Chapter 7
A few days passed as Meryl forced her way into each house and home, searching through personal belongings even, but no matter what they did they still came up with nothing. The hooded figure had not made itself present during those days, and it was making Vash nervous, though it don't bother Meryl much. The further it was the happier she seemed to get, and even that was not much.
The search was a dead end, one one location being left to search. The plant facility. It was the one place they hadn't yet gone too, and one that Vash was dreading. If there was one place he could imagine Knives being it was with the plant. Convincing the girls they should get something to eat, the three sat down to lunch.
Meryl's resolve didn't waiver and as soon as lunch was over they headed out towards the plant.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Vash inquired as they drew nearer to the building.
"Something that will get us out of here."
"But how will we know it's what we're looking for?" Milly questioned.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling it will be obvious."
With a shrug from Vash, the three of them entered the main room of the facility. It was a big place, and they spent much time going through room after room, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Vash left the girls to their search and decided to head to the plant in hopes of finding some answers. Causiously he weaved through the rooms, pausing just outside of the plant room.
Would Knives be in here? Taking a deep breath he let the door slide open, stepping into the large room. The place was as dead as ever, no crew, absolutely nothing. His eyes drifted up to the plant bulb and his heart began to sink. It was empty too. Even the plant was gone, but then, how had they had power in the city?
What is this!
A dark feeling swept over him, waves of pain coursing through his body. Groaning, Vash fell to his knees hard, his hands against his head, shaking. There were no people. No plant. And yet, they had power? The city was locked away from the rest of the world, and a lone figure was eluding and stalking them.
Rem kept telling him he was forgetting something, but still he couldn't figure out what it was that he was forgetting. His eyes closed, desperate for answers. Something clicked in his mind, darkness consuming him, his mind drifting and floating in his thoughts.
Rem why is this happening? What am I supposed to do?
Vash felt like his body was floating in a sea of memories. He couldn't see, but he felt and heard everything around him. There were people, several of them, and a driver. It was the bus that had been taking them to Mei City. Milly was acting innocent as always, laughing and giggling while he was being childish. Meryl was the only one who seemed the most annoyed at his antics.
The voices began to fade, an unusual noise hitting his ears. He focused on the crackling sound, heat surrounding his body. Fire? People yelled in panic, scrambling across the bus, but for some reason he was trapped. He couldn't move, waves of fear flooding back to him.
What is this?
"Vash!" he heard Meryl call but couldn't respond.
No, don't...
The voices and sounds faded, leaving in in darkness. The floating feeling disappeared, instead being replaced by the feeling of falling. He fell into a soft and comfortable bed, his body filled with pain, unable to move.
I don't understand.
Something wasn't right. He could only remember falling asleep on the bus and then waking to the empty city. The faded memories told him something more had happened, but it was painful to recall.
When I awoke, the bus was empty.
His eyes felt like weights had been pressed down against them, only able to open them into small slits. He was on a bed, surrounded by white walls.
Something happened on the bus, but I don't remember.
Light filtered into his line of vision, blurring what little he could see around him, the feelings of immense pain returning.
Is that what I am forgetting Rem? What happened on the bus, it's important, isn't it?
His vision started to fade, but he could make out the shadow of a person near him. He tried to look around the room, sure that he'd seen this place before.
I've been here recently
"h's till ot wake..."
who's voice is that?
" 'm not ure any ill ake."
He tilted his head slightly, looking at the objects in the room with what little vision he had left. He recognized the room, but from where? Realization crashed down on him, his mind spiralling out of control. He was in one of the hospital rooms they'd visited the day prior. Somehow, it made sense. Nothing in the city had seemed right since they arrived. There was no one, not even the plant was there.
"If we can't get out of here we're all going to die!"
"The one in the cloak, it's death!"
"You're not listening!"
The darkness consumed him, pulling him under but he didn't fight it. I wasn't listening...
"Vash?"
"Vash!"
"Meryl, is he alright?"
"I- I don't know."
Vash groaned, his eyes opening as Meryl and Milly watched him with conern. He sat up, the two girls back up to give him room to breath. He was back in the plant facility, but what he'd seen was still fresh in his mind.
"Are you alright?" Meryl asked.
Vash nodded gently. "I'm ok." His focus turned solely to Meryl. "I'm sorry." She gave him a confused expression. "I didn't understand, but I do now. I'm sorry."
Milly tilted her head slightly, feeling as though she was missing something. "Uh, we didn't find anything Mr. Vash, and it's getting really late."
Meryl gave a nod. "We should get back to the hotel."
The three left the plant facility, Vash being more caustious and alert than before as they made their way down the street. Once inside, Vash locked the door and began locking all the windows starting from downstairs and making his way to the upstairs. Returning to the kitchen they began to eat while Vash explained what had happened, and what he'd seen.
Milly seemed somewhat lost, though Meryl followed everything rather well. It made sense to her, and she finally understood what that room was that she was constantly staring at. This world was fake. In the real world they were all on medical beds, their very lives on the line.
"So then, there has to be a way out, right?" Milly asked.
"There is a way, the problem is we don't know what it is." Meryl stated calmly.
"Right. If this place really is a fake, then there has to be a way back to the living world." The two gave him puzzled expressions so he atempted to explain. "It's like.. we're outside our bodies. Souls wandering around, but no one can see us and we can't see them. Still, there should be a way back to our bodies."
"We've checked everywhere, there is no door back."
Vash contemplated his thoughts. "Maybe it's not a door."
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe we have to find something, or do something in order to get back."
"That sounds great, but maybe we should get some rest first." Milly said as she stood. "If we stay up all night, we'll be too exhausted to search."
Turning quickly Milly made her way up the steps without another word. Both Meryl and Vash watche dher with curious expressions. Milly had not had any problems at all, neither sick or seeing the white room, but the very idea seemed to frighten her. Saying their good nights, the two followed her up to the rooms and retired for the night. Tomorrow the search would begin anew.
