I remembered. As I walked out of the brightly painted torture gallery, I found my self at a loss. I remembered soon. Thank god she did, too... I wouldn't be here if it weren't for her. It would have killed me if I saw a mistaken look in her crimson eyes. Yet that would not be the worst of it. When I came out of the fake exhibit, there was nothing. Yeah, nothing. No paintings, no sculptures... no people. The time had run slower in that pit, but I can't think of what could have happened out here. I looked her in the eyes, seeing she noticed the absence of society, too. For a while, it seemed like the normal gallery, but with no... well, paintings. I slowly walked around the corner with the nine year old next to me to see something that could only be called...
"Hmph, hell..." he complained to the red-eyed girl.
She retorted, "Just keep up, Garry! Theres nothing more I can do... Im only 11... just more..." she looked for words, "indifferent." She stormed up the hill, waiting at the top for Garry.
"I'd keep the sass down, Ib. You know," he pointed to the girl and started to complain again, "I don't like it when you are the opposite of "innocent"" Garry climbed up the hill after sharing his thoughts and kept an eye open for the girl. Ib smiled slightly and grabbed the lavender-haired man's hand.
"Whatever..." she giggled. They walked across the heap of junk and garbage, keeping a fast pace. As they ventured further south, Garry pointed out that it is a good idea to keep heading south, due to the warmer climate. Ib went to respond, but found herself tripping mid sentence. Garry stumbled himself, trying to stop her fall, while over all being his clumsy self.
"G-Gah...!" The 21 year old had face planted into a pit of pure garbage. Ib started a laughing fit while dusting herself off from her tumble. She helped Garry out of the pit, and proceed to calming herself down. He brushed his bangs back over his left eye, grabbing the little girl's hand once more. They continued their journey, with no targeted location.
Once they reached a peak on the pile, both of them could see the deranged reality of it all. There, sitting around 4 miles away, was a torn up village. It had to have been already searched through for supplies.
Ib stated, "I-I don't like the looks of this place, G-Garry..." she started shaking slightly. The wind had picked up a bit, deciding they weren't far enough south for it to be kind weather. Garry looked her in the eyes.
"...What did you think about the fake gallery...?" he asked. Ib looked down, thinking about the time spent in the gallery with the man.
"It was..." Ib took a breath in, "sure something... something creepy... forever haunting, I guess..." she glanced over at Garry, meeting his eyes. He sighed, looking down himself, and continuing with his point, trying to prove it.
"Then you can make it through, Ib. I know you, and you are one strong ni- er, I mean, eleven year old." To add an impression, he knelt down to her level, and placed a hand on her shoulder. The man looked into her eyes, and tipped her chin up with his other hand. "Smile, just like the old days?" he pleaded, smile at her.
Ib looked at him with like he had two heads. She pouted, only making Garry's mood worse. "Please, Ib? I feel down when you're down, and I feel good when you're good." The young girl cracked a small smile, letting his words sink in. Ib ran ahead, towards the village, while Garry had to keep up.
Closing in on the closest house, Ib took some time to catch her breath. Garry ran up to the girl, and began complaining again.
"Y-You... gotta... slow down, there... little miss..." he said inbetween gaps of breath." Ib kept her smile on, and giggled lightly at the tired man. The team reached the door, and carefully opened the door, trying to not make it squeak, but to no avail. Garry winced at the sound, and made sure Ib stayed behind him.
They entered the house, which was surprisingly still somewhat intact. Almost counting they're steps that made noises, they calmly looked around for supplies. There was a look of an itch on Ib's face. Garry soon noticed it and quickly, but carefully, made his way over to stop her from sneezing. Her head backed up, her body bracing for the sneeze. *BAM* The door had slammed shut from the wind. Ib sneezed. The both of them realized they need to get out, and quick. Garry ran over to the door, but in its awful condition, it had become stuck.
"God damn it!" Garry yelled, seeing as this situation has made enough noise. Ib pulled on his now much more tattered coat. She looked up at him with a glare, showing he shouldn't be swearing. He sighed.
The eleven year old was worried to the high heavens and back about herself, but more so of Garry. There wasn't much she could do while Garry tried body-checking the door down. She wonder off, looking for a new way out.
"Wasn't there always a back door to a house?" she mumbled to herself. When she found the back door, there was just boards nailed to the door. That didn't help at all. Ib looked around for stairs, and soon found them.
They were very unstable, but being her curious and adventurous self, she went up. *Squeak* On the third step. *Creeeak* on the fifth. *Creea- ... KA-THUNK* The eleventh step fell into its self, with Ib barely missing the fall. She stumbled to a stop, reaching to the railing.
The twenty-one year old kept banding on the door, worried of the consequence. Soon after taking a break, he heard a crash of old wood.
"IB...!" Garry shouted after hearing the crashes. He ran around the house, tripping once or twice, looking for the girl. Soon, he found the girl dangling from the railing above a gap in the stairs, almost frozen in shock. He himself, was beginning to stiffen, untill he ran, looking for something to help the girl.
Ib started crying, "Garry! P-Please help meeee!" Garry was looking all over for a way to get the girl down. He did this till he heard the sound of something snapping, followed by a inhuman scream that started to fade, as if beginning to move further away.
Trekking through what now seems to be almost like a desert, a tall man kept fabric around his mouth and nose, struggling against the wind. You could see it in his eyes, he had a heart of stone. The wind only got fiercer, the more he headed south. With an non descriptive location and without a destination, he holds that glare that gives the world shivers. Nothing was right anymore. He could have some sense of hope if there was a person by his side, but there was not a single living cell next to him.
Over the horizon, the man had spotted a clearing. The closer he got, the less sand there was. *-Mph* The man had run into something, but you couldn't see anything if you tried. There must be... a forcefield. Backing up, he let go of the cloth in front of his face. He seemed to be blushing. Out of no where, a mild siren started, followed by light flashes of yellow. A human voice came out of what had to be a speaker, "Scanning, please hold." The man froze. He turned to run back into the sand storm, fleeing from the odd event.
"I said, PLEASE HOLD!" it screamed at him. A claw of some sort came out of the forcefield, making the fabric ripple. It reached out for him, with mechanical whirls acting as its voice. It grabbed the man, making him scream, almost like a girl. The claw dragged him past the rippling fabric, and into what looked like a huge building made of all sorts of advanced technologies. He stood, dumbfounded.
He looked round, seeing there were 6 stories, each with one-way mirror railing panels lining the sides. Sitting in front of him was a desk with objects that floated millimeters above it, moving around at the touch of a keyboard. Hovering transportation devices flew all over, making quiet whirling sounds. The walls were a silver with hints of blue mixed in. The doors were as black as the mans heart. He noticed the resemblance, and sighed.
As the man came back from his sight-seeing, something left his pocket. He bent down to see what had fled his patched coat, when a man shorter than him came to greet him.
"Greeting,..." the boy said, looking down at his clipboard. "...Garry. Welcome to P.A.T.C.H.S.. 'Stands for Post-Apocalyptic Technology Center and Haven Services." Garry looked at the man, questioningly. How did he know him? What does this have to do with anything? He kept asking himself questions in his head, with no answers coming to mind. Garry blinked at him blankly.
The boy continued, "I know this is probably quite a surprise to you, sir. But you have to snap out of it. We have business to cover." He dragged Garry by the hand, taking him into a long hallway with a big black door at the end.
The boy opened the door, continuing to drag the man in. He let go of Garry, setting himself into a chair behind the black granite desk. Garry got up, dusting himself off, taking a seat furthest from the desk.
The boy cleared his throat, "Again, welcome. We have sooo much to talk about!" He smiled at what he had said. "O-Oh, please forgive me, I haven't told you MYYY name yet!" The boy giggled. "I'm Gunter... well, for short. My full name is..."
There was silence. And black. All black. But some light. Off to the left, she noticed. She felt herself get up, subconsciously. Her body had her walk towards that light. Left. Right. Left... Right... Left. Right. Left... Ri-. She stopped. Her hand went out to touch the light, feeling it. Soft. Smooth. Unearthly. Or even heavenly. She took another step. *Whoosh*
She got up in a jolt. Looking down, she saw cuts and bruises every where. Laying around her, there were... red and blue roses. She hand one tucked under her hands. Trying to sit up, the girl noticed how much everything hurt. She slowly got up, her knees shaking. She collapsed back down with an *Omph*. The girl groaned. It was pitch black in the room... Well, it seemed like a room. She felt as if there were walls around her. Crawling over to the left, she saw a hole with a soft beam of light coming through.
Steading herself on a wall, she finally stood. Falling right back down, she felt as if something hit her right on top of her head. Memories. Lots. Good and bad. Awful. Cherish-able. ... Family losing against nature. ... Falling. Falling... She got right back up and yelled, "Garry?!" She tried again. "GARRY?!" Nothing responded.
The girl started to cry. Walking over to the light beam, she found a flashlight sitting near. She picked it up, and pointed it around the room. It's a basement. Or at least, was. She sound a door, and went over to open it. Creaking like most doors, it slowly opened. Tumbling out came a tall, rectangular box that made a *Thud*. Questioning her actions, she decided to open the box.
Inside was a rotting corpse that had wilting roses of multiple colors around the body. The girl screamed at the awful sight, backing up while putting the lid back over. She wanted to get out. Now. Rushing over to another door, she opened it with out hesitation, thankfully being one that led to stairs up. She ran up, breathing deeply at the top. She noticed that the back door had been de-boarded. Walking over, she opened the door, leading to the outside world.
The gallery sat alone in a city of rubble. Nothing was there anymore. Really, nothing. But looking closely, there was a rolled up piece of paper. The wind had picked it up, and revealed what was inside. It was the blonde girl, Mary. The paper flew through the air, twirling like it was free. It sat its self next to a garden. Before the wind picked up again, there was a loud snapping sound from inside the house the garden lay next to.
The painting flew once again, but there was no other rest stop along the way. It floated and floated for days on end. The journey seemed to last three months. Once the wind stopped for a minute, it blinked. Yeah, it blinked. It started to move in its 2D world, trying to reach out. *Floop, scratch, scratch... FWOOSH* A girl had appeared, dusting herself off. Unknown of how her got there, she looked round.
Its all rubble. Almost everything. This is NOT how she imagined the world outside the gallery. She turned on her heels, facing another direction. It was sand and more sand for what seemed like miles. The wind then continued its howl, almost taking Mary off her feet.
Mary steadied herself, covering her face with her arm. Grimacing, she quickly picked up some supplies closest to her, and used a rag to cover her moth and nose. Slowly, she left to head into the sand storm...
Walking down the first few steps, her feet finally met the earth. She noticed that her clothes where quite torn up. The girl sighed, and turned to go back inside. Looking for new clothing, she tried the stairs again. Passing over the collapsed step, she made it to the top.
"Ok, Ib. Keep yourself together, now... Garry isn't here anymore..." she sniffled. "But... you can still find him... just get what you need.. and go." Ib walked into a bedroom, noticing the colors. It must have been a boys bedroom. She looked for anything she could use, learning that strategy from Garry. She got some major supplies, then headed off to another room.
Pink. Lot of it, too. She went looking for clothing, and found some red sweat pants. She put those on, finding them almost like skinny jeans. Ib kept her skirt over top the pants, and went to look for a shirt. The young girl found a light grey hoodie, and a lavender t-shirt. She stiffened at its resemblance to her friends hair color. After putting all the clothing on, she left for the stairs.
Quickly picking up a scarf, she went back outside. Ib noticed the sand, and rapped the scarf around her face, and headed straight into the storm.
Mary knew she was lost. Yet she kept walking forwards. the sand had started to give her rashes, burning her skin. She started to cry. The girl was already weak enough, from when Ib and Garry burnt her painting. But that wasn't her only one. She was glad about that, but she still held all the pain from it.
She couldn't take it anymore. Mary slowly went to lay down in the sand, below a giant sand drift pile. She lay there, thinking of anything that could help her then, and now. Nothing came to mind. Realizing how stupid she was for even wanting to come here, she tucked her head into her knees, and wept.
Soon enough, she blacked out.
"... Geutena Weiss." He smiled deviously. Garry backed his chair futher across the room. He sat in shock, unmoving. "Ehehe... yep... and I run this place!" he giggled again. "...Hold on. Wheres your little buddy?" He asked, genuinely concerned.
"..." Garry held his breath. What could, or should, he say? "I-... She... died in an accident... one I couldn't help her with..." Garry closed his eyes, and tried to hold back tears. His heart was meant to be hard as stone, cold as ice, and black as an abyss, but this was a tough moment to conceal his emotions.
Guetena sighed, "My most sincere apologies, Garry... I would have tried to do something, but... how could I have known about this?" Mr. Weiss banged on the desk, making Garry jump. "You know what? Im gonna get you a bunch of red, red roses!" He shrilled, crossing his eyes. Garry got up, off of his seat.
"U-Uh.. I'm good, t-thanks, sir..." He ran for the door, but it had been locked. Guetena smiled wickedly. He got up slowly from his seat, then walked over to Garry at a fast pace. *Slap* Garry had stumbled into the door from the impact of the mad-man's hand to his face.
Heat rushed to his face, from anger and the slap. Leaning against the door, Garry then ran at Mr. Weiss and gave him an upper-cut. *Bash* Guetena had flew across the room, landing against his filing cabinets. They crashed on top of him, paper flung all over the room.
"SECURITY!" he screeched. Garry ran for the door, seeing it had been unlocked for the guards. He thought he had escaped, but where would he go now? Garry ran down the halls, making to where he first found himself. Skidding to a stop, he tried his luck and ran straight for the wall.
He went right through, the wall just being a forcefield. Putting his cloth back over his face, he ran into the sand storm once again.
Walking into the newly found storm, Ib knew she would be lost the second she took her first step in. But she tried her best to head forwards, knowing that way she can walk backwards to get back to the house. One step after another, the wind only kept on hitting her, harder and hard, the further she went.
After seven or more minutes, Ib tripped over something unknown to her. Getting up, along with picking her cloth up, she went over to investigate. Squinting at the object, she found the shape of a body. A girl's body. Thinking the girl must be dead, Ib went to pat the body. It jolted up, awake and alive.
Ib jumped backwards. the person was... blonde. And was wearing a green dress. Along with a nice blue accessory near to her neck. Ib chocked on words. She knew who it had to be... The one person that still gives her nightmares, ever since the gallery... Mary.
"M-Mary?! H-How did you get here? And... A-And..." her face scrunched up in confusion and terror. The blond started giggling and dusting herself off.
She began to speak, "...Yeah, I got out some how! Now we can really be together forever!" Mary shrilled. Ib began to shake in fear, not wanting to be with the girl a second longer, let alone forever.
Ib began running for her life, hoping Mary wont follow, but that was something that was quite impossible. She could hear Mary taunting her about being together forever, and chasing after her until Ib stopped running. This has to be a dream, Ib told herself. This was so virtually impossible, that the young girl decided to stop and confront what had to be a hallucination of the blond.
"L-Listen, Mary...," Ib started, "... I don't really w-want to be with you... forever... M-Maybe even... at all." The eleven year old started at feel bad about the look on her rivals face. she slowly walked towards the frowning blond. Ib placed a hand on her shoulder. "...I'm sorry." She herself began to frown.
Mary looked up at her "friend", eyes filled with sorrow. "P-Please tell me... thats a joke, right, Ib? Hahaha... just like... old times? Hahaha... Thats so f-funny... haha... hahaHAHA~" Ib stared at the now nearly-insane girl in front of her. Backing away, she took off further into the sand while Mary laughed with a sense of nervousness, eyes closed.
Garry rushed as fast as he could, actually scared of something; Guetena. After around 5 minutes, he slowed his pace. The sand was giving him quite the beating, leaving blood trails on his face. The man squinted, looking for shelter, but to no luck. Venturing further, he found something of use at last. Garry ran up to the poorly stabled home stead.
"...At least its something." He mumbled to himself. Entering the doorway, Garry found some supplies such as medicines, canned food, and half-empty water bottles. He packed them up, then began to get cozy in a corner.
Garry took his this time of peace to eat and drink some of what he had found. Many creaks startled him as the sun went from high to low, and had spilt much of his water supply. Yet soon enough, he found himself drifting into a deep sleep, with a promise of dreams.
I leaned on a railing, on what seemed to be the second floor to a building. I gazed at what was below me, feeling important knowing I was accepted here. I left to get a treat that was just down the hall. Then a chill hit me like a train. I had stumbled back, not realizing what was about to occur.
The paintings. They were not on the wall, but in front of me. A lady in a green dress, with a doll under her arm, started clawing her way towards me. Then a smalled blond joined in at a slow pace, holding a palette knife. As I backed away, I felt a falling sensation.
The railing had broke. I was going to hit the ground sooner, or later, but I didn't. I waited for something to happen, but nothing did. As I flew, a small girl was falling at a faster pace, no emotion showing in her crimson eyes. She waved at me. I waved back with a face of curiosity. She fell past me soon, and I couldn't see her anymore.
I wasn't even saying anything, let along screaming, to help calm myself down. I wanted to help her, but I didn't know how. I kept myself in thought, trying not to-
"...GEAHHH, HU-. Ah..." Garry woke with a jolt. Grabbing at his heart, he felt empty. Very empty. Usually after a dream like that, he would feel nothing. Maybe the feeling of his heart becoming cooler, but nothing was normal. Emptiness was new. Garry had no clue of how to confront it. He just got up, taking a sip of water, and a bite of canned fruit.
Leaving the stead, he noticed the sand was not a blister in the wind. Remembering his wounds, he felt them, and poured some water on what had begun to turn into scars. Garry sighed, and decided to stay another night, just for the comfort. Before going back to his corner, he noticed a slight gleam of something further back.
The lavender-haired man went over to find a guitar. Eyes wide, he picked it up, really to let go of some things through music. He sat down in his corner, and began to play. As soon as he played the first chord, the ice in his heart began to melt.
Now that you've found me,
My whole world is brighter
Now that you've touched me
My steps are much lighter
All of this world could decide
To fall inward
And you would still linger
Something has brought us together
Unspoken
Feigning reality, friendship, and wisdom
I will defend you
I'll keep you beside me
That's how I'll repay all the kindness you've shown
Now that you've found me
I've stumbled through fire
Now that you've touched me
I've bloomed like a flower
Now that you're with me
I no longer cower in silence, hiding
I'm fighting for you
I'm fighting for you
Garry had remembered when he made the song, but never got to sing it to... Ib. He burst into tears, allowing his face to become wet, not bothering to wipe them away.
Night began to fall, and so he ended up crying himself to sleep. With a dreamless night, he slept with some sense of peace.
Mary cooled her laughing, but only to find Ib had ran. She began to cry, worried for herself, and the brunette. Mary only wanted real friends, most of all, to be friend with Ib. Mary wouldn't mind if Garry was her friend, its just that he was in the way. His bond with Ib was strong. It was something Mary found difficult to penetrate.
She left to go after Ib, and after about 8 minutes of searching, the sand-filled wind left. The sky was clear, and a fantastic crystal blue, with dots of white clouds. Mary spun in a circle, her green dress following the motion. Sighing, she started her journey to find Ib again.
After running for who nows how long, Ib found the sandy wind come to a calm. Everything was clear, and easy to see. She walked over to what appeared to be a pond and took a few sips, and relaxing. Mary would defiantly find it hard to find her now...
Taking a deep breath in, she laid down on the sand, taking in the view. Ib knew she had to find Garry, and found she got to caught up with Mary. The look on her face showed determination, lost in thought. Ib was lost with out the man, and he was too. But why had he left her? It was something only Garry knew, yet Ib wanted to know, for it hurt her to much. He was... her father in a time like this. Garry always has been the one to take care of the girl, almost more that her family had.
Ib's family was part of the wealthy, one of the richest in the country, to be exact. They took the time to nurture Ib, to care for her, always with love. It was joyful when she got to do fun activities that others couldn't. But one day, her fathers business when bankrupt in a matter of days. The spoiled things they could do, were no longer available, with the addition of her dad being so busy with a new job.
So basically, their last place of wealthy recreation was the art gallery. Before that, they were growing further apart. Going to the gallery was the best thing that had happened to Ib for the past few weeks. Then, after what happened in the fake gallery, Garry was like a second father. And once they got out, with the condition the world was in, the bond only strengthened.
Garry was all Ib had left... and that feeling was mutual, for Ib was all Garry had left. This separation was only one of the traumas they both have faced with or without each other. Yet it was probably one of the worst.
As Ib thought about the past, present, and future, she began to fall asleep under the warmth of the sun, a sleep without dreams.
Mary walked and walked, weakened by nature. She was not use to the need of fluids and food, let alone the need for basic air form time to time. After some more time spent wandering, Mary came across water. Water... The looks of it made her thirsty, unbearably thirsty, for the first time.
Rushing towards the pond, she dove in, splashing the sand around it. Gulp after gulp, the thirst went away. Mary swam back and forth in the shallow water, enjoying her time. This was a WAY better welcoming into the real world.
Getting out of the pond, Mary dried off in the sun, rather quickly. Walking around the sand surrounding it, she saw a sleeping figure not to far away. Mary walked up to it, seeing it was Ib.
"I-Ib! Wake up, I found you~!" she yelled into Ib's ear. Ib woke up with a start, then stared at the blond. Oh no... she though. Ib dusted herself off, getting up and greeting the girl with a pinch of poison on the last syllable.
"I... I thought... you would give up..." Ib whispered. Looking down, Mary smiled, and tipped the other girl's head up.
Mary stated, "I just want to be friends, I didn't really mean to... cause you harm, or... to scare you. You are very nice, and enjoyable to be around. i just... you are the first person I can trust." Mary's eyes began to fill with tears.
"...I'm sorry too. I should have given you," Ib added, "a chance." Both of them were crying now, hugging each other and getting comfort from each others presence.
They both collected wood to build a small sheather to sleep in for the night. As the sun came further down into the sky, they went to sleep, knowing someone that cared was beside them.
Waking up in the home stead once again, Garry took more supplies, and kept the guitar. He then left before the sun came up. He looked over the sandy area, and decided to head north, for the first time during his trip... with or without Ib.
He was still grateful that the sand filled wind had stopped, and he prayed it wouldn't start again. Step after step, the wind began to pick up, but the sand stayed down. It also began to grow slightly cooler after 10 minutes. Garry would have loved to have his coat still in one piece, but it wore out over the years.
The chill began to bother him, but he never gave in. He pulled out his newly-found guitar, and played the song he sang before, without the words. Garry began to cry, wishing Ib had not... moved on. It hurt him to much, and that turned him into the cold-hearted survivor he was. Buy after playing that song, his heart thawed. Pain was ok to take in, right? We are only human...
After an hour or so, the man stopped. He stared at it in awe, not knowing what to do next...
Ib and Mary woke up next to each other, and each got up, hugging the other.
"Morning..." Ib welcomed. It was a lovely morning, sun just on the horizon, the sky still clear of sand. Mary sighed, and took some bottles and bags from Ib's travel bag. She walked over to the pond, and filled them up, taking some sips of it as she went.
"Morning, and ... where do you think we should head?" Mary looked over at Ib, putting the bags and bottles back where she found them. Ib pointed to the north, hoping something new and nice would come from going the way Garry wouldn't let her go.
Mary shrugged, and went along with the idea. They took the shelter, which was quick light, but took much of their energy. They dropped it about 4 minutes into their trip. Mary tried to keep a conversation, and started with,"Hey, I like the new look." Ib just kept quiet.
Ib took out two bottles of water, and handed one to Mary, then took a sip of her's. Mary took it with a Thank You, and kept walking north with her new friend. It got chillier and chillier as the minutes passed. They then went to hugging each other every other minute, to keep each other warm. Soon, both were freezing. Looking backwards, the saw the sun setting.
They were finally near to a less sand filled area and there was more grass then sand. The girls took what they could find and build a mini shelter, and settled into it. It was smaller than their first one, but warmer, non the less.
"Night..." Ib said to the blond. Mary responded back with the same thing, and both soon fell asleep in minutes flat.
Garry got down onto his knees, trying to hide from the beast. They really did make to much noise. What stood in from of him was a bus-sized zombie-like creature. Not many were usually seen, but in ruins of society, they were more common. Thats why Garry was so uptight about the noise in the house... and nothing go came out of going there.
In a flash, a cruel thought came into his head. What... what if the monster got to her corps?! Oh my god... He thought. Defending his ground, he ran towards the edge of the town, the beast not seeing him yet.
He went to the the house farthest to the left, and found where they entered the village. Garry stopped in shock, seeing the house cracked and crippled, from what had to be from the weight of the monster. He dropped to his knees, but this time in agony. The pain is intense enough from the song, and now this on top. Garry stayed there for a good 5 minutes, focused on crying out the pain. He fell asleep, again without dreams...
The lavender-haired man got up, yawing. He went to try to get into the house, with out it falling on top of him. Garry tried the front door, but it was still jammed. walking around the house, he found the back door swinging in the light breeze. Entering the house, he went to look down the hole in the staircase.
Shocked for the millionth time that hour, her body was gone. He thought of the only possible answer, in his case. The monster... ate her... didn't he? You could almost see the steam coming from his head, the anger taking over him. His... rose... eaten by some beast that was crazy. Garry stormed out side, walking at a in-humanly fast pace.
He got back to the beast, and screamed at it. "YOU.. YOU VILE CREATURE. W-WHY WOULD... YOU EAT... EAT A GIRL! A LITTLE GIRL! I DON'T... DON'T CARE IF SHE WAS DEAD! SHE... WAS... NO, IS!- THE MOST PRECIOUS THING THAT I HAVE ... HAD LEFT!" He took in a big breath to continue.
"W-WHY DOES THIS MATTER, YOU MAY ASK? YOU SHOULDN'T GET INTO CANNIBALISM, EVEN IF YOU ARE A MONSTROSITY!" The monster turned its head towards the man, roaring at him. Garry only kept walking forwards. He took out a dulled kitchen knife, eager to stab the thing to death. Garry didn't care if it was the size of a bus, or if he died in the battle. He was determined to rid the human world of the beast.
They woke up next to each other again, give each other the usual morning greetings. Sipping water, picking up the shelter, they left to go further north. After walking for an hour, they found themselves at the village they came from. Ib stared in shock and tears filed themselves on her eye lids, but didn't let them run. Mary noticed this, and put a hand on her shoulder.
"W-Whats wrong, Ib? I... don't like to see you cry..." Mary tried looking Ib in the eyes, but Ib looked away. They both sighed, and continued into the village. Climbing pile after pile of garbage, they heard a roar come from center-left of the town. Trying to keep their cool, they stopped, and ended up hugging each other. They sat down on the pile, and waited for more.
They heard screaming from the same location, and held on tighter to each other. The screams did not stop for a good 3 minutes, and it stayed in a constant pitch of sadness and anger. Both of the girls screamed a 'hello?', hoping that the person would respond. It was risky, but what if they were in danger?
Garry's expression less then 10 minutes ago was of shock. Now, his eyes were wide, a smile like the grinch had possessed him. Head titled low and off to the side, he only breathed though his nose, with a sound of anger in the huffs. With the wildness within, he didn't notice the faint 'Hello...?' coming from the distance.
He approached the monster at a faster past then before, he was 30 meters away from it. Each step felt heavier than the last, and the monster growled at him. The grin widened, ears open for new sounds of danger.
Seeing the monsters feet with in 10 meters away, he knelt down a bit, took in a breath, raised the knife, and yelled at the top of his lungs, tears flowing like never before. The knife hit the monster square in it's chest, it gasped, then roared in Garry's face. Garry continued by latching onto it, and repetitively stabbing it in the gut. It growled, and grabbed Garry with his hand, and flung him off.
Falling with an "Umph-", he quickly got right back up again, lunging at it. Garry got it in the right leg, and slid down from its thigh. It howled in pain, as it's leg was being ripped open. Garry ran over to the other leg, climbing it, and grabbed the left arm. Hanging off it's arm, he stabbed it in the gut again and again.
The monster started to give up, for he was loosing to much blood. It covered the ground below, and not to mention Garry's knife. It toppled over, with Garry landing on the ground to the left, breathing deeply from exhaustion. Tears mixed with the blood of the beast, and almost made a bloody river.
Garry went to try to flip it over to see his work. He was not successful. Looking straight up at the sky, his eyes were wide, filled with a wild lust for killing. Nothing hurt him more than that day.
"Y-You.. think who ever it is is... ok?" Ib questioned Mary. As soon as Ib opened her mouth, a shrill scream came from the distance. Both of the girl's eye's were wide with worry and disbelief.
Ib started at Mary, while they both opened their mouths, whispering, "...Garry..." It hit Ib harder then Mary, and Ib went into a sobbing fit, and got up, running towards the screams. Mary called after her, and tried to catch up, but it was no use. Yet she still ran after her friend.
"...HE GOT AWAY, YOU BASTARDS!" called out to his security. They bowed their heads in shame, then walked away in a line. Guetena sweared under his breath, and left to his bedroom.
Shutting the door behind him, he took a seat on his bed, and stared into space. The day dreamed about Mary being real again, and hoping her will of coming to life after Ib and Garry's visit was strong enough to get her out. No mater how long it took, he knew she would try her best to see them again... and maybe even to see him.
Guetena laid down, and went to sleep, dreaming of the day Mary would hug him...
The next day, he got up, and technology took care of the rest. was clean, and changed into new clothes. He went down to the dining hall, and ordered some pasta, with extra tomato sauce. Along with the pasta, he ordered some mashed potatoes. Everyone around him looked at him, wondering whats with his selection of breakfast was about.
Giving them all glares, he turned around and took a seat, eating his dish. When he noticed there was one last bite of pasta, he screamed, "PASTAAAAAA~! Veeee..." and then left the room.
He went to his office, and sat down in his chair, leaning back, and sighing. Mary was just a dream... of him having a kid, but there was no woman that pleased the player.
Day after day passed, Guetena still wished for Mary to show up, and dreamed about the way Garry would bring her here, knowing she belonged to him. Laying in his bed, he soon got up, and went to go outside for the time being.
He sighed, but took in a gulp of fresh air. The storm was dead, for what seemed like days now, and in the distance, there was the faintest of screams. Flinching, he assumed it was Garry. shrugged it off, and went back inside.
Ib could feel her tears slid down her face, then flying off onto the ground, leaving a faint trail. Her speed was fast, and Mary just barely could catch up. After 3 minutes of running to who had to be Garry, she saw a bloody beast laying dead beside Garry, was staring up into the sky, shaking with rage.
"..G-Garry?" Ib whimpered. His head shot directly to the sound. He stared at her in the eyes, both still recovering from tears. Garry gasped, but then hit himself in the head. Ib's clothes were torn, and not to mention, they were... different. They hugged her frame, and he felt to she was to exposed. That could't be her. Ib was too... womanly and... beautiful. She always was, but this was different. Very.
He continued hitting himeself in the head, thinking it was a hallucination. Then Mary came into view. Garry's eyes widened, and hit himself to hard. He fell, unconscious, to the rubbly ground.
Ib gasped and ran over to him, crying more. Picking his head and shoulders up off the ground, she smiled seeing him, but narrowed her eyes with sorrow. Mary put a hand on her shoulder, and turned Ib to face her.
"At least... he is here now, right?" where he hit himself to hard, there were small beads of blood trickling down the side of his head. Mary also began to show tears, hoping he was ok... for what seemed to be the first time.
Ib picked up his feet, and motioned for Mary to pick up him up from the arms.
They had ventured to the house it all began at. They went up stairs carefully, and put Garry on a bed. Both sighed, and sat in silence. Ib got up, and came back with a wet cloth, and put it over Garry's wound.
They noticed the sun was gone, the moon showing. Mary went to another room, and Ib stayed with Garry. Ib whispered, "...Why... did you leave me?" then she kissed his forehead, and went to lay down next to him. Ib pulled his arm over her, and fell asleep in seconds.
The next day, they were both on the move, with Garry their luggage. Sooner or later, they ran into something. But nothing was there. An alarm blared, and lights shone. A claw came and grabbed Garry first, then Ib, then Mary, all of them screaming for help.
An intercom beeped, "...MARY!? OH MY GOTT IT IS YOU!" Someone came rushing out from a hallway that was off to the right. He ran up to Mary, and hugged her tightly. Mary hugged back, realizing who it was. They both began to cry of joy, and Ib was questioning what all this was.
The claw then grabbed Garry, and Ib lunged at it, getting a hold on it, and joining Garry on the ride. They were carried to a high-tech hospital area, and Garry was put in a bed. Ib stood beside him, and brushed some of his hair out of his face. She stared at him, care and love in her eyes. The girl bent down to meet his face, when a doctor with a robot came in. She took a few steps away, and let the doctor do her work on her friend. In almost minutes, Garry's wound was healed, and he was about to come back.
Mary walked in, and hugged Ib, greeting her. They waited in silence for Garry to wake, and his eyes fluttered open. Ib smiled, and jumped, then leaned over to kiss his forehead again. He eyed her, eyes wide like the first time they reunited. Garry looked her in the eye, believing it WAS her. He hugged her, Ib hugging back, and both didn't let go.
Joy was in the atmosphere, and nothing could pierce it.
A month passed over the time they spent at Guetena's, and grew fond of their bonds. Garry decided to leave with Ib, to find the village again, and settle there. After trek that took a few hours, they found it again. They brushed off the snow that covered them, and went inside.
"Well, Ib... welcome back..." He took her hand in his, and they went to another house down the way. Ib smiled at him, and settled down on a beaten chair across from Garry.
"... Um, Garry?" Ib started
"Yes, Ib? What is it?" he grew worried she was injured or that she was low on water.
"W-Why did you leave me..." She began to cry, but still maintained eye contact with the man. Garry looked hurt, but showed kindness in his eyes.
"...I thought you... died..."He began to cry, himself, but didn't let the tears over-flow. Ib's face was full of surprises, but also a sign of understanding. He walked over to the eleven year old, and took her into a hug. They cried with each other, taking it the caring vide from each other.
".. I have to go do something Ib, so wait here. I love you." Garry left her wondering where he was going, and why. Ib sat in silence, waiting for him to return. She sighed, and went to her bag, getting some food and water to eat and drink.
As an hour passed on her new watch from Guetena, Ib grew worried. But just as she was going to head out, Garry came bursting into the door, with something behind his back. He creeped around Ib, snow dropping off him left and right. He kept his back always facing the walls, away from Ib's line of sight.
"... Whats up with you?" Ib questioned Garry. He shrugged, and smiled at her, and ran for the room just above Ib. She followed, and made sure to be quite, and to not be seen. Garry had placed down something... small.
Ib peeked out, and said. "Garry? ... What is that?" He turned around quickly, smiling, then fumbled with it once more, and moved to the side for Ib to see.
She stood in awe. It was a ... Christmas tree... of sorts. It was small and weak, with next to no pine needles on it. But there was a single, cracked ornament hanging on one of it's 7 branches. Ib began try cry, that she was so pleased and happy.
Garry come over to hug her, and she hugged back. He then whispered into her ear,
"Merry Christmas, Ib. ... I love you"
THE END
(I don't own the game or song)