start down the stairs walking slowly and carefully if I let her go she will fall. She is broken and lost and high, she doesn’t know what’s happening. If I let her go she will fall.

We get to the bottom of the stairs walk through the Basement the smell the smell we walk up the stairs back into the night. We walk around the Building. The Van is out front. Hank steps out and he comes around to meet us.

She all right?

No.

He opens the door.

We’ll get her back fast.

I lift her inside.

Thank you.

He shuts the door. I sit down with Lilly in my arms and she cries against my shoulder. Lincoln turns around and he looks at us.

Crack?

Yeah.

He nods and without another word, he turns back around. Hank opens the Driver’s door and he gets behind the wheel and he starts the Van and we pull away from the Building.

Hank drives as fast as he can within reason. Lilly starts to come down from the crack. She shakes and sweats, fades in and out of consciousness, fades in and out of sanity. When she’s conscious her eyes are wide and nervous. They can’t stay in one place and she blinks and her whole face moves as she blinks blinks blinks. She babbles about her bag of crack and a large fire and a man from Atlantis who is coming to get her. When she is not babbling, she is crying. When she’s unconscious, she twitches and moans as if small bursts of electricity are blasting through her body. Her legs shake and extend, her arms quiver, she holds on to my shirt so tightly that she tears it. Occasionally she swears, like someone with Tourrette’s, saying fuck you or Motherfucker or goddamn fucking Bitch. I sit and I hold her. I respond to her words, though I know she can’t hear me. Even if she’s awake, nothing registers, except that she was high and now she’s not. She’s coming down. I hold her. I just want to get her back.

We pull off the Highway and onto the road that leads back to the Clinic. There is a spark of recognition Lilly knows where we are. She grabs on to me and I can feel her fingernails breaking through the flesh of my arms and she looks into my eyes and her eyes are filled with fear fear fear and for the first time since we have been in the Van she says something that makes sense.

I’m scared.

There’s nothing to be scared of.

I’m scared, James.

Everything’s going to be okay.

I didn’t mean to do it.

I know you didn’t.

I just couldn’t stop myself.

It’s over.

I’m so scared.

We’re Home now. Everything’s going to be okay.

We pull in front of the Entrance to the Clinic. The Van stops. Hank and Lincoln get out, Lincoln opens the back door and I help Lilly from the seat and hold her as we step