A Shadow in the Fourth Wall

by Herooftime27

A boy wakes up with no memory of his life before, not knowing where he is. He clearly is enrolled in a school and has a best friend. Why is he being plagued by nightmares from these girls he's just met? Why does he feel connections to each of these girls...a stronger connection for one in particular?

13. In The Final

The room was relatively quiet. Sayori and Natsuki were chatting and scribbling away on pieces of paper at a giant desk in the front of the room. Yuri was reading a book, no doubt lost in the world that it was telling. I sat with Monika at the teacher's desk. We had papers and binders in front of us, but truth be told we were too thinking about how today is the last known day of the club.

"Shouldn't we like, at least scribble something down? I mean you are the president, it'd look bad if we didn't do anything." I suggest to Monika.

She shakes her head.

"Don't worry about that. Sayori already decided she wanted to be the one in charge of making the flyer, so just let her go nuts."

I sigh and cradle my head in one of the hands that's propped by my elbow.

"I guess if you say so." I sigh and look at Monika in my peripheral vision. "So um….how long does this day usually last?"

She fiddles with her fingers anxiously.

"Well, it was always sort of hard to tell. Usually, the main character would come in during the morning, and then he'd find out about Sayori and head back. Sometimes the game would stay put together longer than other cycles, so it's hard to gauge."

I nod.

"What usually happens when the game kind of…..resets?" I curiously ask Monika.

She turns her body to face me before answering.

"Well, it usually just looks like the world is de-coding. At a distance, the imagery fades, almost like a nuclear blast but way less violent. Whenever it reaches me or the classroom, everything just goes white.'

I look out the window to the scenery.

"Hm. Do you think it's going to be like that again? I mean, I feel like it'd have to be different if there's supposed to be a way out."

Monika sighs and shakes her head.

"I….I don't know. I don't know what to think. I guess we'll just have to be positive and hope for the best, right?"

I smile and lean over to kiss her forehead.

"Damn right, sweetheart. Damn right."

I start to think about the other Monika. She had to understand how the game worked in some ways in order to know how the world worked.

"Er, Monika?" I ask. She turned her attention to me with her emerald eyes showing attentiveness. "So, like…you know, this other Monika seems to know a lot about this game and the events that happen. Do you have any idea on how she would know that much if like….you're the Monika that's been in the club the whole time?"

Monika remains quiet for a moment.

"Well….there are times where I'm like in the weird space in between cycles for a while. I'm never really sure how much time would have passed but it was long enough for me to notice. Maybe….that was her taking my place for the time being?"

I nod my head and think about it. I guess it does make sense if that was the case. They are kind of the same person with consciousness but only one can be in at a time. Maybe that can also explain my encounter with the other Monika. She was able to create a space for herself while she waited.

I looked around the room. Sayori and Natsuki's laughter gave the atmosphere a happy tone which made the entire day bittersweet. I could feel a sadness start to wash over me.

I felt a nudge on my shoulder and I slightly turned my head to see Monika staring at me.

"What's wrong? You just fell silent and got a depressing look on your face."

I forced a smile and chuckled.

"Really? I guess it just kinda hit me…" I looked around the room again. All these girls, completely unaware of the world they're living in.

I looked back at Monika, seeing her patiently waiting for me to continue.

"I don't know, I've come to care about everyone here. I mean, they're all good girls that make good ass friends. This club….i've come to enjoy it too. Sucks that it's all just…..I don't know."

I sighed, frustrated with my emotions. Why now, of all times? I'm supposed to stay focused and battle-hardened.

I felt Monika's hand gently rub my back.

"Now you're starting to sound like me or Sayori."

I chuckled lightly and looked at Sayori laughing and sprinkling glitter on Natsuki, who was from the looks of it, about to get her revenge.

"Yeah, yeah I guess you're right. I have feelings too, you know."

Monika hugged my arm and nuzzled into me. I laid my head on hers and sighed.

We were brought out of our trance from the hollering of Natsuki from across the room.

"Hey, lovebirds! Get your butts over here and check this out!"

We both got up and went over to the front of the classroom where Natsuki and Sayori were. When I walked up to the table, I had a flyer thrust into my face from Sayori.

"Isn't it cute, Christian? Isn't it cute!?"

She bounces up and down while I try my best to look at the paper. It just had cartoony drawings of each of us with an assload of pink and yellow glitter surrounding the page. It was neatly colored, with the words "Join the Literature Club!" screaming at me from the top of the page.

I look back up to the cinnamon bun and chuckled at her.

"Well, it sure is colorful." I critique to her. She places the parchment back on the table and turns to Natsuki.

"We need to make like a million more!" She practically screams at her.

I go to talk some sense into her to maybe think of something else to do before a weird force blew through the classroom.

It seemed more like a small-scale concussive blast, the force leaving a tingling sensation on my skin and making my hairs stand up on end.

I glance wide-eyed around the room to see everyone else was just as silent and confused as I was. No one moved a muscle. The whole world seemed to have fallen silent. I cautiously turned my head towards Monika, who's emerald eyes were wide with caution and fear.

I slowly scan the room to see everyone's eyes on me. I slowly put my hands up.

"Is everyone okay?" I ask with unease.

Simultaneous head nods were my answer.

"What was that?" Sayori half-heartedly mutter, her voice was trying to be happy but lacked confidence.

I turned my head to Monika, but she remained silent and still.

"I um….I don't know? I think the weather is being a little funky-"

My thought is cut off as the world shakes, causing those of us standing to stumble, holding onto to desks and the wall.

The tremors were wrecking the environment, causing ceiling tiles to fall around and crash to the floor. The girls began screaming in fear and instinctively relocated to where I was standing, near the windows across the room.

"Hey, hey! Everyone stay calm and stick to me! It seems like its an earthquake…"

My voice falters as my gaze locks outside the window. On the horizon, where homes and trees used to be, a blaze of ivory was consuming them, wiping the homes from sight and approaching us.

"Oh god…" We turn our attention to Monika, who was shaking where she stood, staring at the outside world. "…it's happening. It's happening!"

The girls each look confused and scared.

"Wh-what? What is happening?" Natsuki uneasily asks. The sounds of windows breaking from the tremors cause us all to wince.

I push past the girls and grab Monika by her arms.

"Hey, hey! Focus! This is the world crumbling, isn't it?"

She looks at me with fear in her eyes.

"Yes, but there's never been anything this extreme! I don't know what to do!"

I curse to myself and look around frantically. The weird wall eating away the world was slowly growing nearer.

"Wait, isn't there supposed to be some weird fissure or something to pass through? The tear to my world is in some weird realm in between realities or someshit."

Monika goes to answer but the words are caught in her throat. I feel Sayori grasp at my arm.

"Christian, we need to get into the closet or hide under a desk or something!"

On a normal situation like this, absolutely we would. Unfortunately, the world is ending and I didn't exactly have all the time in the world to tell her that. Before I could tell her otherwise, Monika frantically gets my attention.

"Christian, your room! That your first known location of this world, right? That must be where we need to go to enter that….realm place!"

I nod my head in agreeance. That was my first entrance into the world, so it would make sense to look there. Unfortunately, time was not on our side if we were wrong.

"W-wait!" Natsuki yells, getting our attention. "What the hell are you guys talking about and what the hell is happening?"

I sprint to the door and open it wide.

"Look, there's too much to explain and not a lot of time. Now if you guys would kindly kick your asses into high gear and follow me!"

I motion with my hand for them to go through the door. They showed slight hesitation, but when Monika followed, they all began to run out of the classroom.

I was in front of our pack, running like a mad man through the halls and down the steps. Unfortunately for us, we had to navigate our way past the countless students that were having meltdowns due to the circumstance.

There were lots of screaming and distressful moans, the halls sounding like a zombie outbreak was occurring. Some of the lockers that were placed throughout the halls were laying horizontally, with window glass shattered on the floor and ceiling panes littered throughout.

I reached behind and grabbed the closest girl's wrist.

"Link up! Form a chain and let's charge out of here! We don't have a lot of time to stall!" I called out authoritatively out behind me.

The girls did as ordered, each one holding on to another so we wouldn't be separated. I pulled and ran as fast as I could without disrupting our line.

We reached the courtyard out in the front of the school. The fountain that lay in the center was shattered open, its contents spilling out and making the grass muddy. There were several large cracks in the ground that seemed like they could widen at any moment.

"Girls, this way!" I holler, taking off in a sprint out the main gate. We reached the first main road and immediately noticed it'd be much safer to stick to sidewalks.

Several cars were upturned and wrecked, some rammed into light poles and others into homes. Trees were laying across roads, blocking access to certain routes. Several fires were lit along the environment, a nasty black smog entering the atmosphere.

I looked around to quickly assess the safest way to my home. The intermittent ground shaking didn't make it any easier and the impending sense of doom from the white wall wasn't reassuring.

We ran down the sidewalk and decided to cut through the park. Every now and then I would turn my head to assure I had all the girls. Despite their scared expressions and heavy breathing, they were keeping up fairly well.

There wasn't much resistance in the park, aside from trees that have toppled over. Fortunately, they weren't in our way, just painted a terrible sight for us.

At the end of the park, I could see my house. I halted momentarily to ensure the girls were close by.

"You guys see my house over there, right?" I call to them.

They all answered with "yes's" and head nods.

"Okay, okay good. Monika take point and everyone stick close behind. I want to take up the rear to make sure you guys make it."

Without hesitation, Monika motions with her arm to follow and takes off running. 'Thank god she's athletic' I think to myself.

Each girl passes by and I make sure they each cross the street. I run across the pavement and feel the ground start to violently shake once more. I stumble to keep my footing but continuing moving….that is until I heard the screeching of tires.

I barely turn in time to see a normal compact car spinning towards me. The tires clip onto the sidewalk that was uneven with the road, causing the vehicle to flip. I dive onto a neighboring yard, narrowly avoiding the collision.

The sound of the car's exterior crumbling rang through the air and the shattered glass rained throughout, some landing on me.

I lay still for a moment before lifting my head up, seeing the car laying upside down a house or town down the road.

I push myself to my feet and shake off the slight daze I had from the narrow experience.

"Christian!"

Monika sprints up to me and grabs me, checking me all over for injuries. I grab her wrist and push past her, pulling her with me to meet with girls at my front door.

"Don't worry, I'm just a little dinged up from diving but other than that, I'm fine."

I push my way to the front and pull out my keys, opening my door. We all file inside and I close the door.

The inside of my home didn't look anywhere as messed up as I expected it too. As a matter of fact, everything seemed to be mostly in place.

I beckoned the girls up the stairs with me and we entered my room. I closed the door and put my back to it, closing my eyes and regaining my breath. Each of the girls took a seat around the room.

We all remained quiet for a few moments, just getting our breathes back and listening to the world around us. It seems like the quakes have mostly subsided.

I walk towards the window and gaze outside. I could still see with world-ending light approaching, erasing the homes and nature around it as it drew nearer.

I looked around for any clues to help us get into this alternate realm, but nothing looked out of the ordinary. As I poked around my room, Natsuki broke the silence.

"Okay, does anyone want to explain what the hell is going on?"

I turn to her and sigh, unsure on how to approach the situation.

"Look, anything I could say right now would sound extremely crazy and not make any sense."

"Well, I do think we deserve some sort of explanation." Yuri says in between breaths, her purple-eyed gaze looking determined and fierce.

"Okay, okay…..I guess long story short, I don't belong in this world. I'm from somewhere else. The thing screwing with all of your heads ended up being an important individual who was trying to stop someone from leaving into my world. There was a change in this time because of my arrival and because of that, this world is starting to like, I guess, fall apart, for now anyway. The only way to get back to where I'm from is somewhere connected to this room."

I look around the room to see the three girls staring at me with dumbstruck expressions on their faces. Monika gives me a meek nod of support.

"So uhhh….." I start to say to the girls. "…got any questions?"

Sayori raises her hand so I point to her.

"Who's trying to leave?"

I glance at Monika and shift in place.

"Okay, so this might sound even more crazy but Monika kind of has a….twin to keep it simple, and she really wants to be in my world."

Yuri goes to talk but is cut off by Natsuki flaring up.

"Are you kidding? That is one of the most absurd things I have ever heard! Now the world is having some sort of natural phenomenon and you are trying to tell us that it's because you're from another world? And that Monika has a weird twin? Are you out of your mind?"

Before I can protest, she stands up and storms past me to my door.

"Natsuki, wait!" I desperately call to her, attempting to grab her arm.

"People are outside in pain and we're just sitting around in here! I need to see if my Dad is-"

She opens the doors and gasps. Where my hall used to be was just….a vast, open space. It went on for as far as the eye can see.

"This is it." I hear Monika mutter as she walks up beside me.

"W-wh-what?" Natsuki stutters, unclear on what the make of the situation.

I turn to look out the window and see the wall drawing extremely near, just a few houses away.

"Guys, don't ask. Just go through the door." I order.

I grab each of the girls and push them into the door. Before I go through, I take one last look of the world of 'Doki Doki Literature Club' through my bedroom, hoping that I'll never have to see it again like this. I close the door as the world beyond was enveloped in the ivory nuclear blast, being erased for the time being to start a new cycle.

…..

It took time for my eyes to adjust to the white environment. It was just as I saw from before. The ground was lightly reflective, the entire area being a vast, endless void.

I walked up to meet with the girls, each of them looking around in awe.

"Where…where are we?" Natsuki asks with unease in her voice.

"Well…the man I met here called it like the space in between realms or some shit like that" I answer to her.

I looked around the emptiness and saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was just us standing in the open, with no doorways or tears, no nature or individuals.

"So….otherworldly phenomenon's actually do exist." Yuri states in awe. She paced around several paces; her lavender eyes drunk with wonder at the sight before her.

"Er-yeah I guess so. It's kind of similar to those dreams that we've all taken a part of. They were a part of this weird place." I tell her.

"So, how do we get out of here?" Sayori asks.

I hesitate and look at Monika. Her gaze was deep and filled uncertainty.

"I…." I falter for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure."

Our thoughts were cut off from the echoes of heavenly laughter that made my hairs stand up and immediately made my blood pressure rise.

"Girls, gather around me, now." I order.

The girls drew near without question. I looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Monika!" I call out. "You're obviously here! Show yourself already!"

I felt my Monika grip my arm as if to keep me grounded in place. I heard the doppelganger's giggles grow louder. About fifteen feet in front of us, the outline of a door seemed to open, and Monika stepped through.

She was garbed in her school uniform, with just the blazer missing.

"Well, at least you decided to alter your clothes, so we'd know which one was who." I sarcastically say out loud.

A.I. Monika scoffs at me.

"Well, here we are. I must say, I'm a little surprised to see everyone here. How are you guys doing, anyways?" She says to the girls.

None of them say anything, just awkward shift in place, no doubt unsure on what to say.

"We've all had such good times together. It's a shame you guys all had to be here to witness all this. In a way, I'm glad! It's like our final goodbye together!" The A.I. Monika says, a smile wide on her face.

I clench my fists and step forward.

"You're forgetting one thing."

Her smile drops and she dons an irritated look.

"What? You're going to stop me? Please Christian, we've been through this before." She shoots at me.

I exaggeratingly look around the void.

"I don't know if you've noticed but um…..there's not really a way out yet, sooooo…"

She sighs and crosses her arms.

"Give it some time, stupid. The world on the outside just started collapsing, so we have plenty of time to…chat."

The way she said the word 'chat' really implied other things, but I was too worried about getting these girls out safely.

"Good idea!" I begin to counter. "You just sit over there and sit tight like a good noodle while we wait patiently over here."

Monika smirks as me and sighs.

"Your smart mouth is going to be the death of you, you know that right?" Monika chastises me.

I shrug my shoulder.

"At least I'll go out making you look like a fucking idiot."

Her eye twitched but she kept her smile, which honestly was kind of creepy on its own.

"W-wait." I hear Yuri speak up beside me. I keep my eyes on the Monika in front of me but tilt my head to show she had my attention.

"How….how are you here? But we also have our Monika….but you also could be our Monika…" Yuri struggles to get the words out of her mouth.

The A.I. Monika giggles slightly and gives a happy sigh.

"Oh, Yuri. Beautiful, shy Yuri. I'm still your Monika. If anything, I'm more real than that imposter will ever be."

She shoots a small glare at my Monika and I feel her hand squeeze my arm harder.

"I just want to live a simple life where I am actually free to express myself and grow as an individual, without the oppression of this stupid world."

I see Natsuki step forward out of my peripheral vision.

"So what? You're just going to leave us all behind? If you really gave a shit about us then you wouldn't be trying to….whatever the hell is going on right now." She says, trembling and barely keep her composure.

Monika raises an eyebrow at her but keeps her smirk.

"Oh, Natsuki. Little short-tempered, adorable Natsuki. You still trying your best to tell everyone that manga is literature?" She coaxes at her.

Natsuki clenched her fists.

"Listen I'm still having trouble grasping what the hell is going on but you…you are not our Monika."

She took a few steps forward and I drew my eyes on her.

"Um, Natsuki? What the hell are you doing?" I carefully ask, trying to keep my voice calm.

"The world or whatever is falling apart, my Dad might be in trouble, and I'm stuck in this stupid place with you trying to tear everything apart." Natsuki says, her voice shaking.

Small tears streamed down her face as she took smalls strides towards the rouge club president.

"Oh dear, still worried about your home. Your father. You do realize that if I even let you go back, you'd just become his little slave again."

Natsuki froze for a second, her body still. I felt the bite of Monika comment poison the air, making my stress levels rise.

"Natsuki.." I warn. "Please just come back this way and let me handle this. Please."

Natsuki without further hesitation lunges towards Monika. Despite the little baker's sudden movements, Monika looked unfazed. She elegantly brought her right hand up out in front of her and snapped her fingers, the piercing sound echoing throughout the void.

Natsuki faltered for a moment.

"Wh-what?" Her voice muttered.

None of us had a chance to register anything before Natsuki's body erupted into pixels and evaporated on the spot, her uniform falling into a pile on the ground.

My mind when blank. I could feel my mouth with open. The sound of Sayori's screams shattered the shocking silence that fell between us.

"NATSUKI!" Sayori screamed as she sprinted up to the spot that the little girl just was. She was sobbing and scraping up the clothes on the ground as if trying to put her back together.

I run up and grabbed Sayori from under her arms, dragging her back to our group. She was frantically kicking and squirming, trying to run back to the spot.

"Let go, we need to help her!" Sayori cried to me.

I retreated back to the girls and Monika appeared next to me, falling to the ground with Sayori to comfort her sobs. I glanced at Yuri, who stood looking stiff and shaking out of shock.

"Yuri, please try to take some deep breaths." I gently call to her. Her purple eyes darted to me, her pupils small and strained. Before I could say more, we heard laughter echoing from across the void.

I turned my head to the laughing girl, seeing her hold her stomach from her outbursts.

"Holy crap, that never gets old." She finally sighs, calming down from her high.

I step in front of the girls and clench my fists.

"What. The fuck. Was that?" I spit at her.

She giggles and coyly places her hands behind her back, swaying from side to side.

"Well…. I just deleted her. I did tell you that I had the ability to do anything, right?"

I just stared at her in digust.

"So what? You fucking delete our friend? What the fuck is wrong with you?" I yell back at her.

She rolls her eyes at me.

"Um, because she was trying to attack me? Besides it's probably way better for her. It wouldn't be the first time, anyways." She shrugs at me.

I hear swift movements behind me, and I turn to see Sayori on her knees, facing Monika. Her face was stained with tears and her blue eyes were puffy.

"How….could…..you…." She says in between breathes. The look on her face was very uncharacteristic for her. It sent chills down my spine.

Me and the other girls stayed silent while Sayori's stare pierced the other Monika across the way.

"You started this club, brought us all in to have a safe haven….and now….you act like we are nothing."

Across the white void, a gray tint took hold up above us. I slowly turn my head to see condensation forming above us, the dark hue covering us in a shadow.

Monika and Yuri whimpered around me, but I knew all too well what was happening.

"Sayori…" I gently called to her. "Listen to me, let me handle this, okay?"

Sayori didn't budge, just shook in place with her fists clenched. The clouds rumbled above us.

The Monika across from us looked just as shocked while her gaze into the sky.

"Wh-what? How is this happening?" She muttered.

"Let's just say that Sayori has this kind of effect sometimes." I shout at her.

She drew her eyes back to Sayori, her eyes showing clear determination.

"Oh, I see. You get a little upset and that messed up head of yours goes wild, huh?" Monika shoots at Sayori.

Sayori took a few steps forward, lightning starting to spark in the makeshift sky above. I was starting to get flashbacks to our dream and immediately felt a sense of dread. This isn't the dream anymore, this can go any and every way.

"Little cinnamon bun, please let me handle this." I desperately call to her. She didn't listen.

Her coral hair flowed with the slight breeze that picked up from the environmental change. Her blue eyes were fixated on the president.

"Yeah, Sayori. Listen to the man. You can go….hang around in the back." Monika says with a sharp smirk, her eyes twinkling. She was trying to get into Sayori's head, make her act of impulse.

Unfortunately, it fucking worked.

Sayori screamed at the top of her lungs, having us all cover our ears. I squinted my eyes and tried to call out to her, but was drowned out from the crackling sound of thunder.

The entire void boomed and in a flash, lightning cracked several times all around us.

I gasped in shock and ran up to Sayori, grabbing her and trying to bring her back.

"Sayori, please take some deep breathes! It's okay, stay back with the other girls." I tried to gently tell her to calm her down.

Monika eyes were wide but she looked more amused than afraid.

"Wow! Holy crap, I never knew she could do something like that. Those rainclouds are no joke!" She began laughing and holding her sides.

I could feel Sayori slightly resisting me but staying silent. The clouds overhead still lingered and softly crackled, keeping me on edge.

"Just stay in the back with Yuri. Keep your emotions in check, it's better when you bottle them up inside anyways so we don't have to hear about them."

'Goddamnit Monika, shut the fuck up,' I think to myself while trying to drag Sayori back.

Sayori planted her feet on the floor, bringing us to a halt.

"Sayori…" I softly warned. "…let's go back with the others."

Monika started towards me, but I put my hand up to keep her in place. I felt my hairs stand up on my arms and lowered my gaze to Sayori. Her sky blue eyes were sparkling with a fury I have never seen on her. The air around us seem to have become heavier, the clouds painted the void a shade darker.

Thunder boomed over head and lightning once again crashed down, this time landing a direct hit on Monika in front of us.

"Holy shit!" was all I could register out of my mouth before the air shifted around me. I barely had even time to look up before a bolt struck directly in front of me and Sayori, sending us apart.

I roll a few times before coming to a stop. I cough and slowly bring myself to my knees. I could feel heat emanating from my body and the smell of my burnt hair wasn't pleasant. I was very disoriented, my vision slightly blurred. I could faintly make out the figure of someone running to me.

"Holy shit…" I carefully mutter, pushing myself up to one knee and shaking off my daze.

"Oh my god, are you okay? Please be okay!" I hear Monika say next to me, grabbing my arm and hoisting me to my feet.

I stumbled in place for a few paces before keeping my balance, looking around.

"Sa-sayori….Sayori..!" I mutter, looking around, completely disregarding Monika's question.

My eyes lock onto the cinnamon bun across the way, seeing her shift straight up onto her knees. Her uniform was singed at the edges, smoke was slightly fuming off her person and she looked completely dazed, her gaze locked into the open space.

The clouds slowly dissipated away, leaving us once again in the blinding white void as before, the only exception being the scorch marks where the lightning struck.

The sounds of shuffles and movement across the way drew my attention from Sayori. The other Monika shifted herself to one knee, her stare fixated onto Sayori. Her emerald eyes burned with hate, her entire uniform was tattered. Her brunette hair seemed to have burned at the ends, with scorch marks painted the ends of her hair a dark hue.

"You know Sayori, you were always my favorite. I really wish you wouldn't have done that." Monika angrily spits at Sayori.

I turn my eyes on Sayori. After seeing what happened to Natsuki, I couldn't help but feel immediate dread. I started running in her direction, but a sharp snap rang in my ears and it was too late.

Sayori was sitting her on her knees still, eyes fixed on the horizon. Her blue eyes glossy, tears streaming down her face. The cinnamon bun still looked completely dazed, still stunned from the lightning strike, but the more I concentrated, the more I realized she looked at peace. Before I could reach her, her complexion burst into pixels until she evaporated into thin air, her singed uniform collecting onto a messy clump on the ground.

I slowly stopped my stride until I fell to my knees at her garbs. Seeing Sayori being deleted struck a chord in me. After trying my best to keep her head out of the dark and saving her from a near death experience, it seemed almost like a punch to the face to see her still die.

I lightly ran my fingers on her scorched uniform, tears effortlessly falling down my face. I could hear Yuri silently weeping behind me.

All this time, I used my energy to keep these girls out of harms way, and just like that, this fake Monika is just taking them away. One by one.

I felt a surge of fury flow through me as the tears subsided. I shot up in place and turn my attention to Monika.

She was looking at me with the same fury that she had with Sayori. Perfect, at least we're on the same emotional level. That'll make this all the more exciting.

I sprinted towards Monika with a war cry. She stood and stumbled to her feet but greatly misjudged how fast I could go with my adrenaline pumping. Her eyes widened as I shoulder charged her, tackling her to the ground.

We rolled a few times before I planted myself on top of her, straddling her chest. She started slapping her hands on me and shrieked in anger. She was thrusting her hips, trying to buck me off like a bull.

Without thinking, I closed my fist and swung at her face, connecting with her cheek and disorienting with her. I heard some gasps from the girls across the way.

'On normal circumstance, I wouldn't want to punch anyone, especially a lovely lady. Buuuuut she's kind of killing my friends so I feel like I can make exceptions' I think to myself.

She softly moans and grips my arms tight. I shift off her to my feet and place my grasp my hands on her. One hand on her shoulder, and one on her hair for extra control. I dragged her towards the girls, with her kicking and screeching.

I felt a smile creep on my face. 'Man, I enjoy fighting this bitch.'

I stopped about ten feet in front of the girls and turned my attention back to my fight. I knelt down and pulled her head up to face me. Her face was radiating anger, her eyes shaking in rage.

"I already told you, you aren't going anywhere. And now that you're killing my friends, I'm going to make sure that you don't leave. Even if I don't make it out."

She glared at me and I smirked at her. I shifted my body weight and spun her around me, throwing her away from the rest of us. She rolled and stopped herself on her knee. She looked up at me with her oh-so scary stare.

"I'm never going to let you leave." She hissed at me. She placed her hands on the ground and I felt the ground shake around my feet. Two chains sprouted from the ivory ground and clasped around my wrists, dragging me to the ground. I grunted and righted myself on my knees.

The chains tightened until I had no mobility of my arms, anchoring me in place.

Monika cackled at me and strode towards me.

"This will be your prison. Forever. You get to watch I enter your world. You get to sit here and bear witness to the endless cycles of the horror that is that worthless literature club."

She reached me and gently ran her finger along my face. She took hold of my chin and jerked my face up to meet her gaze, having me wince from the action. Her eyes locked onto mine and she laughed.

"It's funny, you almost thought you could fight this. I find that admirable and….charming. It's a shame that we couldn't have played this out differently in the real world. You'd make a good partner."

I grunted and tried to rip my face from her grip but I couldn't budge. Her eyes twinkled with victory….until her gaze drifted upwards.

There was a flash of purple and female grunting. I closed my eyes and jerked my face back.

"Why you little….." I hear her shockingly mutter.

I open my eyes and see Monika on her knees a few meters away. She had a slash mark on her face, her crimson blood dripping down the sides of her jaw. She planted her right hand on the wound, getting it covered in the sticky substance.

"Stay away from him." Yuri commands to the wounded president. She towered slightly to my left, her right-hand brandishing one of her favorite knives. The sharp edge of the weapon was dripping blood from making contact with its victim.

She knelt down next to me and started aimlessly sawing away at the chain. She was making no progress, with her hand slipping every few strokes and nicking herself on her other wrist and hand. She would slightly wince but kept her focus on getting my restraints off.

"Yuri…" I said softly to her. She ignored me and continued to work, growing more and more sporadic. "Yuri, it's okay."

She sighed and lowered her knife. She had tears streaming down her face and I had no way to physical comfort her.

"You need to be careful. You're going to hurt yourself. Fall back with Monika and let me deal with this bitch." I tell her.

She looks up to me and locks her purple eyes on me.

The wounded Monika chuckles to herself, drawing our attention to her.

"Yes, Yuri. Leave us. I have things to finish." She says with a creepy smirk on her face. She brandishes her blood-stained hand and flicks her thumb and middle finger together, sending a snappy echo through the void.

I fill fear hit me as I turn to Yuri, seeing her already looking at me. She leaned in and planted a kiss on my lips. She leaned back and sighed, having her signature soft smile linger on her face.

"Th-thank you, Christian. For everything. You were the first person to listen to me, the first person who showed me compassion and most of all…the first person I could love."

Her lavender hair swayed from side to side as her body shimmered into pixels, disintegrating into the void with her uniform being left in the aftermath.

I lowered my head, speechless.

I heard the patter of footsteps behind me. I lightly lift my head to see my Monika dive onto the floor next to me, throwing her body into me for a hug and burying her face into my neck, sobbing.

I could feel small tears streaming down my own face.

Me and Monika were all that was left. In the end, it was all a hopeless effort.

"I….I failed." I mutter through a broken voice. "I failed to save everyone. I broke my promise."

I felt Monika squeeze me harder as she broke down, no doubt feeling the hopelessness that I also harbored.

"I tried so hard and in the end, I lost. I fought for an ending that was always hopelessly out of reach."

I felt Monika shift her weight around me until she was on her knees in front of me, her cold hands planted on either side of my face.

Her emerald eyes were puffy, a frown planted on her face. Her face was stained with her tears, with new streams of sadness pouring from her eyes.

"Christian, don't say things like that…." She croaked out, holding back from breaking down again.

Looking into my lover's face, a face that conveyed true grief and hopelessness, really broke me down. I felt tears well up in my eyes and I fought every urge to rip my gaze from hers.

She brought her forehead to mine and I pinched my eyes shut. I took a shaky breath and clenched my fists.

"Monika…I'm sorry that I broke our promise. I'm sorry that I failed us. I'm sorry that I couldn't grant you a life you deserved, give you the happiness you deserve."

I felt her hands gently caress my cheek. I opened my eyes to see her smiling at me.

"Christian, you've already given me more happiness than I ever could've hoped for. You're the best thing that's happened to me and if this is it for me, than I can leave happy."

She leaned in and planted a soft kiss to my lips, pouring every ounce of love she had into me. I reciprocated and fought the urge to cry.

She pulled away and stared at me with a small smile on her face. 'Damn she's gorgeous, why does is have to fucking end this way?'

We hear someone clear their throat and Monika shifts to the side so she isn't obstructing my view. The other Monika was standing, one hand on her cheek and the other at her side with her fist clenched.

"I hate to break up such a touching moment but, I just have one person left standing in my way."

My eyes fearfully look at Monika, who surprisingly has a calm look on her face.

"Do what you will. Just know you will never amount to anything. You will always be the lesser Monika." She calmly says, her voice pouring out confidence.

She shifted back to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and burying her face into my neck. It hurt me that I couldn't reciprocate the hug.

"I love you, Christian….I always will…" She lovingly mutters to me. I look up and see Monika bearing her gaze down on me, a smirk on her face. She snaps her blood-stained hand.

I close my eyes and lean my head onto Monika's.

"I love you too." I choke out.

I sit there for a few moments before opening my eyes slowly, still seeing Monika clinging onto me. I looked up at the injured Monika, seeing a shocked expression on her face.

"Wh-what?" She stumbled out.

She snaps her fingers a few more times and still nothing happens. My Monika releases her grip on me and looks around, clearly bewildered on why she's still here.

"Why isn't it working? Why aren't you gone? This is my power, I'm in control!" The misguided A.I. complains.

The ground began to shake, similar to the quakes from when we were in the school. My Monika yelped and collapsed at my feet, holding onto my torso.

Then, just as quickly at the quaking began, it stopped.

The air was still, almost too still.

"No. You were never in control. This is my domain."

In front of me, a small tear in the air opened up and disappeared, revealing the towering man I became so acquainted with before.

"Mr. Salvato." I mutter.

He was garbed once again in his black outfit, his trench coat softly swaying slightly where he stood.

I heard Monika uncharacteristically growl on the other side of the man.

"You. You dare show your face here? After all this time, after denying me from leaving so many times! Who do you think you are?" She spits at him, venom dripping from each work she spoke.

"You have no right out in the real world." He boomed back. "I created you for the sole purpose of mixing reality and machine, but clearly that has failed."

This seemed to strike a chord with Monika. She shook in place, presumably out of rage.

"I don't care what failed. This is me and I am taking what is rightfully mine.

The air around us began to mysteriously pick up, and to our right, a tear opened up, revealing a mysterious white doorway.

'That's it!" I yelled to my Monika. "That's the way out!"

I saw everyone's attention turn to the tear. I saw the other Monika's eyes grow wide, astounded by the sight. I turned my attention to my chains and swore to myself.

"Goddamnit, I'm still fucking bound here!" I frantically said to my Monika. She immediately started yanking at the cuffs to no avail.

I pulled my wrists as hard as I could in an effort to make them budge, but it didn't work. Then, in a blink, the chains dropped from my hands and rattled onto the floor. I leaned forward and landed on my hands and knees, confused and relieved. I heard a slight chuckle that caused me to look up.

The towering man stepped to a side and crossed his arms.

"You have a life to fight for."

I had no time to decipher what the man meant before I lock eyes with the rogue president. We both look at the portal, and in a flash, we're running to get there first.

In any other situation, a normal sprint race would've been fun. In a situation where that is my way to keep on living my normal life, it was fucking stressful.

As we neared the tear, it pulsated and flickered with energy, with a strong wind blowing through the phenomenon. The blow pushed us both back, forcing us to push our way through the winds.

I grabbed Monika's shoulders and pushed her back, trying to create some ground between us. I pushed closer to the opening and felt hands grabbing at my blazer. I stumbled back and planted my foot back to stay my ground.

I shredded my blazer and tossed it aside as Monika pushed me to the side. I stuttered to the floor, falling to my hands and knees. I look up as I see her pass me and I curse to myself. I reach out and grab her ankle, yanking her to the ground.

I crawled my way on top of her and held her down.

"Stop, Monika! This is my exit, my way out. You don't belong in my world." I yelled at her over the winds.

She clawed at my face and arms, causing me to wince.

"You've had your chance. You messed up trying to access things you should've stayed out of, and now you're paying the price."

She grabbed hold of my hair and I soften my grip on her shoulders. She slid out from under me and brought her knee up to her chest, kicking me with enough force in the abdomen to rearrange my insides.

I hurled over and gripped my stomach, becoming incapacitated on the floor. I cough violently and felt the pulsating pain of the kick surge through my body. I forced myself to look up as Monika righted herself on her feet.

"You've lost, Christian. You played the game well but in the end, you failed just like everybody else. There is no happiness in the literature club, and there never will be. Goodbye…and thank you." She donned a smirk and turned to push her way into the portal.

I stumbled to my knees and looked up, just long enough to see her standing in the threshold of the exit.

I turned back to Monika, who hand her hands covering her mouth, standing next to Mr. Salvato. All the memories of what we had flooded my mind in an instant, from her finding where I lived on the first night, the love we somehow manifested over such a short time, (Listen, sometimes you just feel a vibe and it works okay? Don't judge), to us fighting our way out of the school.

I saw her mouthing something and focused on it.

"Go! Go! Go!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

'She's fucking right. I am not going to lose to this bitch'

I felt a surge of adrenaline and looked back right as the A.I. entered the tear.

I sprang to my feet and sprinted through the winds.

"Oh no you fucking don't, you bitch!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I got to the doorway and thrust my arm into the tear. My right arm was engulfed in the whiteness that enveloped the doorway while my left arm grasped onto the threshold for support. I felt my hand grab something and took hold and with all my might, yanked back.

Monika came plummeting out of the void, rolling from the sheer force I used to yank her back. She looked up just in time to see me sprinted at her and deliver a kick straight into her chest, sending her rolling back even farther.

I stood in front of the doorway, feeling the winds from the tear through my body. The A.I. Monika looked up at me with hatred in her eyes.

"No….how…." She muttered, hurting and unable to get to her feet.

I drew my gaze to Mr. Salvato, who strode over and towered over his creation. I looked back and forth between him and my Monika, and I realized what the man was meaning all this time.

"It's time. You need to make a choice."

I looked at my girl again. I needed to choose. Leave to my world, or stay and give Monika what she's been longing for her entire existence: true companionship.

I locked eyes with the brunette beauty and nodded my head in affirmation. I held out my hand and she looked shocked, to say the least. I motioned for her to take it and she ran to me, pushing through the winds.

She jumped into me, wrapping her arms around me into me for a hug. I looked down at her and put my mouth near her ear.

"I've made my choice."

I turned my attention to the fallen president and Mr. Salvato.

"You can't take her with you! No matter what you still failed!" Monika screamed at me with rage.

I turned to my girl and sighed.

"It doesn't hurt to fucking try." I mutter.

I took one last look into the void. The other Monika was screaming at us, slowly crawling towards her exit. I made eye contact with Mr. Salvato and he nodded his head. I closed my eyes, held Monika close and with one final deep breath, pulled us both into the portal back home.

….