The mood within the army headquarters was one of surprised elation. Just as their counteroffensive was beginning to falter and the new portal had produced the largest monster yet, the aerial barrier had suddenly disappeared, finally allowing the military to bring its air power to bear. A strike on the museum seemed to decapitate the monsters' command structure, and now they appeared to be in chaotic retreat. Active resistance only came from several holdout pockets. For the officers, most of whom had resigned themselves to a long campaign with no guarantee of victory, it felt like they could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
General Landon, though, was not ready to declare victory just yet. Although he too was delighted by the sudden turn of the events, there was still unfinished business as far as he was concerned. "Major?" he called out to one of the junior officers around him.
"yes sir?"
"Send out several light transport helicopters to conduct a preliminary search for Ib and Garry, and if you find them alive bring them back here. Ground forces will conduct a more thorough search later if necessary, but the sooner we can find them or their remains, the better. Be sure to provide the pilots with the descriptions offered by Ib's mother as well as their photographs." He added quietly, "I have a feeling they are alive."
"Yes sir," acknowledged the officer, "but if I might ask, why should we be so concerned about fulfilling the wishes of a random civilian?"
Landon stared crossly at the major, who had a reputation asking these sorts of questions. "First of all," he stated, "Ib's mother is not a random civilian; she is a civilian who has provided us with valuable intelligence. Second and more importantly, if Ib and Garry are alive, I want certain information from them about their experiences and the Fabricated World in general. Do you understand?"
"I understand, sir," replied the officer. He saluted and started to walk off, but then General Landon called him back. "One other thing," he stated. "As a secondary objective, also be on the lookout for what appears to be a young girl with long, golden blonde hair and bold blue eyes, wearing a solid green dress with a blue ribbon. She must be wearing that exact clothing. Her name is Mary, and if you see her, capture her alive and bring her back to HQ."
He handed the major an image of the original "Mary" painting. "Mary isn't actually human. She's really another one of the monsters, derived from Guertena's last painting before he committed suicide. For this reason she is likely high up in the monsters' ranks or at least of great symbolic value. Ib's diary claims that she and Garry killed Mary back in the Fabricated World by burning her painting, but early reports from the police who first responded to the attack indicate that she or at least a replica of her is very much alive and was present for the invasion."
"You intend to put her on trial for war crimes or something like that?"
"Yes, but before that I also want intelligence from her as well. Even though she didn't appear to play a direct role in the combat, the little witch probably has a good deal of useful information. Remember, the monsters might be retreating now, but they can always regroup and come back when they are ready. Even if we destroy that portal they're using, what's there to stop them from opening another one? No. This conflict will only be over once we've gone over and taken care of whatever the hell is on the other side of that portal."
At long last, Ib and Garry felt, the end was in sight. The two of them were slowly making their way out away from the destroyed museum and closer to the edge of the conflict zone, where perhaps the military would find and rescue them sooner. All around them, Guertena's forces were crumbling. The two of them did not know about the control orb specifically or its destruction, but they knew that victory belonged to the military. Ib and Garry could hear – and occasionally see – monsters retreating towards the staging grounds, presumably towards that large portal. It was ironic; Ib and Garry figured that the monsters likely built that portal to bring that Behemoth onto the field and give their forces the advantage, and yet now it was facilitating a chaotic escape for those that had survived. Meanwhile, scattered here and there were the remains of dead and destroyed monsters – broken statues, shattered mannequin heads, demonic versions of the painted ladies sprawled motionless on the ground. At one point, they even saw the remains of what appeared to be Red Eyes, blasted apart by an airstrike. The sight of its decapitated, still-grinning blue head inspired a mixture of revulsion, relief, and triumph in Garry.
A number of different feelings flowed through Ib and Garry as they continued walking. First and foremost was an enormous sense of relief. After several, long, days of desperation and fear they could finally see daylight; they had survived. Their thoughts also turned to their families and homes. Ib in particular found herself filled with a combination of hope and worry as to her parents. On top of that there was the general feeling of triumph; their side had won. Last but not least, Ib and Garry felt empowered, having the sense that they contributed significantly to their sides' victory. They realized that in bringing down the aerial barrier, they helped save not only themselves but all those around them.
Still, the two of them knew that they were not completely out of the woods just yet. Even though the monsters were in flight, there was always the possibility that one of them would, in a moment of opportunistic hostility, kill Ib and Garry as it ran by. After all, they were not mindless drones. At that moment, they heard a group of retreating monsters headed straight in their direction. Not wanting to take any chances, Ib and Garry ducked into an abandoned building and hid. By this point it was almost second nature to them, so it was not too alarming.
Little did they realize someone – or something, depending on who you ask – else was hiding in there.
Inside the building, Ib and Garry hunkered down and waited for the threat to pass. Sure enough, the monsters ran right past them, not seeming to suspect their presence at all. However, as soon as Ib and Garry could no longer hear the monsters, they suddenly had the sensation of being watched. They realized they were not alone in the building. For a moment, everything was silent. They heard soft, light footsteps from behind them, and then they stopped.
Garry spun around. "You!" he angrily shouted. Cautiously peering out at them from behind a pillar was none other than Mary, startled and alarmed by her suddenly being discovered, and now seemingly frozen in place out of fear. Something about her appeared different, though. Her golden blonde hair was in disarray and almost unkempt. Her dress was wrinkled and disheveled. Whereas in their last encounter she had come in a position of strength, her face now bore signs of despair and hopelessness.
Mary panicked and bolted for the exit. Brandishing his rebar rod, Garry gave chase, shooting Ib a stern glance warning her not to intervene. As she burst out of the building, Mary looked over her shoulder, and to her horror saw Garry not too far behind her, steel beam in hand. Running as hard as she could, she ducked into narrow alleyways and took every twist and turn available to her in a frantic effort to get away, yet no matter what she couldn't seem to lose her pursuer. If anything he was gaining on her. Trailing behind both of them was Ib, concerned yet careful to keep a good distance.
The chase continued for another minute or so. Taking her eyes off the road to glance backwards at her pursuer, Mary tripped on a piece of debris and tumbled to the ground with a thud. By the time she began to get up, Garry was just seconds away from being within striking distance. There was no hope of getting away.
"Okay, fine!" Mary angrily spat. "You know what? I give up! You win! I lose! Just… just kill me now and get it over with!"
Garry stopped and stared in shock at Mary. Somehow, this was just the last thing he would've expected Mary to say, even in this situation.
"There's nothing more for you to take from me!" she continued. "My father's attack has failed, you've gotten away your crimes, and now, thanks to you, my father thinks I'm disloyal and hates me. There isn't anything left you can take from me!" Ib caught up with them at this point. She couldn't believe her ears either. Ib and Garry knew that Mary hated them… but this?
Mary noticed their confusion. "You really are ignorant, aren't you?" she observed sharply. "Very well then, before you kill me let me explain just how much harm you've caused." She took a deep breath. "Back when I first met you three years ago," Mary stated in a tone of bitter resignation, lips trembling, "all I wanted was to have a human life with human friends. I was lonely! My dad provided me with sketchbooks and dolls, but he wasn't always fun to be with and would never play with me. The same was true for my siblings. I love them and they at least used to love me, but except for the dolls I could never play games with them or even have meaningful conversations. You could talk to them but couldn't talk with them! And for whatever dumb reason, I didn't believe my father when he told me about how mean and selfish your kind is!"
At this point, Garry cautiously put away his rebar rod and tried to look at Mary's face. She angrily turned her head away, but he was able to see that she was… crying? He never had guessed Mary, a painting, even had that capacity.
"So, I begged my father again and again to give the world another chance and at least let me see it, and finally he agreed to let me go out and join your world. His only condition was that he would bring two humans into the Fabricated World and have me switch places with one of them." Mary stood up and paused a moment, seeming to hesitate. "Yes," she slowly conceded, turning back to face Garry, scowling, "you were the one I intended to replace, and now that I think about, I can see why you might not have liked that… but just bear with me for a moment!" Her voice rose again. "You already got to live your entire life in the human world, and is it my fault that that's what I needed to do?! You probably would've done the same thing in my situation!" she bitterly exclaimed. She shifted her attention to Ib. "As for you!" Mary angrily stated, pointing an accusing finger at her, "What's your excuse?! All I wanted was to be your friend! All I wanted was to become your sister! Was that too much to ask for?"
Feeling his blood begin to boil, Garry glared furiously at Mary and opened his mouth to retort, but before he could say anything, he felt Ib squeezing his hand. She wanted him to please wait and let Mary finish whatever else she had to say. Hesitating for a moment, Garry took a deep breath and reluctantly complied, holding his tongue.
Mary resumed. "But that's not the main point! So my father brings you into our world, and what did you two do? You rejected me! You saw me as a monster! You burned me alive and then thought it was all okay because I wasn't human! Are my feelings, my life, and my pain really worth that much less to you simply because I'm 'just a painting'? Apparently yes! They don't matter one bit to you!
"And so," she bitterly continued, glaring at them, "I only began to hate you because it was clear you hated me. Is that not what you humans do, hate those who hate you back? When Father brought me back to life, he then launched this attack on your world so he and I could have some form of justice. One can only take so much abuse before they need to fight back! You just think we're all monsters, but isn't that how humans act too? Is it not human to hit back at those who hit you first? And yet even this form of repayment has been denied to us, too! My father's forces are beaten, and the crimes remain unpunished!
"But it doesn't end there!" Mary then tearfully spat. "After our fight, for whatever reason, one of you decided to save me from the burning building while I was unconscious." She suddenly slowed down, as if struggling for the right words. "When I woke up, I – I couldn't understand why you would help me since you hate me, and I became very confused. That led to bad, disloyal thoughts and feelings entering my mind, and when my father found out he –," Her voice choked further. "He – he became angry and told me to leave and never come back!... If your goal was to bring me down by confusing me, I hope you're happy that you succeeded!" Ib suddenly felt a horrible, sinking feeling in her gut. Is this what her efforts had led to? Was this her fault? Did Mary deserve this?
"I don't know if you humans see it differently," Mary bitterly stated, "but to me, none of this fair." She began hyperventilating. "All I wanted were friends, and it now comes to this?!" she angrily demanded. "I don't see anything I could have done differently, but even if there was, I did not deserve this fate, did I? So why did it happen?!" Her voice rose even more and her breathing quickened further. "I'll tell you. It's because my father was right! This whole world isn't fair!" Her voice reached a shrill pitch. Enunciating each word, she tearfully screamed, "Your world isn't fair!" at Ib and Garry.
Following that Mary fell silent for a moment, panting heavily as if she had put all her remaining energy into what she just said. She looked exhausted and even defeated, in fact. Ib and Garry stared in stunned silence as she gathered her thoughts. "But he hates me too now," she finally managed to say between pants, lowering her head dejectedly. "Everyone hates me. You hate me. My father hates me. Your world hates me. I don't know anymore. Maybe you're right. Maybe I am just a monster." Mary buried her face in her hands, crying quietly. "Maybe I am just a monster," she repeated to herself a second time. "That is all… I'm done rambling… you can kill me now. Just make it quick."
At that moment, Ib couldn't stop herself. She went over to Mary and embraced her, trying to comfort the very entity which days earlier had tried to kill her and Garry. Still quietly crying but less intensely now, Mary lifted her head slightly but otherwise didn't react. A moment later Ib let go and backed away. There was another period of silence. Garry found himself completely unsure of how to think or feel about everything he saw and heard.
They heard the sound of an approaching helicopter in the distance. "Mary," Garry stated, "that's probably the human army approaching. You need to run!"
Mary just stood there despondently, staring at the ground. "What's the point? There's nothing left," she responded dejectedly, almost absentmindedly.
The sound of the helicopter grew louder. "Mary! You need to run!" Garry repeated with greater urgency. "They are probably going to take you as a prisoner if they see you!" He removed his coat and held it out towards Mary. "Here! Take this and use it to disguise yourself! We won't tell them about you!"
Mary still didn't respond or even seem to notice. By now the helicopter was in plain sight and rapidly approaching. "Mary! Run, goddamn it! Run! Before I change my mind!" Garry angrily shouted. He threw his coat into Mary's face. As if snapping out of trance, she finally turned around and began running as fast as she could, not even bothering to fully put on the coat so much as draping it over her like a cloak.
Watching Mary fade into the distance, Garry muttered to himself "you're such a pushover." He and Ib then turned around towards the helicopter. It seemed to have spotted them and was descending to pick them up. At long last the ordeal had come to an end, it seemed.
The helicopter's crew had also spotted a blonde girl running away who matched the description of their secondary target. However, they saw she was not wearing the exact right clothes. The general had been specific.
(I have to say, Mary is the hardest character for me to write dialog for due to her speaking style being so different from my own. If I hadn't been planning this chapter so far in advance it would have been almost impossible.)