Divulgence ✹ Septicgab

One

It's been years. I still feel the aching of my IV in my arm. I can smell the hospital air. I feel alone.... frightened. Although the investigation was called off, there was still a lot that was left unexplained... as we all went our separate ways from the group. Amy and Mark moved in together after Mark's trauma left him incapable of caring for himself without even the tiniest bit of help. His hallucinations destroyed him. Amy seemed okay, but she could easily be crumbling down with him.

It's been years. Evelien moved in with me, but she wants to talk about what happened there. It's been years, and yet, I don't feel ready. I can't fathom what went on, why things happened the way they did, what everything meant.... none of it. Nothing related to Yharnam made sense. The only standing rule of Yharnam was simple: hunt or be hunted.

It's been years since I spoke to Ethan. He's been secluding himself from human life. He seems to have been taking it all the hardest, but it's appropriate. He was the first one of all of us there. As for everyone else, Christine moved back in with her parents.... Felix and Marzia got married, and they're trying to move on, but Felix can't quite get past everything. His Instagram posts are cryptic at best, but only to the untrained eye. I knew what he felt. We both went through it.

Sykkuno has been the only one who seems to be back into the groove of everyday life. I don't know how he does it. He's just so positive... like he knows nothing about Yharnam. Maybe it's better that way. Evelien has nightmares, and I try to calm her down from them, but she never wants to accept my help. Nothing's the same... but what did I expect from a relationship that began in such a fucked up scenario?

-

I'm afraid to close my eyes half the time. Evelien suggested I take melatonin supplements to help me, but they make the hallucinations more frequent. With everything going on in the real world, I'm surprised anyone can sleep soundly. Between a sickness spreading across the earth to racism revealing itself in police arrests... no one should be able to sleep. My therapist suggested I write a journal to help me express my thoughts and feelings, but it just sounded like the hospital.

~

It's not real...
It's not real...
It's not real!

"No!" I sat up in my bed. It was just a nightmare.... another nightmare. I woke so abruptly that I woke my dog as well. "Hey Spencer..." He gave me a slobbery doggy kiss across the face, then proceeded to leave the room.

~

"Seán?" I slowly started to wake up. "Seán, wake up.." It was Evelien. "They're talking about it on the news.." I sat up in bed, stretching. "Are you okay? I'm sorry if I kept you up last night." She was becoming more like the woman I met in Yharnam.

"I'm okay... and no.." I offered a smile. "You slept beautifully..." I tucked her hair behind her ear. "Things haven't quite been the same, have they?"

"I guess when you're fighting for your life, things are a, uh... uh lot more intense.." She chuckled. "I guess we just.. haven't figured out what happens.. outside of that." I nodded. "But.. I know one thing is for sure... I'm madly in love with my fiancé.." Evelien blushed as I leaned in to kiss her. "That's it.. That's the feeling.."

"Hm?"

"That's the feeling I had when... we kissed that first time," she bit her lip. "And I knew I'm in love with you."

~

Breaking news..

In regards to the investigation of the mysterious disappearance of at least a dozen social media influencers, coronary reports have confirmed the bodies identified as Mark Fischbach and Robin Torkar were proven to be falsely claimed. New reports in regards to the families of these individuals state that there will be lawsuits filed against former chief of psychology, Sophia Reynolds.

My phone started blowing up with pings from texts and DMs. Each and every notification came from a group chat we started after the explosion at St. Luke's.

Seán: Are you watching the news?
Evelien: How is she alive?
Rae: I swear the hospital staff said she was found, hanged...
Mark: You think she may have faked it?
Amy: idk but this all seems way too fucked up
Rae: want me to do some digging? I still have my contacts
Sykkuno: How?
Rae: Doc Tsu has her ways ;)
Me: wow..
Marzia: are you sure you can get through to anyone?
Rae: positive
Sykkuno: in Rae's defense, she DID get the job
Christine: Yeah, but it's not like that was a real hospital...
Sykkuno: .......
Sykkuno: okay, yeah.. you got me there. I just don't know if going back is the right choice..
Jeremy: How are we supposed to get information without her?
Felix: I get where Sykkuno's coming from.. Especially now with Reynolds being alive
Evelien: If Rae's going, she's gonna need backup. I'm going.
Rae: that's sweet, Evelien, but you're in the UK. I'm in California.
Sykkuno: I'll go
Jeremy: If he's going, I am, too. We'd need all the help we can get
Seán: I don't give a fuck what you guys say. We're going.
Evelien: plane tickets are already bought
Rae: ...... damn.. I can't fight you on this, can I?
Evelien: nope
Seán: we're very stubborn people
Rae: well... Ethan?
Me: what?
Rae: I don't suppose you want to go...
Me: I honestly shouldn't be leaving the house.. I have one leg
Rae: you can do some research?
Mark: Amy and I are gonna stay home
Amy: with Mark's PTSD, he shouldn't be exposed to any more of that trauma
Rae: understandable
Jeremy: so what's the plan?
Rae: hold on a sec... I'm calling on discord.

-

"Okay, I think that's everyone," Rae said, seeing everyone's names in the chat. "First and foremost, we need a point of entry."

"What? Are we planning on getting inside St. Luke's?" Seán asked. "There's nothing to enter."

"Yeah, you kind of demolished the place..." Sykkuno chuckled. "Remember?" Rae sighed. "Sorry.."

"No, it's.... It's fine," she sighed again. "I just... I don't know how this is all gonna go. I only took that job to inform whoever I could about the truth behind everything...." Rae started to tear up. "It was a mess... long before the explosions. So many people... innocent patients... they were hurt. Reynolds is a criminal.."

"Then why are we planning on going anywhere near her?" Jeremy asked.

"Because I'm already here," Rae boldly stated. "I live nearby. The staff found me after the investigation was pushed aside, and I....I technically... still work for St. Luke's Hospital for the Criminally Insane....."

"What?" Sykkuno asked, sounding disgusted by the words that came from our friend's mouth. "How could you? You told me the explosions.. were your resignation. You said there was no way in hell you would ever work for people like that ever agai-"

"I had no choice!" She screamed, cutting him off.

"What do you mean... you had no choice?" I asked.

"It was either me.... or one of you.." She sniffled. "And I couldn't sacrifice any of you.. I would never be able to live with myself."

"What do you mean.. sacrifice?" Seán asked.

"They said.... If I didn't work to pay off the damages.... they would take care of all of the damages.... but getting rid of evidence.."

"Evidence.... as in... kill one of us?" Evelien asked, starting to hyperventilate. Seán calmed her down.

"Yeah..." Rae heartbrokenly stated. "But if I agreed to work, they wouldn't try and hurt any of you.. as long as I keep working for them."

"Doing what?" I asked.

"Everything."