Meg was practically vibrating on her hospital bed in excitement. She was finally going to get to see her friends again after weeks! She'd been all by herself for all that time without any company or mental stimulation except for Doctor Forsyth, and she had started to loose it.
Her mind couldn't handle being that degree of inactive for so long. She needed something to do, something to occupy her mind. In the past, she had been taking care of her mom and used running as a way to distract herself from the misery and boredom that came with it. In The Fog, she'd ran for her life in the trials and ran through the woods for the exact same reason she had before.
But now things were so much different.
Now with her new family, with Evan, and hopefully her mom in better health, she could smile a little more often. Hopefully she could run simply because she felt like it, not because she'd break down into tears from the stress and misery.
Meg's arms tingled once more with ghosting phantom touches. Her chest and belly throbbed almost painfully from the sudden gush of emotion. Her thoughts strayed to Evan. She wondered what he'd look like all cleaned up and without the hooks in his shoulder. She began to daydream of the future with him.
There were a million possibilities, and Meg didn't want to wait to explore them by his side. She wanted to see him now, she wanted to get out and see her mother now. She wanted to be free again, free from The Entity, from her past mistakes and fears, from the debt and misery, and from other people's choices getting in the way of her pursuit of happiness.
Meg sucked in a deep breath as her emotions started to get the better of her. She was out, the debt was gone, Her friends, Bill, and Evan had come into her life, and she'd never have to see him again. The future couldn't be brighter.
She'd be okay.
Her door opened and in came Doctor Forsyth. He had his usual relaxed and easy going smile. Meg pushed her thoughts of the future to the side and focused on him, wondering what he would say this time.
"Hello Ms. Thomas, how are we today?" He said still smiling.
"Excited." Meg said affably. "I don't think I can stand to sit her any longer." She said. Doctor Forsyth nodded at her. "Well in that case then I believe we're ready to get you out of this bed." He said, moving to her right side where the tubes were.
"What is the point of all this stuff in my arm anyway? I mean its not like I'm in critical condition right?" Meg asked, perplexed, lifting her right arm up to further inspect the tubes in her arm. A few wires fed into the heart monitor and other machinery on Meg's left, but others as well as all but one of the tubes went to a few large plastic bags next to her bed.
"Ah yes, I hope this isn't too confusing, but these are not standard in hospitals. These were put here specifically for you and your A-2 subject friends." Doctor Forsyth said. He pointed a finger at the tanks before continuing.
"As you know, you and the other test subjects were divided in to two categories, A-1 and A-2. The former differs from the latter because as you and your friends began to recover, we found your blood produced the necessary antibodies to cure Sterblich that the "killers" blood did not." He said, motioning to the clear tube going into her arm that fed directly onto a bag hanging above the tank.
"Oh...is that blood bag filled with my blood?" She asked, staring at it with strangely sick fascination. The sight was strange to her. She'd seen her own blood a thousand times in the trials. She'd seen it on her clothes, on the dirt, and on the weapons and hands of the killers.
She'd seen it on Evan's hands.
Meg blinked and looked away from the blood bag as if it was glaring at her. That wasn't Evan, that was The Trapper, and The Trapper was dead. She and Evan had seen to that.
Meg had a brief flashback to the trials, the curved metal of the hook in her left shoulder and the claws of The Entity killing her. The Trapper's bone mask staring at her as she died. It had been the very last time a killer ever sacrificed her before her escape streak started.
She'd seen her own gore from the killers that had Mori'd her and every killer's Mori performed on a different survivor. She had seen horror, torture, and mutilation that was comparable to the Middle Ages, but it didn't mean she was any less use to it.
She'd been desensitized to it, but she still didn't like it. The sight of her own blood wasn't something to just give a once over. It was a constant reminder of how she'd suffered and how death hadn't been an escape.
Now, in the real world, it was a reminder of her mortality. That one day, whether it be by the hands of a murderer or from natural causes like age, she'd die and wouldn't come back again. The morbid reminder dragged her consciousness into dark places. The idea of dying and there simply being nothing, like the darkness of sleep no one remembered, was horrifying. She didn't want to die and simply cease to exist.
Meg momentarily thought of those stories of gods who began to see immortality as a curse. They saw it as a permanent extension of all the bad that life threw at you. Meg understood that viewpoint, but if the alternative was simply...nothing, then she'd pick life forever a thousand times over.
It still didn't sound pleasant, especially if she was alone and could only wander.
"Ms. Thomas?" A voice called.
Meg blinked and looked up, not noticing how she'd began to droop her head as she got lost in her own depressing thoughts. Doctor Forsyth was looking at her with concern. The confusion and worry on his face was prevalent. It was then that Meg noticed that the tape on her arm had been taken off and that he had one hand on the tubes.
"Yes?" She said, sounding confused herself.
Doctor Forsyth paused for several moments. "I can't exactly guess what you were thinking, but you seemed so excited when I first arrived, and now you look utterly miserable. It can't be a pleasant thought." He said, his hand still resting just above her arm on the tubes. The one that was usually red was now clear, blood no longer flowing through it.
Meg felt surprised at his perceptiveness. Not only was the man a talented doctor and people person, but he was making himself out to be quite the therapist too.
"Yes, it wasn't. I'm excited to see my friends, but when I saw that blood bag, I don't know what happened." Meg trailed off at the end, looking back up at it.
"Ms. Thomas." Doctor Forsyth said, grabbing her attention away from the blood bag. "What you are experiencing isn't uncommon. You underwent an extremely traumatizing experience and that blood bag obviously triggered some bad memories, it's perfectly normal." He said reassuringly, making some of the weight Meg felt in her chest lighten.
"Personally, I would recommend easing yourself back around some of those triggers. It's perfectly natural to avoid them, but if you learn to deal with them now, they can't haunt you forever." He said.
Before Meg could fully respond or even say thanks he began to move on with what he had previously been doing. "Now Ms. Thomas, I just need to warn you that I'll try to make removing these needles as painless as possible, but it still may hurt a little." He said while looking her in the eye, making sure she was paying attention.
Meg nodded, still a little overwhelmed, and watched as he pulled the tubes out of her skin. It wasn't too fast, but not too slow. There was a bit of a sting in the wound, but he was ever the professional and quickly placed a bandage over the hole and patted the tape down with a smile.
"Ms. Thomas, by the authority vested in me as your assigned physician, you can now move about as you please." He said rather jokingly, sweeping an arm out towards the rest of the room. Meg followed where his hand gestured and stared at the room, then, she slowly swung her legs over the side of her bed and rose.
Her legs wobbled a little bit, and though Doctor Forsyth initially moved to catch her, stopped himself when he saw she remained upright. Meg was glad he didn't grab her anyway, she needed to do this herself. Though, she'd done it before, it wasn't the first time she'd stood on her own and had walked. She'd actually run once when they were testing how bad her atrophy was.
Meg took step after step towards the door, and by the time she reached it, Doctor Forsyth had opened it for her and she felt fully stable and back to normal.
Doctor Forsyth nodded at her. "Your friends are this way." He said, and with that, he began to walk down the hall.
Meg followed him eagerly, excited to see her friends and also not wanting to fall behind. She kept pace, one that was thankfully not too fast for her. The walk was uneventful, as Meg barely saw anyone else in the halls, but eventually, she was guided to her destination.
Two silver doors stood in front of her. There wasn't any windows on the doors, just shiny metal and the electronic lock off to the side of the frame.
Doctor Forsyth reached into his pocket and pulled out a keycard. He slid it into the lock's slot and the light above it changed from red to green with a beep. The door buzzed in warning before a metal click was heard.
Doctor Forsyth pushed the doors open with both hands. The metal swung open to show more sterile white walls and lifeless fluorescent lights, as well as bunk beds that were all the same color. Though they were obviously well lived in. Some beds weren't straight, others had their covers half hazardous thrown about, some didn't have pillows and some had extra.
There was noise coming from a different part of the room. Meg stepped through when she noticed Doctor Forsyth was motioning for her to take the lead. She passed through the door frame and looked around the room. It extended on both sides with a couple more bunk beds, but there was only a little over a dozen total.
Meg looked to the right side of the room and felt her heart leap.
Her friends were huddled together in a circle around one another, talking quietly. Meg was shocked at how different they looked, even from a few meters away. It was weird seeing them in all white. They were all usually wearing rather expressive clothes that suited their personality, like Feng's blue and black gamer clothes, David's rough and tumble outfits, and Jake's woodland survival clothes.
Furthermore, they were all so much thinner. David's usually buff physique was almost gone. Meg was painfully reminded of how she had lost her own muscle, her arms were even thinner, and her legs felt flabby.
For a second, Meg just stared at them all. She could see Bill and Ace going back and forth, though Ace's back was to her and Bill was still yet to notice her.
David, Feng, Kate, Laurie, Nea, Claudette, Dwight, And Jake were all around them, joining in on their conversation every once in a while. Meg felt longing in her chest. It was a similar sensation to the longing she felt when lost in her fantasies of the future. The difference was that the ghosting phantom touch she felt with this particular longing was almost as if she was being hugged. The other phantom touches were different, they caused her belly to throb all at the thought of holding a wrapped bundle in her arms.
Meg looked at Bill as he conversed with her friends and felt the want to be back in their presence overwhelm her. She took a couple steps forward in hopes that it would be enough for Bill to see her. Thankfully, it was.
Bill, like every human, naturally looked to see what was moving. When their eyes locked, Meg could see the cold, guarded look on his face melt away into surprise, and then elation.
"Meg?!" He said, sounding surprised.
At his words, everyone else vocalized their own surprise, from confused hums, to hopeful inhales as they began to turn their heads. Two seconds after they all turned and saw her, all of them practically dashed to her. Each of them made their own shout of her name or unintelligible gibberish as they started a weird combination between a group hug and a dog pile.
Nea reached her first. Meg felt her slam into her chest and wrap her arms around her in a bone crushing hug. The street artist was then buried along with her as everyone else got there. Claudette joined in, then Dwight, Jake, Kate, Laurie, David, and Ace, even Bill.
Though, it was hard to tell who was who and where they were, but it wasn't like Meg cared. She had them back, she had them back! They were finally in the same room together and Meg didn't want to ever let go. The bond she had with these ten people was one in a hundred million, and she didn't want to imagine a future where they all weren't close by.
"I've missed you guys so much." Meg said into Nea's shoulder, hugging the Swedish girl tightly to her as she squeezed her eyes shut. Meg was trying to maintain her composure, but inevitably felt tears start to trickle from her shut eyelids.
"I missed you guys." She said, now much shakier. Her breath trembled, even as Nea squeezed her tightly in an attempt at comfort.
"Alright back up, everyone go one at a time. I'm serious." Meg heard Bill say. Everyone but Nea slowly backed away, giving her a last pat on the back or letting their hands slip off of her. Nea gave her one final squeeze before letting go, showing her own tears as Claudette took her place, already crying and looking like she was about to start wailing any second.
Meg felt herself smile a little bit, the runner threw out her arms dramatically for a hug. The botanist practically jumped at her. "I was so worried." Claudette cried, holding onto her for all she was worth. Meg couldn't find the ability to speak, so she just nodded and lowered her head against Claudette's.
Eventually Jake stepped in and slowly peeled Claudette off of her, letting the dark skinned woman then leech onto him in her place. He stroked Claudette's back soothingly and sent an amused smile to Meg.
Meg smiled and turned to Dwight. He was much better composed than Claudette. It was rather ironic that Meg was willing to bet that the Dwight she'd first met would've cried too. He had always felt insecure about how little self control he had, and Meg felt pride well up in her seeing how he had achieved what he wanted.
She hugged him with a wide smile, her tears finally stopping, but her eyes still wet. "I'm so proud of you Dwight." She said. He held her tight at that. "Just remember to be human okay?" She said. He nodded, finally free of his seemingly chronic nervousness and insecurity.
Before she could even turn around and find the next person, David had reached her and locked her in a bear hug that almost rivaled Evan's. The only difference was that David gave off the feeling of a big brother, while Evan's was that of a lover's.
"I've missed you red, It's been boring without you." David said humorously. Meg chuckled, patting his back in a mocking gesture of comfort. "I'm sure you were fine." Meg said, her tone perfectly conveying both exasperation and sarcasm at David's complaint.
David stepped back, obviously the most smiley at seeing her rather than bawling like Claudette had. Meg tossed a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure the botanist was alright, spotting her still hugging Jake but looking much more calm now.
Kate snatched Meg up within seconds after David let go. The southern song bird practically squealing in happiness while lightly shaking Meg back and forth excitedly. Meg could hear Ace chuckle at the singer's greeting from behind her, and she hugged her aunt figure back with just as much vigor, almost squealing in joy herself. Their positive attitudes were infectious. "I've missed you sugar!" Kate said loudly.
Meg's cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling. "I missed you too Kate." She said still hugging her. "I think I'll finally take you up on those singing lessons." Meg said. Kate had always thought that Meg had a great voice, but had never trained it to its full potential. She'd always asked to let her teach the runner how to sing, but Meg had just never had any interest before now.
Kate gaped at her before practically forcing the air out of Meg's lungs with the sheer force in her arms. "Oh sugar! You ain't gonna regret it!" She said enthusiastically.
Ace was next, hugging her firmly but gently. "Once were out of this joint I'll show you all my card tricks alright red?" He asked. Meg nodded while laughing to herself. She'd been doing that since she'd stopped crying, now too jumpy and overwhelmed with happiness to do much else. "You got it Ace." She said.
The ex gambler smiled devilishly. "That's what we like to hear!" He said, stepping back to Kate's side.
Jake hugged her next, much more quiet than the rest of them, but Meg expected nothing less. He'd always been a bit quieter than the rest, a whole lot more back when they'd first met, but he'd opened up eventually. "It's good to have you back Meg."
Meg could feel warmth in her chest knowing that her little family had breached almost all the barriers they once had. She especially felt it when she saw them all show it so openly, like the times she saw Jake get deeply engrossed in a conversation with someone.
Feng was up next, the dark skinned Asian gave Meg a small smile and wrapped her arms around the red head's torso. "I missed you Meg, I didn't have anyone to gossip with while you were gone!" She said light heartedly, embracing her friend tightly. The strength she put behind her grip betrayed how much she really cared.
Meg was her closest girlfriend, the one that she could completely let out her feminine side with and just let loose. Meg knew this, because it was largely the same for her. Meg definitely knew that Feng would've been in the same clique as her back in high-school, especially if she tried to make herself look pretty. Feng stepped away to let Laurie take her place.
Meg's eyes met the blonde's. The once quiet and traumatized girl seemed different than she had been in The Entity's realm. She had always seemed haunted, constantly looking over her shoulder as if Michael would be there stalking her through the trees.
It felt like that invisible cloak of paranoia had slipped off of her shoulders and she could now stand tall without the weight of it. Laurie just looked happier, more carefree, more relaxed. It made Meg's heart jump for joy, because no matter what she and the others had tried in The Fog, nothing had ever been able to quite rid the poor girl of her fear.
Yes they had provided her with a new family and a place to feel at home, but that looming, unspoken shackle always stayed tight on her ankle. As Meg had begun to truly learn who Laurie was, it had made her heart ache seeing her in such a state. Now Meg almost wanted to shout in happiness for her!
Before Laurie could fully reach her, Meg zipped over to her and squeezed her tightly, wanting to show how delighted she felt for her. By this point Meg couldn't take it anymore and was grinning like a fool, laughing ecstatically as Laurie joined her. "I don't even know what to say." Laurie said, sounding emotional. Their happinesses and spread to her, and now she was giving it back.
But there was one last person she needed to hug.
Meg turned to Bill with a smile on her face. Bill's own lips were upturned in amusement, probably from watching all the "youngsters" have fun with their reunion. Out of all of them though, Bill looked the most different compared to how they had looked in The Entity's realm.
Everyone's hair was longer, as they'd never gotten a haircut while they were in the machines. Though it seemed that the boys were at least given razors to shave since David only had a little scruff on him as usual, while Ace's goatee was as immaculate as always. It went further than that too, Nea's hair was evenly cut, it's natural shade of black, down to her shoulder blades, and Meg honestly thought she looked gorgeous.
But hair wasn't the only way they changed. Laurie looked a little older, less like a high school graduate and more like a woman in her early twenties. The rest of them roughly looked the same age as Meg had known them, but the biggest one to change had been Bill.
He looked to have gotten younger by decades. Where Meg had once familiarized herself with the refined snow white beard and wrinkled, but tough face of the eighty year old William "Bill" Overbeck, this man looked to only be in his fifties. His skin had gotten tanner, his beard was still white, but a darker shade of it, almost grayish. He stood a little straighter and had more weight in his arms and torso.
He just looked younger and healthier, despite the fact that he was still the oldest of them all.
Bill's upturned lips eventually widened to the point where he couldn't hide his surprisingly white teeth. "I know I'm younger but it's still me Meg." He said jokingly, spreading his arms out in an invitation.
Meg felt like she was getting overloaded. Seeing Bill so much younger, and obviously feeling better because of it, was too much. Meg tossed herself into his arms and buried her head in his shoulder. Their height difference was even more pronounced now. Bill now could probably stand as tall, if not taller than David!
"I've missed you Meg." He said to her. His voice still as old and wise as she remembered, but with new found, or perhaps rediscovered strength behind it. His hold on her was firm, reassuring, and comforting.
It was the caring grip of a father who wanted his daughter to know that everything was alright. So Meg hugged him back with the enthusiasm of a young woman who wanted her father to know that she was ready to take on the whole world if she had to.
After what felt like minutes, Meg and Bill let go. The runner stepped back and checked behind her, just then remembering that Doctor Forsyth was still there and had probably seen everything. To Meg's surprise, he was in fact there, but he'd turned around, watching the doorway. With a little bit of shock, Meg realized he was trying to give her some privacy.
Unfortunately, the way he seemed to be standing watch at the door also reminded her that this couldn't last forever. Soon enough she'd have to go back to that plain, lifeless, and blood sucking room all by herself again. The thought was depressing and made her frown. She just got everyone back, she didn't want to be separated again.
Fire erupted in her heart. Enough was enough.
"Give me one second guys. I just need to ask him a question." She said, pointing to Doctor Forsyth. They all followed where she pointed until their eyes landed on him.
"Who's that?" David asked.
"Doctor Forsyth. He's the one who let me see you guys." Meg answered back, hoping to remove any animosity they had towards him as a member of the facility's staff. She stepped away from them and to the doors, tapping on his shoulder. He turned around with a smile.
"Hello Ms. Thomas. What can I do for you?" He asked politely. Meg wanted to return his smile for everything that he'd done for her, but the seriousness of her situation just wouldn't let her move her lips like that. She'd been so happy just a few minutes ago, and now she wanted to make sure she got to experience it all over again with her family as soon as possible.
"I'm sorry Doctor Forsyth, but I need to know when me and the others are getting out of here." Meg asked solemnly, not wanting to spoil any good mood he had, but knowing she had to if she wanted answers.
Doctor Forsyth, strangely did not waver. He stopped smiley quite as widely, but he never lost his charm. "Ah, I understand. Well Ms. Thomas, as you know, we've been harvesting your blood, as well as the blood of all the other A-1 subjects." He said. Meg nodded, remembering what he'd told her earlier. "We've been doing such, so that we can donate that blood to those seriously affected with Sterblich in the hopes of saving their lives." He followed up, looking at her carefully to make sure she was keeping up.
"Oh, I see." Meg said, suddenly understanding the importance of the blood bag in her personal room. That bag of her blood could potentially save someone's life.
Doctor Forsyth had told her that all of her friends, herself, the other survivors, and even the killers had all signed contracts before being inducted into the experiment. Those contracts included a large list of things, money for participating in the entirely untested experiment, enough money that Meg hadn't been able to refuse. It had been enough to cover all of her mother's medical bills and all of the remaining debt on the house.
The contracts also had given the facility permission to harvest their blood in the event they recovered and it was able to cure others with Sterblich. The rest of the details weren't important, mostly just legal matters of permission and how far the facility could go.
"Fortunately, we've been collecting over the last two and a half weeks and by tomorrow, we will no longer be able to legally keep you here." He said with a smile.
Meg's eyes widened like a little kid's on Christmas. "What!?" She said excitedly, sounding much louder than she'd intended to. She looked back at her friends, wanting to make sure she hadn't alarmed them. They were staring at her like she was crazy, but they were also glancing hesitantly at Doctor Forsyth.
She turned back to him, temporarily ignoring her friends so she could sort out what he'd said first. "We're going to get out tomorrow?" She asked, hope creeping into her voice.
Doctor Forsyth nodded while smiling. "From here on until tomorrow I will assist you with arrangements back to your homes." He said, also glancing up at the rest of her friends.
Meg turned around to face them, seeing the elation on their faces at the news. She swiveled her head to scan the rest of the room, seeing the empty beds. It was more beds than was necessary, so they must have been for the rest of the survivors right?
"The other survivors are not currently here, I had them temporarily moved to a different room for blood harvesting." Doctor Forsyth said cheekily from behind Meg. Said runner turned around at his words, looking at him in wonder and appreciation.
"Unfortunately, this cannot go on for much longer. You'll have to return to your room soon so that arrangements can be made." Doctor Forsyth said, looking and sounding completely neutral. It made Meg go on alert. Usually something like this would warrant him showing some sort of sympathy or regret. It was what he'd done before, so what was so different about this that had him so stoic?
Meg nodded, not wanting to leave, but also understanding that Doctor Forsyth had already gone far above and beyond what he had to without her even asking. She wasn't about to be the spoiled brat who asked him to keep going. She quickly turned around and began to say goodbye to her friends, promising to learn Ace's magic tricks and find a way to get back into contact with them.
"Don't worry, you'll all see each other tomorrow when you leave, you'll all be able to exchange information then. However, Ms. Thomas. I'm afraid this is quite urgent." Doctor Forsyth said, checking his watch and looking out the door. Meg nodded, looking back one last time at her friends before turning around and speed walking over to him.
She followed him as he walked at quite the speedy pace. It was beginning to make Meg nervous. What went wrong that was making him act like this?
"Is something wrong?" She asked, unable to take the silence anymore.
Doctor Forsyth checked his watch again and looked back at her. "I'm merely just pressed for time. I have one last thing to do before I assist you with arrangements and if I don't finish it soon I'm afraid I won't get the chance again." He said, walking even faster now, almost jogging.
Meg kept pace, but could already feel the uncomfortable lack of stamina drain on her lungs and legs. She couldn't even begin to describe how sluggish and terrible she felt being so out of shape.
"I understand." Meg said. Eventually she ended up right back where she started, at the front of her personal room's door. Doctor Forsyth walked in without hesitation, moving the blood bags away from her bed and to the doorframe. Meg sat down on the bed, feeling winded, and sucked in air like she'd just gone on a run.
"I'll be only a minute or two Ms. Thomas, I'll be right back, and I think you'll be pleased when I return." He said, foreshadowing something great. But with that, he left before she could ask about what he was talking about.
Meg stared at the door frame for at least a minute after he left, running different ideas through her head. She was curious about what he'd basically taunted her with, but eventually did her best to distract herself. Several more minutes passed, and Meg laid down on the bed, keeping the thin sheets off of her so she could cool off.
Her head sunk into the pillow, it wasn't as good as the one she had at home, but it felt amazing in the moment. She closed her eyes and breathed in, trying to relax and get some energy back. Yet, as she sat there, she felt rage bubble up in her.
She couldn't articulate the peculiar anger she felt at her poor condition. The frustration of being winded from just a simple jog when she could once run a mile or two before getting winded was unique onto itself. She was helpless like this, she couldn't run away if someone tried to hurt her. She wouldn't be able to outrun them stamina wise or put any real distance between them with sheer speed.
She also felt lazy, like she'd slacked off so much that she'd lost the muscle she'd worked so hard for. She wasn't healthy anymore, wasn't fit, and had lost her attractive figure. Meg tried to push that last part out of her mind. That wasn't important, she had given up on her old life of whoring herself around, and she wasn't ever going back.
Still though! She liked feeling attractive. She wasn't a huge fan of being stared at by people she didn't know, but she certainly had enjoyed the times she caught Evan staring at her. Plus it was just a nice confidence and self esteem boost to feel and look good.
She was broken from her musings when the door handle turned downwards, signaling Doctor Forsyth's arrival. Had it really been several minutes already?
'Did I really just spend the last five minutes fussing over my appearance?'
She sounded so stupid and vain when she worded it like that. However, all of that flew from her brain when she saw who opened the door.
"Evan!?" She exclaimed, sitting up as fast as she possibly could. She forgot any sleepiness or exhaustion she'd felt and flung herself over the side of the bed and onto her feet. Within a second she'd rushed at him. He'd only been able to take a step or two towards her, arms open, before she crashed headfirst into him.
He didn't even budge, and Meg hummed her approval as she latched onto him.
"You have no idea how much I've missed you!" She said, squeezing him extra tight for emphasis. He himself gave her a light squeeze. His hold screaming of safety and strength. He had missed her too, she didn't even need him to say it to know. The strength, yet gentleness he held her with was enough of a giveaway.
Evan's upper chest twisted against her forehead. She looked up at him to see him checking his back, only to furrow his eyebrows in confusion. Meg peeked around his arm to see what the deal was, only to be shocked herself at Doctor Forsyth's absence. She had seen him walk in seconds after Evan. She just hadn't particularly payed attention to him.
Where did that man disappear to?
It seemed Doctor Forsyth was both more cunning and far more elusive than he let on. It actually made Meg laugh under her breath at the ridiculousness of it all. Every blessing she'd received here had been delivered to her by Doctor Forsyth. The man seamlessly got her reunited with everyone she loved and cared for, all while slipping about like a ghost to orchestrate it all.
Evan turned back to face her. She could see his shoulders visibly relax now that he knew they were alone, and something in Meg felt a type of pride knowing he was only comfortable relaxing when she was the only other person in the room. He smiled at her, a real, genuine smile that reached his eyes. It made her smile back, both out of instinct, and the butterflies she felt in her stomach.
"I missed you too." He said. It had been too long since Meg had heard that voice, and it satisfied a primal fear she felt in her heart. With a start, she realized exactly what fear it was, and tired to banish it from her conscious thought back to the depths of her mind.
After all, Evan was not like her biological father. Evan wasn't going to abandon or leave her. The only way she could get rid of him is if she forced him out of her life, and that knowledge put her at ease. Though she couldn't help how distraught she was knowing her fear of abandonment was still there and she hadn't gotten rid of it.
Meg's thoughts drifted back to her friends. 'I guess I never had a reason to think they would abandon me back in The Fog. I was too focused on getting out with them to worry about it.' Meg concluded.
Even as the seconds passed, nearing a full minute or two, Meg still didn't let go of him. Part of her was compensating for all the time she'd spent away from him, especially when she'd been constantly getting snatched away to trials when he was at the manor. The other part of her, the one she tried to ignore and stamp down, was the part of her that was afraid. It was the part of her that thought that maybe if she just hugged him tightly enough, and long enough, that he wouldn't leave.
There came a point where even Meg knew enough was enough, so she let go and stepped back far enough to where she wouldn't hurt her neck trying to make eye contact. Evan looked down at her, scanning her form several times over with his eyes. She did the same for him, and felt similar to surprise to how she felt seeing David. It was the same thing after all.
It was hard to tell with the grey pants and long sleeved shirt both of them wore, but it was obvious she hadn't been the only one cursed with atrophy. Evan had lost a visible amount of muscle, his shoulders looking less bulky and his neck a bit thinner.
He was still huge, and probably still big enough to snap someone of her size in half, but there was almost a type of weakness that radiated from him because of the strength he'd lost. Meg wondered if he could sense the same thing from her.
Meg took his hand without a word and slowly pulled him back towards her hospital bed. He sat down at the foot of it, and she sat next to him, leaning on his side, hip to hip with him. He immediately put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.
"I feel so weak." Meg said softly.
"I know. I feel the same." Evan said, flexing his fingers. "I'm not as strong as I was when I came to this facility, and neither are you." He said somberly, moving his hand to her arm and stroking it comfortingly.
Meg had already exhausted her anger at her physical condition, so she merely sat there and listened to him. "Yeah, I'm getting winded by everything now." She said with a small smile.
She heard Evan let out the tiniest of laughs, hardly anything more than an exhale. But it was enough to make her smile.
'That's a win in my book' She thought. Making the one and only Evan Macmillan laugh wasn't the easiest of challenges. Suddenly an idea came to mind, one she could see herself enjoying quite a lot should it come to fruition. "Hey Evan?" She started, getting his attention.
He looked down at her.
"Once we're out of here, do you wanna work out together? Get back all the muscle we lost in there?" She asked. The image of her and Evan jogging through the woods flew through her head, or of him lifting weights that were probably triple her weight while she stuck to regular sized weights. Though that last one was largely comical, she still wanted to see it happen. She wanted to spend that time with him to bond, and to get back to her best.
Evan looked at her, his face initially unreadable, before his eyes seemed to gain a sad look in them. "I wish we could." He said, sounding regretful.
Meg felt her face morph to show her worry and disappointment. "Why? What's wrong? Why can't we?" She asked, wanting to know what invisible threat he could see that she couldn't.
"My father, Archie Macmillan." Evan started. "My memory of real life may have been skewed in The Fog, but he is still just as vile a monster as I described to you before." He said.
Meg's eyes widened. She had forgotten about the Macmillan patriarch up until this point, but at Evan's words, recalled the conversation they'd had when walking through The Entity's forest. According to Evan, he would have been quite happy and content in The Fog, and the idea that he was still alive and kicking was a frightening one.
"He will come for me soon, and when he does. I will have to leave with him. He won't accept anything else." Evan warned.
Meg flexed her fingers around Evan's arm.
"He cannot know of the nature of our relationship. If he does, I have no doubt he will try to kill you." Evan said, turning to face her fully. "I have to warn you that I must act out my role. He must believe that I do not care for anyone, even you." He said seriously, looking her dead in the eyes.
Meg's eyes widened at the potential threat to her life, at how Evan was basically telling her he had to leave, and how he was saying he was going to have to pretend to not love her. It was too much to process quickly, as such, Meg sat there, not knowing what to say or how to make sense of it.
Evan pulled her against him. "I'm sorry." He said in a lower tone than his previous sentence. He sounded truly remorseful that he didn't have the godlike powers it would take to finally get them out of the woods.
"Don't apologize for something you can't control Evan." Meg said, squeezing him back. "We're not done yet, I get it." She said. In truth, she did understand, she didn't want him to apologize for things out of his command, but she was still upset either way.
She'd finally gotten her family back from the survivors, now here she was with the one she loved the most, and he told her that he had to leave. Not only that, but pretend he didn't know her so she'd be safe.
As of that moment, Archie Macmillan became possibly the single biggest target of Meg's ire. There were only two other contenders for it, but they were long gone.
At least, she thought that they were.