The couch was comfortable, but Garry found that he couldn't really sit still. He walked over to the window, looking out at the forest; moved over to the curtain, listening to the doctor ask questions that sound like real doctor questions; looked at just about anything that could be looked at without touching or opening things.

It was all normal thing. Nothing weird, pictures of flowers, a few normal looking letters; nothing strange. He almost couldn't believe it. To have just stumbled onto a nice, normal doctor in the middle of the woods.

When Dr. Drevis entered the room and closed the curtain behind her, he felt his heart leap. "Well," he asked quickly. "How is she?"

She held up her finger to her mouth and motioned to the curtain. "Shhh… She needs sleep. It's a good thing you brought her to me when you did. I'd be very concerned if her fever had gotten much worse."

Garry peaked through the curtain, to see Ib sleeping soundly on the table. "Is… is it something serious?"

The women shook her head, taking his arm and escorting him back to the living area, away from the curtain. Her face was concerned, like she didn't know what to tell him. "It's not… serious now. If she were farther along, then I would worry. I've given her something for the fever and that's the thing I'm most worried about." She motioned for him to sit and finally he did. "Mr-…?"

Garry waited, only to realize he'd never given her his name. "Oh! I'm sorry! Garry! My name's Garry."

"Garry. What a nice name." She smiled at him in a way that told him she had good news. "You noticed a problem just in time. The fever will go right down and as soon as she wakes up, you can bring her to the doctor in town. She'll be better by tomorrow."

Garry felt his shoulders sag and he closed his eyes in relief. Thank god… what would he have done if her hadn't gotten her somewhere in time? What if he'd waited too long? He cringed at the thought. He owed her so much; He adored her, he loved her so much… he didn't know what he would do if something had happened to her.

When he opened his eyes, the young doctor had begun a pot of tea, and was pulling out sugar and milk. "Dr. Drevis. I can't thank you enough."

She laughed warmly, looking back at him. "It's just Aya."

"Aya," he repeated and she smiled wider.

"And theres no need to thank me. Tea?" She held up two cups questioningly. He thanked her bashfully, and she placed them on the tray. "That's why I run a free clinic."

Garry flushed, realizing that he hadn't thought about how he was going to pay for her services. "Oh, wow. Thats… that's so generous. How do you stay open? Why are you all the way out here?"

She looked at him and he wondered if he was being too nosy. But she didn't look offended. She looked happy he was asking. He figured she probably didn't get much company this far out and hoped he'd make decent company.

"Donations mostly and the money my parents left me." Garry tried not to gasp at the meaning of her words. "I'm and herbalist and a surgeon, but I've never had formal training. I've studied the human body all my life. So when people who have terminal illnesses, or can't afford insurance need help, they can come here and I help them."

"That's so… so nice of you. Wow…" Garry looked down at his hands, thinking about how he could never do anything like that. It was amazing.

"So… tell me about you." Aya said, shifting things around. "What brings you two out here. I don't think I've seen you in town, so you can't be local."

"Oh, fishing. A fishing trip." He smiled. "I'b said she's never been fishing, so I thought I'd take her."

"Fishing? Around here?"

Garry shrugged. "A good couple of miles up the road, it took a while to find, my directions where lacking…"

"Oh…" she kept moving things around, waiting for the tea, not looking at him. "Just you two?"

"Yep." The tea began to boil and Aya turned off the fire, poring them both a cup. She brought the tray over to the table and sat down beside him. "So, friends. How did you two meet? School function type thing? A friends sibling?"

Garry looked down at the floor. How many times had he gotten that question? How many suspicious eyes, and accusing tongues. He couldn't tell the truth. Even his closest friends had just thought he was high when he finally opened up to them. Experimenting with some drugs that they didn't want to know about.

"I…" He knew there were good lies, Aya had provided two, but he was a terrible liar. He didn't want the doctor to think that he couldn't trust her, or worse, for her to think that he was the suspicious one, a strange man traveling alone with a young sick girl. "…we were trapped, in this horrible place together. I don't like to talk about it. But if it wasn't for her, I never would have made it. She's… so smart and brave. She saved me and when we finally made it out… I promised that I'd stay in touch."

He smiled, remembering how he had almost forgotten her. If it hadn't been for that handkerchief, those memories might have stayed locked up forever. He would have lived his life without the memory of what had happened and he would never of seen Ib again…

His smile faded.

"…I just want to… I just want to be there, for her. To pay her back for everything she's done for me. She's just a very special person to me."

The doctor was quiet for a long moment as he reminisced, before taking a sip of her tea. "I… I understand." Garry looked at her, appreciating her sympathy but not properly comprehending her words. "When I was not much older then Ib myself, my father tried to kill me."

Garry almost threw his cup in surprise. "Oh my god-! W-What?"

She smiled, amused at his reaction. He thought, maybe, it was a mask, hiding the fear she had felt as a child. "My father… he wanted me to be something. I didn't want too. I wanted to save him, but he was too far gone to understand that I…" She shook her head, still smiling, her eyes shining with love and admiration. "It was Maria. Maria that saved me. I'd even hated her before. But she saved me. She took care of me. She did everything in her power to give me the life that I had lost. She used to tell me… that I was her reason for living."

Garry found himself smiling. "Yeah… I guess… you do understand." He looked down into the dark liquid in his tea cup, missing the strange look that crossed her face. "Where is she? Maria? Does she live nearby?"

"She lives here," Aya told him, her hand rising to her heart. "Where I keep her eternally young and beautiful."

Garry flushed, looking up. "Sorry…"

"Don't be," She smiled fondly. "Your tea is going to get cold."

"Oh." He took a deep drink, swallowing most of the glass. "It's very good. Thank you."

Aya's smile widened just briefly, before she put down her cup and scooted closer. Garry looked at her surprised and more so when she looked at him closely. "You know… Your hair is just lovely."

Garry flushed. "Oh. Thank you."

"I've treated men before, but… so few healthy men come by." She looks almost bashful as she gazes up at him. "And none as handsome and sweet. The mountains can be so lonely… I do appreciate your company."

Garry felt his breath catch deep in his throat as he stared at her sultry expression. Handsome? Sweet? And-! was-! -was she making a pass at him!? But why!? He looked away quickly. He'd never had a women come on to him before, much less an older women (she looked to be his age, but with her behavior and experience as a doctor, he was sure that she was older then him).

Boy was that going to be a story to tell the guys back home! Talk about something they wouldn't believe!

"I wonder… if this is how my father felt when he met my mother…"

Garry looked up, his excitement dampened by the mention of the father that had tried to kill her. It seemed like a strange thing to bring up right then.

"Different from Maria…" She smiled, her hand coming to rest lightly on his knee. "I don't want to preserve your beauty… I want you alive."

Garry shivered. That… that was a really weird, slightly uncomfortable thing to hear. He started to move back but the cup he was holding fell the the floor. The contents spilt across the floor and a white streak flashed before his eyes. His vision blurred, swirled and flickered. He could hear a soft giggle from in front of him, where he knew Aya was sitting.

He forced himself to his feet, nearly tripping over the coffee table. It was like he wanted to go one way and his body want to go another. What did she put in that tea? He could hardly make out anything around him but he tried to reach Ib. He wanted to tell her to run. But the world spun faster and faster, until he felt himself hit the wooded floor and everything slowly went black.

… … … … …

Everything felt…

Fuzzy.

That was what Ib thought as she struggled to open her eyes. Fuzzy like she was still asleep and cold, so very cold. She tried to rub at her arms but they were too heavy to lift.

As her mind began to clear, she realized she was in a strange room she'd never seen before. Wall to wall stone, cabinets and beakers, and her arms weren't too heavy. There was a white strap over her chest and legs, holding her firmly to a cold metal table.

"Garry…?" She muttered, the room coming into focus as she realized something was wrong. "Garry!" She jerked against the bonds." Ugh!" It was tight, but she was young and small. Wiggling had already proven she had a little room to work with. If she could just… free.. her… arm…!

Strange medical supplies lined the cabinets and spilled out across counters. There were strange empty containers, taller then Garry, along one wall, some covered in white sheets. Then there were trays of sharp tools. It looked just like a labs in those monster movies her father liked.

Except for in the corner, that stood two of the most beautiful dolls she'd ever seen. They were so lifelike, in a brief moment of hope, she'd almost called out to them for help. But they were too still, too straight. Despite their beauty, something about them made Ib uneasy.

Finally, although every part of her arm and shoulders ached, she managed to squeeze her elbow out of the confinement freeing her arm. Quickly she reached over and unhooked the trap, sitting up to free her legs. She wasn't wearing her sundress, but a white slip, maybe like something she'd wear to bed, and her shoes were missing.

She took only a moment to look around and determine they weren't in the room. As much as that concerned her, she couldn't take the time, trying to find them. She dropped her feet to the cold stone floor and raced to the door, yanking on the handle.

Locked.

The second door, on the other side of the room, opened with ease. The corder beyond was dark and cold, going on farther then she could see. She hesitated.

She wasn't afraid of the dark, she wasn't afraid of being alone, but she was afraid of that hallway. It felt wrong and dangerous. She knew that feeling, her body telling her that it wasn't safe. If only it had felt that way upstairs… Still, Ib knew she had to move on. The museum had taught her that. So she grabbed a candle and lit it with a match box on the counter and started down.

The stone beneath her feet felt like ice and her lungs still crackled when she breathed, but she didn't feel fatigued. Her mind and body was alert. If she let her guard down, she would be taken. By what, she didn't know. Anything could be hiding in the darkness.

The first room she found was locked. As was the next one. She was beginning to lose hope when the third door swung open and she immediately regretted it. A horrified scream built up in her throat and she almost dropped her candle stumbling away from the door.

The bodies were covered in blood, ripped open and discarded on low tables. The light had only shown her so much, but the image was burned into her mind. She shuddered, praying that Garry was looking for her too as she hurried way from the bloodied room.

The following rooms weren't much better. The ones that were unlocked were filled with things that shocked even her brave young mind. In one she found a collection of loose body parts, layer out or shelved neatly, and in another a whole room of dead rabbits stuffed in jars. Her fever returned, but she was too cold to notice. Terror was building up in her stomach. She was brave. She was the strongest little girl she knew. But she was only a little girl.

She didn't want to be trapped in a scary place again.

It was a long search before she saw a light glowing in the distance. It moved slowly, getting bigger and Ib knew it was a person. Blowing out her candle she ducked into the nearest room, peering out through the crack.

Ib covered her mouth when the young doctor passed by, the blue dress swishing over stone, holding a single lantern. Ib crawled backwards, hiding behind something she couldn't see, and hid there until the soft footsteps had clicked past her and down the hall.

There was no going back now. Garry had to be further down the hall.

… … … … …

When he woke up, the first thing Garry realized was that the stone floor was much harder then where he'd fallen asleep.

The second was that he was going to kill that doctor.

Damn it. How stupid could he be? What was he thinking trusting some strange women he met in the woods! How could he have brought Ib back into this?

"Ib!" He gasped, looking around. There was a soft light beyond the bars of what he realize was a cell. He was alone. blood stained the floor around him, though not his. He yanked on the bars, kicked, felt the wall for something loose, a window, something sharp, anything.

There was nothing. He was trapped. He could see the keys on the wall, probably just there to tease him. He reached out, knowing there was nothing in arms reach, just feeling helpless.

"Ib!" He yelled again. If that women had harmed her in anyway he really was going to kill her. That women was up to something. She drugged him, looked him in a dungeon, but… maybe she just wanted him… She had hit on him. Maybe she would let Ib go…

He had to get out of there.

"Aya! Let me out of here! Where's Ib!? Someone!?" He tried to shake the bars again in frustration.

"…Garry…?"

His heart nearly kept out of his chest. "Ib!?" He pressed against the bars and almost cried when the girl came running out of the darkness. "Oh thank god! Are you alright? Did she hurt you?"

"No, no I'm alright." She said, and he dropped to his knees, hugging her tight through the bars when she reached him. She sighed with relief.

"Oh, Ib… I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I'm sorry I got you into this. I'm such an idiot. I'm sorry."

Ib smiled. She didn't blame Garry. He wasn't stupid. They were just very unlucky. But they were unlucky together. "How do I open the door?" She asked.

"The keys!" He said, letting go and pointing at the walls. "Quickly."

The key was just out of her reach, but after a few jumps she managed to get it off the hook. She wasted no time getting the door unlocked.

Once the door swung open, Garry hugged her again, tighter. "You're amazing Ib." He grabbed his things off the table nearby and put his jacket on Ib's shivering form. Using his lighter he lit the candle she was holding. "We have to get out of here. Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Ib took his hand, trusting him completely when Garry didn't even trust himself.

"Do you know the way out?"

"No. A lot of doors were locked."

Garry nodded. "Don't worry, we'll find it."

Feeling safe in Garry's strong hands, she smiled, beginning to feel the effects of her fever. Garry's grip tightened when she coughed.

"She's not a very good doctor, is she?" He asked. Ib giggled.

… … … … …

Careful as they were, it took a while to make it back to the room where Ib had been restrained.

"What vile things this doctor does…" Garry said, thinking back on the rooms Ib had shown him. He'd screamed, maybe, embarrassed by how well Ib seemed to take it beside him. But it was terrifying. He didn't even want to think about what the doctor had planned for them. He was loosing courage fast, but they had to get out of there.

Ib stopped short in the doorway. "Whats wrong?" He asked.

She pointed across the room to the other door hanging open. "That was locked."

Garry felt a chill run up his spine. Aya had gone through there. Obviously, she had to have gone somewhere, but that meant that she knew Ib had escaped. Why hadn't she come back? Did she think Ib had gotten outside? But through a locked door? Still, it wasn't like they had any other choices.

"Come on, that must lead to the exit." He handed Ib the candle as he, shaking, picked up a large knife off the operating table. "I… I don't think m-my lighter will protect us this time."

Ib stared up at the trembling man with the knife, her eyes stronger then his. "We have too."

He took a deep breath to stop his trembling. She was right. "We have too. Too survive." He steeled himself, taking the lead for the first time, he stepped out the door.

The long hallway was lined with pretty dolls of all shapes and sizes, standing with the help of little stands below their feet, or sitting on pedestals. Their faces were so lifelike and he shivered. They weren't as creepy as the blue dolls, but they were still pretty creepy. He hadn't alway hated dolls, but after all this, he done with all kinds. Fuck dolls.

Ib stayed close.

"Quickly." Garry muttered as they moved down the hall. Men and women gazed blankly as they passed, expressions unchanging. "Look, stairs!"

They reached the end of the corder and there was a set of wooden stairs. At the top were windows to the outside. It was pitch black outside, but he didn't care! He could see the back door! They were almost free!

However the second his foot touched the first step, a horrible metallic roar filled the air. He stumbled back as a shadow appeared at the top, arms filled with the large buzzing machine. Ib dropped the candle, grabbing his arm with both her hands.

"G-Garry-!"

Garry trembled as the woman took one step towards them, down the stairs. "I thought you might slip past me, so I thought I would wait up here. How did you manage to escape?" Another step. "Ib-" she addressed and Garry snapped out of his stupor.

"RUN!" He screamed, blindly throwing the useless knife in Aya's direction as he grabbed Ib's hand and bolted down the hall.

They stumbled blindly down the hall, knocking over the dolls they bumped into. Ib stumbled, her little legs having trouble keeping up. Garry kept her on her feet, but it was too dangerous to carry her in the dark. They reached the operating room and Garry slammed the door, pulling on the cabinet next to it until it tipped over landing on it's side. Ib covered her ears as the glass doors shattered and rained over his feet, the things inside poring out, spilling on the floor.

"That should buy us some time!" He said firmly. Time to do what? Hide? They had checked everywhere; there hadn't been another exit! How were they supposed to escape now?

Ib grabbed the other door and pulled. It didn't budge. "Garry! The doors locked!"

"What!?" He ran over and yanked, even putting his foot on the wall and pulling as hard as he could. "How!? We didn't eve close it!" He hit the door angrily. "What do we do now?" he asked, looking down into the girls scared eyes and immediately regretting his question. Ib was the one that always came up with the plan, but that should be his job, he was the adult.

Yet, when he asked, she squared her shoulders and flew away from him. Moving to the shelves, she began yanking everything off, looking for a key or an item that could help. Garry felt a wave of hopelessness come over him as he stared at the determined little girl he loved so much. He'd failed. He couldn't protect her. They were going to die because he had been so. fucking. stupid!

*Knock Knock*

They both jumped.

"Garry? Ib?" Aya's voice lacked the madness they expected. "Open the door. You have no where to go. Come now. You won't feel a thing."

Ib's expression hardened again and she renewed her search with vigor. Garry joined her, searching the top shelves where she couldn't reach. "Just let us go! Why are you doing this!?"

He didn't hear a reply, only the revving of the chainsaw.

Garry clented his fists for a moment, before grabbing Ib and pulling her away from her search.

"Wait-!"

"Theres no time!" He carried her to the sheets and drew them open. The bodies he saw frightened him, but he placed Ib between the tubes, the little girl seeming even smaller tucked into the corner. "Ib… I'll distract her. You run."

Her eyebrows dropped. "No."

Garry panicked. "Ib! We don't have time for this! Just- do this for me!"

She grabbed his arm as the sound of spinning metal touched wood. "You wouldn't leave me!"

Garry grabbed her arms and shook her, "I would if you were an adult and I was a little kid and you told me too! I am the adult, so you run! I swear I'll… I'll follow right after. Right? I'm an adult. I can knock her out just like Mary, but I can't do that if I'm worried about you! Please!"

Her eyes were wide and startled by his yelling. "I… Ok…"

He sighed. "Promise?"

"I promise."

"Good…" He pulled the sheets back into place and moved back to the cabinets on the other side. The chainsaw broke through the door and Garry watched, his hands grabbing whatever things by his feet that he could as Aya carved out a little opening for herself and delicately climbed out the broken cabinate.

"Now, where has little Ib gone?" she asked casually, gazing about the room.

Garry took the jar he had grabbed and chucked it at her. It hit square on and she cried out, stumbling back, the chainsaw throwing her off balance. Garry ignored the completely irrational shame over hitting a women, by grabbing something else. "I told you to let us go! You-You Psyco!" He threw it, hitting her shoulder.

Aya frowned, finally something different from her fake doctor smile. Her darker expression only scared him more. "Garry…" She chide. "That's not nice. I don't want to hurt you."

Garry glared. "Yeah right!" He threw another jar, the last by his feet, and she avoided it with a graceful sidestep.

"No, Darling…" She smiled warmly. "Don't you remember, I said that I wanted you alive."

Garry tried to hold his scowl as fear overtook his heart. ""But you want to hurt Ib!? That's the same thing!"

Aya took another step towards him, lowering the chainsaw just a bit. "I don't want to hurt her. I want to take away her pain. I want to preserve her." She looked at him sadly. "You know… what the world will do to her. She will be ruined." She stepped forward again, her eyes begging for understanding. "You don't want her to hurt, I know that. Do you want her to leave you? To grow up and leave you behind? I want to make her yours forever." She moved closer still, the chainsaw buzzing between them as Garry pressed back against the locked door. "Forever, you're most precious person. Just like Maria." She smiled towards the doll beside him, the one dressed like a nurse.

Garry followed her gaze, feeling nauseous looking into the dolls caring green eyes. It… that was Maria?! "You-You killed her-!?"

"She was happy to become one of my dolls. Forever young."

Garry saw Ib peek out from behind the curtain, but he tried not to look at her. "How could you do that to someone you love?"

Aya laughed soflty. "It's alright. You'll understand soon enough. After all-" Ib edged around the operating table before making a break for the busted door. "-neither of you can escape."

Tender feet landed on shards of broken glass at full force. Ib screamed, but was unable to stop her momentum. She stumbled through the glass before falling in it, the shards cutting into her arms and hands. She cried out in pain. Garry screamed her name but there was nothing he could do, trapped behind the chainsaw. Ib tried to pull herself out of the glass, she tried to grab her feet, but the glass hurt too much. The blood began to pool underneath her.

"Garry!" She cried, her long hair splayed around her, her slip turning red.

Garry clenched his teeth, his face twisting in pain. Their plan failed. Ib couldn't run on those feet. She couldn't even crawl through the glass if he somehow managed to keep Aya away. Again! It was his fault! How did he forget she didn't have shoes on!? He should have noticed! He should have thought of the glass!

Aya sighed a long sigh. "See now… see what you did? More pain…" She turned to the girl, but lifted her weapon when Garry made a move towards her. "Ah-ah-ah… You don't want to make things worse."

Ib pulled away as far as she could, but it wasn't long before Aya was beside her with the chainsaw. "Don't worry, I can fix those cuts. I'd rather give them time to heal, but, I can manage. They won't even be noticeable."

"Please!" Garry yelled. "Don't hurt her!"

Aya gave him a look, akin to pity. "Garry. I haven't hurt her. I didn't give her this fever or cut her skin. I only put her to sleep. She wasn't supposed to wake up, she wasn't supposed to feel anything else. She was supposed to sleep peacefully until I was ready, but…" She gave him another look and a blush that made his stomach turn. "I was... distracted."

Ib started to pull away again, biting her lip against the pain as silent tears fell from her blood red eyes.

"I really… I hate to hurt them… I just want to make all the pain go away." Her foot landed on Ib's ankle pinning her down. "Don't run child. It'd kill me to have to cut your legs off."

"DON'T!" Garry screamed, grabbing his hair, not knowing what to do. Was there anything he could do. He couldn't believe it was happening, it had to be a dream, anything! "Let her go! Please! You-You want me: I'll stay. Let her go and I'll do anything you want! Anything! Just let her go!"

"Garry!" Ib cried.

Aya's amusement returned. "You'd rather her leave forever? Stumble, like this, all the way to town on her broken feet? If she could even make it. How cruel…"

"She can make it; just let her go. You have my word that I'll stay!" Not that his promises seemed to mean much these days.

Aya pondered that for a moment. "It will be rather hard to get you back into your cell if something happens to her…" She smiled. "Let it not be said that I'm unfair. Fine. I'll let her go." Garry smiled with relief. "However, how do I know you won't run after I let her leave?" She pointed to a cabinet. "There. Top shelf. It's a muscle relaxant. It should do perfectly."

Garry closed his eyes for a moment before walking over and grabbing one of the last needles. God, he hated needles. "How do I know you'll let her go?" He asked, unable to hide the fear in his trembling voice.

"You don't." She answered. "You have your choices."

"Wait, please!" Ib cried.

Garry closed his eyes. He wanted to say something to her. "I'm sorry." He said as he jabbed the needle into his skin. The effects were instantaneous. A second later, he stumbled back against the counter. Ib screamed him name in a terrified voice and he thought- he knew- it had all been pointless. Still he hoped… and he hoped as the world spun and he fell to the ground and it all went dark again.

… … … … …

Garry thought he would have to get used to the feeling of the stone floor. He waited a few minutes for his vision to clear and rubbed his bare arms, to try to ease the cold. He would have to get used to that too. He wondered if Aya had let Ib go. He wondered if Ib could make it down the mountain safely in her condition. If she did, she would send someone for him, but he was sure Aya had some trick up her sleeve. Maybe she would throw him in his car and they'd drive away. Who knew.

The world began to settle again, but as he gazed around his new home he saw a familiar red just beyond the bars.

"I-Ib!" He stumbled over and dropped down again, staring at the girl just visible in the candle light left burning on the table. "Ib! Why are you here!? Aya didn't let you go!?"

Ib didn't answer. She sat, silent on the chair, wearing that nice new red sundress her mother had apparently cheap enough to go "play fisherman in," and the matching hat that probably cost more then his last pay check. On her feet, were the little black shoes. Someone had washed away the blood and combed her hair to sit perfectly still, framing her face. And she wore a soft expression, different from her usual blankness, as she stared straight ahead, not seeming to hear him at all.

"Ib…" He repeated with a nervous laugh, ignoring the stillness of her body. "Please, say something…." He reached through the bars, hoping he was wrong. She didn't notice. She didn't even blink. "Ib, plea-… IB!"

She didn't move, she didn't flinch.

Garrys arm fell to the ground. "No…" The tears filled his eyes before he could even allow himself to understand what had happened. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…!" He dropped his head into his arms. "…I failed… I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry…!" He sobbed heavily. "I'm so sorry!"

Ib just stared ahead, unmoving and lifeless and Garry shook with sorrow in his cell.

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