Work Text:
Arlo laid face up on the trashy bed the mist provided him, staring at the equally trashy ceiling of the trashy cabin. He was trying to remember. Trying to remember the man with the blonde hair and eyes blue like the bright sky the nurse knew he would never see again. The man who held his hands, who looked into his eyes with a sense of sincere love. He wished so dearly to know who he was, even though he felt insane for even “remembering” something like this. It felt so clear, yet at the same time everything was so blurry and it was all fading too quickly. Arlo convinced himself it wasn’t real, that he was lying to himself but he swore he could feel the touch of his lips meeting the other man’s. He couldn’t even remember his name, and that was a sign that all hope was lost for Arlo. At the very least, though, he could try.
But he couldn’t. Something in his head wouldn’t let him recall the cryptic guy who once told Arlo he loved him. His thoughts were muddled, as clear as mud, so he decided to sleep it off. Arlo rolled over, the bed he was on creaking heavily as he sighed, looking out the window at the clouded dark sky. He shut his eyes in an attempt to at least get some sleep, even though sleep wasn’t required for function in the mist. As he drifted off, images of his blank friend coursed through his mind. Times when Arlo sighed and scolded him for not being careful enough as he pulled out a first-aid kit and patched up his wounds. Times when Arlo’s cheeks were cupped in calloused yet tender hands, as a face that was now blurry to him went in for a gentle kiss. Times when Arlo watched the man fall to the ground, some sort of weapon lodged into whatever part of his body as a tone rang out through the map, signaling he was dead.
Eventually, his brain went quiet, finally allowing the nurse to get some sleep.
^*^*^
Arlo panted heavily, behind him a creepy-looking girl in an equally creepy rabbit mask, carrying a karambit and ready to strike him. Arlo looked back, the girl seemingly making eye contact with him, despite the mask. With a quick move, she lifted her knife up and slashed down, just barely missing Arlo. He gave a gasp and ran away, vaulting over one of the nearby rails.
Taliyah smirked under her mask. As she continued to chase Arlo, she giggled, deciding she would play a game with him, then spoke.
“I know you remember him, Arlo...” She said softly, watching with glee as Arlo turned back in surprise.
“Wh-What do you mean..?” He asked, voice shaky as he dodged another charge from the small girl’s weapon.
“You know what I mean..” Taliyah spoke, inwardly cursing herself for missing a lunge she should have hit. “Blonde hair... Blue eyes...”
Realization hit Arlo like a train. The man that’s been plaguing his mind, she knew about him. She had to. But he knew she was trying to get to him. Why else would she be taunting him like this, playing with his mind like he was some sort of toy?
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about...!” Arlo stammered, running faster and faster, just trying to get away from the stalker. He didn’t want to think about that. Not right now, when he was fighting for his life.
Taliyah lunged again, her weapon just barely catching the edge of Arlo’s flannel. He yelled in fear, hopping over a vault as he felt his coat be ripped. He couldn’t care any less, though, as he ran into the nearby mansion in an attempt to hopefully ward off his attacker.
The sound of a detector beeping went off as Taliyah entered the building behind him and three other survivors quickly ran out of a room upstairs. Arlo heard the sound of a generator exploding, and for a second he felt bad for thinking that that generator was already done, but he realized that he didn’t have time to think.
Cora immediately ran out and Jun stood in front of the stairs, ready to take chase as a girl with braids came through and hit Taliyah with her-
Arlo got a flashback. The guy from his memories, running up and striking the killer, a woman in a red hood with a glitchy face, with a wooden baseball bat. He ran over and took Arlo’s hand in his, shouting something as the two ran away from the scene.
The girl noticed Arlo just standing, staring in shock. She couldn’t just leave him. She had to do something. She ran up to him and grabbed his forearm.
“Come on!!” She shouted, running out of the mansion, Arlo in tow as the girl in the rabbit mask proceeded to chase Jun.
Once the two were safe out of the premises, they stopped running, resting for a bit and panting heavily. The softball star looked at Arlo, who was hunched over, hands on his knees, trying to recollect himself.
“Are.. You okay?” She asked. Arlo looked up smiling.
“I’m fine, I just..” Arlo looked into the girl’s eyes, then looked away. Something about her reminded Arlo of... Him. “It’s nothing.”
The young woman paused for a second, sighing before slinging her softball bat over her shoulder. “Okay then...”
The situation they were in was really awkward. Arlo was getting a huge smack of Déjà vu while the other had no idea what was going on. Arlo looked up again and sighed. “Should we... Go work on a generator or something?”
“Sure.” And the two were off, walking to a nearby cabin to monotonously mangle the wires of yet another machine. But as they made their way to their destination, Jun ran by, the stalker following behind at a dangerously close distance. Then, the girl in the rabbit mask stopped and turned her attention to Arlo and the girl beside him.
Without a word, she began to chase them. The two ran, both beside each other as Taliyah sped up to make pace with them. The masked girl started to lunge, speeding up even more as her karambit stabbed a jagged line into Arlo’s back.
Arlo groaned in pain and fell over as the girl gasped, but kept running. She took her bat, stunning Taliyah as she struck right for her mask. The stalker quickly picked up her blood-stained rabbit mask before resuming the chase once again with the softball star, who had grown a considerable distance away.
Just as Arlo reached for his radio to call for help, a hum sounded around the map, signaling that all generators were done and the exit gates were open. Arlo was about as far from the exit gates as he could be, and so he instead changed his message.
“Don’t rescue me. G-Go to the exit gates!” He stuttered through the radio. The pain of his wound and the overwhelming nature of his situation overtook his head.
“Are you sure?” Another voice sounded through the other end of the radio. It was Gabrielle, and by the sounds of it, she too had been caught in a chase with Taliyah.
“Y-Yeah.. Go. I’ll be fine.” Arlo stared up at the sky as he turned his radio off and put it back in his satchel. An eternal night that never faded to day, where the stars shone brightly, as did the permanently full moon. He thought about the mysterious man who tortured his thoughts and about his similarities with the girl he had just encountered. As Arlo felt more and more of his blood flood the sidewalk, the game ended with yet another win for the survivors.
Arlo kept thinking about the cryptic man in his memories. But as time moved on, so did Arlo. The memories faded away, and eventually, Arlo completely forgot about the stranger. New people came to the hellish mist, and old people never left. Arlo found a new boyfriend, and all was well.
In the end, Arlo never remembered the name of his blank friend. But a hoodie in the worn-out dressers of his cabin in the mist always made him question where it came from.