It felt like he was back in the bathroom all over again.

Adam looked at the IV hooked up to his arm. It tethered him to this room just like that damn chain. Now he had to free himself again, or they may as well go ahead and throw him right back in there.

Anything would be better than the cops leading Hoffman right back to him.

He bit down on his pillow and pulled against the IV, groaning through his teeth as the blood oozed out. He could only hope that Lawrence's "backyard surgery" or whatever Elisabeth had called it was enough.

Adam wrapped himself in a blanket, desperate to at least hide some skin. He picked up his room's phone and started to dial for a taxi. With how often his crappy car broke down, he had memorized the number a long time ago.

Then he slammed the phone down. "Fuck!"

He couldn't even pay for a damn taxi.

With no money, ID, or fucking clothes, the best he could do was walk. Then he would have to just hope that the psychotic 'Rockstar' had been careless enough to leave him with a way to get inside his own apartment.

Adam grumbled into his hands. He was so fucking sick of this.

And he'd have to go home. But that place could be crawling with cops just like the hospital. He'd have to get what he needed, and be ready to leave in case someone decided to raid his home. He didn't realize the tears were forming until they blurred his vision. After all of this, he couldn't even have a home anymore.

Time and time again, when he was in that house and breathing in that nerve gas, he had sworn that he would bring these bastards down. At the time it was Jigsaw, and he sure as hell would get his turn too.

But Hoffman.

Because of him, Adam had to leave Lawrence in that bathroom, just as he was. And he couldn't trust anyone. Because Hoffman was a detective, there was no way of knowing who was helping him.

He needed to leave. Then he would have to get his stuff from the apartment and live in his damn car until he figured this nightmare out.

Adam wrapped the blanket even tighter around himself. He winced at the strain it put on his shoulder, but he pushed it aside and headed towards the door. He peeked his head out and looked up and down the hall. He was right in the middle of a line of rooms, opposite to another row. Between the two halls was a nurses station. If there were any nurses in it, they were either hidden in the wall dividers or out of his line of vision.

It was as empty as he could ever hope for a hospital hallway to be. And it was now or never.

With a huff, Adam pushed himself forward, keeping his face down and his eyes angled up towards the elevators. He only needed to make it down the last half of this hall, and he'd be okay.

His legs started to shake underneath him, and his stomach twisted into knots. If a nurse saw him and pulled him back to his room, or a cop saw him, he and Lawrence were both screwed.

So incredibly screwed under the mercy of Hoffman of all people.

Hoffman. He fucking hated—

Adam's knees buckled and he had to catch himself against the wall.

Gasping for air, he willed his heart to stop pounding a mile a minute so he could get the fuck out of here. One foot in front of the other, he forced himself further forward. He looked up, staring at the rapidly-approaching elevator, and he concentrated on his feet.

Left, right. Left, right. Left—

Staff Elevator

"For fuck's sake!" Adam shouted.

He slammed his hand against his mouth, eyes about to bug out of their sockets.

No one came rushing over to him after such a stupid mistake, so hopefully he would be alright.

He needed to either chance it with this elevator and hope with everything he had that no one got on with him, or risk walking to the other side, right near the nurse's station.

Play Russian Roulette with nurses, essentially.

Both options were an easy trip to Hoffman's office and the bathroom. It was all a matter of which he was more likely to get lucky with.

Without thinking, he pushed the button pointing down. Standing there like an idiot sure wasn't the way to go.

Adam shifted his weight and bounced on his right leg. He looked around, eyes darting to every square inch of the hall. Every sound made him jump, every echo making him think he was as dead as Scott.

He pressed the button again. And again, and again, and again and—

He squeezed as tightly as he could get them. He took in the deepest breath of air, and let it out in shaky jolts. Usually, if he did that it was with a cigarette. The same thing that he knew would finish him off eventually.

And once upon a time, he had idly hoped it would work.

But now, the thought scared him shitless. He had come too far to lose it all in the hands of the people who had ripped everything out from under him.

He slammed against the button again, because he sure as hell wouldn't go down because of an elevator either.

He whimpered and looked over near the divider. If he sprinted, maybe he would get lucky. Maybe he could talk his way out of it if he did get caught. Maybe—

The elevator door dinged, and Adam held his breath and begged it to be empty.

And he let it out again when he saw the vacant room.

Adam hurried into the elevator, feverishly pounding away at the 'close' button as the wall was replaced with the steel door. He gasped and muffled his scream as he collapsed down. He rested his hand on his knees.

So lucky. How had he gotten so—

Ding

"Fuck!"

He once again slammed his hand up to his mouth as he buried himself into the corner of the elevator. He wrapped himself up in the blanket like it was a cocoon.

Look down. Do not engage. If he were to just keep to himself, hopefully nothing would happen.

Someone walked in, but Adam couldn't see what he looked like with how intently he was staring at the ground.

"Evenin'," the person greeted.

Adam forced himself to look up.

He didn't recognize him. The man wore scrubs and had a pleasant smile on his face, but in his eyes he looked annoyed. Adam wasn't sure if it was with him, but he hoped that the man had just been having a bad day.

He gave the person a shaky nod, feeling his eyes drift further down to the floor.

"Are you supposed to be outta bed?"

Adam winced. Say something. Anything that made sense. He was already a freak curled up in the corner, a suspicious little ball of sweat. And he wasn't even supposed to be in this—

"Sir?"

"I'm getting food," Adam whispered.

It was as good of an excuse as any. Hopefully it would be enough to stop this guy from trying to stop him. If the cops were looking for him, there's no way they would just let him leave.

"You know this is a staff elevator, right?"

Adam opened his mouth, but his throat felt like sandpaper.

Ding

He couldn't help it. He pushed past the man, gritting his teeth as he accidentally bumped his bad shoulder into him.

He sighed in relief when the guy didn't follow him. He must have stayed in the elevator and then gone to the cafeteria, or to some other hall on the ground floor.

Didn't matter anymore. Adam hustled to the front.

"Can I help you, sir?" someone from the front desk asked.

"Just getting food from my friend's car," Adam stammered.

And he didn't slow down as the automatic doors opened, finally freeing him from the hospital. He couldn't take the time to let himself freak out over what had just happened. He needed to push through.

Adam had never expected to appreciate all the trips to the ER Scott had caused, but he was pretty sure that had just saved his skin. He knew this location enough to be able to construct a route to his apartment. It was just a couple blocks away.

He was aching all over, but he could do it.

The sun was setting, leaving an orange hue to the world. The sky was getting dark, and he was so thankful for that. More people were at home, and surely if there were cops, they would go home for the day to live out their lives.

For tonight, he should be okay. And that was all he needed.

Adam walked to his right, trying his best to blend in with corners and trees. Be as inconspicuous as humanly possible. It would be thrilling if he wasn't already scared out of his damn mind. He felt like he was hanging around in alleys again, taking shots of rich guys with nothing better to do than "fuck their secretaries."

He usually liked it, felt no remorse for invading the sleazebags' privacy. They weren't all some misunderstood innocent like Lawrence.

Some people just sucked. And honestly? Fine with Adam. As long as he was left out of it.

He made his way down the block, taking in the fresh air. But he still tucked into himself, partially from cold and also to blend in. He was sick of sneaking around. The more he thought about returning to the life he had left behind, the more the already-present shivers intensified.

In the past, he thought that was the best he could ever do. He thought he was destined to survive in the world he hated, chugging his way through the mundane until the cigarettes finally took him out.

But he could do more than that. If these games had taught him anything, it was that he was capable of more than what Adam's mind and Scott's words had fed him.

His mom had always told him that he could do something with his life. Form a path that was more than the bare minimum.

Adam wanted to be a vet.

And she had always promised him that he could do it.

He had believed her as a kid and in the early parts of his teen years. But when he started high school, suddenly it started to slip from his fingers. He understood the material, but something about focusing drew him further and further away.

Every semester took him further from the goal, until finally one last attempt ripped it from him entirely. And he let Scott convince him to drop out in favor of working for some hot-shot band that the singer would call the 'Wrath of the Gods.'

A band that didn't even end up taking him in after all. So much for those drumming lessons. He chastised himself every day for that mistake, and apologized to kid-Adam who genuinely could have made it.

He drew in a sharp breath and curled his lip.

Lawrence had told him it was never too late. The one man who had never lied to him had said…

Adam was gonna be a vet someday. A damn good one. He wouldn't let himself down this would get himself and Lawrence far, far away from here.

And the doctor would be in his corner, like he always was, as Adam finally did it.

With a smile, he imagined the doctor giving him little lessons on topics he struggled with. He knew that it would be different for animals versus people, but certain concepts would be the same. He understood biology and even physics, but chemistry kicked his ass.

First study session.

One step at a time. One step at a time, and he would get there.

Adam took in the air again, savoring how crisp it was.

While he was at it, he'd throw the cigarettes away.

One massive step at a time.

It was all he needed.

Adam gasped when he saw his apartment building. The dilapidated, dingy, soul-crushing pile of garbage with peeling wallpaper and roach infestations.

It was fucking beautiful.

He rushed forward, as fast as his feet would take him.

And when he finally got to the stairs, he found himself bouncing up by the tips of his feet instead of slamming them down like he usually did. He threw the doors open and made his way up the stairs. He raced up them as fast as he could, keeping his head down despite the vacant halls.

There was no way he'd risk it all now.

And he made his way to his unit. The one he used to dread returning to every day. The same one that he had begged for every waking moment he spent in that bathroom and the house.

One step at a time.

He rounded the last corner, and he let out a quiet cry. One that turned to a chuckle, and brought the biggest smile to his face.

Bigger than any smile he had made in a long, long time.

The hallway cat that periodically came to visit. He missed her so much…

And there she was, standing by his door like she knew he would come home. She was patiently waiting for him. He made his way to her and scooped her up. He usually wouldn't do this, but he couldn't stop himself.

Adam opened the door to his unit, and he brought her in.

He put her down on the floor and collapsed to his knees.

Home. As wrong as it looked, as messed up as the cops had left it.

Home.

He had made it.

One fucking step at a time.