When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was my splitting headache. It felt like every inch of my head was being pushed in and ripped apart. I had regained consciousness, but I had yet to open my eyes. With how bad my headache was, opening them to a bright light was the last thing I wanted to do. I kept my eyes shut to see if the headache would pass after a few minutes. If anything, forcing my eyes to stay shut may have made the headache worse for me.

With a groan, I slowly sat up and opened my eyes. After I blinked away the smudges in my vision, I saw that I was in a hospital room. I noticed that I had an IV in the crook of my elbow, which made me shudder by instinct. I never liked IVs, needles, or anything that got pushed through my skin. I hated knowing that there was something foreign sitting inside my body, even if it was there to help. The only thing that made the color run from my face more than the IV itself was when I imagined trying to take it out by myself. Suddenly feeling nauseous, I leaned back in my hospital bed.

I heard a door gently shut, and I looked back up to see a door to a small room I hadn’t noticed when I first opened my eyes. Walking out of it and drying her hands with paper towels was Lizzy, who wasn’t aware that I was awake. She was looking down to the ground, her shoulders sagging. Without seeing her face, I could tell the girl looked terrible. Her hair was a mess and she just looked fragile. I was about to call out to her when she finally looked up and noticed me.

“Ethan?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper, like she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing. She rubbed her eyes a few times to make sure she wasn’t seeing anything. When I gave her a sheepish grin and waved at her, she took off in a sprint. Given that there was only ten feet max between us and I wasn’t exactly going anywhere with an IV in my arm, I thought her theatrics were enjoyable. I braced myself for the hug, but since Lizzy looked so crappy, I figured she’d earned one. To her credit, her hug was gentle, like I was the one who looked fragile. I took that as a win considering she was about ready to crash into me from a sprint just moments before.

“The one and only,” I said, patting her back. I was surprised I touched her given my apprehension of most physical contact. Trying to comfort her felt like the right thing to do. “Man, you look like something the cat dragged in.”

“Jeez, you say that to every girl who doesn’t have makeup all over her face?” she asked, pulling out of the hug.

“What? No, I didn’t mean it that way,” I stammered out, trying to get my foot out of my mouth. Another look at her face told me that she wasn’t serious and that she also found no shortage of joy in teasing me. “Really though, you look like hell.”

“Well yeah, I thought I killed you, dumbass,” Lizzy explained, pulling a chair up to the side of my bed. “You hit your head hard when you fell. Oh my God, you just wouldn’t stop bleeding from your nose. It was like a busted faucet. The closest healer got to you before an actual doctor. They’re not great at diagnosing issues, so they couldn’t tell you what the issue actually was. Anomaly-related injuries can be...tough to figure out. Once you were healed back to a stable point, the doctor just said to let you rest until you could be evaluated again.”

“Hit my head...?” I asked, trying to recall what I’d been doing. It was fuzzy, but the training came back to me through a fog in my brain. “Oh, right! Is everyone else okay?”

“They’re fine. None of us hit our heads or had blood leaking out of them.” Lizzy looked at me like I was a bit dumb for asking about them before anything else. Then she bounced her eyebrows a few times and a familiar, playful grin spread across her face “You’ve had nothing but women come check on you though. You’re a pretty lucky guy. I’ve even been coming to see you every day.”

“I bet those guys who were glaring at me when we got lunch were thrilled.”

“One of them asked if I was your Manic Pixie Dream Girl when I wasn’t in the mood to talk to him, so we have that.”

“I...don’t know what that is,” I admitted.

“Basically, it’s a bright, happy, quirky girl who shows a brooding, grumpy, soulful guy the joys of life and teaches him how to live.” Lizzy shook her head.

“Huh? I’m shy and get nervous in groups. I’m not brooding or grumpy.” I frowned. “I’m definitely not soulful.”

Lizzy giggled, a little more brightness entering her eyes. “Right? Sure, I’m fun and happy. I wouldn’t go that far with it. It’s just easy to be nice and peppy.”

I cleared my throat, trying to get back on track. “How’s my sister doing?”

“Oh yeah, she’s fine too. She only threatened to kill me in front of Mrs. Carmichael, but she’s just been peachy.” Lizzy shivered a bit and checked over her shoulder to be safe. Her solemn expression returned. “I don’t blame her. When I told her that it was because I had pushed you too hard and too soon, I’ve never seen someone so furious. Silently furious. I’m not an easily intimidated woman. That’s a scary lady you have watching over you.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, something sent a small wave of extra pain through my head. “I thought she was going to scare the piss out of Lori. Literally. She’s a good judge of character and motives, which is why I think she even gave the okay to come here. Shelly was definitely mad at you, but now that I’m awake, she’ll be fine. Just talk to her to clear it up.”

“I’ll do just that.” With a smile, she excused herself to get a doctor. I appreciate that she didn’t go right to telling everyone that I was awake. I still wanted my headache to fade and getting another evaluation wouldn’t hurt. Probably wouldn’t hurt, at least.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

It wasn’t but a few minutes before Lizzy and the doctor came in. He was a short, younger man with some stubble covering his face. Standing about a head shorter than Lizzy, I was worried if he’d even be able to evaluate me from the elevated hospital bed. I removed the sheet that covered my legs and was about to hop down to make it easier for him, but an aura that I could only describe as “fiercely kind” halted any movement.

“Don’t worry there, Ethan,” he said in a pleasant tone. “You’re the patient here, so let me take care of you. How’re you feeling?” I let him know about my headache, which didn’t seem to surprise him in the least, but mentioned that I felt well outside of that. “You gave us a bit of a scare, so I’m glad that a migraine is the biggest issue. You’ve been napping away there for a good bit, so let’s get this IV out of you and you can stretch. Sound good?”

I nodded to let him know it was okay, and he freed me from the IV. Then I caught on to how long I’d been out for. “Wait, just how long have I been here? It hasn’t been just a few hours?”

Lizzy stepped up from around the doctor. “Remember, I told you that I visited you every day. It’s already Thursday, Ethan.”

I froze up and my blood ran cold. “Wasn’t there supposed to be the attack on Pittsburgh on Thursday?”

Lizzy and the doctor both looked down, confirming my fears. A heavy silence weighed on the room, leaving the only thing I could hear the sound of blood rushing in my ears. I gripped the soft hospital pants I’d been given with sweaty palms and slowly got to my feet. Knowing that I was out for as long as I was would have been enough to make me feel sick to my stomach, but waking up on the day that Pittsburgh was set to be attacked seemed to be part of a terrible joke.

“Who’d they send?” I asked while getting used to being back on my own two feet. The doctor was right, I definitely needed a good stretch. Lizzy stood near in case I needed support. Saving some embarrassment, it didn’t take long for everything to feel right again.

“No one that you know, but...” Lizzy chewed on her bottom lip, sadness coming off her in waves.

“They still sent people who probably won’t come back,” I finished for her. She nodded, but she did insist that they were all volunteers. Either way, it still made me feel nauseous like when I first woke up.

“They’ve had live broadcasts in the city all day,” the doctor said. He handed me a piece of paper on a clipboard that looked like a release. Against my better judgment, I signed it without looking over too much. I really wanted to get out of there and find a TV. “I can tell you’re antsy. Please don’t hesitate to come back if you feel like you need anything. Normally I wouldn’t even release someone like this, but without being able to determine a specific cause and amidst the chaos here, I’ll leave you in Lizzy’s care.”

“Thank you. Is there anything I should be on the lookout for?” The doctor hesitated, glancing at Lizzy. “It’s fine. Whatever you need to say to me, you can say in front of her.”

“My Anomaly lets me read minds on a surface level,” he said. “If I focus it, I can dig deeper into someone’s brain. When I was doing my examinations for you, I noticed...residual effects of someone’s Anomaly that enhances fear and alters perceptions.”

“Wait, no way! It really was because of that guy.” I looked down at my hands. I’d lived for six years with someone essentially infecting my mind. How many of my own issues were really even my own? I mean, I guess they technically all were, but how many were directly because of that Anomaly?

“Yes, I’m sorry. While I was able to get rid of it, I saw what it did. I know it wasn’t pleasant.”

“That’s an understatement,” I mumbled. “I appreciate you helping to get rid of...whatever it was in my head.”

“Of course, Ethan.” The doctor smiled at me. “That’s what I’m here for.”

I thanked the doctor again and we both left, Lizzy remaining almost glued to me in case I fell or needed any help. She didn’t press me for any info about what the doctor removed from my head, and I desperately needed time to process it myself. It felt like there was an eerie silence over the complex as we made our way through it. We got to Lizzy’s apartment and didn’t see anyone on the way there. The entire thing just gave me creepy vibes and I was glad to be in a place that didn’t feel so crappy.

“I texted Lori and told her you were awake. She said that she’d get your sister and come over here, which shouldn’t be long now.” She made us a couple of sandwiches, and while I was going to decline at first, I certainly felt like someone who hadn’t eaten any actual food in days. I scarfed down the sandwich that she kindly made, which seemed to give her a genuine smile.

“I owe you for this,” I told her around a mouthful of turkey and bread. “If you want to do my hair or makeup, I’m your guy.”

“I’ll keep you posted,” she said.

After she finished hers, there was a knock at her door. She welcomed Lori with a hug and my sister with a bit of a fearful nod. Lori ran up to me and hugged me too, everyone apparently forgetting that I didn’t like to be touched. That was something that was gradually changing. It felt...kind of nice to get hugged by people who seemed to like me. Shelly seemed to notice that herself.

“You’d have freaked out had she done that before.” That didn’t stop my sister from wrapping me in a firm embrace herself. Her hugs were never ever a problem for me.

“I dunno, I think I just trust them now,” I said, grinning at my friends.

“Even the one that nearly got you killed?” Shelly asked, not hiding her anger. Even though Lizzy was a good bit taller, Shelly’s presence felt massive in comparison.

“I’m sorry!” Lizzy cried. She brushed some hair behind her ear and did her best to look my sister in the eye. “I feel terrible, and I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Ugh, no, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t say things like that. Thank you. I know you went to see him every day. I appreciate that.” With seeing me okay and the apology, Shelly’s anger evaporated. When she had her head turned, I gave Lizzy two thumbs up, knowing how my sister’s anger could fade if she could tell something was genuine. She turned her expression toward me and frowned. “But if you don’t learn your limits, I’m kicking your butt, got it?”

I grimaced and nodded, before turning everyone’s attention to the TV. I grabbed the remote and cycled through all the major news stations. As I expected, every single one had a live broadcast in the city of Pittsburgh. I was reminded of the poor news crew that was ruthlessly murdered in the last attack and I just couldn’t fathom why anyone else would risk their lives like that. There was no job or paycheck that could be worth that much.

“Those poor people. Don’t they know what they’re capable of? Why would they think that the announced attack would be any different?” Lori’s thoughts were echoing my own. No doubt remembering her late friend, her eyes grew wet. Behind the sadness, I could see that there was a lot of anger and hatred. I was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to have her even watch the broadcast at all, given what happened. Before I could think about shutting the TV off, a familiar voice filled the room.

“Thank you to the great city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for being our gracious host for today’s festivities.” The camera whipped around to McLeod’s imposing presence as it was once again felt across the entire world.