Chapter 11 - The Solution

Lapis jumped in surprise at the new creatures outside the house.

'Are they the three horsemen of the apocalypse?' Lapis tried to joke, she was going to die either way. So she can at least be entertaining till the end.

Jokes aside, Lapis almost dropped the box she was holding in surprise but managed to catch it in time. She gasped as the door started to open…

This was it…

This was how they die.

She watched them momentarily, listening to the creaking that they caused outside and they scratching of the door. It was as if they had large clawed hands like that monster and couldn't properly grasp onto the handle.

The girl sighed and defeatedly put the box down as she walked up to Pearl. If she was going to die, then she didn't want to die alone.

Lapis's cheeks suddenly felt wet, bringing a hand up and wiping whatever it was away. She found tears. She was sobbing so quietly that she herself did not realise that she was crying.

She put her head onto Pearl's stomach, over the tattered jacket that she tried to use as a blanket and she felt the taller girl brush her hand over her cheek again. Lulling her to sleep, Lapis slowly closed her eyes and listened to the footsteps walk into the room.

'I'm prepared to go now.'

Lapis imagined hearing the bells of heaven. Was there a heaven? She didn't know, but the thought that she could meet Pearl again or try again was comforting.

But all she heard was three distinct gasps and a voice.

"O-Oh my god!"

It was Peridot's voice.

Lapis bolted up in surprise, she must have scared the others half to death as they jumped back and protectively pulled their hands out.

They were speechless.

The short girl looked back to Pearl, she was unconscious again and there was times that she would stop breathing. It must have been a terrible sight to them, because Lapis knew that they could never comprehend how she was feeling right now.

"Peridot?" Lapis painfully stood up and stumbled over.

Indeed it was the short girl, her room-mate and friend. Peridot.

She now sported a new gas mask and her hoodie sleeves looked damp and slightly ripped. Lapis half expected to get the running hug she was known to give when she was happy or excited, but instead slowly backed away and hid behind what could only be Garnet.

"What's wrong?" She tilted her head softly and Peridot when as white as a sheet.

"D-don't do that!" Peridot whimpered, "J-just sit down! I-it'll be okay!"

"Huh?" Lapis looked down at herself, sure she looked a mess; covered in mud and sticky with blood. But she felt fine other than her wound in her side. If anything they should have been concerned about Pearl.

But the expressions the others gave her was a different story…

Garnet stepped forward and gave Lapis a mask, she even tried to slip a mask over her face but Lapis put it over Pearl's instead,

"Lapis…" Garnet gasped, "you need this, if you don't wear it-"

"I don't care what you see…" Lapis interrupted her, "I need to be strong now, this gas makes me stronger-"

"No it doesn't!" Amethyst gasped, "It's just-! Hiding! Hiding everything that can kill you!"

She tried to push Lapis down onto the couch, but she was far too delicate and too scared to actually touch her. Lapis swallowed the fear that was building in her throat.

"Sorry, but there's something I need to do."

She grabbed the wooden box and walked towards the exit,

"Wait, Lapis don't!" Amethyst tried to stop her but Lapis easily pushed her to the side. They paled again, so she must have done something to herself that was going to bite back in the future.

'That is, if there is a future.'

Before she exited into the fog and ran from the monster, she stopped and turned to look at the others, they were all crying, glancing between Pearl and her.

"Look after Pearl for me… Please?" Lapis smiled finally and walked out.

"Lapis!" She heard Peridot run out and followed her, "Don't, that thing-! I- I can't see it but I know it's here! I know that you can see it!"

"It's not real Peri," Lapis coughed slightly, "just a hallucination."

"I will kill you if it catches you!"

"I know…" Lapis walked ahead slightly,

"So why? Just ask us to do this for you! We can go out into the fog and throw the box for you!" Peridot sounded desperate, Lapis felt her grab onto her shirt.

"I don't want you to do it."

"What? Why?!"

"Because I want to do it, myself." Lapis watched the creature that came out of the fog, it stared at her with it's beady eyes.

"That's stupid, you're going to get yourself killed!" Peridot gasped, her grip tightening, "I don't want to lose a friend like you…"

"Heh, wow… Thanks," Lapis smiled. It gave her some confidence knowing that Peridot thinks of her so highly, she wondered sometimes why on earth Peridot ever put up with her. "Sorry, but I'm not going to change my mind. I'm going to do this for Pearl and nothing will change that." Lapis coughed again,

"You're doing this… For Pearl?" There was some skepticism in her voice, Lapis could imagine her confused face.

She chuckled happily, "I finally spoke with her… She knows and… and…" Lapis sniffed, trying to keep her lip from quivering, the monster was laughing at her up ahead, she had to be strong. "I've asked her out on a date Peri… So I need to come back, I will come back-"

"But-" Peridot sobbed,

"Can you tell her that when she wakes up?-"

'She won't wake up-'

"-That I'm going to meet her again-"

'I won't make it…'

"And that we're going to go to the beach?"

'We're going to die-'

"I will." Peridot sobbed and she finally let go,

"Thanks Peri. You're the best."

Lapis stumbled to the water.

The creature charged at her several times, but grinding her teeth, Lapis kept walking forwards. It hurt as the monster scratched her, it wasn't like anything she ever felt before. Each slash phased through her, but in return her throat tightened and breathing grew heavy.

It was suffocating her with each swing of its claws.

But then as she stepped onto the water-worn wood of the dock, she was surprised to see the monster slow down and start to circle around her like a vulture. Slowly cornering her further and further down the dock, not daring to lift a claw against her.

'It knew.' Lapis grinned and she fell off the dock and into the water, spilling the contents of the vials and breaking the box.

She watched from under the surface as the monster disappear when the fog cleared, it was always just her imagination. Then she watched her blood pool around her as she witnessed the cuts form on her body… Wounds she hadn't seen before…

Slowly, her vision faded and she couldn't breath anymore.