Haunting Hallucinations

Valeri Nichushkin and Nathan MacKinnon were shoved down the tunnels by their teammates, who covered for them by making up silly stories and reasons for why they had fought one another and were screaming the names of Sergei Gonchar and Sidney Crosby. The coaches both seemed to buy the stories and things returned back to normal, as the game ended.

However, in the locker rooms, both players entered with different emotions.


Val’s POV

I sat with my head buried in my hands. I didn’t bother to do anything, but just sit and sob. I was so tired...but all I could do at the moment was cry and relive the fight on the ice. I’d actually dropped my gloves and fought someone?! But I was a lover, not a fighter and yet...I’d gone after some Avalanche player. I NEVER did this before. I mean granted I was a big man and I could check someone or stand my ground, but I would NEVER drop my gloves and fight...anyone.

Especially not a Colorado Avalanche player named Nathan MacKinnon.

And hey, the guy was the same size as me, but he was more like a budding Sidney Crosby or Tyler Seguin. I was just me.

Suddenly, I looked up, gazing toward the locker room’s doors. I cocked my head in curiousity. I thought about the scene that had just taken place. I remembered, amidst all the chaos and turmoil, hearing two extra voices. There was the voice of the crowd as they commended me for fighting, the voices of Jamie and Tyler, and the voices of Sergei and Maria as they taunted me, egging me on. But I also remembered another taunting voice that was attached to another scream...someone else yelled out, “Sidney!”

Who was Sidney? Was this Sidney Crosby? It was the only Sidney I knew and could think of.

I wanted to know. I was curious. I stood up, but I found that I was still shaking tremendously. I used the stall as a crutch, as I got to my feet and stood up. I kept my eyes trained on the door and slowly made my way toward it. I reached out for the handle, before I froze, hearing a faint voice say my name. I whirled around, but no one was there.

This was extremely freaky! I was freaking out here. I was sure that I’d heard a voice. I turned back around, still holding the handle. I swung the door open and stepped into the frame of the door. I froze again, staring at...the Colorado Avalanche’s forward.

“Uh...hi there,” he muttered, awkwardly.

“Hi,” I responded, looking downward at my feet.

“Sorry I, um, you know…”

I looked up. “Oh, no, no, it was my fault!”

“No, I was the one who started it.”

“I thought I--”

“--heard a voice?”

“да!” I nodded my head vertically. I could tell that he was using the context clues that I exuded to figure out that this meant “yes.”

“You’re a Russian guy?”

“Yeah. I came from the KHL. The Stars drafted me in 2013.”

“Oh really? I was drafted by the Avalanche in the first round! When were you drafted?”

“Uh…” I struggled to formulate my thoughts into a response. I would never hurt anyone intentionally and this guy, Nathan MacKinnon, didn’t look like he’d do something quite so hurtful either. He looked like a kind enough guy....a Canadian equivalent of me.

“Nevermind, man. It’s okay. I can google it!”

“Google it?” I repeated, flashing an innocently clueless grin. What the hell did he mean by that?

“Uh...I can find out for myself. What is your name?”

“Hi, I’m Val Nichushkin!”

“Val Nichushkin, eh? You were the one who was taken 10th! Yes, yes, I remember you now.”

I looked at him with my shiny blue eyes, still grinning that grin of mine. I saw that he was a little lost about me and my nature, but I seriously wondered something. I kind of wanted to know his story. Was it possible that he was like me? Was he hallucinating too? Was he the other voice I’d heard? I decided to give it a go and ask him.

“Are you...uh....seeing things?” I asked. “Um...hallucinations?”

“Am I hallucinating?” he repeated, swallowing hard. He looked at me silently for a few more minutes. “I am.”

“I am too! I see visions...horrible, horrible things. Not normal things. I saw Tyler Seguin get eaten by a spider!”

“I saw my captain, Gabriel Landeskog get stabbed by Sidney Crosby!”

I was taken aback. So it WAS Sidney Crosby! There were a few awkward pauses that followed, before we both stepped forward and let the doors close behind us.

“What do you think is going on? When did you start hallucinating?”

“After…” I gulped as I thought about the awful memory that came crashing back into my mind like a wrecking ball. “Sergei Gonchar, he-he was injured in our game against the Wild and he retired…” I gazed back down at my feet. I lost my cheesy grin. This wasn’t a happy moment or memory. I was in pain, deep inside.

Nathan walked up to me and put an arm around my shoulder. “Hey, man, it’s okay. You’re a strong guy, Valeri Nichushkin and you can play without Sergei Gonchar.”

“That’s what Jamie and Tyler said, before Sergei’s ghost showed up and started to torment me. How am I supposed to play and perform up to a certain standard, if Sergei is haunting me? Huh?”

“You are right. I understand you and feel your pain, buddy.”

“What happened to you?”

“I don’t know. I started out having these awful dreams. I had one about the NHL Awards and I had gotten terribly sunburn before the show. When I found myself on stage I was laughed at and humiliated...and the one who did the most chirping was my idol Sidney. And somehow he keeps showing up and terrorizing me. What am I to do when the Avs ACTUALLY play the Penguins? I can’t go up to Coach Roy and be like, ‘Hey, yeah, so I don’t think I can play tonight. I’m frightened of Sidney Crosby!’ Right?”

“Totally understanding.” I wasn’t really understanding him. I got lost a few times, but I could get the general gist of what he was saying.

“So what do you think is going on with us?”

“I don’t know. But we need to find out and get rid of it. If we don’t, we may not be an Avalanche or Star player anymore.”

Nathan folded his arms and leaned against the wall. He nodded. He knew, as well as I, that we couldn’t continue to survive with these made up scenarios.”


Nathan’s POV

In the guest locker room, I stood up. I angrily stripped off my uniform and equipment and roughly dressed myself in normal attire. I put on a dressy white collared shirt and a pair of black jean pants. I also put on my Colorado Avalanche cap, making sure it was turned backwards on my head. I was in no mood for caring and I just wanted to look like a rebel man.

Then I plopped down in my stall and buried my head in my hands and cried. I was so exhausted. I couldn’t think or see straight. I thought I could handle this game, and I had. Well, up until I got into a fight with a Dallas Star.

Suddenly, I looked up at the locker room’s doors and blinked. I thought about the scene that had just transpired on the ice. I remembered, amidst all the chaos and turmoil, hearing two extra voices. There was the voice of the crowd as they booed me (since I was not a Star), the voice of Gabriel Landeskog, and the voice of Sidney as he egged me on with taunts. But I also remembered another couple of taunting voices as well that were attached to another scream...someone else had yelled out, “Sergei!” But there was also a female’s voice.

Why was there a female’s voice?

I wanted to know. I was curious. I stood up, but I found that I was still shaking tremendously. I used the stall as a crutch. I kept my eyes trained on the door and slowly made my way toward it. I reached out for the handle, before I froze, hearing a faint voice say my name. I whirled around, but no one was there.

This was extremely freaky! I freaking out here. I was sure that I’d heard a voice. I turned back around, still holding the handle. I swung the door open and stepped into the frame of the door. I froze again, staring at...the Dallas Stars’ forward.

“Uh...hi there.”

“Hi,” he responded, looking downward at his feet.

“Sorry I, um, you know…”

He looked up. “Oh, no, no, it was my fault!” His accent was a thick Russian one.

“No, I was the one who started it.”

“I thought I--”

“--heard a voice?”

“да!” He nodded his head vertically. I assume from the context clues he exuded that this meant “yes.”

“You’re a Russian guy?”

“Yeah. I came from the KHL. The Stars drafted me in 2013.”

“Oh really? I was drafted by the Avalanche in the first round! When were you drafted?”

“Uh…” I watched the poor guy struggling to formulate his thoughts into a response. He would never hurt anyone intentionally. Was it possible that he was like me? Was he hallucinating too? Was he the other voice I’d heard?

“Nevermind, man. It’s okay. I can google it!”

“Google it?” Val repeated, flashing an innocently clueless grin.

“Uh...I can find out for myself. What is your name?”

“Hi, I’m Val Nichushkin!”

“Val Nichushkin, eh? You were the one who was taken 10th! Yes, yes, I remember you now.”

The Russian sophomore looked at me with his shiny blue eyes, still grinning that grin of his. Man, the poor boy was lost…he was like a dog. A puppy dog. But I kind of wanted to know his story. So I made to take a stab at finding out, but he beat me to it.

“Are you...uh....seeing things?” he asked. “Um...hallucinations?” He cocked his head to the side like a dog.

“Am I hallucinating?” I repeated, swallowing hard. I looked at him silently for a few more minutes. It was true, he was like me! I was just a little shocked that we were both so similar. “I am.”

“I am too! I see visions...horrible, horrible things. Not normal things. I saw Tyler Seguin get eaten by a spider!”

“I saw my captain, Gabriel Landeskog get stabbed by Sidney Crosby!” I was taken aback. He was having equally terrifying visions like I was! There were a few awkward pauses that followed, before we both stepped forward and let the doors close behind us.

“What do you think is going on? When did you start hallucinating?”

“After…” I heard him gulp as he screwed his face up in horror at thinking about some terrible event that had transpired. “Sergei Gonchar, he-he was injured in our game against the Wild and he retired…” He gazed back down at his feet and lost that cheesy grin. This wasn’t a happy moment or memory for him, I could tell. He was in pain, deep inside.

I walked up to him and comfortingly put an arm around his shoulder. He needed a friend and some support. “Hey, man, it’s okay. You’re a strong guy, Valeri Nichushkin and you can play without Sergei Gonchar.” (Whoa, suddenly I felt like I was taking on Jamie Benn’s role.)

“That’s what Jamie and Tyler said, before Sergei’s ghost showed up and started to torment me. How am I supposed to play and perform up to a certain standard, if Sergei is haunting me? Huh?”

“You are right. I understand you and feel your pain, buddy.”

“What happened to you?”

“I don’t know. I started out having these awful dreams. I had one about the NHL Awards and I had gotten terribly sunburn before the show. When I found myself on stage I was laughed at and humiliated...and the one who did the most chirping was my idol Sidney. And somehow he keeps showing up and terrorizing me. What am I to do when the Avs ACTUALLY play the Penguins? I can’t go up to Coach Roy and be like, ‘Hey, yeah, so I don’t think I can play tonight. I’m frightened of Sidney Crosby!’ Right?”

“Totally understanding.” I could tell he wasn’t really understanding me. He got lost a few times, but I could also tell that he was getting the general gist of what I was saying. I could tell in his facial expressions. He was shockingly smart for a Russian born player. This was only his second year in the United States of America and already I could tell he was becoming fluent in the language. If it was me, I’d probably still be trying to figure out what the word “normal” meant.

“So what do you think is going on with us?”

“I don’t know. But we need to find out and get rid of it. If we don’t, we may not be an Avalanche or Star player anymore.”

I folded my arms and leaned against the wall. I nodded. He knew, as well as I, that we couldn’t continue to survive with these made up scenarios.

Notes

Oh man, poor Kinny and Nichy...so awkward and adorable and innocent! XD
ONE MORE DAY UNTIL BRUINS HOCKEY AND THE RETURN OF THE NHL GAMES!!!!!!!!! YIPPIE!!!!
This means that on Friday, No Place I'd Rather Be..., D&T: The Sequel (which is called Resurrection and Revenge), and a few other stories will be getting updated! Friday/Saturday will be a busy day for me on here!

Up next: The truth about why Kinny and Nichy are hallucinating...I guarantee that it will make your jaw drop and no, I'll clear this up now, it's NOT Sidney Crosby. Sid is only a pawn...it'll make since in the next chapter! :)