To Save Us All
Chapter 20~
"I... can't be taken." said 9, thinking about what it meant, still hugging 7 close to his still open chest.
"Taken?" asked 7, removing her arms from his shoulders and resulting to holding his hand, bending down closer to his opening to get a better look at... whatever it was.
"But why can't you take it?" said 1, just as confused as everyone else, "Does this mean he can't be stolen? Is a machine trying to take him?"
"Machine." said 6, snapping out of a stare at F's strand of hair covering her face. "Yes."
"A machine's trying to take me...." said 9, this statement cancelling his original thought. "But what would a machine want with me? Why would it want to take me and not the others?"
"Different." said F simply, pointing to the small container that felt like a third toe to 9, the smile on her face shrinking as 6 closed his optics and shook his head.
"Doesn't understand." said 6, shaking his head.
F's head drooped to the floor, and then suddenly snapped back up. 6 began to shake.
"Vision." said F, running for the paints.
"Will these never end?" groaned 1, sitting down on the book.
"It's not like he can control it, 1." said 7, not harshly but sternly, making sure she was understood.
"I know, 7, but it's horrible to see him warning us of giant machines that are out to get us. Just look at him!"
9 already had been. 6 was currently on the floor, his hands scratching at the floorboards, begging for something to paint with. F turned back to him with paints and some paper in her hands, gently placing everything in front of 6.
"AH!" 6's painful scream vibrated in 9's head, and the sympathetic savior closed his optics, as if he could feel 6's pain. "RUN! We have to go! Do it! Now! Pull the trigger, E! It knows!"
6's arms and hands were shaking so badly that he knocked over some red and black, creating an eery blood effect on the paper. In the exact spot it needed to be. 6 was painting another monster.
And this one looked like a human.
It was a human.
A skeleton, that is.
Metal screws and nets of blood-stained thread attached the slightly decayed segments together. The eye sockets each held a red eye, the signature of evil. Instead of the usual teeth, hands, and feet, the BRAIN attached jagged sharp metal shards in their places. There were also huge jagged spikes sticking out of the creatures back, making it hunch over unnaturally. In 6's picture, it was howling to the moon- indicating this monster was nowhere near human, despite it's parts consisting of human bones. 6 painted the creature snatching up the group of stitchpunks, impaling them on it's claws. Compared to a stitchpunk, this thing was huge.
And by the looks of the many stitchpunks running from it in 6's drawing, it was fast too.
6 finished drawing, but he continued to whimper in pain as he slowly curled into himself, sobbing at how much it hurt to see such horrible images in your head. F dropped to her knees and started to rub his shoulders. It seemed to help 6. 9 smiled, relieved the pain was over, and at how well F must know 6. How many times had 6 come back in time to see her?
"What in Creator's name is that?" asked A, shaking his head slowly, and bringing 9 back to the real world.
"It's... a human." said B in awe.
"But they don't exist anymore." said 8, scratching his head.
B put a hand on his shoulder and smiled, shaking his head patiently.
"No, 8. This one isn't really human."
"Oh." said 8, not understanding at all.
"It must have sewn cloth over a human skeleton." said 9.
"And given it those hateful eyes." said G.
"And those claws..." said 5, sounding as nervous as he had a right to be.
"Spikes." said D, in A's voice. Then, in F's, "Why?"
"It's after us. It wants to absorb our souls." said 9, turning his head from the creature on the page.
"Then we have to go." said 1, stepping in as his instincts told him to, "Well we can't stay here! Didn't you hear 6? That... that thing is coming here! It knows where we are!"
"No." said 6, just as 9 was about to agree. "Can't run. Must fight. Save Us... Our purposes."
9's brow furrowed as he realized what 6 meant.
"But... 6. That thing is too big." said 5, coming over to kneel beside 6. "We can't fight it."
9 looked to the floor.
"And it looks really fast." said G, observing the paper.
"We don't matter!" yelled 6 suddenly, gripping his hair again.
Everyone was silent as they processed that information.
"Excuse me?" asked A, "What do you mean 'We don't matter'. I thought you said we all had a purpose."
"Yes! Our purpose!" said 6, getting up.
"What?" asked 7, the look in her optics saying she understood.
"This is it." said 6, looking to 9, who refused to meet anyone's optics out of sudden guilt. "Our purpose. Save Us."
9 looked up.
"But different." said 6, walking to 1. The young artist went up to the elder and pointed a single finger, as if accusingly. "Protect Us."
"How am I supposed-" 1 began, but 6 cut him off, having already moved on to the twins. The twins tilted their heads like confused puppies as 6 walked up to them, his back hunched, gripping his key. "To Define Us. To Teach Us." said 6, pointing to 3 and 4 in turn.
The twins flashed to each other, each small flash meaning something vital, as 6 turned to 5.
"What-" said 5.
"To Guide Us." said 6, smiling and putting a hand on 5's shoulder. 5 closed his mouth and nodded, looking to 9.
6 walked to 7, "To Defend Us." he said, "... And love."
7's eyebrows shot up, and her mouth opened to say something, but 6 was already gone, moved on to 8.
"To Guard Us." said 6. 8 turned to 9 and shrugged.
6 walked over to A and stopped right in front of him, but staring directly into 9's optics.
"To Distract It."
9 blinked. "It?" But... but it couldn't be!
6 nodded, confirming his grim thoughts. Even the other group had a purpose.
"To Outsmart it." said 6, pointing to B, who brightened up at this knowledge. 6 pointed to the brothers- C and D, who visibly flinched as 6's finger landed on them. "To Trap It and To Emprison It."
The two confused stitchpunks looked at each other and shared a shrug.
"6, is the 'It' you keep talking-" 9 said, trying to stop the ranting artist.
"To Silence It." said 6, pointing to E, who looked down in puzzlement.
"6-"
"To Know It." said F, joining in, and pointing at herself.
6 nodded, as if to say "That's my F".
"What-"
"To Kill It." said 6, ignoring 9 for the third time and pointing to G. G smiled and looked at his pocketknife with a new admiration.
"6!" yelled 9, already knowing what 6 was getting at.
"To Defeat It." said 6 calmly to H, as if 9's shouting hadn't just scared the twins into hiding behind 7.
9 waited, raising an eyebrow.
6 turned to 9 and looked in his eyes, walking over to him, hunched and gripping his key again. "2." 9 stopped his annoyed glare. "To Inspire Us."
9 closed his optics and looked to the floor.
"I know 6. I know." he said, his voice quivering slightly, and the things he had been through all coming back. 7 put a hand on his shoulder, the twins no longer in need of a hiding spot.
"We have a purpose," she said gently, "But what does he mean?"
"It. The monster he drew." said 9, the weakness in his voice increasing. "It's a war... The final war. We were all meant to fight it. That thing. That's what we have to do."
"No," said 6 shaking his head gently. "Our fight. Save yourself. Don't die. Can't die." 6 pointed to 9's still opened chest. "Can't die."
Something in 6's last sentence woke a part of 9 that had been sleeping for a long time. He finally knew. He finally knew what he had to do.
"Can't die," he repeated.
The biggest smile washed over 6's face, and he nodded happily.
"Understands." said 6, looking the happiest 9 had ever seen. "Finally."
"What?" asked 7, now understanding as well, "He-? He can't-? Oh God. But... but how?!"
"Different. Meant to Save us. And Us." said 6, carefully studying 9's reaction.
"I'm meant to-? Save myself... And you? How?"
"By Saving yourself." said 1, getting up from his book. Everyone stared at him, "Well it makes sense, doesn't it? If he can't die, he can get 2's soul back with the talisman."
"He's right." said 9, sounding too shocked for words. "I can get him back," he whispered, like saying it too loud would blow the chance away, "I.. I can..."
"Understands." said 6, shaking his head as if he didn't belive it. "Led him. I Led him."
"I understand." said 9, too shocked to care how stupid he sounded, sitting down on the book 1 had just got up from to absorb the news- the reality.
"Finally."