Chapter 14
"MERYL!"
The high orange flames prevented from Vash saving Meryl. Flaming up in the middle of the room, it acted as a border from where Vash and Meryl were standing.
"I'm fine Vash! Go help Mr. Wolfwood!" Meryl shouted behind the orange curtains of the flames. She wasn't fine, however. The blast from the grenade had made her fall back a few feet, and she had hit her head upon the concrete walls. Luckily, the blow wasn't that bad and she only bled a little from her head.
Knowing that Vash wouldn't leave her, she shouted once again in an irritated voice, like her usual voice when she was angry.
"I SAID THAT I WAS FINE, VASH! GO HELP MR. WOLFWOOD AND GET OUT OF HERE!"
Taking one more look at Vash, Meryl turned around sadly, tears running down her face. It might be the last time she ever saw Vash, and the last things she said were not exactly what she had hoped it would be.
'So I guess I'm still the bitchy woman eh, Vash?'
Walking further into the laboratory, she found Jake lying unconscious in a puddle of blood. She remembered Vash protecting his enemies even though they had tried to hurt him. Ripping the bottom of her nightgown, she wrapped it around Jake's wounded leg and head. Just when she was wrapping his head, Jake's eyelids fluttered and he groaned once, but then fell back into his dream land.
Meryl studied Jake for a minute. He looked exactly like the picture in the high school album, maybe a tad older. His brown hair resembled honey in color, almost like Milly's hair. His eyes were a kind shade of brown, although it wasn't anything like the eyes she saw a few minutes ago.
"I really liked you, Jake...but maybe it was a waste of love, after what you did to me..." Meryl whispered quietly in his ear. Whether Jake heard that or not, only the open space in his heart shall ever know.
Meryl carried Jake on her back, and with a few wobbles and a crash to the wall, she successfully managed to walk without wobbling and crashing into objects. Squinting through the smoke to seek out any doors, Meryl finally found a door that she thought would lead them out from the laboratory.
"Jake...hold on...we're going to be alright..."
Meryl found that it was hard walking with a wounded stomach and shoulder. Her stomach hurt like hell, and her shoulder hurt as well. There was an unpleasant coppery taste filling her mouth, and she didn't like the fact that she was carrying the person who had hurt Wolfwood and her.
Finding the door, Meryl tried opening the door, but the doorknob was very rusty and it wouldn't budge. Frustrated, she tried kicking the door, punching the door, and even shooting the door with her derringer, but door stood firmly before them.
Meryl tried to find other exits, but soon found out that the fire had spread to the other exits, or the grenade had blocked the exits completely. She felt hot tears coming down her cheek. Cursing in frustration, she pounded on the door, as the hot tears continued to fall down from her eyes.
"I don't want to die right now! Dammit, OPEN!"
Her knuckles were all bloody, and her derringers were all out of bullets. Even with all Her efforts, the door only had a few dents and that was all. Meryl sat down and leaned against the door, watching the flames consume the laboratory.
"So...I guess this is the end, Jake. We're going to die together..."
She took a look at Jake, whose eyes were closed peacefully. Meryl smiled slightly as she brushed strands of hair away from his face.
"You know what, Jake? I don't think you meant to do all the crap you did to us...I think that you did that because you were afraid...fear makes people ruthless...I learnt a lot about that these days...
"Do you know what? It takes a long long time forming a friendship and trust, and in three seconds you can blow it. I think we both blew that...if we make it out, I hope we could rebuild that trust and friendship we had a long time ago..."
Meryl slumped back in a fetal position and thought about Vash. It had been just a few minutes since she last saw him, but she was missing him already. He was so close to her, yet so distant from her. She loved him at times, and wanted to hug him when he was sad. But she hated him at times, and wanted to kick him when he annoyed her, which was usually the case.
The first time she saw Vash, she didn't believe that he, the goofy blonde haired womanizer was actually THE Vash the Stampede. Yet as time went by, she gradually came to know that he was actually Vash the Stampede, and that he wore a mask beneath his true nature.
As tears blurred her vision, Meryl remembered what her mother told her many years ago.
'You don't realize how precious something is until you lose it'
Meryl finally understood what that meant. She never realized how precious the time spent with Vash, Milly, and Wolfwood were. Having them around her had been almost usual, even though it was like a blessing.
She was going to miss them alright. Milly with her innocent nature and love of pudding, Mr. Wolfwood with his love of cigarettes and his unpriest-like nature, and Vash with his goofy attitude and love of donuts.
'I wish I'd said something to them before I left...maybe an apology to Milly, something nice to Mr. Wolfwood, and...a BIG apology and nice words to Vash...'
She then felt that it was getting hard for her to breathe. Coughing and spluttering, she pulled Jake near her. Black flames surrounding the area around her, Meryl felt the world around her spinning rapidly, and just when she was about to close her eyes for the last time, the door opened.
"MERYL!"
The high orange flames prevented from Vash saving Meryl. Flaming up in the middle of the room, it acted as a border from where Vash and Meryl were standing.
"I'm fine Vash! Go help Mr. Wolfwood!" Meryl shouted behind the orange curtains of the flames. She wasn't fine, however. The blast from the grenade had made her fall back a few feet, and she had hit her head upon the concrete walls. Luckily, the blow wasn't that bad and she only bled a little from her head.
Knowing that Vash wouldn't leave her, she shouted once again in an irritated voice, like her usual voice when she was angry.
"I SAID THAT I WAS FINE, VASH! GO HELP MR. WOLFWOOD AND GET OUT OF HERE!"
Taking one more look at Vash, Meryl turned around sadly, tears running down her face. It might be the last time she ever saw Vash, and the last things she said were not exactly what she had hoped it would be.
'So I guess I'm still the bitchy woman eh, Vash?'
Walking further into the laboratory, she found Jake lying unconscious in a puddle of blood. She remembered Vash protecting his enemies even though they had tried to hurt him. Ripping the bottom of her nightgown, she wrapped it around Jake's wounded leg and head. Just when she was wrapping his head, Jake's eyelids fluttered and he groaned once, but then fell back into his dream land.
Meryl studied Jake for a minute. He looked exactly like the picture in the high school album, maybe a tad older. His brown hair resembled honey in color, almost like Milly's hair. His eyes were a kind shade of brown, although it wasn't anything like the eyes she saw a few minutes ago.
"I really liked you, Jake...but maybe it was a waste of love, after what you did to me..." Meryl whispered quietly in his ear. Whether Jake heard that or not, only the open space in his heart shall ever know.
Meryl carried Jake on her back, and with a few wobbles and a crash to the wall, she successfully managed to walk without wobbling and crashing into objects. Squinting through the smoke to seek out any doors, Meryl finally found a door that she thought would lead them out from the laboratory.
"Jake...hold on...we're going to be alright..."
Meryl found that it was hard walking with a wounded stomach and shoulder. Her stomach hurt like hell, and her shoulder hurt as well. There was an unpleasant coppery taste filling her mouth, and she didn't like the fact that she was carrying the person who had hurt Wolfwood and her.
Finding the door, Meryl tried opening the door, but the doorknob was very rusty and it wouldn't budge. Frustrated, she tried kicking the door, punching the door, and even shooting the door with her derringer, but door stood firmly before them.
Meryl tried to find other exits, but soon found out that the fire had spread to the other exits, or the grenade had blocked the exits completely. She felt hot tears coming down her cheek. Cursing in frustration, she pounded on the door, as the hot tears continued to fall down from her eyes.
"I don't want to die right now! Dammit, OPEN!"
Her knuckles were all bloody, and her derringers were all out of bullets. Even with all Her efforts, the door only had a few dents and that was all. Meryl sat down and leaned against the door, watching the flames consume the laboratory.
"So...I guess this is the end, Jake. We're going to die together..."
She took a look at Jake, whose eyes were closed peacefully. Meryl smiled slightly as she brushed strands of hair away from his face.
"You know what, Jake? I don't think you meant to do all the crap you did to us...I think that you did that because you were afraid...fear makes people ruthless...I learnt a lot about that these days...
"Do you know what? It takes a long long time forming a friendship and trust, and in three seconds you can blow it. I think we both blew that...if we make it out, I hope we could rebuild that trust and friendship we had a long time ago..."
Meryl slumped back in a fetal position and thought about Vash. It had been just a few minutes since she last saw him, but she was missing him already. He was so close to her, yet so distant from her. She loved him at times, and wanted to hug him when he was sad. But she hated him at times, and wanted to kick him when he annoyed her, which was usually the case.
The first time she saw Vash, she didn't believe that he, the goofy blonde haired womanizer was actually THE Vash the Stampede. Yet as time went by, she gradually came to know that he was actually Vash the Stampede, and that he wore a mask beneath his true nature.
As tears blurred her vision, Meryl remembered what her mother told her many years ago.
'You don't realize how precious something is until you lose it'
Meryl finally understood what that meant. She never realized how precious the time spent with Vash, Milly, and Wolfwood were. Having them around her had been almost usual, even though it was like a blessing.
She was going to miss them alright. Milly with her innocent nature and love of pudding, Mr. Wolfwood with his love of cigarettes and his unpriest-like nature, and Vash with his goofy attitude and love of donuts.
'I wish I'd said something to them before I left...maybe an apology to Milly, something nice to Mr. Wolfwood, and...a BIG apology and nice words to Vash...'
She then felt that it was getting hard for her to breathe. Coughing and spluttering, she pulled Jake near her. Black flames surrounding the area around her, Meryl felt the world around her spinning rapidly, and just when she was about to close her eyes for the last time, the door opened.