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This was not the place for little girls, but here a little girl stood, no more than six, walking quietly by herself. Long black hair fell to the middle of her back, visibly unkempt despite being pulled away from her pale face with a red ribbon, her dress had gotten all dirty around the hem, and her blue-green eyes were wide and magnified behind thick glasses as they searched with both caution and curiosity. She was walking so slowly that it could scarcely be considered moving, inching forward one step at a time, wringing her tiny hands in front of her all the while.

"Daddy?" the girl called out, voice nearly nonexistent as she peered out into the haze of the fog. "Daddy? It's me--it's Mimsy. Where are you?"

Liam, considerably more calm, upper body and limbs swathed in bandages and makeshift bandages, was perfectly content to stick with Harvard, at least for the time being. It beat being on his own, and he was a firm believer that there was safety in numbers. Besides, the Doctor had proven a few times now that he could be counted in a tight spot, grating personality aside.

So they headed outside, wandering, only to come to a sudden stop when the sound of a little girl's voice drifted through the Fog. "Jesus, is that a kid?"

When Harvard took off, the younger man followed, keeping up with an easy jog. He didn't bother yelling himself, Harvard already had it covered. So Liam just kept his eyes peeled. Then, through the haze-

"Harvard look!" He Pointed at a small, dark figure ahead of them.

"Hello, Mimsy," he said, kneeling in front of her. Harvard took one of her small hands in his. "I'm sorry, I'm not your daddy - do you know where he is?" His other hand reached out to smooth down her hair. She was so small and looked so very, very lost. There was no glowing eyes, at least, although they were green. And, in general, she looked normal. He turned back to Liam.

"Hey, do you remember passing any men on our way here?" Then he turned back to the girl and Harvard smiled. "Where's your mother, Mimsy?"

In the haze behind Liam, there was the faint bob of candlelight -- another dark figure, a young man, walking toward them, but in a wary sort of way. He was still too far away to make out his face, too close to the hospital for them to see who it was, but as he came closer, at the very least the bright blue of his jersey would make it clear that this wasn't Mimsy's father.

Probably.

Almost certainly.

Austin had just needed a bit of fresh air, a moment to gather himself, wish for a shower, and rethink some of his choices. The problem was, as he got close enough to squint at the pair of them, it would rapidly become clear that all his bad choices had come out here as well.

He drew up short with a huff of a sigh, and pivoted in place to look back at the hospital. Maybe he was wiser to just head back inside.

HP: 39/50

She was skittish, which was understandable, but Harvard kept slowly smoothing down her hair, hoping the motion would be calming. At her last question, he paused, frowning. Something felt strange, here, it felt like he remembered... He shook his head, focusing on the child in front of him. He wasn't her father (Harvard was always sure of that sort of thing - always), but he let the statement pass, not wanting to further alarm the poor girl.

"Well, Mimsybee, you don't look like a monster. Now why would your mother say that?" Considering where they were, and the absence of normal children thus far, Harvard knew exactly how dangerous a question this would be. He did not notice Austin's approach.

'...you lied...'

The voice spoke to all of them, and seemed to come from multiple points throughout the fog. The girl began to look panicked.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her soft voice turning desperate. "I don't want to be...but she says I am."

Harvard frowned and stopped stroking the girl's hair. He looked around warily, keeping one eye on Mimsy. There were gears turning in his brain, too many coincidences he'd memorized, too much hide and seek.

"Mimsy," he took her by the shoulders. "-who is your mother? I need to know."

888 was, as usual, on a mission. Top priority right now was finding a way out of this place, before it began getting to him again. It wasn't safe to be around the others, not right now, not if he found himself losing his grip again.. But no matter what direction he walked, 888 was finding himself making no progress. He could walk for what felt like days, walk for what felt like the entirety of Delta, and end up right back beside the hospital fence.

Only by the time he got there again, he wasn't alone.

He froze at the sound of the child's voice, and continued to be still and silent for the others calling. All unfamiliar voices, unlikely to be lost Mall Rats, unless this fog could twist and warp voices too. He gripped the pipe he'd been dragging around with a sudden burst of adrenaline. He didn't want it to come to hurting anyone else. He didn't trust his senses right now. He would only strike if it struck first.

But it was still incredibly creepy, and he shouldn't have had any qualms about leaving. He mumbled under his breath, glancing around for the source of the crying. He could see a little girl now, just barely, in the mist. And distantly, the other figures. His camouflage was wearing off. the fog was moving. "What the hell..."

Infection: 0/100