Chapter 12
Meryl opened her eyes slowly to see that she was in some kind of a dungeon. She suddenly felt immense pain in her left side of her stomach to see that she was shot there, with blood oozing down her white nightgown. With her arms and legs tied up, there was much less nothing Meryl could do. Trying to free her hands, she stopped dead when a cold, metal object touched her head. Turning her head, she gasped when she saw who the person holding the gun was.
It was Jake.
Fear taking over her gray eyes, Meryl shook her head slowly as she stared at Jake.
"This...isn't right...Jake..."
Jake laughed maniacally as he put his gun down. Walking in front of her, Jake twirled his locket around, smiling at her.
"Didn't think I'd be this evil, right Meryl? Well...I had to do this. You gave me no choice.
"You wouldn't die, Meryl. You just wouldn't die. Of course, you wouldn't want to die. You have the friendship and love of the Humanoid Typhoon. But you need to die, Meryl. I tried getting you beaten up, I tried poisoning you, but you JUST wouldn't die."
Meryl trembled in fear as she continued to listen to what Jake had to say.
"But Meryl, don't take this personally. I don't hold any grudge against you, my dear. It's Vash the Stampede whom I despise. To tell you the truth, Meryl, I love you. But you see...Vash took someone I loved more than life itself...this time, I plan to take someone he loves more than life itself. And that is you, Meryl."
Meryl shook her head defiantly as she blushed. "He doesn't love me!"
Jake just chuckled as he put his gun away. Meryl could be so dense sometimes. Perhaps more dense than Milly.
Meryl sighed as she stopped struggling. She somehow knew that she was going to die today. She smiled to herself as she thought of Milly, Vash, and Mr. Wolfwood.
'I'm going to miss those guys...especially Vash.'
Looking at Jake, she smiled weakly. Jake raised a brow as he sat down on an orange crate nearby.
"What are you smiling for, Meryl? You're going to die."
Meryl nodded as she looked down to face the concrete floor. "I know."
Jake just shrugged as he placed bullets into his gun. It was his very own gun, a black gun. It was order-made with a special feature: Elaine's name was carved into it.
"Tell me your story, Jake...I have the right to know why you're going to kill me before I die."
Jake chuckled once more as he leaned onto the concrete walls. So his first love was asking about his story.
"You've always been a curious one, Meryl. Ever since highschool, you've been a curious girl. Maybe that's what I like about you.
"You know that Vash the Stampede trashed the city of Augusta, right? They say that no one died...but two people did. My Elaine, and my future kid, who never got a chance.
I wasn't at Augusta when they died. I was in September. When I heard the news, I still had hope in my heart, because they said that no one died. I rushed back to Augusta to see Elaine on the brink of death. And the people couldn't help her because Vash also trashed the hospital.
I tried getting her to another town, but before we got there, she died. My future child died as well. Vash the Stampede killed her. He didn't notice that she was still inside the house, trapped beneath the walls because of his stupid actions.
He deserved death, but I decided he needed more pain. So you're going to have to pay for his actions, Meryl."
Meryl nodded, and looked up at Jake with pleading eyes. "Please, Jake...you can, and I know that you're going to kill me. But please don't hurt Milly, Mr. Wolfwood, or Vash. That's the price you're going to pay if you're going to kill me."
Growling at her with demonic eyes, Jake lifted his gun and shot Meryl in her right shoulder, making blood flow like a rive and Meryl to wince in pain.
Snarling, he put down his gun to see Meryl wincing. "Vash deserves MORE pain that the death of you, Meryl! He deserves to die a hundred times for killing Elaine!"
Meryl shook her head as she watched the red liquid flow down from her shoulder. Vash was always strong in these situations. He would be calm, quiet, and would even apologize for hurting them. It was something Meryl couldn't do. Or could she?
"Jake...I'm sorry about Elaine and your child. And I'm sorry about Vash. But do you know what he hates the most in this wretched world?
...He hates people dying. He hates people getting hurt. And he never, ever, hurts people on purpose. It pains him to see people suffering.
I don't know what you're thinking. I don't know what you feel right now. But I do know three things: I know that you're going to kill me, and I also know that Vash would never become a ruthless, idiotic, lower-than-scum person like you. Vash will get over his sadness, and wouldn't cling onto it even though sadness clings onto him.
And I also know another thing: Elaine wouldn't be happy if you tried to kill and hurt people. From what I can guess, I think that Elaine was a wonderful person...who truly loved you and whom you loved. Elaine won't be happy to see you hurting Vash...I think you see yourself in Vash. And you're trying to break his happiness because the happiness left you. But it won't ease the pain, Jake...it'll just worsen it."
Meryl's voice was painful and strong, yet kind and soft. It reminded Jake of Elaine's voice when she told him she loved him in her last minute of life.
'Elaine...am I doing something wrong? Wouldn't killing Meryl ease my pain?'
Meryl breathed painfully as she tried to ignore the pain in her stomach and shoulder. Looking at her ruined white nightgown, she sighed. Where was Vash? Wasn't he going to save her?
'Help me, Vash... I need your help...please...'
Meryl opened her eyes slowly to see that she was in some kind of a dungeon. She suddenly felt immense pain in her left side of her stomach to see that she was shot there, with blood oozing down her white nightgown. With her arms and legs tied up, there was much less nothing Meryl could do. Trying to free her hands, she stopped dead when a cold, metal object touched her head. Turning her head, she gasped when she saw who the person holding the gun was.
It was Jake.
Fear taking over her gray eyes, Meryl shook her head slowly as she stared at Jake.
"This...isn't right...Jake..."
Jake laughed maniacally as he put his gun down. Walking in front of her, Jake twirled his locket around, smiling at her.
"Didn't think I'd be this evil, right Meryl? Well...I had to do this. You gave me no choice.
"You wouldn't die, Meryl. You just wouldn't die. Of course, you wouldn't want to die. You have the friendship and love of the Humanoid Typhoon. But you need to die, Meryl. I tried getting you beaten up, I tried poisoning you, but you JUST wouldn't die."
Meryl trembled in fear as she continued to listen to what Jake had to say.
"But Meryl, don't take this personally. I don't hold any grudge against you, my dear. It's Vash the Stampede whom I despise. To tell you the truth, Meryl, I love you. But you see...Vash took someone I loved more than life itself...this time, I plan to take someone he loves more than life itself. And that is you, Meryl."
Meryl shook her head defiantly as she blushed. "He doesn't love me!"
Jake just chuckled as he put his gun away. Meryl could be so dense sometimes. Perhaps more dense than Milly.
Meryl sighed as she stopped struggling. She somehow knew that she was going to die today. She smiled to herself as she thought of Milly, Vash, and Mr. Wolfwood.
'I'm going to miss those guys...especially Vash.'
Looking at Jake, she smiled weakly. Jake raised a brow as he sat down on an orange crate nearby.
"What are you smiling for, Meryl? You're going to die."
Meryl nodded as she looked down to face the concrete floor. "I know."
Jake just shrugged as he placed bullets into his gun. It was his very own gun, a black gun. It was order-made with a special feature: Elaine's name was carved into it.
"Tell me your story, Jake...I have the right to know why you're going to kill me before I die."
Jake chuckled once more as he leaned onto the concrete walls. So his first love was asking about his story.
"You've always been a curious one, Meryl. Ever since highschool, you've been a curious girl. Maybe that's what I like about you.
"You know that Vash the Stampede trashed the city of Augusta, right? They say that no one died...but two people did. My Elaine, and my future kid, who never got a chance.
I wasn't at Augusta when they died. I was in September. When I heard the news, I still had hope in my heart, because they said that no one died. I rushed back to Augusta to see Elaine on the brink of death. And the people couldn't help her because Vash also trashed the hospital.
I tried getting her to another town, but before we got there, she died. My future child died as well. Vash the Stampede killed her. He didn't notice that she was still inside the house, trapped beneath the walls because of his stupid actions.
He deserved death, but I decided he needed more pain. So you're going to have to pay for his actions, Meryl."
Meryl nodded, and looked up at Jake with pleading eyes. "Please, Jake...you can, and I know that you're going to kill me. But please don't hurt Milly, Mr. Wolfwood, or Vash. That's the price you're going to pay if you're going to kill me."
Growling at her with demonic eyes, Jake lifted his gun and shot Meryl in her right shoulder, making blood flow like a rive and Meryl to wince in pain.
Snarling, he put down his gun to see Meryl wincing. "Vash deserves MORE pain that the death of you, Meryl! He deserves to die a hundred times for killing Elaine!"
Meryl shook her head as she watched the red liquid flow down from her shoulder. Vash was always strong in these situations. He would be calm, quiet, and would even apologize for hurting them. It was something Meryl couldn't do. Or could she?
"Jake...I'm sorry about Elaine and your child. And I'm sorry about Vash. But do you know what he hates the most in this wretched world?
...He hates people dying. He hates people getting hurt. And he never, ever, hurts people on purpose. It pains him to see people suffering.
I don't know what you're thinking. I don't know what you feel right now. But I do know three things: I know that you're going to kill me, and I also know that Vash would never become a ruthless, idiotic, lower-than-scum person like you. Vash will get over his sadness, and wouldn't cling onto it even though sadness clings onto him.
And I also know another thing: Elaine wouldn't be happy if you tried to kill and hurt people. From what I can guess, I think that Elaine was a wonderful person...who truly loved you and whom you loved. Elaine won't be happy to see you hurting Vash...I think you see yourself in Vash. And you're trying to break his happiness because the happiness left you. But it won't ease the pain, Jake...it'll just worsen it."
Meryl's voice was painful and strong, yet kind and soft. It reminded Jake of Elaine's voice when she told him she loved him in her last minute of life.
'Elaine...am I doing something wrong? Wouldn't killing Meryl ease my pain?'
Meryl breathed painfully as she tried to ignore the pain in her stomach and shoulder. Looking at her ruined white nightgown, she sighed. Where was Vash? Wasn't he going to save her?
'Help me, Vash... I need your help...please...'