[Chris hobbles through on a borrowed crutch, really not looking forward to the inevitable trip to the hospital to find out exactly how badly screwed up his leg is. The last thing he wants is to be put somewhere on a hospital bed and be poked and prodded, or worse, knocked out. Nope. No thanks.
As great a start as that was, Chris doesn't seem to care. He doesn't even have a sarcastic comeback for it, he's just glad to see Matt's here and not dead. He smiles, even if it's tired and not exactly right. ]
Matt, Jesus man, where were you? Emily said she saw you in the mines last. I thought -
[The mines full of wendigoes. He looks Matt up and down, expression concerned, looking for injury. ]
Are you okay? You get hurt? [None of them are okay. None of them will ever be okay again, but he asks anyway.]
[he's equally glad to see Chris, even if he does look like he's been through just about as much of a hell as Matt and Jess. Matt even manages to give a tired smile right back. It's really the only kind of smile any of them can manage at this point.
Honestly, Matt hasn't thought about his own appearance much. The prized letter jacket has blood and burns and dirt from the mine. He nods at Chris's question, taking a breath. He's been over this with the police but it feels different with Chris. Chris looks like he saw the same shit]
Yeah. Yeah, the mines... I fell from the radio tower. Em and I-- we were calling for help. And then-- this fucking thing. It grabbed me and-- if I didn't have a flare gun on me, I think I would've died.
I found Jess and we both somehow got out of there alive. [it takes him a moment to realize part of what Chris said]
[Oh hell, that makes their treatment of Josh even worse. Jesus. He runs a hand through his hair, exhaling, trying to find a calm place. ]
She's ok. She's been though some...really nasty shit, but she's okay.
[He leaves out the whole bite and Mike going to shoot her thing. No one could pay him enough to be the messenger for that piece of information. ]
Wendigos. That's what those things were. Actual fucking monsters. There was this old guy living on the mountain who's been fighting them for years.
[He tries not to think about the last time he saw the old man. The guy's head rolling about in the snow. That's something to add to his nightmare collection for the rest of his life. ]
She-- Jess was pretty messed up, man. She fell down into the mine, just like me. Hell, I saw Emily fall. I thought she might have-- fuck. [he rubs at his eyes. So much to process he feels like he's still just trying to breathe. But Emily's alive, so that's one weight off his shoulders]
Wendigos. Great. [he's not sure if he feels better having a name to put to the thing. And Chris said "them", like there was more than one. Matt lets out a slow breath. He and Jess got away from one, which in itself was a miracle for how beaten up they were. If the others had to deal with more...]
Remind me to send that guy a thank-you card. [Matt no]
[That would explain why Mike was so adamant she was dead. He's so glad she isn't, that she's got out of this. Jess isn't one of his favourite people in the world, but she didn't deserve any of this. None of them did. ]
She's fine, man, I promise. [As fine as any of them could be. Emily always came off as an indomitable force in her own right. If anyone could swing themselves back from this, he'd put his money on Emily doing it first. ] Nothing takes her down.
[Matt, seriously, no. He visibly flinches. ]
He's dead. I saw it happen. Those things just [he makes a vague gesture with his arm] it was a fucking mess.
excellent choice
As great a start as that was, Chris doesn't seem to care. He doesn't even have a sarcastic comeback for it, he's just glad to see Matt's here and not dead. He smiles, even if it's tired and not exactly right. ]
Matt, Jesus man, where were you? Emily said she saw you in the mines last. I thought -
[The mines full of wendigoes. He looks Matt up and down, expression concerned, looking for injury. ]
Are you okay? You get hurt? [None of them are okay. None of them will ever be okay again, but he asks anyway.]
no subject
Honestly, Matt hasn't thought about his own appearance much. The prized letter jacket has blood and burns and dirt from the mine. He nods at Chris's question, taking a breath. He's been over this with the police but it feels different with Chris. Chris looks like he saw the same shit]
Yeah. Yeah, the mines... I fell from the radio tower. Em and I-- we were calling for help. And then-- this fucking thing. It grabbed me and-- if I didn't have a flare gun on me, I think I would've died.
I found Jess and we both somehow got out of there alive. [it takes him a moment to realize part of what Chris said]
You saw Emily? She's okay?
no subject
[Oh hell, that makes their treatment of Josh even worse. Jesus. He runs a hand through his hair, exhaling, trying to find a calm place. ]
She's ok. She's been though some...really nasty shit, but she's okay.
[He leaves out the whole bite and Mike going to shoot her thing. No one could pay him enough to be the messenger for that piece of information. ]
Wendigos. That's what those things were. Actual fucking monsters. There was this old guy living on the mountain who's been fighting them for years.
[He tries not to think about the last time he saw the old man. The guy's head rolling about in the snow. That's something to add to his nightmare collection for the rest of his life. ]
If he hadn't shown up, we'd of all been screwed.
no subject
Wendigos. Great. [he's not sure if he feels better having a name to put to the thing. And Chris said "them", like there was more than one. Matt lets out a slow breath. He and Jess got away from one, which in itself was a miracle for how beaten up they were. If the others had to deal with more...]
Remind me to send that guy a thank-you card. [Matt no]
no subject
She's fine, man, I promise. [As fine as any of them could be. Emily always came off as an indomitable force in her own right. If anyone could swing themselves back from this, he'd put his money on Emily doing it first. ] Nothing takes her down.
[Matt, seriously, no. He visibly flinches. ]
He's dead. I saw it happen. Those things just [he makes a vague gesture with his arm] it was a fucking mess.