‘Make it Stop!’
Chapter 7
Hello, I’m Sally. I believe it’s my turn to narrate this part of the story since I was the one who first heard what Annie had to say. Well, if I told you what she said then it would spoil the chapter. So, I might as well start.
It was the day after the blood writing incident. The Doctor and I were with Annie in her room. The Doctor was explaining to Annie what the EEG was going to do and how it was going to help her.
“All were going to do is use a special machine to look inside your brain and find out what is causing you to faint.”
“How is it going to look inside my brain?” Annie questioned.
“By using special waves which pick up electrical brain activity.” The Doctor then tried a different way of explaining to Annie. “Your brain uses electricity to tell different parts of your body what to do. But if the electricity was all mixed up, the you body wouldn’t work properly.”
“Like when I collapse and apparently start shaking?”
“Exactly. So we need to find out which part of your brain isn’t working properly and is giving out too much electrical impulses. Do you understand, Annie.”
“Yes, I think it do.”
“Good. Now, if I go back to the lab and set up the last few modifications, Sally will shortly bring you up. Ok?”
Annie nodded.
The Doctor then wheeled to the doorway and back up the ramp to the lab.
But Annie still seemed nervous.
“Don’t worry.” I began to try to comfort Annie. “The Doctor knows what he’s doing. He’ll find out what’s wrong with you and make you better, that’s what Doctors do.”
But it didn’t seem to work. Annie even started to tremble.
“It won’t work.” She spoke quietly.
“Of course it will, Annie. Even if the Doctor find out you in fact don’t have epilepsy he still won’t give up trying to find another diagnosis.”
Annie then slowly turned her head towards me.
She trembled even more. And then she spoke.
“Sally, there’s someone inside me.”
At first I was a little puzzled.
“What do you mean?” I asked in my confusion.
Annie looked away and shook her head.
“Sally!” The Doctor called. “You can bring her up now.”
“Come on, Annie. The others are waiting for you.” I took hold of her hand and helped her out of her bed.
She stumbled a little as she walked, I had to help her keep her balance.
Step by step we eventually made our way to the lab where Emma, Jack and the Doctor were waiting for Annie.
As I guided Annie through the door everyone saw how pale she was and how scared she must have been
“Don’t be scared, Annie.” Said Jack, trying to calm her down.
“Yeah, this is going to help you.” Said Emma.
I guided Annie over to the examination table.
But Annie suddenly slipped.
She pulled me to the ground with her.
“Ah!”
Jack came over to us both and helped Annie up of the floor.
“Come on, I’ve got you.” He picked her up and laid her down on the table.
Emma came by Annie’s side and held her hand.
Annie stared at the ceiling and saw the device that was supposed to perform the EEG.
She gripped Emma’s hand tighter.
“I know your afraid, Annie. I would be. But this isn’t gonna hurt you and if anything, it will help make you better.” Emma explained.
“Now, Annie,” Said the Doctor, holding a strange helmet connected to the machine by a cord. “I’m just going to slip this on your head.”
The Doctor carefully placed the helmet on her head until it nearly covered her eyes.
“You’re now going to feel a little pressure around your skull, It won’t hurt, it will just feel like something squeezing.” The Doctor turned a dial in the helmet device.
Annie squinted slightly as the inside of the helmet tightened.
The Doctor then wheeled over to wall where there was a small screen with a switch right next to it.
“Right now, Annie, I’m going to turn on the machine. I know you probably hear this all the time from Doctors, but you honestly won’t feel a thing. And you really won’t, so don’t be afraid.”
The Doctor the flicked the switch.
The machine above Annie’s head began to buzz.
The screen on the wall lit up.
The screen was in different parts, split up into nine little screens. Each picture was a zigzagged wave running across from one side to the other.
“It’s worked. That human anatomy book had really paid off.” Said the Doctor.
“You mean you didn’t know if it was going to work or not!?” Emma panicked.
“There was no risk to Annie whatsoever if it hadn’t have worked. There was no reason to think it wouldn’t anyway. I followed the structure of an EEG scanner perfectly well from the description in the book.”
Emma shook her head.
Annie was starting to cry.
“Annie, it’s alright. It doesn’t hurt does it?” Jack asked, as concerned as we all were.
Annie shook her head.
The Doctor the picked up a long pointer and began to explain what the nine screens represented.”
“Now, these wave represent the electrical activity in the different parts of Annie‘s brain.” The Doctor pointed to each one. “What I plan to do it to try and trigger a seizure…”
“You what! I though we were supposed to be stopping the seizures!” Emma freaked out.
“If you would let me continue, Emma Donnahue! Now then, if we trigger a seizure we can see which part of Annie’s brain is giving out rapid, uncontrolled electrical activity. To see that, we simply have to spot one of these waves changing in anyway, possibly a drastic change. Does everyone understand?”
I nodded with Jack.
Emma nodded as if to be unsure or uncertain. She was probably just nervous.
“Annie, do you understand?” Asked the Doctor.
Annie nodded. She was still crying silently.
Jack knelt beside where the lain and held her hand.
With both her best friend at ether side, I we hoped Annie was ready for whatever the Doctor was going to do next.
He held a device in his hand and pressed the centre button.
Some sort of lamp came down from the ceiling in response to the device.
“Now, all this will do is flash a light. Most epileptic seizures are caused by flashing lights, which would be referred to as ‘photo sensitive epilepsy’. If you have photo sensitive epilepsy, your brain should respond to the flashing light. If you do, the we can see on the screen which part of your brain had been effected. Depending on which part of the brain is effected is what treatment for your illness I can offer you. Do you understand, Annie? A flashing light. That’s all it is.”
Annie nodded whilst still crying quietly.
“Just remember, this is one step closer to helping you, Annie.” Jack attempted to calm her down. “It’ll all be over soon.”
The Doctor wheeled over to beside Annie.
“Are you ready, dear?”
A pause and a silence passed by…
And then Annie nodded.
The Doctor the flicked the switch on the device he held in his hand.
The lamp lit up, and then began rapidly flashing.
At first it had no effect.
But as the event continued, I noticed Annie’s breathing getting deeper and faster.
She then started to cry louder.
The Doctor wheeled over to the screens. But there was no difference to any of the waves.
“She must just be scared. Try to calm her down.”
“Annie, you have to stop crying. There’s no need to be scared.” Jack tried to comfort her.
Annie the turned her head to Jack.
“Help me…” He screamed under her breath.
Suddenly, Annie started thrashing about.
This was it!!!
But unlike the last seizures, Annie was awake!
“Aaaaaahhhh!” She screamed. “Aahh! Make it stop! Make it STOP!!!”
The Doctor panned through the screens to see which of the waves was changing.
Annie continued to scream. (It hurt to see her like that).
She thrashed so much she fell of the bed.
“Aaaaaahhhh!!! It BURNS!!! It’s BURNING!!!”
“Annie!” Emma tried to grab hold of her arms and hold her still. “Jack, help me… Ah!” But Annie was shaking so violently she whacked Emma in the face and knocked her back.
Annie wasn’t fitting like last time at all, she was practically leaping off the floor and trashing from one end to the other.
“This isn’t right!” The Doctor exclaimed. “There readings aren’t showing any abnormal electrical activity at all!”
“Emma! It’s trying to kill me!!!” Annie screamed. “MAKE IT STOP!!!”
Annie thrashed so much that the helmet flew off her head.
The Doctor quickly grabbed a full syringe from the side. He needed to bring this to an end.
“Try to hold her still so I can help her!!!”
Jack grasped hold of her wrists and tried to stop her from thrashing. Emma soon helped and even I myself tried to help.
“Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!” Annie screamed, for the last time.
Anastasia then practically collapsed. The Doctor injected the syringe.
This was all so frighteningly strange.
Though Annie was still, the was still awake and breathing narrowly and quietly. A sudden drastic change from a few moments ago.
I noticed her eyes, they were slightly blood shot and one of her pupils was very constricted.
“Annie?” Emma spoke quietly.
She pulled Annie up and rested her against the table.
Annie just stared wide eyed and barely breathing.
From shouting and screaming, Annie was now silent and still.
“Annie? Are you alright?” Emma placed her hand in Annie’s
“DON’T TOUCH ME!!!” Annie yelled louder then she screamed. Her voice we deeper and sounded odd.
Annie grabbed hold of Emma’s a hand extremely tightly.
“Ah! Annie!”
“Aaarhhh!” Annie the pushed Emma back, and Emma practically shot across to the other side of the room!
Annie then started kicking me and Jack away.
“Keep away from me!!!” She screamed.
Annie quickly shot to her feet.
Jack tried to stop her from kicking, but she simple thrashed with her fist and knocked him back down.
I stumbled back, terrified at what I was seeing.
Annie ran across to the other side of the room. She stopped when she got to the window.
“Aaarhhh!” She screamed and she grabbed hold of the bar in the side of the pane.
#Smash#!!!
Shockingly, Annie then drove her head straight through the window!
“Annie!” Jack ran to her. He grabbed hold of her by her shoulders and tried to stop her from smashing another window.
“Get off me!!!” Annie yelled.
She swung round with her arms and once again knocked Jack straight to the ground.
Annie then yelled in a bizarre voice. Screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Annie!” Emma called out. She was just as terrified as I was!
Annie’s scream then changed in to her usual voice, and instead of an angry cry, it was a frightened scream of a little girl.
The yelling then stopped.
Annie just stood there for a few seconds.
And then…she collapsed…
