"Are you afraid, little Mikey?" A whisper stirs me in my sleep, jolting me awake as I nearly hit my head against the low ceiling of my makeshift bed underneath the office's front desk. Quiet. A faint memory of our departure flashes in my mind, images of us clutching our armaments as we set off into the fog. Did we really depart? The memories start to feel like nothing more than a dream, like it was the exhaustion talking.
The station is empty, the air is still as I instinctively reach out for the gun on my hip. My fingers are met with the cold touch of the empty holster, my only form of protection now gone. Have I always been alone? I pull out the machete that hung on my hip, grateful for its presence. A breeze passes by as my skin crawls at the touch of the wind, an impossible instance considering the closed space I am currently in. My mind screams at me, my chest heavy as if it was tugging at an important detail I can no longer remember.
A bright light from outside the window fills the entirety of the station as I put up my hands to cover my eyes. Warm. The brightness dies down as a woman appears from behind the window, her beautiful eyes still the same as the ones who looked at me in another lifetime. "Eve…"
She smiles, her skin glowing as the mist dissipates. "Mikey." He places both of her hands on the tainted glass, her eyes begging for me to answer them. "Come closer to me. Let me see your face." My body obeys, tears welling as I struggle not to cry. My hands were against hers, nothing but the glass window prohibiting me from touching her skin again. "I do not want to see tears coming from those strong eyes of yours Mike. I have never left."
The scenery changes, the walls of the station warping in quick succession until I find myself standing in front the windows of our old house, Evelynn still on the other side. A baby coos in her arms, the sweetest of smiles plastered on her mother's face as she is rocked by Evelynn to sleep. "I missed you both…"
"Oh Mikey…" Evelynn speaks, her voice soothing and calming. "You can be with us again, hold us in your arms the same way you always did." Her eyes turn to look at the door, sealed tight by a rod. Her voice quiets, now barely audible through the glass as she puts her forehead on the window. "Come back to me Mike. Let me in." She pulls her head back and bangs it aggressively into the window, tainting blood on the glass panel. "Let me in Mike!"
Evelynn laughs as I stagger to the ground, crawling away from the sight in front of me. She doesn't stop banging as blood gushes from the top of her head, her cranium now bent inwards as parts of her skull protrude through her skin. Cracks appear on the surface of the window pane and Eve smashes her whole weight into the barrier. "LET ME IN!"
"Michael!" Gretel shakes me awake as I come to my senses. I remember now, the memory of my body sprawling on the dirt as the impact of the Newborn's arm hit me. "MOVE!"
I roll over just in time to avoid the flailing legs of the Newborn, now throwing a tantrum as its hand swings at the surrounding areas with a headless body. Its hollow eyes are obscured by the mist, the pungent smell now overpowering me.
I see Darren, Hansel, and Gretel run towards a nearby building, the Newborn chasing them on all fours. The tear on its body grows with the pressure of its movements and it wails, rolling on the ground in pain. I take the opportunity to sprint, struggling to run straight as the concussion refuses to leave me. I don't look back as I feel the ground tremble beneath my legs, my knees nearly buckling from the shifting of the earth, signaling the Newborn's advances. "Shit, shit, SHIT!" I feel an enormous amount of pressure hit the air behind me as I leap through the small opening of the door, Darren and Hansel shutting it behind me as I struggle to catch my breath on the ground.
"What the hell happened back there Graves?!" Darren exclaims, now offering a hand to lift me up.
My head rings as he pulls me to my feet, the dizziness now fading away as I try to recall what exactly happened. "I got my ass thrown by a big baby. Need I say more?" I answer sarcastically, leaning on my knees for support as my lungs threaten to give out.
"It hasn't even been a day since we set off and you almost got yourself killed, so much for being a Watchman." Hansel snarls, his brows furrowed into an adorable glare.
I dust myself as my breathing steadies, the dizziness now gone. "Little puppy thinks he's top dog now? Aw, isn't that adorable?" I smile sarcastically at Hansel, who now emits a strong killing intent towards me. "You're all bark with no bite to back it up. I'm willing to bet that you're nothing but a wuss without your sis---" I stop myself as I see Gretel look at me, telling me that it was enough.
"What now?" Darren breaks the silence, slinging his assault rifle over his shoulder. "Going outside is basically a death sentence, and we can't stay here forever." He looks at me and asks. "Is this guy really worth risking our lives for? How are we even sure he isn't dead yet?"
Gretel sits up and slits her wrist with her dagger, causing a steady stream of blood to trickle onto the floor. She mutters incomprehensible sentences as she closes her eyes, incantations as the pool of blood dances beneath her feet, squirming into the cracks of the building floor. "He is faltering, but he is close." Gretel gasps, her breaths getting heavy as her eyes erratically move from beneath her eyelids.
"What's going on?" I ask her, not liking where this is going. "Gretel, answer me!"
"My sisters… they have Anthony."