Gary felt a small hand on his shoulder. He looked up, to see a strangely smiling Ib. She had black marks on her nose and mouth, and under her eyes. Her grip on Gary's shoulder tightened, her small fingers crushing into the bone. She said in a broken voice. "Gary….. I give you…..

Monster Ib.

I'm so cold…. Ib thought. All her other senses were gone, all she could feel was the cold. She couldn't see or hear or taste anything. She waited, for minutes, hours, days?- she wasn't quite sure-, lying there in the darkness, wrapped in the cold. Slowly, her sight and hearing returned. Everything was fuzzy, and every sound echoed, but at least she could see and hear. She heard footsteps, and looked up to see a blurry man with purple eyes and a black robe standing over her- Wraith. He pressed a hand to Ib's stomach. It was warm, and seemed to slowly melt away the ice.

"Wha…. you… doing…?" Ib struggled to speak, but her throat felt thick. Wraith looked at her with kind eyes. "I'm healing you, Ib." Ib tried to say something, but couldn't. Ib stared into his deep purple eyes as her vision became clearer and her senses returned. She felt her strength return to her, bit by bit. While he slowly healed her, Wraith said, "After this, the darkness plague won't bother you anymore. And maybe you'll escape from this place." He sighed quietly. "Won't that be great, Ib?" She nodded.

Soon, she sat up. "Thank you." She murmured quietly. Wraith nodded, his eyes clouded. Then, suddenly, he collapsed. "Wraith!" Ib called out, but he didn't answer. She watched in horror as the strange, sick darkness spread up from Wraith's hand, reaching up towards his neck, creeping down towards his legs, until his body was covered in the darkness. Only his face remained uneaten by the darkness, but it was spreading fast.

His lips moved, but no sound came out. Ib peered into his frightened face, trying to read his lips.

"Mary."

Then the darkness reached his face, and swallowed up his head. Then, he was gone. Nothing left except a pool of blood where he was.

Ib fell on to her knees. The ground was red and sticky. Tears started cascading from her eyes. "WRAAAAAITH!" she screamed out, but there was no one to hear her. She was all alone.

Monster Ib smiled up at Gary. When he didn't say anything, Ib opened her eyes and frowned. She said in an odd, high-pitched, broken voice, "You know, your much funner when you're Monster Gary. All this, and what thanks do I get? A weird look and the silent treatment!" 'Ib' took Gary's hand and smiled broadly again. "I have a good idea!" "What?" "How about… we rule this gallery together! Just like the dolls said!"

Gary wrenched his hand away. "NO!" In a fit of rage, he struck Ib across the face.

He slapped Ib.

When Gary realized what he had done, he backed up, repeating "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" over and over again. Ib didn't say anything.

Then Ib blinked and lifted her head. The marks on her face were gone, and she was crying.

"Wraith… he… he…" Ib lowered her head into hands, which were shaking. "Yes, honey? What did Wraith do?" Gary asked calmly in a low voice, patting her back gently. "He… he… DIED!" Ib wailed. Gary paused. Wraith? Dead? Impossible. "He died?" Gary said softly. Ib nodded, still sobbing.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that." said a low, silky voice from the doorway.

Sorry this chapter was SUPER short. I didn't had much motivation to write this….