Chapter 10 - A Perfect Place
*Bang*
The pistol recoiled in Rage's shaking hands as the bullet entered Hatter's brain, effectively preventing the infection from turning her into a sheep-zombie. Rage dropped his head and let his tears drip onto the ground, as Hollow gently rested a hand on his shoulder. The two stood there for some time, awash with emotion. Finally Hollow looked Rage in the eye,
"We should bury her. Or at least... lay her to rest." He said, firmly.
Rage smiled sadly and replied, "I know the perfect place." He said.
Hollow gently lifted Hatter from the ground, carrying her in his arms. He followed Rage through the woods for about half a mile, until they came to the trunk of a massive tree. Hollow looked up in awe and could help but let out a tiny gasp. It really was massive, dwarfing all the trees around it with it's long elegant branches that seemed to touch the sky.
Rage held out his arms, and Hollow carefully passed Hatter over to him. He looked down at her face, and gently used two fingers to close her eyelids. The bullet wound was surprisingly small and clean, and in the dead centre of her forehead.
Gently, he laid Hatter down, her back resting against the trunk of 'The World Tree'. If it wasn't for the bullet hole, Hatter really did look like she had laid down to rest in the woods. Rage smiled with wistfulness as he reached into her pocket and took out the faded RageGaming band that she had shown them the first day they met. He gently hung it over a low-hanging branch above Hatter's head. He muttered a quiet, "Goodbye." And then regretfully turned and walked from the clearing, his head down and his hands in his pockets.
Hollow lingered for a few more seconds, looking at her peaceful face as she lay there. Even though he knew there was nothing he could have done, he still felt responsible for her loss. He took his Samsung phone out of his pocket and laid it next to Hatter, nestling it in the grass. Although it hadn't gotten a signal since the outbreak started he could still play music from his personal MP3. He selected a tune, and whispered his last words to Hatter. "I'm sorry Hatter. I really am." As he, too, turned and followed Rage out of the clearing, with the SAO ending theme playing softly from his phone behind him.
A/N - Sorry for the short chapter, but i just wanted to tie up all the loose ends. A longer one will be coming later today or early tomorrow, depending on when i write it! Also, i apologize if you don't/haven't watched SAO, but Rage has, so i was referencing it because it is one of his interests. :)