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If Patrick was being honest, being resuscitated was not the most insane thing that had occurred in his life.
His head was still reeling- both from the ending battle and from just returning to Earth along with his friends (they were alive, Pete was alive, Andy was alive, Joe, Joe I’m so sorry I didn’t mean) -and his ears hurt from the cacophony in his head. He could still hear it, it’s incessant growls, could feel the lingering hold it had on his mind, and even though Pete had killed the monster, it was still inhabiting him, waiting for the opportune moment.
Suddenly, a hand placed itself on his shoulder, and Patrick’s throat desiccated in terror, turning quickly and meeting the soft brown eyes of Pete, who looked Patrick up and down. Questioning, Pete attempted to comfort the man, but Patrick just shook him off, offering a weak smile in order to quell the man’s worries.
A voluminous silence filled the air among them, the men awkwardly standing in the corpse-littered room. The sight elicited unwanted memories in the four men, the pain they went through in this building, and it left a deeper mark on Patrick, who was ripped apart both physically and mentally, the torture and possession transforming him. And it lingered in the air, the fear that Patrick’s mind and control would become diminutive, and the monster would rear its ugly head and make them rue the day they had found that damned briefcase.
Joe, who had remained silent and had been preoccupied with rubbing his neck, tracing the faint bruises from being strangled, let out a sarcastic remark, inspecting the other’s expressions for a reaction. Pete chuckled and smiled, continuing the flow of the conversation, which soon erupted into a steady stream of jokes and remarks between the two.
And as Patrick watched, a smile graced his lips, as he slowly realized that he had missed this. He missed just relaxing, he missed the constant banter, he missed the laughs, he missed his friends. And he hated himself, he had brought the storm to them, he had found the briefcase, he had got himself caught, his mind was pliable to the torture and pain, he had led them all to their doom, he had killed them.
Suddenly, he’s being comforted, and Patrick blinks, now noticing the fresh tears going down his face and the embrace he’s being held in. And he melts into the embrace of his friends, who comfort him and tell him that everything will be alright. And they all know that’s not true, but after everything they’ve been through, they’ll grasp on tightly to that statement for now, and at least now, they’re all together again.