Chapter 11
Ness was able to survive another dream that ride to Threed. It involved him murdering helpless people, which left Ness in a cold sweat. He was too afraid to sleep again, but he knew that he needed to. It was strange for him to have such dreams, as he had never truly encountered one before. Sure, he had occasional ones like running away from ghosts, or being trapped in a broom closet, but nothing this intense. Every time he had awoken, all he could attempt to do was catch his breath. The fear that was still boiling inside him had begun to rot him starting at the core. He didn't know how long he had to put up with it, or if it would ever end.
He had an undesirable guilt sitting in his chest of the people he left unconscious. Those people had their bones broken, noses bleeding, and so much more. It was too much for a little boy to handle. He didn't expect this much torture that had been hurting him on the inside, and it hit him like a wrecking ball, sending him flying off of a cliff into the bottomless pit of regret and despair. He only expected a little recoil from his actions, such as little glimpses of the people he had hurt, but nothing like this. As the final minutes awaited Ness and Paula, everyone was awoken, and the driver had stopped at a local fast food drive-thru.
All of the band members ordered quarter-pounder cheeseburgers with fries, Paula wanted a small cheeseburger and a side salad, and Ness didn't want anything. It worried Paula, but she told herself to push it to the back of her mind. Like the talk before, it was best to give him room, no matter what the cost. Ness had no experience with violence except for when he had burned ants with a magnifying glass, and the hallucinations of bodies on the floor begun to appear. It had only been a day, and they started to erupt the moment he had shoved Pokey into that wall, and was handed a gun. He didn't feel like he was ready to mature. He didn't want to, and instead wanted to stay at home, and never leave town, like he was forced to do otherwise two days ago.
His homesickness didn't help much either. The motherly love that his mom used to share with Ness only wanted him to run back home and cry in her arms. He didn't expect to see her again. Deep down, he only expected the worst that would come after defeating Giygas. Death. And it was obvious as rain pouring from a blackened sky. What was to happen once he had killed the cosmic destroyer of the universe? Would he stroll away as he made the long trip back home? No. If he had to destroy Giygas, it had to come at a cost, and it would be his life. He didn't know for sure if Paula realized it either, but he didn't want to know, or tell her if needed. He just allowed it to pass by and shake his hand when the time arises.
Ness could tell that they were getting close to the ominous town of Threed when they had hit a sign that read "Threed: 10 Miles Ahead". The fog in the sky had begun to make its way to the van. The trees had begun to change their age to a dead, lifeless state. No leaves, just bare and broken branches. The sleek road had turned to gravel and mud. They couldn't see ten feet in front of them, making it appear as if it was already night. Before their entrance to the town, it was crystal clear that the sun was arising to a new day, but it was almost impossible to know for sure once you had hit that road sign. It puzzled Ness to why people would live in such a place, but he kept it out of his brain. They even passed a deserted, and gravestone infested cemetery for them to enjoy. No one was occupying that lot besides the grave digger doing his job.
It was only minutes until they were to reach the streets of Threed, when Paula and Ness looked at each other in worry. They knew for sure that there had to be an evil entity that was to be guarding such a place like this that still held a bit of life in it. Whatever it was, it was barricaded by something, and it had to be such a sanctuary that it was important for the two heroes to discover. They both agreed that this place had to hold a melody…somewhere. Wherever it was, it was going to be a long day before they find it.
They then found themselves at the half-lit tunnel that appeared to be the final entrance to the mysterious city. Once they entered, there was no turning back. What was to come would come. The lights above zoomed past the vehicle zoomed like fireballs shooting at them. It soon ended once they had gotten onto a street, and saw what the landscape looked like without the fog that blinded them. It was a town about the size of Onett, but with a giant circus tent in the middle like a pillar in the middle of the area. Some short, some tall buildings of green and purple were scattered about, and to the left was another graveyard with hundreds of corpses buried into the ground. With the fog stretching above Threed, it covered the sky so well that it felt as if it was midnight, leaving the town in complete darkness, making the grass and trees seem dark, and the street's lamps lit up to guide the pedestrians.
As the van slowly toured around the area, they noticed that no one was on the sidewalks like normal. Not one indication of life was present, until Paula spotted something lurking behind a house.
"What the heck is that?" Asked Paula as she pointed to the figure. Ness didn't see any clear indications of it being real, besides the slight movement of interaction between it and a garbage can.
"Probably just a rat." Ness said. Although Paula nodded, she still believed that something wasn't right about it. Something strange was with this town, and they were going to be plopped right in the middle of it. The Runway Five's van suddenly stopped near a bus station, signaling them to exit the vehicle.
"Guess this is where you want us to go." The driver said. Ness and Paula then got out of their seats, and maneuvered past the burger wrappers that were covering the floor. They then found themselves with a sudden chilly breeze run through them, giving them goosebumps. The ground was covered in dew, making both of their shoes soak in the water, damping them to their socks.
"Thanks for the help, and all," said one of the band members, "we couldn't have gotten to Fourside if it wasn't for you."
"Call us if you need any help at all." Another said. "We'll be glad to help."
The, all of the remaining passengers waved goodbye as the van quickly skidded on the icy ground, and drove into another tunnel on the opposite side of Threed, leaving them alone in the darkened streets. They wrapped their arms around themselves to stay warm, as they walked down the street, only to hear the sound of their footsteps. They passed by shops, hotels, and apartments that all seemed to be run down, and unsanitary by any means. There were bugs and rodents infesting them, boarded up windows, and moss and mold blanketing the rooftops.
They then both decided to head to the tent to see what there was to hold in this town. The pillars covering the yellow sheet with a flag jerking with every wind gust were out of shape, and ready to collapse. When they entered, all they could see were more tents, but with people in beds lying inside them. There were doctors and nurses tending to them with the respect and care they seemed to have needed. It was quiet, and was still quiet when Ness and Paula entered the room. Their heads turned in confusion, due to the fact that they had never seen a regular person ever walk the streets in a long time. Their eyes widened, and some staff came over to them like they had been their children that they had never seen in forever.
"What are you guys DOING out there?" A doctor asked in a disciplined tone of voice. "Do you know how long it takes to have the virus infect every cell in your body?"
"What virus?" Asked Ness cautiously. The man then chuckled quietly, until he said, "Son, do you know why we have this damn tent up?"
Ness and Paula shook their heads. "We just arrived here by bus," she lied, "and we came because…we heard that you needed help."
The doctor then laughed a bit louder, but covered it up with a cough to contain it from the silence that the room needed.
"Well, you've done well enough by interrupting our treatment." He said sarcastically. "I don't know why you think you can help us. Unless you guys are brainiacs who know how to find a cure for this disease, you guys are not going to fulfill your goal. We've been running this operation since the virus has spread. You're lucky that they never got you yet."
Scared, yet curious, Ness said, "W-Who's "they"?"
"The infected." Said the doctor in a stern voice. "We've been trying to keep people away from here so it doesn't spread, but…there aren't so many of us, and you idiots decided to come when we are in here."
"Where are the others?" Asked Paula.
"We are the others," he said sadly, "unless you count the few that are still hiding in their houses. The infected don't…act like us. They seem to be….unnatural. So many have…died. That's why we have so many gravestones. We haven't been able to escape this town alive. It would be too risky to walk out there, but…we're running low on food and water. No one passes by this place ever, except for you two."
Ness glanced at Paula with uncertainty, and then asked the doctor, "Well, have you figured out where exactly this came from?"
"Not at all." Said the doctor. "It's some sort of parasite that seemed to have come from nowhere. It attacks the host, and then infects it like the person was only catching the common cold. Then…they act strange. They attack people as their flesh slowly degrades off of their own body. These people in here are either injured, or about to be one of them. It only needs a single bite to turn one into them."
Ness then looked at the poor souls lying on each bedspread ridden mattresses, with infections and major damage done to their bodies. It made him cringe at the sight of one of them, with a huge dent that was formed at the side of his neck. Pus and fungus surrounded it, with only a small amount of actual blood left visible on the mark. The patient then slowly opened his eyes, and moaned like he had a frog stuck in his throat, and groaned as a couple of nurses tended to the victim. The group turned to him with despair, and viewed as he squirmed to get himself off of the bed, as he was in dire pain.
His voice then got louder and louder as his force on the struggling nurses grew. His eyes rolled upwards as his untrimmed fingernails scratched the bed. The man then screamed loudly, as one doctor attempted to inject the sick patient with a needle containing green liquid. He jabbed it into one of his arms, and the person then began to loosen up and grow weak to the medicine. His body jerked back and forth, but no longer trying to escape, but to fight the urge to get off from the bed. Then, he stopped moving. Forever.
The doctor between Ness and Paula sighed, and threw his clipboard he was carrying across the room. It caught the attention of many, and Ness and Paula wanted to comfort the troubled person, but he declined.
"It's just so God damn…hard to do something like this. He said at the urge of total rage. "We have to do this with all of our patients that turn. We attempt to sustain them for as long as possible, but it won't last forever. They attack, and we put them to sleep. Now you two idiots are stuck with us too. No one is coming for us, and your plan to help us just backfired. Good job."
Before the man then went back to tend to the victims of the plague, he said as he turned his head, "I suggest you leave now before another attack comes."
"But sir, what about the-" Ness said before being interrupted.
"I don't care. Just get out of here. You two seem fit to handle yourselves." He said as he stormed off.
Leaving all of the medical staff looking at the two children exposed to what dangers the world now has, Ness and Paula rush out of the circus tent that now grows tiresome of what it use to hold. Joy and laughter was what was held in a circus, but now, it's what is now the minority of the dread that looms over Threed. Paula regretted ever leaving her house, and so did Ness, but did they even have a choice? It was a cost to doing their jobs, and heart wrenching as it may be. Their perspective of the world was now flipped upside-down, like their courage. They didn't feel as if they were ready to be kicked out into the dangerous streets of what use to hold regular people, but now monsters of the curbs and sidewalks.
As Ness and Paula walked out of the quarantine tent, two people from behind sealed up the sheet door. The outside greeted them with a fall-like shiver, and showed them the way to their demise. They pictured the place as "Terminal City": nothing put terrors to unfold. They had no plan. They had no idea of what they were to do next. All that was on their mind was to survive.
"Maybe we can find a shelter that others are hiding out in." Paula suggested. Ness nodded his head, and they both jogged to the streets with caution. At first, they spotted no one, but further on ahead, they caught a glimpse of a couple of the infected. It was too late for them, and Ness felt sorry because of that. It only made it worse that his feelings on the incident were laid directly at his feet, as if he was the one who had spread such terrible sickness. It was then he who wondered what would have happened if he had never investigated the rock. He could have his shelter to Giygas's attack, and let some other hero do it. His actions seemed to have changed with every city, and they felt as if they were slowly to get worse and worse.
The infected, or what Ness described to Paula as "zombies" was truly frightening, as their physical looks were consumed by decay, like they were rotting corpses that pushed themselves out of the grave. Lost limbs, cuts and open wounds that were covering other limbs as if they were not treated in years, and a stench that moved itself farther than ten feet away, making Ness want to puke. The smell of corpses was not appetizing, and overall something that they wouldn't stand for long periods of time. They needed to find cover, and a few houses with gleaming light between the cracks of wood covering the windows seemed promising enough. As they walked to the door, they knocked on it quietly to not attract any of the infected, but loud enough for so someone could hear from inside, if someone was inside.
"Go away! You sick bastards are probably bit!" A man screamed from inside.
"Honey, we don't know that. They could be lost, trying to hide from them." A woman said behind the door.
"We can't take that risk. There are too many out there, and if he or she is bullshitting us, then we're done for!"
"We're not bit! We just need somewhere to stay for today!" Paula yelled, which turned the heads of some infected who were hiding in the shadows.
"She's just a kid, Harold! She's not bit!" The woman said.
"I call BS on that! Go away! We can't trust people like you!"
The walking corpse-like people then growled in the distance, and sprinted towards the two guests waiting outside the door.
Her heart racing, Paula screamed, "Please! Let us inside! They're after us!"
"Screw you! We have problems to deal with too! Get out before I pump your guts full of lead!"
"We just want inside! Please sir, we won't stay long!" Ness replied back in a yelp.
"Honey! Please! They're just children! –" She added.
"Stay out of this! Now move before you get shot!" He yelled with the sound of a gun being loaded.
The infected people after them grew to ten or twenty, hollering as they chased their meals at the doorstep. It was only seconds before they were about to be as good as dead.
"LET US IN! PLEASE!" Paula cried. Ness then couldn't take it anymore, then used his PSI to force the lock on the door to bust apart from the wooded entrance, allowing him to burst himself in while grabbing Paula's arm. The attack pushed the survivor inside to fall onto his partner, tumbling onto the carpeted floor, releasing his grip on the gun. Ness then swiftly put his hands in front of his body to keep the door in place as hordes of them impacted it. It took much strength to keep the door in place, but after a while, they soon gave up, and walked away. Ness could feel the pressure of the door through his palms as if he was holding it himself, and then sighed as it declined to nothing. They soon quieted once they had left the scene, and Ness took extra precautions by stealing a couple nails and rectangular wood to replace the door with clean cut birch pieces.
The two house owners were covered in dust and blood, with the man wearing a button-up white shirt, and jeans, with barely any hair to the sides of his face. The woman had filthy black hair and holes all over her grey shirt that was meant for a wider male. Her pants had rips in the kneecaps, and her tennis shoes looked as if they were years old. As they both emerged from the ground, the man's anger and frustration was at melting point to when he pulled his rifle off from the ground, holding it again at Ness. Ness replied with his hands up in surrender, only thinking back to the same incident in Twoson. Paula screamed before she was told to do the same action as her friend.
The house was torn apart, as the skinny hallway held many normal pictures that were held in cracked picture frames, held by nails on peeling wallpaper. The lights above were bright enough to light up some of the room, but not all of it. The stairs that led to the next floor seemed pitch black, and the hallway that led to the next room was blocked by a large drawer. Packaged food and water bottles were stacked high in the corners, giving a clue to the living condition of the population that kept the town from collapsing. Unlike what they doctor had said, there was food, but only held in such protected homes that were still occupied by males and females hanging onto life by a thread.
"What the hell is your problem, kid?!" He yelled so loud that it shook the house. "You could have killed all of us back there!"
"But I didn't!" Ness said smartly. "And I suggest that you put that gun down before I rip it from your hands."
The old man then laughed at his petrified wife, who was hiding behind him. "You aren't ready for this kind of place, boy." The man said. "You should have stayed back home before entering this town. No one is getting out of here. Not even you two."
"We…just needed a place to stay. Just for the night!" Paula pleaded. "Then, we will be gone before you notice!"
"Put the gun down, Harold!" The lady said in tears. "They're just children! They don't deserve this! Let them stay! Just tonight, like they said!"
The man, who put his gun to his side as he rubbed the top of his head, went for the idea, and sighed as Ness put his hands down like Paula, and put his hand out for a friendly shake. The woman's husband then did the same, and made contact with their hands. Once they began to move their arms back and forth, the man broke their grip, and used his other hand to grab Ness's head, and shove it into the wall. His skull impacted a family portrait, which fell from the wall, with blades of glass shredding Ness's skin, and still stuck in as the man continued to brutally knock out the boy with one final fist to the gut, only to have him fall to the feet of Paula, who then received a knock to her temples with the butt of the rifle.
…
Ness had his body thrown violently to the concrete as he recovered from the blast. Paula was the same, thrown on top of each other to create a small pile in the dark room. The only light to be seen was from the metal door that had the man standing in it. He flicked on the lights, which gave a view of a completely empty spherical room with metal shelves with nothing on them but empty boxes. It was a bomb shelter, with full metal walls that sealed the ceiling, and walls to create an impenetrable fortress from radiation and heat. A perfect place to keep two kids hostage, or to die of starvation, or worse. The man then closed the door once Ness and Paula had opened their eyes to the horrors of their situation. They could hear numerous locks that certified that there was no way out.
With Ness again covered in injuries to his face, and stomach, he looked in terror as he saw Paula with a big black eye that made her look horrible. Once they had gotten off one another, Ness tried to attend to Paula's face, but she pushed him away.
"It's fine. We can deal with it later. Right now, we have to get out of here." She said quickly. Ness agreed, and tried to bust the door open with his PSI, but to his surprise, it failed. He tried again, but his powers felt degrading and useless.
"I don't feel….strong enough to…break open the door." He said between pants. Paula then answered with, "Crap. That's what happens when you lose your energy. Think of it as points that you use up every time you use it for an attack. You don't have any right now-"
"Are you kidding me?!" Ness yelled. "Now we're stuck here forever!"
"Well, I can-" Paula said before Ness yelled, "No. You can't do anything! I know that you can't get that huge door open. If you don't believe me, you can try it yourself!"
Angered, Paula said, "Fine!", and walked to the door, and used her abilities to try to get it open, but to no avail.
"I can't…seem to…" Paula said.
"You can't get it open. You don't have the strength to. Now we're stuck in here 'till we rot like the rest of them, because it's all my fault!" Ness said.
Paula stuck in empathy, said, "It's not your fault! We needed to find some way to get away from them, and the only way to do that was to-"
"Was to break into someone's house, risking the lives of them, and us. And that was my idea. All of my ideas lead to someone else, or us, getting hurt, or possibly getting killed!"
"Well, you're the one who always has the ideas to get us through!"
"WELL, do you see me with some brilliant idea now?! HUH?!"
Ness, with his teeth gritted, and his fists in a ball, kicked the shelf, and walked up to her with strong stirrings. Paula was speechless to how much pain Ness was inflicting on himself, and to others. He had gotten himself in a pickle many times, but it seemed that this was the time that he would snap.
"Exactly. I have nothing. I have ABSOLUTELY GOD DAMN NOTHING!" Ness said as he tipped the shelf over with his bare hands with a clang, scattering cardboard boxes all over the floor. Paula wanted to burst into tears, but she held them in to contain her feeling toward him. Every time they were in a situation like this, she felt the same towards him. Not so much of a love, but a strong bonding that she had ever experienced before, but she couldn't explain it.
But once she had gotten her mind of that exact feeling, an idea popped into her mind. She gasped as Ness ignored her plan, sulking besides the mess he had created. To not disturb him, she went to the opposite side of the room, and bend down onto her knees. She clasped her hands together, and closed her eyes. She let out a long sigh, and said to herself quietly, "Hello? Can you hear me? I am Paula, a friend that you have not met before."
She heard no response, and struggled to keep her patience.
"I am in need of help. I and another friend are trapped in a room in Threed, and we need you to free us. I do not know your name. I do not know what you look like, but I know that you are the one. The one to…join us in war against a being known as Giygas. But first, we need you now. In whichever way possible, please save us!"
She squeezed her eyes closed, and gave up hope fast. Although Ness could hear, he did not face Paula whatsoever, and he heard the small sobs of a girl behind her, and he turned his head. He only watched as they both lost hope in their mission, and waited to die in their final destination. But although they believe that the message was not received, it wasn't true. The begging was picked up from a far distance. In the snowy hills known as Winters Valley. The landscape was filled with snow and joy, occupied by a large building shaped like a school, but holding residents. Residents of children the age of Ness and Paula, living in a boarding school known as Snow Woods, with one boy who was different from the others. The moment Paula's thoughts had reached Jeff, he was in his dorm room, sleeping in his green shirt and pants, and shiny brown shoes. His glasses were rested by his bed, and his blonde hair was rustled from the pillow.
He squirmed when he heard the sound of a young girl's voice, and instantly woke up. He looked to see no one but his roommate, Tony: His redhead best friend sound asleep under his covers, and the piles of screws, metal pieces lying in the corner of the room for later. Jeff swiped the glasses off from the table, and heard the voice repeat in his head. He knew that it was not a dream. It was time for him to fulfill his destiny, starting tonight. Jeff was about to become a hero.