Kenny ran as fast as his legs could take him, instinctively avoiding any sources of danger that came his way. Everything seemed to be easier, lighter, especially because he lacked the previous fear-driven desperation and the hopeless feeling that almost crushed his heart several days ago. This time, he actually believed that he'd found a surefire solution and no matter what, it will end this whole mess!
And while Kenny knew that he should've been happier, jumping from excitement, a depressing shadow loomed over his thoughts. Even as they ran, part of him couldn't truly believe Kyle's resolution. You can't just reset months and years of aimless writhing by stating that you are suddenly okay. Life did not work like that. Especially in Kyle's case, who usually kept chewing on problems even after everyone else got over them and life went on. There was a high chance that some remnants of uncertainty still plagued his thoughts, nibbling at him ever so slightly, even if Kyle openly decided to go against his own negative feelings.
And sadly, that was a battle Kenny couldn't take part in, no matter how much he wanted to. Mostly, because he knew, it wouldn't be fair with Kyle if he tried to intervene and solve his problems with his own methods. The boy needed time to get back on track again, sort out his future and his feelings, but he had to take the first steps alone, on his own accord.
This was not a one-afternoon feat and Kenny was well aware of this.
"Why are we running again?" Kyle asked, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the sound of late-night traffic.
"Because you finally reacted to something!" was all Kenny could say, anything longer would've made him lose the solid rhythm of his breathing. His lungs were already burning up, he didn't need side stitches on top of that.
"Reacted to what?!"
"Beats me!" he took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. "…That's what I want to find out."
Truth to be told, he had no idea on how to solve this puzzle. The information formed a jumbled mess in his brain and all he had were assumptions he managed to tear away from this illogical nonsense. Why did Kyle start crying in the first place? Was it because of his words or because Stan held his hand? Or maybe because the two finally made an impact strong enough to repair the connection between soul and body? In normal cases, he would sit back, try to piece everything together until he arrives to a conclusion. But this was not a normal case, and he was sure as hell, that he had no time to waste.
Even if thought was small, with almost no evidence, but thanks to that, Kenny had a vague idea on how to drag Kyle back from limbo.
Would that work? They had no way of knowing.
But this ordeal changed something in him that urged Kenny to step forward and act, try every possibility before they declare that the situation is truly helpless. He convulsively grasped into that last idea, like it was his lifesaver and refused to let go of it.
Furthermore, if anything were to happen with Kyle, he wouldn't forgive himself in a million deaths.
When he finally left the suburbs, as Kenny's footsteps echoed on the wet concrete, feet kicking up water in their wake, the lights of South Park blurred into a colorful picture around them.
He still remembered when he thought everything will end. The day when he thought Kyle died for real and blinded by panic, he ended up dying in the lamest possible way... Falling into a manhole like a cartoon character from the late 90's.
But that was one time and one of the positive sides of his curse was that, history, or rather, his deaths, hardly ever repeated themselves in a row. That way, he accidentally avoided a tragic end for this night and stirred his own fate into more favorable directions.
At this thought, a small smile crept to his lips. He closed his eyes, letting the cool spring drizzle caress his skin and wash away his remaining doubts.
Yes, this was indeed different.
The mind-numbing fear was no more. His dread was replaced by anticipation and the blond unconsciously quickened his pace, skipping over puddles and pieces of trash with ease, successfully avoiding every obstacle that life hurdled in his way.
This time, his legs actually stopped in front of a grey building that loomed over South Park like a malevolent shadow. And yet…
Probably because of his newfound determination, despite the darkness of night, even the hospital had lost its previously depressing atmosphere. Dim light made its way to the windows, softly illuminating the run-down building. It was way past visiting hours so most of the rooms were enveloped by complete darkness, making Kenny realize a crucial missing information in his perfect plan––
"Wait. We don't know your ward number," he stated, looking up at the floors as if someone would tell him the answer.
"You're the one with the phone. Maybe Stan is still here?" Kyle shrugged, kicking a bottle and frowning when his legs went through the plastic. He felt strangely alive, yet nothing really changed…Sighing to himself, he focused his attention on the screen in front of them.
It took Kenny several tries and quiet curses muttered under his breath before the phone decided to register his wet fingers, but the reply came almost immediately and Stan made sure to even write down the exact route with surprising amount of details. To Kenny's greatest relief, Stan didn't ask further questions.
Something told Kenny, the boy was already used to them getting in these kind of situations and didn't bat an eye, when he suddenly wanted to break into a hospital to see their best friend. His lack of questions about accompanying Kenny and helping him with his plan could mean that he'd chosen to give Kenny some time alone with Kyle. Stan earned the title of super best friend for a reason, it seems.
Checking his phone, Kenny went through the string of messages once again, taking mental notes of the most important details, making a plan in his head.
Fourth floor. Left corridor, with a note about the importance of hygiene and washing hands before visiting a loved one. The right corridor belonged to Hepatology.
In order to get there, they had to make their way past Neurology and several inpatient wards that probably included a floor reception, where they… well most importantly, Kenny had to find a way to sneak past and avoid the nurses and doctors… if there's any.
"You couldn't make our job easier and get a room for yourself on the ground or first floor, right?"
"Yes, Kenny. Next time I'll specifically request to get taken straight to the mortuary to save you from climbing stairs!" Kyle scoffed with folded arms, however, his voice lacked any hostility.
"A room named 'Get me out of here, my beloved prince' would be enough, you know," Kenny gave him an amused look, but his mind was somewhere else sketching up plans for them to even get inside the building. He broke into the police station once so it can't be harder than that! At least nurses didn't walk around with guns. Well, probably… They were in South Park, so he wouldn't be surprised by the sight of an armed staff.
And yet, this silly picture gave him the brilliant idea!
"Ky, do you remember those games with the godawful escort missions?" he asked quietly. Kyle's expression took up a grimace pretty much answering the question before he even opened his mouth.
"Dude, don't remind me. I always had to drop those missions on Stan because I had no patience for them!"
"Too bad, because you are going to escort me."
The puzzled expression Kyle gave him was priceless. He even cocked his head slightly to the side to signal his initial confusion.
"So... you want me to scout the area for you?"
"Gotta get use of your invisibility while it lasts and I don't see any other options," he said stepping closer and instinctively reached for Kyle's hand as a way to reassure him.
Kyle returned the gesture letting his fingers brush past Kenny's hand, softly melting into his skin without leaving any effect. He wanted to say something, ask the question that has been on his mind for a while now. Even the mood was perfect, urging Kyle to act, however his own common-sense stopped him. As he watched Kenny, those blue eyes filled with determination, he wanted to tell him something important and intimate. Yet the redhead couldn't utter a single word because he was too scared of a possible negative aftermath.
And the inability to do anything hurt more than before. All he wanted to do was to grab Kenny's hand and drag him as far away from the hospital as it was humanly possible. But, if he had the ability to drag him that would mean that his body was free of its constraints they would have no business in the gruesome building.
"I hope this won't be like that game." he tried to lighten the mood. "I mean, with the zombie virus and the crazy doctors."
"Well, they would have to fight the numero uno vigilante of South Park. They better not be there," Kenny smiled at him after letting out a small chuckle. "Plus, we've had more dangerous adventures than breaking into a hospital."
"Oh, don't even start" Kyle he nudged him with his arm, immediately stopping once he realized how futile this gesture was in reality.
He seriously started to get annoyed by not having a body.
Going through the main gates was out of question, Kyle thought to himself as he watched the cameras on the corners of the building. However, Kenny didn't stop and waltzed under them like someone, who wanted to get his pictures taken. Frowning at his actions, the redhead was ready to fulfill his part of the deal, but when he was about to go to the frontdoor, Kenny just walked past them, taking a turn toward the side of the building and going straight to the parking lot behind the hospital.
"It's easier to get inside from behind" he explained to Kyle as followed the side of the building.
"I'm more worried about the cameras." the boy told him, watching up to check on the devices above them.
"Those?" Kenny pointed up without even raising his head. "Those don't work, Ky."
"Wait. Wait! That makes no sense! Why wouldn't they work? What if someone steals something from the hospital? You know, devices, medicines… Organs?!"
The blond only answered him one of those looks that urged Kyle to rethink his previous sentences.
"Ky, they put those up to create the illusion that this is a heavily guarded place. Those are only props to trick amateurs. But-" he stopped, waiting for Kyle to finish the sentence.
"The ones behind this are part of the staff." Kyle made a pained expression as he understood that he was on the list of possible organ donors. For the first time in days he was happy that the annoying and often painful sensation that paralyzed his entire being was not coming from his abdomen. "I hope we still have time before they realize that my organs are up for grabs."
"The sooner we get there, the sooner we can punch them if they try anything funny."
They stopped in front of a door made of wired glass. Compared to the modern, automated entrance in the front, this one was a remnant from the seventies, before the hospital was closed down for so called 'renovations'. According to the staff. Actually, it was to reduce health hazards that caused the death of several patients and eventually led to a massive outbreak of a flesh eating bacteria.
Obviously, even now, Hells Pass only cared about modernizing the image that appeared among web searches. In the background, they did everything to cover up their mistakes and wrongdoings by erasing them from the hospital's documentations.
Thanks to the glass, that obstructed the view, they couldn't really see through the door and opening it would lead to some awkward moments with the employees. However, having an invisible companion had its perks as Kyle could easily take a look around without alerting anyone.
The redhead visibly took a deep breath before he stepped through the door. Even though the lamp was on, nobody really sat at the backdoor reception desk, even the old computer monitor was off. Kyle was half-tempted to ask Kenny to boot it up for him, only to see if they were still using DOS. Maybe they could sneak back once everything is done…
Shaking his head back into focus, Kyle glanced around several times, and when he was sure that the hallways were empty, he leaned out through the door, making Kenny jump a little.
"Coast is clear. But I have the feeling not even doctors want to stay in this place after sunset."
"And can you blame them? This still doesn't mean we don't have to be careful. Some workaholics might roam the hallways…" Kenny explained as he pushed the door open with all of his strength.
A nasty shiver ran down the blonde's spine as his steps echoed through the halls. He suddenly felt like running back home, fearing to face whatever monster awaited for them at the end of the corridor. He wouldn't be surprised if fate wanted to get back at him this way. Inviting him to the place that makes him want to hide, scattering unpleasant memories all around the hospital.
A little death here, another there, a medical malpractice, death by a deranged nurse… The list just went on, taking him down a depressingly dark memory lane.
"We should take the stairs," Kyle spoke next to him, dragging Kenny out of his reverie. "We might get stuck in an elevator here, furthermore it might be too loud… Hey. Ken, is everything alright?"
"Yes, yes. I should be asking this from you."
"But you are trembling."
Kenny didn't even notice the slight shakiness that went through his body with each step as he took his way toward the staircase. He knew it well why the hospital struck him with a peculiar feeling, but explaining it to Kyle was a feast he couldn't pull off since they were kids. Each time Kyle forgot about his words, or tried to sweep it under the rug because the evidence just erased itself from his brain. At first, he blamed Kyle for his ignorance, but only because it took Kenny years to understand that the real culprit was the curse itself.
He needed to say something, however, he couldn't let him worry. At least, not today.
So Kenny took a deep breath, fixing his composure at last. Explaining his curse might have been an impossible task, but making Kyle understand his feelings was nowhere near that hard. He just needed to take a small detour.
"As a kid, I used to have nightmares of this place. And not from the "being chased around in the hospital kind," he sighed. Even after all these years, these memories still made him feel sick. "Hell, one time, I dreamt that they had to do a heart transplant and instead the put back a potato with their greasy hands… And that's only the tip of the iceberg. Each dream was worse than the other, so I kind of get uneasy from this smell and the yellow walls around us."
Kyle went silent next to him, taking the steps almost as if his weightless legs were made of stone. He felt terrible, but he couldn't really tell why. He could imagine the scene in vivid pictures despite not sharing the same dream with Kenny. Yet, he felt guilty and felt the need to apologize.
"I'm sorry." he whispered.
"Hm?"
"We were terrible friends to you." Kyle explained earning a shaky chuckle from Kenny.
"But not on purpose. We were dumb kids back then."
"Sure, but you still couldn't tell this to us and even if you tried, knowing our past selves…"
However, before he could finish his sentence and start an even longer self-deprecating rant, Kenny stepped in turning toward him once they reached the fourth floor.
"What was in the past, should stay there." I die less now, anyway, he wanted to add, but refrained from making this even more confusing. Knowing that he could tell his experiences to Kyle already made his heart lighter. They walked up to the dirty notice about the importance of hygiene and looked at each other. Kenny wanted to say something cool, something only Mysterion would say in a situation like that, but as he looked at Kyle's frown, he continued his previous thought with a small smile. "You've listened to me, and for starters, that's more than enough."
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
And so the final chapter(s) are here! Originally I did not want to turn it into a 2 parter, but the chapter grew so long that editing in itself turned into an intimidating task. On the bright side, Part2 is already in the oven, waiting for me to make some changes here and there, tidy it up a little bit!