Maka thought she had heard someone yelling. While the others were standing around talking (more like fighting- Mary was finding a way to insult everyone) she tried listening closely, and heard it again.
"IB! MARY! HEL-" came the frantic voice, cut off by something. Probably Garry, Maka thought. Turning to the group, she crossed her arms. She tapped her foot impatiently. Tsubaki and Ib were standing by while they watched everyone yell at each other, mainly Mary, who looked like she had better things to do then stand around killing the egos of a bunch of hormonal teenagers. Liz was pleading with Soul and Black Star to try not punching a little girl, while Kid and Patty were trying to hold them back. Mary was busy cleaning her knife on her dress.
"Guys….?" Maka asked.
"SNOT-NOSED BRAT!" Soul yelled at Mary. Mary rolled her eyes.
"Old geezer," she muttered. Soul flailed his arms wildly.
"FOR THE LAST TIME I AM NOT AND OLD GEEZER! I'M-" Soul started but Maka cut him off.
"GUYS!" she shouted. Everyone stopped fighting and turned her way, giving her surprised looks. Maka was never one to yell, especially at Soul, considering he was her weapon. Maka placed her hands on her hips.
"For the love of death," she demanded, "did you hear that? Any of you?" Everyone exchanged glances, then shook their heads.
"Well, that's because you were all fighting like a bunch of two year olds!" Maka continued, "Did you not hear someone crying for help? Because I did!" Mary rolled her eyes and pocketed her knife.
"Garry," she said, "he really needs to learn to defend himself, what a wimp." Ib and Tsubaki's eyes widened.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Soul said, "Hold up-" he jerked his arm away from Kid, who raised his hands ind defense if Soul was about to hit him "- wasn't he trying to help you and Ib out of this place?"
"Pfft! Are you kidding me?! With the way things were going, it was as if Ib and i were trying to help him out of the gallery!" She bunched up the fabric of her skirt as she laughed, her face getting red. Ib looked ask f she was about to cry.
"B-but Mary…! Why would you say such things?!" she asked, her voice trembling. Mary stamped her foot.
"Oh, grow up! He kinda deserves it, don't you think?" she said scornfully, "after he said he'd try to protect you?! After he said he was going to help you get your parents back from that picture frame?!"
"Why, you little-" Soul started as Ib began crying harder. Kid grabbed Soul's arm and jerked him back, shaking his head.
"No, Soul. If Mary is from the ripped painting, she can hurt you severely. She is armed, after all." Soul grimaced, staring at Mary's pocket. Mary gave Kid a sinister smile.
"Oh, so you know….?" she asked, "well, then I guess you won't mind if I do this….?" In a blur of blond hair and green cloth, Mary had the knife pressed up against Tsubaki's throat. The blade sliced her skin a bit, leaving a thin red line.
"Tsubaki!" Black Star cried as he started to run at them, but Mary then gestured towards the knife.
"You hurt me, your precious little friend here dies," she spat at them. Black Star curled his fists in anger. His muscles flexed. Tsubaki had tears running down her face. He hasn't been this scared since I fought my brother, she thought as Black Star gritted his teeth.
"Fine," he finally said, "what do you want exactly?" Mary gave a small laugh.
"Isn't it obvious?" the girl asked, "I want Garry dead so I can have little Ib here all to myself!" She gave Ib an affectionate gaze. Ib drew herself away from Mary and grabbed Maka's hand, holding git tightly.
"Maka, I'm scared," Ib whispered to her, "what's gonna happen to your friend? And…. Garry?"
"Don't worry, we'll get everyone out. It'll be alright," Maka gave Ib's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Now, you all know how Little Miss Smarty-Pants here heard someone calling for help?" Mary asked with a sneer, "Well, that was in fact, Garry. I want you to come with me to where Garry is-" Mary surveyed the small group- "and I want you to get his rose for me. Got it?"
"Ahahaha!" Patty laughed, "you sure are funny!" Liz clapped a hand over her sister's mouth, smiling nervously. Mary shot a glare in their direction, "What did you just say?" Liz shook her head furiously.
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" she said, then whispered in Patty's ear, "Shut up! You'll get Tsubaki killed!"
"Oops! Sorry!" Patty giggled and Liz rolled her eyes.
"Now," Mary said, "let's go get Garry. I'll have this one at knife point the entire time, so be careful about what you say or do, or I will cut you!" She said this almost cheerily, with a sunny smile on her face. Glumly, everyone followed. Tsubaki had to stoop low as she walked as Mary held the knife to her throat. Black Star clenched and unclenched his fist, grinding his teeth.
Hands shot out of the walls and brushed their ankles. Soul jumped as one grabbed him and he crashed into Maka.
"Soul! Maka scolded him as he cowered behind her, "be careful!"
"S-s-sorry, Maka," he stuttered. Kid meanwhile, was having a pretty difficult time himself. Everywhere he looked, nothing was symmetrical. At all. The dolls hanging from ropes always had uneven strings, or one eye was bigger then the other. He tugged at his collar as he sweated.
"You can do this, Kid," he said to himself, "just focus on finding Garry and getting everyone out." He unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt and sighed, trying to cam himself down. Mary had them all turn down a hallway.
"I suggest you all jump," Mary said, just as hands jumped at them from the walls. Everyone jumped as high as they could before they were snatched. Once they landed they broke into a jog, until Mary stopped in front of a purple door. Pushing Tsubaki forward, she pressed the tip against her back.
"Open it," Mary commanded, prodding Tsubaki with the knife. grasping ht doorknob, Tsubaki pulled, but the door wouldn't open.
"I-it's locked!" Tsubaki whined. Mary slashed Tsubaki's arm with the blade. Tsubaki's blood was dark against her pale skin. She winced as it dripped.
"Well unlock it," Mary said impatiently. Black star looked furious.
"M-maybe's there's a key somewhere?" Tsubaki suggested.
"Maybe…." Mary said, then waved the knife at the others, "find it! Find the key, now!" There was a frantic look in her blue eyes as everyone started searching the walls and the ground. Tsubaki ran her hands along the doorframe to see if there was some sort of secret panel. Unfortunately there was not.
"Fuck!" Mary stamped her foot in frustration, then went "Ah!" Bending over, she picked something up off the floor. It was the stem of a flower, a single blue petal wilting at the end of it. Ib gasped.
"Garry's flower," she told Maka. Maka then looked at the floor. Another blue petal lay on the floor, along with a trail of blood. It started halfway down the hall and stopped when it got to the door.
"He was dragged through there," Maka gestured to the door, "we have to get in and then get out."
"Well, get the door unlocked!" Mary yelled, her voice booming in the silent hallway, "and do it now!" She gripped the flower in her fist so tight, there was a snap, and the stem was broken in two.
"No!" Ib reached out and snatched it from Mary. Suddenly, there was a muffled scream.
"Ha!" Mary said triumphantly, "now get the door open! The flower is his lifeline! He doesn't have much time to live!" Mary then grabbed Ib, taking the knife to her throat, "and neither do you, I'm afraid!" With a flash of silver, Mary slit Ib's throat, the blood flowing freely. Soon Mary's hands were stained as well as a good portion of her dress. Ib's body fell to the floor with a thump, landing at her feet. Mary then picked up Ib's red rose and plucked out every petal, snapping the stem. The delicate red petals littered the floor.
"You fucking murderer!" Soul cried, "what the hell?!"
"Now she can stay here forever," Mary said, with an insane smile on her face, "now I'll never be alone!" There was a bang on the door from the other side.
"Ib! IB?!" came Garry's hysterical calls, "Fuck! NO!" There was a loud crash, and a crack. Tsubaki widened her eyes, then banged on the door.
"Garry?" Garry?!" she shouted. No answer. Black Star joined her, kicking the door with all his might as Tsubaki punched the wood over and over. The wood of the door splintered and cracked until there was a hole big enough for a grown man to fit through. Mary then laughed maniacally as she licked the blood on her knife. Soul smacked her upside the head.
"It's open! You got what you want! Now let Garry go!" he demanded. Mary licked her lips.
"That's not how it works," she said calmly, holding up Garry's broken rose, "remember this?"
"Give me that," Soul growled.
"I don't think I want to," Mary said, "let's go in and see him, shall we?" She skipped cheerfully into the room. Soul cracked his knuckles as they followed Mary through the door and into the room. Kid screeched and tried running back out but Liz grabbed his collar and pulled him back.
"I know it's creepy and nothing is symmetrical, but you have to deal with it," Liz said, "for Garry's sake, for Ib. Okay?" Kid could hear the fear in her voice as she looked around the room, but knew she was trying her best to be brave. Mary waved her knife in the air.
"Oh Garry….?" she sang into the darkness. Dolls were sitting everywhere- small ones hid under tables and lay on the floor. Medium sized ones leaned against tables and sat in chairs. And in a portrait on the wall opposite them was a painting of the biggest one. It had a sinisterly evil smile painted on its face, red eyes bulging and large. Mary did not receive an answer, but heard a voice from one of the corners.
"See, I feel that way as well…." came Garry's voice from the darkness. Cautiously, Black Star walked towards a corner of the room.
"It's so nice to have someone to talk to," Garry said, as they all got a full view of him. He was sitting in a corner, his arms wrapped around his knees. His feet were tapping the ground as he rocked back and forth. His chin was bloody where the skin had split open. Dolls were surrounding him. One was in his lap, and he was petting it as if it were a beloved animal instead of a creepy doll.
Garry smiled at the rabbit that sat in his lap. The fat pink ball of fluff twitched it nose. He had heard noises coming from outside, but now they joined him. Rabbits sat everywhere he could see- pink, blue, green and purple. Some were big, others were medium. Most were small.
"You're such a good listener," Garry said as he pet the rabbit's fur. The rabbit didn't answer, just sat in silence. On the wall was a portrait of a fairly large pink bunny.
"Garry! I see you're well!" came Mary's voice. He ignored it and continued to talk.
"I think I hear Mary," he said, "I think Mary is quite frightening, don't you? After all…."
Black Star pointed to Garry, "Is he high or something?"
"….. Mary did escape from her frame. I didn't trust her at all," Garry babbled, "but I guess it's okay now because I'm out! Bunny, I'm free of the gallery, isn't that great?" Maka shook her head as Garry gave a small laugh.
"No, it seems like he's hypnotized," Maka said as she crouched down in front of him and waved a hand in his face. He didn't blink, his eyes wide open, expressing a certain creepy calm. A blank smile spread across his face as he then blinked at Maka.
"Ib….?" he asked, "Oh, Ib, so nice of you to join me! So Mary didn't kill you after all?" Maka looked back at the others, then at Garry.
"Uh, Garry, I'm not Ib. My name is Maka," Maka said, "I'm going to bring you home, okay?"
"Home…" Garry said, "I thought we were home, Ib? Where's Mary?" Garry was not staring at Maka when he spoke, or at anything for that matter. His purple eyes flitted around the room. Patty laughed at Liz as she kicked a doll away from her foot. It landed with a thump somewhere in the darkness. Mary walked briskly up to Garry and slashed at his face with the knife. The doll fell from his lap as he bought a shaking hand to his face. His fingers came away sticky and red.
"What….?" he looked at his hand, and then at Mary. The knife in her hand glistened with his blood. His eyes widened, his pupils dilated. Scuttling backwards, he kicked the doll away from him once he realized the inevitable truth: he had been going insane, thinking the dolls were actually soft rabbits instead of the creepy things that terrorized him for three months. Mary held up his rose, broken and almost dead.
"See, Garry, this represents you," she said with a dead calmness. Garry's chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. Mary took a clumsy step towards him, as if she was learning how to walk for the first time. Her knuckles were turning white as she held her knife in her fist.
"Mary….." Garry warned, his voice trembling. Mary took another step towards him, raising her knife. Before she could take a third step, she tumbled forwards, leaning over Garry as she hit the wall. Her blond hair brushed his face as she shook, a creepy smile added to her scary demeanor. The rose had fallen to the floor. Quickly, Maka picked it up, cradling it in her palms as if it were a newborn baby. Kid was whispering to Liz and Patty, and they stood in their usual battle tactic formation. We have to be ready for anything- especially if he gets hurt, Kid thought as Mary's body twitched slightly. It was hard to see Garry through a curtain of hair, but they noticed his leg laying straight out in front of him, so Kid focused on his leg.
"Remember Ib?" Mary asked, turning her blade. A window on the wall next to the painting let moonlight spill into the room, the blade glinting in the light. Garry nodded, and said, "Y-y-yes…. Mary….."
"You want to see her?" Mary's voice had a little squeak as she spoke, raising her knife.
"Mary, what do you mean?" Maka heard Garry ask, "Mary…? What did you do with Ib?"
"You want to see her….?" Mary repeated. Kid saw Garry's leg twitch. Liz slightly jumped, ready to go, but Kid put a hand on her shoulder.
"Not yet," he warned.
"But-" Liz started, but Kid cut her off.
"I know," he said, "I'll tell you when, okay?" Liz and Patty nodded. Kid looked at the others as if to say, "I'll tell you when, okay?" and everyone braced themselves for what was to come, standing in whatever battle stance they could think of.
"Mary…?" Garry asked, "where's Ib?" What happened to Ib?" Kid squinted as Mary raised her knife. Mary poised it above his face.
"Why so serious, Garry?" she asked. With the might of a warrior, she clutched the collar of his coat in her hands and threw him to the ground. Soul bared his teeth as Garry landed with a loud thud. I can't just sit here and watch, he thought, Kid better have a good plan… Mary then straddled Garry's chest, causing him to gasp for air- it felt to him as if someone placed a ton of bricks on him. Mary raised her knife again, grabbing at his throat with her free hand. She then poked and prodded his face until she was able to hold his head down by pressing her weight against him.
"Mary….." Garry warned again, his tone pure fear.
"I asked you a question!" Mary barked, spitting in his face. He flinched as her saliva hit his skin. Garry didn't answer, instead whimpered like a dog that had just been caught digging holes under the fence in the backyard. She raised her knife again, and Garry flinched. Mary smiled, licking her lips.
"Why so serious, Garry?" she asked, "are you scared? Oh, please don't be, I don't want to hurt you!" She sounded as if she was talking to a child. She pouted, "Pwease don't be scawed," she mimicked a toddler as an evil smile came back to her, "I only want to kill you!" Garry opened his mouth to scream, but as sound came out, Mary plunged her knife into his mouth, thrusting it in and out. Tsubaki screamed and tried to run to him, but Black Star held her back.
"No, Tsubaki, remember the plan!" he said as they struggled.
"But Garry- Mary is hurting him!" she shouted as tears ran down her face, "Black Star, we have to do something!" As Garry's strangled, bloodcurdling screams filled the air, Maka gulped, grabbing Soul's hand and squeezing it.
"Soul…." she said, her green eyes widening. Soul squeezed her hand back as he watched the scene play out before him: a psychotic mass murdering piece of art pull a knife in and out of a human being's mouth, scarring him for eternity and not really helping his mental judgement. Mary then took her free hand and grabbed Garry's lips, pressing hem against the knife as she continued to move it. Blood dripped down his face, feeling cold against his skin as it dripped into his ears and then on the floor. His legs and arms thrashed from underneath Mary as she continued to cut him, laughing and smiling as if this were a present given to her on her birthday