Chapter 5 - Portraits
AN:
Oni: *Throws up hands in the air* I own nothing!
Garry: Well, except some little details. But that's really not much.
The next room ended up being kind of cramped. They immediately saw another door and went through. They were completely unprepared for the next room.
Two rows of mannequin heads lined the entire hallway. If that wasn't disturbing enough, there were three portraits of a vampire-like man hanging on the wall. The first painting was a light blue and the man's eyes were staring straight out. The second was red and the eyes followed them as they walked past. The last one was green and the eyes had no pupils at all.
The next room was even more terrifying. As they walked up the room, they saw four portraits. All Ladies in Red, Green, Yellow, and Blue. Harry briefly mused that these were the four House colors back at Hogwarts. The two of them did not dare go near them. Taking a few steps back, the two of them headed down the room instead. There were four headless statues which thankfully did not move. One of the doors they spotted was found to be locked so they decided to check out the rest of the room.
Noticing a window, they glanced inside. A frog-like shadow seemed to swim by. Moving on, they found that the next door was locked as well.
To the right of them were three more portraits of Ladies in Blue, Red, and Green. Avoiding the portraits, they headed up. From there, they saw three more portraits of Ladies in Yellow, Green, and Blue. This was bad... Harry could sense that something bad was going to happen soon. He didn't want to go any further, but he knew he had to.
To the right of "The Lady in Blue" was a familiar painting. It was "The Hanged Man". It depicted a man hanging upside-down from his feet with a red rope.
"Ah. This was one of the paintings in the gallery," noted Garry. Sensing Harry's fear, Garry went up and investigated the painting. He inspected the man's clothing. "5629" it read. Perhaps the man was a convict on death row...
To the left of "The Lady in Yellow" was a headless statue. Once again, it thankfully didn't move.
Above them were two more portraits of Ladies in Red and Yellow as well as another headless statue.
Finally, the last two portraits in the room were Ladies in Red and Blue.
Two doors to their left were locked and required passwords. The one on the right had a question on it.
"How many paintings of women are there in this room?"
"Let's split up; I'll count the amount of paintings on the left side, you can count the amount of paintings on the right," Harry said. Garry turned to him.
"Alright, but if anything happens over there I want you to call for me."
Harry nodded in response. He would have called for Garry if anything happened anyways, so it wasn't a big deal.
They split apart and the two of them counted the amount of woman paintings on their side. After they counted all of the paintings on their side they returned to the door.
"I counted about ten paintings on my side. And you?" Garry said as he walked over to the door.
"There was only four on the left side," Harry replied.
Garry nodded and typed the number fourteen into the keypad on the door. A click signaling that the door was now unlocked came back. The two of them entered the room.
They saw a vase, a notice on the wall, and a bookcase. As they walked forward, they heard a crash of glass outside the room. One of the ladies must have broken loose, they realized.
The notice on the wall read, "Please do not touch the displays. If by any chance you damage any exhibits, you will b comp sat n." Some of the letters were missing.
Walking up to the bookcase, Harry scanned the books and pulled out a book titled "Wonderful Days". He opened the book and read what was written within its pages. "The gallery is like an amusement park with lots of strange things! It's so much fun playing here, the day was over before I knew it! Isn't it a fantastic place? Why won't you join me here? You'll be fine with all this company..." Harry put the book back onto the shelf.
'This place is horrid. Why would I ever want to stay here? This place is not fun and what company was that book talking about? The only person here except me is Garry and everything else is a crazy painting or mannequin.' Harry thought.
"There's nothing else here. We should get going."
Garry nodded. "Alright, let's get going then." With that, the two of the exited the room.
When they left the room, they discovered that one of the Ladies in Red was crawling around, madly searching for prey. They quickly hurried over to the door on the left side. The door simply said, "Enter password." It was a four digit code.
"Where are we going to find a password?!" Garry exclaimed, nervously checking behind them, watching for the Lady in Red.
"Well the only thing of numbers I remember seeing were on the Hanged Man's clothes," Harry said simply. "I don't remember what they were though. Do you?"
"Ah, well the numbers were 5629." Garry replied.
Harry went over and typed in the numbers. Nothing happened.
"Harry, the painting lady is coming!" Garry exclaimed, backing up as the painting lady spotted them and clawed her way forward.
"Hold on! Those numbers have to be the ones to the password, but why isn't it opening?!" Harry typed in the password again and again, but like before, nothing happened.
'Wait, the Hanged Man was upside-down wasn't he? So the numbers would be upside down too!' Harry thought. 'That's gotta be it!"
Harry quickly typed in the numbers "6295" and a click came back.
"Come on; the door's opened!" Harry shouted as he swung the door open. Garry quickly rushed in, the Lady in Red right behind him. Both teens quickly slammed the door shut and Garry slid down the wall, panting slightly.
"... I never want to do that again... That was scary. I thought we were goners for sure," Garry said as Harry sat down against the wall next to him.
"Neither do I... I hope we get out of here soon though; I don't want to stay in this place for any longer than I have to..." Harry responded. "I hope we won't come into any more close calls like that again."
Garry nodded. "I hope so too, Harry. I do not want to die in a place like this... I just want to get out of here, finish school, get a good job, and hopefully settle down with someone."
Harry sighed, "I just want to see my friends again and finish my schooling. I don't really care what happens after that, but it would be nice to be with someone."
"What about your parents?" Garry asked, looking at Harry curiously.
Harry swallowed hard, but answered the question truthfully. "My parents died when I was only a year old; they were murdered when they tried to protect me from a mad man."
Garry's eyes went wide. "I... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's alright. You didn't know and I was the one who told you. It's just that.. Well I don't remember my parents at all..."
Garry nodded to the response and put his hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed. "Come on, let's not talk about sad things like this." Garry gave him a gentle smile and got up. Garry reached out and held his hand out to Harry. "Let's get out of here." Harry's eyes widened before a smile lit his features. He reached out and set his hand into Garry's.
"Yeah... Let's get out of here; together."
As Garry pulled him up, the two of them glanced around the room, taking in the details.
The room was simple like the one before. There was an easel with a canvas, a stool, and a table with a vase. On the canvas was a painting of a table with a vase. Harry looked on the ground and noticed four holes equally apart.
"Uh... Garry? I think this is a puzzle..."
Garry looked around once more. "I think so too... What do we need to do though?"
Harry studied the room, thinking deeply.
"I think we need to... We need to move the table to where the dots are on the floor." Harry responded.
The two of them pushed the table forward until the table was on top of all of the dots. A click was heard.
"I think we solved it!" Garry exclaimed cheerfully. Harry nodded enthusiastically.
"All we need to do now is find out what it did."
The two of them left the room and were surprised at what they saw. A mannequin head was sitting beside the door, waiting for them.
"... Was this thing here earlier? I... don't think it was..." Garry wondered, nervously.
"It... wasn't here earlier..." Harry hesitantly confirmed, nervously backing away from the head.
The two of them quickly headed to the right side of the room, dodging the lady who was crawling after them. They came to a door that surprisingly enough turned out to be unlocked. The duo rushed inside and shut the door.
The room was definitely bigger than the ones before, although the only thing in it was a mirror. The two of them walked over to the mirror and looked at their reflections. Looking into the mirror, Harry noticed a few things about their appearances. One of which was clothes.
Garry's tattered jacket looked almost like a shadowy cloak, framing over the light green sleeveless shirt he was wearing as well as his tan pants. His clothes fit snugly over his lean body. Harry's clothes, on the other hand, hung loosely over his thin body. The gray shirt he was wearing was at least two times his size, even though it was the smallest shirt he owned. His jeans fit him a little better but were ripped at the knees.
Another thing he noticed was how they looked. Both of them had dark circles around their eyes and looked stressed. Harry's eyes in particular had changed from emerald-green to a shade of pale green, while Garry's had turned…grey?
The last thing he noticed was the height difference. Garry had to be about ten inches taller than him, Harry being 5' 2. That meant that Garry had to be about 6 feet tall.
The two of them turned to leave but were stopped at what they saw. It was a mannequin head. It was blocking their way out.
"What the... When did this get in the room?" Garry asked. They turned to the mirror to see if there was a way out.
When they looked at their reflections, Harry sensed that something was... different. Harry looked at his body and saw that everything looked the same as it did before. He looked over to Garry and his eyes widened in shock and fear. There was a white head behind Garry's shoulder, staring at the older teen.
The hairs on the back of his neck shot straight up at the sight.
"... Hm?" Pondered Garry, clueless of the situation, as he noticed the frightened look on Harry's face. He followed Harry's gaze. Finally noticing the apparition, he shrieked, "EEEEEK!" and he fell backwards. The mannequin lay on the floor behind them.
"W-Wh-WHAT is THAT?!" yelled Garry as he scrambled up onto his feet. His frightened expression turned to one of anger. He stomped over to the head. "Y... Why, you...!" he angrily said as he pulled back his leg in preparation to kick it. However, he was stopped by a pair of thin arms wrapping around his waist and a head burying into his back.
"Garry, it's just a mannequin; no need to hurt it." Harry said, voice muffled from Garry's jacket.
"... ... R-Right, Harry. My, that was immature of me..." muttered Garry.
When Harry released him from the hug, Garry turned to him and gave a quick smile. "Well... let's go."
With new bravery, valor, and courage worthy of a Gryffindor, they left the room.
They scoured around the room until they found a key on the ground. They walked over to it and Garry picked it up. The two of them moved forward when, without warning, one of the Ladies in Red burst on from the wall and went after them. Luckily, they were able to out run it.
Yet another lady burst from where she was affixed, this time it was "The Lady in Blue". A form that was much faster than the other ladies caught his eye. It seemed that "The Lady in Green" was a speed demon, angrily propelling herself forward with astonishing speed. They found themselves in front of the door next to a window. Garry quickly slid the key in and a click resounded back to them as a result. Garry swung the door open and pulled Harry into the room before slamming the door shut behind them.
In the next room, there was a familiar sight. It was "Reserved Seat," the comfortable couch. An easel to the right of it said, "If you're tired, why not rest? You'll never be hurt again..." The two of them plopped down onto the couch and settled into a comfortable silence. When their hearts finally calmed down to a normal pace, they got up and looked around the room.
Harry felt paranoia fill him as he noticed the window in the back. He remembered that the paintings could break through the windows and he feared that one of the paintings would find a way to reach it. After all, "The Lady in Blue" did it before, what was stopping her from doing it again?
"Garry... Could you move something to cover that window?" He asked. However, he didn't tell Garry the reason why he wanted something to cover it. Garry went over and tested the large bookcase next to it. "Ah. It seems this can be moved. Okay! Step back a bit, Harry." He heaved the bookcase.
"Heave ho... ho!" And with that, he pushed on the bookcase and it slid over to cover the window.
Garry's face showed a little disappointment, Harry guessed this was because there might have been something on the other side that could have helped them. "It's covering the window... Oh well."
With that out-of-the-way, they looked at the large painting on the wall. It was named "Couple". The depicted people looked like... his parents.
The woman on the left of the painting had long, curly red hair and emerald-green eyes that shined. She was smiling softly.
The man on the right had short, messy black hair and a warm smile on his lips. Behind a pair of glasses that looked exactly like Harry's own was a pair of deep brown eyes that were filled with love. His arm was wrapped around the woman in a close hold.
"What is it, Harry?" Garry asked, concerned as he saw the shocked look on the younger boy's face. Harry didn't even notice the question, all he could do was stare at the painting in shock.
"... Mum?... Dad?" Harry asked, still shocked at seeing the painting there.
Garry's eyes widened as he turned to the painting. "Huh?! The people in this painting are your dad and mom?" asked Garry with a slight sense of bewilderment. He looked at them before looking back at Harry.
"Aha... You do look a lot like them; you have your father's hair and eyesight but you have more of your mother's facial structure and eyes. Wow... I..." Garry spoke. Harry nodded. "I hear that a lot," he responded. Harry continued gazing at the painting.
"For good reason too; you're a perfect blend of both your parents. I just wonder why such a painting would be down here..."
Harry pulled his eyes away from the painting. "I... I just... I don't..." Harry was unable to speak. Tears filled his eyes as he glanced back at the painting. "Why did they have to die...?"
Harry found himself pulled into a tight, comforting hug. Immediately, he stiffened at the contact before slowly relaxing into the hold.
"It's alright, Harry. I'm very sorry about the loss of your parents but it's in the past now. You got the rest of your life to live, so don't think such sad thoughts. You can't change things of the past." Garry told him as he rubbed Harry's back. "I wish I could do something to help you, but I can't." Harry nodded and buried his head into Garry's chest, his hands clutched onto Garry's tattered jacket as if it were a life line.
It hurt seeing his parents but Garry was right, it was in the past. Right now he was in a crazy art gallery.
Now was not the time to grieve over the loss of his parents.
Harry reluctantly pulled away from the hug and looked down at his feet, his face red. "I'm sorry. It's very stupid of me to act like this when we have more important things to dwell over..."
"Nonsense! It's perfectly fine for you to react this way, after all, it must be very hard to see your parents like this. Are you alright though?" Garry told him. Harry nodded in response. "I'm fine... Thank you..."
Garry smiled at him kindly before ruffling his black hair. "No problem. Let's get going." Harry smiled back and the two of them headed over to the door. Garry reached out and turned the handle.
"Th-The door... won't open." Garry said, eyes wide. "Wh... Are you kidding me? The door was wide open..."
A sudden banging sound came from the door and the two of them quickly backed away. "T-That sound... is that coming from outside?" Asked a stupefied Garry.
Whoever, or whatever it was, banged on the door some more. "Something's at the door... be careful, Harry." Garry cautioned.
The two of them hurried around the room, searching for a way out. All of a sudden, a part of the wall in the back of the room exploded into pieces. A Lady in Yellow came through and started coming after them. Seeing a way out, they evaded her attacks and crawled through the hole in the wall.
To their horror, nearly all the portraits and statues in the room were mobile. They were all seeking them, searching for them. Looking around quickly, Garry spotted a nearby door that was opened slightly. He reached out grabbed ahold of Harry's hand and rushed forward. Harry ran along with him and they raced towards the door, getting clawed a bit as they went. They ran into the room and slammed the door behind them. Even with the door shut, they continued running down the hall.
Panting and trying to catch their breath, they stopped for a bit. "... ... Th... That should be... far enough... I think..." said a fatigued Garry.
Garry then stood up straighter and proudly yelled out, "We certainly showed THEM!" Harry chuckled in amusement at that statement as he plopped down onto the hard floor, tired.
"My... well then..." said Garry, still trying to catch his breath. "Let's keep go... ...Harry?"
Noticing Harry's position, he went over to Harry and knelt down beside him. "Oh my, what is it? Are you okay?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
Harry opened his mouth to respond but was unable to as he collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted. He faintly heard the sound of Garry's voice as he fell into darkness.
"H-Harry?! Stay with me, now! Harry! HARRY!"