I'm not really happy how this turned out but enjoy anyways

17. coming home

I brought you home that day, I remember spending the weekend with our friends and you didn't want to go home when you had to, no one really wanted you to go. But if you stayed there was no way for you to get home, so I offered you a ride. It wasn't even dark out, so going through the forest wouldn't be as scary as at night, it was all fine. We talked and you hugged me when you we arrived at you house, I could see that you were grateful and made my way back with a smile on my face. Back into the woods, I was putting on my headphones and not really paying attention to what was in front of me. So only after it was too late I noticed the big hole where the path used to be and I fell in it, bike and all. I remember falling, falling for what seems like ages. That's the day I disappeared, vanished of the face of the earth.

But now I'm back, I managed to get back here and I can't wait to see my family again, to see you again. My knees are weak, my arms are heavy, every step I take is a struggle but I have to keep going, my clothes hang around my body. They're ripped and dirty, my hair is in a different cut than it used to be. My abs are more defined and they're really showing, I also got a tan. One of my pupils is red instead of blue and a few fingers on my left hand are missing, well they're not missing since I got pretty good new ones but still different. In other words, I'm unrecognisable. I decide to take a break since I don't want to die before I get my status back to alive, so I sit down and lean against a tree. It's a nice day, the sun is shining, I hear a few birds sing and the forest is overall very calm. Not like I'm used to but that can change. I feel the ground shake as something comes closer, I look up and see a bike, just like the one I had. I try to get up but fall to my knees again, I have no energy left. From my position on the ground I can see a flash of red above me and then it all goes black.

Then I wake up, in a hospital, I'm guessing. The room is empty, white and quiet. I'm not used to it, no one's screaming, no one's crying, all that I hear is my own breathing. I look around and see the clean sheets that I'm under, no stains, no blood on them. The walls are white and clean as well and the window is not broken. The bed…, the bed is an actual bed. The flowers on the small bedside table are not biting at my face, it's like they're asleep. My time to examine my surroundings is over as a woman opens the door and gets in my room, she looks at me and seems happy that I'm looking right back at her, then she pushes a button and makes her way over to the side of my bed.

"hi, it's nice to see you awake. I'm Kim, I'm your nurse here" I nod at her with a small smile on my face, Kim is a blonde woman with brown eyes and pearly white teeth. She has a nice smile. "now, we're just gonna run some tests and then we need to ask you some question, alright?" I nod again, right now I don't really trust my voice. The conversation isn't over yet "can you tell me your name honey?"

Now I have to speak up even if it is just to say one word, my name. My real name, not the ones I used, not the ones I stole, not the ones given to me but the one my parents gave me at birth. I haven't used it in a while but back here I kinda have to, so I manage to choke out "Beca" it's Kim's turn to nod now, and she walks out of the room again after a few words. Only to come back in with an army of nurses and a doctor who do all sorts of test to see if I'm a human being who functions properly. I'm not. There is a lot wrong with my body, honestly, it's a goddamn miracle that I'm alive right now and I don't know whether I should be grateful or just end it as soon as fucking possible. I already said that one of my eyes is weird, and that I miss a few fingers. But that's not all, that is all these doctors are gonna find, maybe they won't even find the fingers. They all leave after a while and that's fine, I think I'd love some alone time right now. Unfortunately I'm not lucky enough to get that, as another man gets in my room and sits down next to my bed, he looks about 40 years old, but he's probably younger, since I always guess ages wrong. I can't help it, where I'm from people look a lot older than they are. He has brown hair and brown eyes, and has a friendly face.

"good afternoon Beca, I'm dr. Posen. But you can call me Brian, I'm here to ask you some questions, okay" I nod and he continues "do you know your full name?"

"yeah, it's Rebecca Ann Mitchell"

He writes it down "alright, age and date of birth?"

"I'm 21 years old, born on 14th of October in 1996"

"okay, when you were brought in you didn't have an ID or something with you, so we couldn't contact a family member or friends. Is there a person who you would like us to call"

"I guess you could try my father or mother, but I don't know how to contact them"

"If you can just give us the names, I'll try to see what I can do"

"Mary and Thomas Mitchell"

"okay, now, can you tell me how you got to where you were found"

I shake my head, knowing if I tell the truth they'll think I'm crazy "no sir, I can't remember that"

"and the time before that? the doctors have found that your body surface consists for at least 40% out of scars, do you know how you got those scars"

I bite my lip, as if I'm thinking about it "I remember getting into fights sir, but I'm afraid that's all that pops up"

Dr. Posen sights "alright, that's it for now" he gets up and walks to the door "oh and you have a visitor, the girl that found you, that okay?"

I nod and he walks out "wait sir!" I call after him, he turns around "do you know if they have my bag or any of the stuff I had on me?"

"I'll see if I can find it"

"thanks so much" he nods and closes the door behind him and I lean my head back on my pillow, this is gonna be harder than I thought. These past years all I ever tried was get back here and that was what kept me going, seeing my family again, seeing you again. But most of all, not letting the monsters win, no, I didn't want to end up like all the other humans I met down there. They all ended up six feet under, not something to look forward to. From all the stories I've heard I am the longest survivor, and I'm the first to ever get out, I'm the best warrior to ever be down there. I survived what killed others, I got better where others died and I feel grateful. I almost stayed, not wanting to leave the world I understood, you might not want to believe it but this world is a lot harder to manage in than the one where you're trapped in between monsters, demons, ghosts and many more things that can only be from the deepest debts of hell. It's simple there, kill or be killed.

The door opens and a knock snaps me out of my thoughts, I look at the person standing there and to my surprise I'm staring straight at you. You, with your ginger hair, longer than it used to be. You, with your piercing blue eyes, filled with tears. "Chloe?" my voice is soft and barely audible but you heard it. You get closer to the bed and have a strange look on your face, you don't recognise me. For the first time since I'm back I feel myself crying, tears make their way down my cheeks as I look at you. I missed you, I missed them all but you, I missed you the most. I hadn't realised how much I needed you until I lost you, and now I'm no one to you and that just hurts.

"how do you know my name" hearing your voice sends new tears down, I cover my face in my hands and I try to calm myself down. What will you think of me, all you see is this mess that used to be a person, I used to be your best friend.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm Beca, Beca Mitchell. I used to know you"

I can't see what is going on in your mind, I used to be able to read you like a book. I guess time has changed you, it changed me too. I hope we can still be friends, but you're not saying anything and it's freaking me out. I look at my hands, this is not what I thought would happen.

"Beca?" I look up, hoping to see a bit of recognition in your eyes, I don't have time as you're hugging me, practically throwing yourself at me. "it's you, you're back, I missed you so much"

When you finally let me go you still can't seem to believe I'm really here, you keep touching my face and talking to me, like I'm a dream and I'll disappear. But I won't.

"how have you been? How is life back here?"

You chuckle and it sounds like heaven "oh ya know, I went to college, now I'm back. I couldn't bring myself to stay here after you disappeared. And then your parents"

"what about them, I haven't seen them"

You look down at your hands and I can feel somethings wrong "they're gone aren't they" you nod, and take my hand

"I'm sorry, they were so sad their marriage didn't survive, your father left and your mom, she died. I'm so, so sorry"

I'm shocked, I'm sad, I'm angry. I'm feeling too much at the same time my brain stops working, I sit and stare at you. "I'm too late, this can't be happening" I'm not even talking to you, I'm muttering. I'm not even looking at you, I'm staring through you, tears find their way down again but I don't care "all these years spent trying to get back" now really looking at you "do you know what I went through to get back here?" and then answering my own question before you can "no of course you don't cuz I never told you. But you don't even want to know, nobody wants to hear something like that. it was like a horror movie in real life and I can't seem to get out of it" I look you dead in the eye "you should leave before you get sucked in too" you pull me closer and put your arms around me.

"I'm not leaving Becs"

"I don't want to talk to the police, I want to go home. Can I go home Chlo? Can you take me home"

"where is home"

"home is wherever you are" I whisper to you and you silently promise to stick with me, to help me through this.

it's been a week and I'm allowed to go home, with you. You're driving and I see that you live in a small two bedroom apartment, I love it and I'm sure to tell you that fact. I have a bag with me, the one I took home with me. You never ask what's in there, but I'm gonna show you tonight. I need to tell you what happened, well, the overall view of what happened. You get home from work and I wait till you're settled on the couch, then I pull out the bag.

"that day I brought you home, but on my way back I fell through some kind of portal, bike and all. When I landed the ground was not soft, I'm sure I broke some bones but I still crawled for a good hiding spot. I was afraid, I wanted to go back home. I had no idea where I was or what to expect, I knew I needed to find a way home." I open the bag and take out my phone "I even tried calling but that never worked. I was found by another human like being, he taught me everything he knew on surviving there, knowing he had little time left" I take the rest of the stuff out of my bag, a few handmade weapons and two pictures. I kept those in my wallet, which I lost, but those pictures I saved "death was easy, this was all I could ever keep with me because I had to keep moving. You might think I'm crazy but this world, it was filled with monsters, demons and worse creatures and they were all out to kill you. We crafted our own weapons, some of them you can see here" I gesture to the table "and many, many times I wanted to give up but then I'd look at those picture" I say as I give the faded pictures to you "and then I'd realise why I wanted to get back. Seeing as you are the only one left, I find myself thinking things like was it worth it but then when I see you in here I am reminded that seeing you in real life is so much better than in an old faded photo" I can go on for hours, recalling stories from my scars and I'm sure it'll come but all in its time, now I should let you react "I know you probably don't believe me but I had to tell you the truth"

You don't seem surprised "I knew something really weird had happened, I'm sorry that you had to go through that, but I'm glad you're back because when you were gone I realised something and I need you to not freak out okay?" I nod and find myself lost in your eyes, your voice gets me out of it "I love you"

I don't know what's happening, am I dreaming? Is this all just a nasty dream and am I gonna wake up to some demon ready to pierce me with its blade. But it's not, you speak again "listen, I know you've been through a lot of shit and you're probably traumatised, but I want you to know that I'll be with you through the whole process of getting back on your feet. You don't have to do this alone, I'll be right by your side, okay?" all I can do is nod "I trust that you'll tell me what you need when you're ready"

This is why you became my friend in the first place, this is why I fell in love with you not long after we met, this is why I spent 4 years of my life trying to get back home, you are my home. And I'm finally there.