H λ L F - L I F E: Bishop's War✔️

EPILOGUE

-he was somewhere else.

"Ah!" he cried, jerking backwards as he saw a man standing in front of him. The transition was exceptionally jarring, and for a second, he wondered if he had died. "Where am I?" he demanded, looking around.

He was in...a tram cart?

Like the one he'd ridden into work yesterday morning. Only, outside, beyond the windows, were..stars? What?

And the man standing before him...

"You," he said, instantly recognizing the strange man with the frozen blue eyes and the crisp suit and the briefcase. Even though he'd only seen him once, in passing, before all this had gone down, he immediately recognized the man.

"Apol-ogies, Missster Bishop," the man said, grinning an awkwardly manufactured and artificial grin. "For the ab-rupt transsssit...ion."

"What the hell?" Eric muttered. There was something tremendously disturbing about his speech patterns. It was halting and stilted and awkward. "Where am I? What happened to Black Mesa? To the others? Where's Maria? Laidlaw? Li?"

The man sighed, and it was just as false as his smile. "Again, apo-lo...gies, Misster Bisshhh-op. I'm afraid that I...could on-ly sal...vage one of you. I have been wat-ching you, today, Misssster Bishop. You have performed...hmm...ad-mir-ably. Although I'm af-raid I cannot offer you...a job...per say...I am afraid that, ah, I can at least put you on...shhhall we say...ice? Hmm, yes. You're time-will come again...farewell for-now, Mister Bishhhhop."

"What!?" Eric cried. "What the hell are you talking about!?"

The man in the suit brushed an invisible speck from his sleeve. "I'm af-raid that thissss is all the, time, I have. Goodnight."

Eric felt an overwhelming sense of terror and rage, having no idea what in the hell was happening. Even after everything that had happened to him, this was just...what was this!? This felt like his mind had completely snapped.

Enraged, he began to step forward, intending to force some answers out of this strange speaking bastard, but he was frozen.

He suddenly realized that he couldn't move an inch.

And then, abruptly, there was only darkness.