The muscles in his arms and shoulders were burning, exhausted, by the time he finally gave up the assault on the punching bag. It swung back and forth in front of him, the relentless motion of the last few minutes giving it enough swing to keep it moving for a while. His last few sessions in the gym since the battle out in front of the complex had been the same. He pushed more, hit harder, picturing a face on the bag to go with the entity that had taken over his body and took away the control. He reached out to stop the bag, then gave it one last jab, sending it rocking again.
He stretched his arm across his body as he headed back across the gym to where he'd left his things, then switched back to the other arm. Grabbing the hooded sweatshirt and the water bottle from the pile on the floor, he headed out, tugging the sweatshirt on as he went.
His mind was elsewhere as he headed towards the lobby. Or it was until he heard someone calling out. It had been a long time since he'd heard that voice but he knew all too well who it belonged to. He picked up speed, nearly jogging the last few steps before he appeared in the lobby. A smile almost appeared, the relief of seeing a familiar face from his world. Finally. "Parker?"