The Outbreak

Chapter 6

Scott POV

I snap my head up to see the last person I was expecting to stand in the doorway next to Mitchell. My eyes widen and I forget how to breathe for a few moments. My heart feels like it is in my throat and I feel like I am about to burst out crying. "St-Stiles?" I ask in a shaky voice, trying my best not to cry. We stare at each other with pure shock for a couple of moments, the room deadly silent around us. Stiles has filled up a lot since the last time I saw him. He is definitely more muscular than I remember, his shoulders a little broader also. In the next moment, Stiles comes rushing at me with the biggest and brightest smile on his face. "Oh my god! It's you, it's really you!" Stiles cries out in relief as he makes his way towards me. I stand up and walk over to meet Stiles half way, tears rolling down my cheeks without my permission and my breathing becomes uneven, an early sign of sobbing. Stiles quickly pulls me into a hug and holds me tightly, but makes sure to be careful of my wounds. It doesn't take me long to return the well needed hug, both of us sobbing quietly, our bodies shaking heavily. We stay in this position for several minutes, no one saying anything. I don't care if everyone in the room thinks we are weird. I just got my best friend, the person that I love, back after spending five years thinking that he was dead!

Eventually, we pull apart a little, tears falling down both of our faces, but there are massive smiles on our faces too. I haven't been this happy, overjoyed or relieved in years. I haven't smiled so brightly and so happily in years either. It feels good to finally be able to be happy again. I'm still shocked though. "H-how is this possible? How are you alive?" I ask shakily. Stiles frowns in confusion. "What?" He asks.

"I saw you die, Stiles! I saw that helicopter crash and explode with my own eyes. I was screaming and crying, wishing it wasn't true, but it was. How the hell are you alive?" I elaborate for my long lost best friend. Stiles quickly wipes his eyes before answering. "I never got on that helicopter, Scott. I managed to get those military guys off me. I wish I could have stayed to find you, but some of the infected were already there chasing after me, so I had to run. I kept running for ages until I finally lost them somehow. I forgot how I did that, but I remember feeling so relieved and so exhausted. I was also devastated because I had just lost you. But I did make a promise that day. I promised I would find you again, no matter how long it would take. I guess I stuck to that promise." Stiles explains to me, his voice cracking slightly as he tries not to break down again. I have to admit, my whole body is shaking and tears are streaming down my face, so Stiles is doing a good job of keeping calm. "Yeah, you did." I answer, my voice almost a whisper.

"I... I almost started thinking that you were dead, Scott. Or that maybe you had become infected, which by the looks of things, you almost did become infected. But I would never give up looking for you. I've travelled around the US for years, hoping that I would find you, but it turns out that you came to me." Stiles replies, with tears pouring down his cheeks. His eyes are red and puffy, just like mine probably are. "But I'm not dead, I'm here." I say with a wobbly smile.

"I know." Stiles manages to laugh a little bit, but it sounds more delirious than anything. No one else in the room has spoken yet. I rush forward to Stiles and pull him into another hug, which Stiles gratefully accepts. I close my eyes and bury my head into Stiles' shoulder. "Oh, it's so good to see you again." I whisper happily as I hold onto my best friend, not wanting to let go. I'm afraid that if I do, I will lose him again.

"It's good to see you again too, Scotty." Stiles replies, his voice full of relief. I can feel his hand rubbing my back comfortingly. "Uh, could we have an explanation please?" Mitchell speaks up finally. Stiles and I eventually pull away and turn to the confused humans. "Oh, right. Sorry. Meg, Mitch, this is my very best friend Scott McCall. We've known each other practically all our lives and we were always there for each other, but we were separated when the military attempted to quarantine everyone. He was one of the very few people that I so desperately wanted to find, afraid that I might go crazy without him." Stiles introduces me proudly. I can't help but blush slightly, knowing that Stiles thinks so highly of me, even after all these years. "Sometimes I have felt like I am slowly going crazy without him or the others." Stiles admits truthfully. "If I was on my own for all these years, then maybe I would have lost my mind completely. I'm thankful that I found you and built this group, Meg. It gave me a reason to hope and keep fighting." Stiles adds. Meg nods in acknowledgement.