White Roses Chapter 21 Part 2/2

The grass rustled, the somber song lost on the reticent witnesses of a nightmare, but it does not break the awed ambiance – the silent storm.

The trenches of poignant trepidation did not lessen the shock or the sinking realization that Ib was no longer there – she had been swallowed by the chasm. The image of Cycloptic Smile strangling and casting her aside was burned into their retinas and would surely fuel many nightmares to come.

 Ire burned to life as the shock subsided, but Amelia’s hot tears and pained yelling ebbed into harsh crying. Her shaky legs couldn't support her weight and she dropped to her knees, but her hand still reached out though only air passed through her empty fingers. She felt fear and devastation grip her heart, but also a burning anger to destroy the smiling painting before her.

Cycloptic Smile stared at her, the spotless smile never waning despite her acts of violence. That single haggard eye remained wide and watchful and intense and waiting – though for what, Amelia didn't know or care.

That stare, that eye, that accursed painting. It needed to be destroyed, annihilated, and burned to ashes for taking Soaru and then Ib too. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

“I’ll kill you,” Amelia said, the words soft but poisonous. The words didn't belong to her, like something had taken control of her vocal cords and said it instead. It shocked the wheat-haired girl that something so uncharacteristic had come from her, but the notion of resisting was swept away by the ascending chants to murder the painting.

Cycloptic Smile, as if sensing the blood lust, seemed to beam and her haggard eyes grew only wider in what could have been labeled as excitement or anticipation.

Amelia stood up, whispering her death threat like a broken record as she took a few steps forward. Her eyes were wide and glassy, there but also worlds away. She didn't have a weapon or plan of attack, but it didn't matter to her. There was only the instinct to destroy, and she would improvise when she needed to.

I need to stop fluttered around in her mind, but Amelia couldn't seem to break through the malicious current.

Someone moved in front of her and grabbed her smaller shoulders to stop her. The deep sage green yukata cut off her view of the painting. “Amelia, what are you planning to do?”

“Get out of the way,” Amelia nearly growled.

Luminous blue eyes stared deep into jaded may-green. His grip tightened on her shoulders, “No.”

Amelia tried to move around him, and though he anticipated the movement, Luno did not account for the sheer strength behind the shove she gave him. He blindly reached out, grasping at her arms that shied away. Garry grabbed for Amelia next, his hand making contact with her wrist before she struck out, but he held his ground.

“Amelia, stop! We can’t help Ib or Soaru by blindly attacking. I know you’re angry, but we need to think this through if we want to help them, so calm down!”

“I’ll kill it, burn it to ash.” Was Amelia’s response, her eyes looking straight at the painting.

“Garry,” Luno addressed as he carefully crossed over to block Amelia’s view of Cycloptic Smile.

The lavenderette looked over, his eyes conveying that he already knew. The painting was somehow influencing them the longer they stared at it. It had been evident earlier when Garry was lost in a wave of despair and distrust, but had been more prevalent in Amelia who the painting tried to lure over to her side. Amelia’s sudden blood lust was just her anger and fear being manipulated.

Why though? What would Cycloptic Smile gain from making Amelia want to kill her?

Amelia struggled to stare at the painting in loathing, but Garry kept her still while Luno continued to block her view as he approached. The girl growled in anger, her death threats escalating in volume until she was screaming herself hoarse. She wriggled around relentlessly, kicking at Garry’s legs in an attempt at freedom. She managed to wrench one hand free and swiped at Luno when he got too close, one of her nails cutting into the left-side of his jaw.

The fair blond didn't bat an eye, though the left one did crinkle in pain, and grabbed Amelia’s arm again. Garry let go of the girl when nudged by Luno, who embraced the struggling blonde, locking his arms around her. The lavenderette played look-out by standing in front of them, half facing the painting, but kept from staring straight into her eye.

Behind Garry, Amelia was beginning to calm down, but her screams were only replaced with hoarse whispers. Luno kept her head buried in his shoulder, and together they sunk to their knees. The whispering abruptly ended not long after and Amelia gently pulled away to cup his face where the cut was.

Luno gently grabbed her wrist, “It’s alright.”

“I’m sorry,” was her hoarse response, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.

“G-guys!” Garry squeaked, which instantly drew their attention to what he was looking at.

The alleyway behind Cycloptic Smile seemed to warp and, without warning, shadows erupted from within the alley’s bowels. They branched out and crawled along the adjacent buildings like thick roots. The ground rippled, the shadows haphazardly elevating it. Cycloptic Smile rose with the roots and, in the thick of it, walked deeper into the passage, the inky shadows fading her into oblivion.

“We have to follow,” Luno broke the silence. Amelia looked at him, fear and anxiety but also determination flashed within her eyes. Garry merely nodded, his throat suddenly dry, but he had this urge that he needed to find Ib as soon as possible. He wanted to voice that none of this made much sense, that shadow-games were supposed to be reserved for St. Rose’s walls, but knew it wasn’t the time for questions.

“Let’s get going, Ib and Soaru are waiting.”

Amelia and Luno got to their feet and stood at the taller boy’s side, watching the roots twist and convulse for a moment. “We’ll need a plan to get over those obstacles,” Luno stated as he crossed his arms to ponder a strategy.

“Nuh-uh, just don’t stop running.” Amelia replied with a bright smile, fire shining in her eyes. “We don’t know where it’ll lead us, but I never heard Ib or Soaru hit the ground. With the force Cycloptic Smile used and the given that the alley has to end, there should have been a large crashing sound. However, there wasn't, so maybe the alleyway is a passage to somewhere else.”

Luno smiled at the girl’s well-thought out analysis, “Cycloptic Smile is unlike the other paintings; maybe she can open passages to the Gallery?”

“Guys, we need to go – now!” Garry warned, indicating to the shadow roots that were starting to recede back into the alley’s depths.

The three sprinted into the alley, which resulted in Garry tripping and latching onto one of the inky vines. He was unable to let go due to the sheer velocity that he was moving at, but he strained against the harsh wind to look ahead and could make out a strange rectangular outline that the shadows were rapidly approaching. The outline almost looked as if it rushed to meet him, but that was all he could recall thinking before he was thrown into sudden darkness.

The feeling of being weightless and the resulting churning of his stomach were the only indications that Garry needed to know that, despite the abysmal darkness, he was still traveling through what he could only guess was air. He could no longer feel the chill of the inky tendrils beneath him and there wasn't the presence of wind rushing along his body.

For seemingly no reason, Garry had the sudden thought to look at what he believed was up. From high above him he could see the same rectangular structure from before, only this time it was luminous and nearly golden. The lavenderette quickly made out that it was a door when he caught sight of the night sky within its depths. It was only furthered when a part of it started to swing like it was on a hinge, closing the doorway, and the corona softly died.

With sudden fervor, more golden doors flickered into life around him in overwhelming numbers. Most of the doors remained shut, floating within the dark expanse. Though his curiosity begged for him to touch one of the doors, self-preservation and fear stopped him.

From somewhere below him, Garry felt a harsh wind consume him, which was followed by a sharp plunge into an open doorway. The harsh gales tossed his about, causing him to somersault and twist with each gust, before harshly spitting him out into the open air.

The feeling of freedom was short lived. Garry’s descent was quick, and he hit the ground and rolled before eventually coming to a halt. Though the spinning and dizzy feeling kept him from pinpointing his friends’ locations, Garry heard a crash somewhere in his general vicinity.

He closed his eyes to combat the spinning, realizing that this was probably what cartoon characters felt like when they were hit on the head. He put the thought aside and tried to focus on his other senses. Well, he was definitely in pain, if the throbbing all over his body was any indication, but nothing felt particularly broken. Damn, he was going to be really sore tomorrow, as if the whole running for his life thing he’d been doing the last week hadn't been enough.

On another note, there was the undeniable taste of dirt in his mouth, which had probably entered amidst his rolling; however, he couldn't remember if he had opened his mouth or not. The only blessing was the cool grass that brushed against his skin, which would have been relaxing if it hadn't made his skin feel itchy.

He opened his eyes and sat up, but the movement had been too quick and caused him a few stabs of pain. He waited for the feeling to pass before cautiously looking around.

It was dark, but not abysmal or pitch-black darkness. It was the type that was temporary, almost gray, much like the bleakness of a rainy day. Yet, it was also different, darker and night-like. Garry took a look at the sky, an endless strait of night, but something was off about it, though he couldn't put his finger on it.

Garry turned his head to look at the alleyway behind him, but found only a half-built structure that opened to a large cluster of dark-toned foliage, which were dauntingly shaped into large trees, low shrubs, and grass. It was a flash, but Garry saw the similarity between the half-built structure and the alleyway he remembered.

Garry was distracted from his confusion when he heard Amelia loudly groan and mutter to herself somewhere to his left. He quickly got up when he saw that the girl had somehow managed to land on a stone pathway.

“Hey, are you alright!” He worriedly called out while walking over to her.

“Just peachy,” she rasped out after turning onto her back with a pained groan.

She took Garry’s offered hand, cringing at the pops and cracks her body made in response. It took a moment for the head-rush to leave her, but within no time she regained her balance.

“Wait a second, where’s Luno?” Garry froze, feeling guilty for momentarily forgetting their missing party member. Amelia’s eyes widened in response at his silence before cupping the sides of her mouth and belted out the missing blond’s name and, when he didn't answer after fifteen-seconds, continued to do so in intervals.

Garry walked around, knowing the blond shouldn't have been thrown too far judging by the difference between his and Amelia’s crash sites, which were maybe twenty to thirty feet apart. However, there was always the possibility that he had landed further away, so Garry upped his scope to around what he thought was fifty feet.

He spent the next fifteen minutes walking around in vain, Amelia’s shouts growing more panicked behind him, and when the sixteenth minute ticked by Garry gave pause. He had been listening intently, trying to focus over the normal everyday outdoor sounds but, aside from Amelia, there wasn't anything to block out – it was quiet. There was no wind, no cawing birds, or anything to indicate life. There was only his breathing, his footsteps, and the clamor Amelia was causing somewhere behind him.

It should have been easy for Luno to hear them.

Garry tried to reason with himself, excuses racing through his mind, but another thought blossomed just as quickly, maybe he was ignoring them.

‘No, he’s not the type to do something like that!’ Garry argued with himself, suddenly angry that he would even doubt Luno.

He quickened his pace in an attempt to outrun his thoughts, but eventually had to turn back. Amelia looked at him hopefully, and he couldn't look at her when he shook his head. She went back to walking around and shouting Luno’s name, but Garry couldn't handle her defeated tone.

“Amelia, stop,” he gently tried to say.

She ignored him and continued on until he finally lost his temper.

“Just stop, it’s not helping!”

Amelia turned to him and started punching him in the chest, “Shut-up!”

“Cut it out!” He countered after grabbing her wrists to stop the onslaught. She angrily wriggled and yelled at him to let go.

“You’re not helping anyone, none of them can hear you, and it’ll be hopeless-” Garry was cut off by Amelia’s equally angry yelling, “What am I supposed to do then, huh? She took Soaru away and, even though he was my friend and my responsibility, I was too scared to help him! Ib wasn't though, she went to go help him, someone she barely knew, and then I could do nothing as she was taken away too! They’re my friends, but I was too much of a coward to protect them, and, now, I don’t even know if they’re alive! She already took both of them; she can’t take Luno away from me, too!”

Her voice cracked on the last part as hot, angry tears poured down her face. Her frame trembled and it was taking a great deal of energy for her just to remain standing. She looked fragile and small, unlike the normally boisterous and energetic girl he’d come to know. It was even worse than the fight with Dmitri, and that’s when Garry’s anger ebbed away completely.

Amelia Jones was breaking before his very eyes.

He smashed her to him in a hug, “Don’t talk like that! We couldn't have known what would've happened, no one could. All of us agreed to help Soaru, you, Luno, Ib, and me. Every single one of us is responsible for him, not just you, and we were all scared of her, even Ib. At one point, I didn't even want to save him anymore because I let her get to me. I also felt that way when she was trying to lure you away from us, everything that you’d ever done to me resurfaced and while I wanted to help you, I didn't. I didn't even react when Ib was taken because I was so scared and Luno didn't move until you were in danger; none of us were thinking about Soaru and none of us were prepared for what happened to Ib.”

He had a flashback to that moment, that horrible moment when Cycloptic Smile had picked Ib up by her neck, and he could still feel the fear and helplessness that had consumed him. Garry was ignorant to his own tears and the emotion that permeated his voice, but Amelia was hugging him back.

“I couldn't do anything for her, even though she’s important to me! I let her slip away, because I was a coward. We all were. Ib is…she’s gets scared more than we notice, and when we do she tries to cover it up in order to not worry us. You can’t blame yourself for her actions because she would have done the same for a complete stranger, probably. Luno came with us, meaning he has to be here, though I don’t know where, and we will find him, Soaru, and Ib. You and I are still here, together; remember that.”

The two stared at each other seriously and Amelia sniffled a few times before asking, in a nasally-cold-stuffed-nose way, “How can you say such embarrassing things with a straight face?”

Garry knew she wasn't poking fun at him, her awed and somber expression dead giveaways, but his face heated up anyway. He started sputtering, “W-well, stop blaming yourself and, shut-up, it’s not funny! I’m trying to hold a conversation here!”

Amelia’s small chuckles subsided as Garry silently pouted, though he would never admit to pouting, ever. She looked over at him seriously, scrutinizing him for a moment before poking his upper arm, “Sorry about punching you.”

Garry looked at her, and she almost felt insulted by the surprised look he gave her, but he just nodded and indicated to her wrists, “I’m sorry about before, too. I just got so frustrated with myself and I projected it onto you.”

“It’s alright; sometimes everyone needs a little slap of reality.” She easily replied.

It was silent between them for a moment, each unsure of what to do next.

“We should probably look for Luno,” Garry finally broke the silence, “He probably isn't in the area though.”

“Yeah, especially if he didn't show up while we were having our screaming match,” Amelia agreed. She turned to look at the alley in puzzled wonder, her face contorting through several expressions before she looked back at him. “Why is this place so different? The alleyway we came through was part of the ruins, but this here looks like it isn’t even finished yet. The path also bothers me, too.”

Garry had noticed that their surroundings looked different, but he had thought the road was at least familiar. “Isn’t it the same as before?”

The two stepped onto the paved path and Amelia furrowed her brows, “Nope, this is paved with limestone blocks. These also look rather new…” she trailed off, lost in thought.

Garry gave her time to think, curious to what she was getting at. He didn't know a lot about Nivis Alba, which was painfully obvious, but he had also thought that incidents like their current one were reserved for the Gallery within the walls of St. Rose Academy. He had assumed wrong, but maybeCycloptic Smile was special somehow. Ms. Creo and Ida couldn't leave the school, but why could this painting? Something nagged at him, urging him to remember.

“Oh, my God!” Amelia exclaimed, repeating the phrase a few times before she grabbed Garry and shook him a few times while asking, “Do you know what this means?”

“What is it?” Garry asked, wanting her to get to the point already.

Amelia began to pace excitedly, “These are limestone blocks, Garry, limestone! It all makes sense, the alleyway, the path, and I think I know where we are!”

“Just spit it out!”

She paused for dramatic effect, “We’re probably a little more than four centuries in the past.”

Garry looked at her, really looked at. “Amelia.”

“Yes, Garry?” She asked expectantly.

“I think you might’ve seriously hit your head.”

She frowned and crossed her arms, “Well, Mr. Know-it-all, let me tell you a little something I learned. Four centuries ago, give or take a few decades, every road and pathway in Nivis Alba was made out of limestone blocks with small gutters for drainage. Closer to the center of the village, the ground was made of mosaics to represent its wealth and culture. This drew in trade and they became wealthier, but then the lake started to dry up and a large scale famine hit. The village’s wealth and prosperity dwindled away. A number of people died, unable to survive, and many left. I’m not sure what happened in-between, but nearly four decades ago a Japanese entrepreneur bought Nivis Alba and restored it. One of his first acts was to replace all the decrepit limestone with cobblestone, even in the ruins so that it would be easier for tourists, though there are a few sections that haven’t been altered.”

She waited for Garry’s response, but when he just stared at her she finally concluded, “This is limestone, not cobblestone. The area around us hasn't even been built yet! We’re in the past, Garry, some four centuries in the past! Do you understand now?”

“Time travel doesn't just…happen,” Garry pointed out, panic settling in.

“Garry,” she started, looking at him with a raised brow that reminded the lavenderette of Luno, “Can you really say that after everything?”

He paused before carefully responding, “My sanity dictates that I draw the line somewhere. Time travel is that somewhere. Besides, haven’t you noticed that there’s something off about this place, like the silence?

Amelia seemed to consider it, “Yeah, I did notice, but we’re still in the past Garry, but maybe not in a time travel-y sense.”

“Whenever we entered the Gallery, time seemed to move at an incredibly slow rate or pause altogether. This is just a guess, but the Gallery has been around a long time, so who’s to say that it doesn't date back this far? We could be seeing a fragment of time.” Garry guessed, but had trouble believing his own words.

“Well, the school was built some four centuries ago, which would be somewhere around this time period. However, it was built after the Legend of Nivis Alba, but the legend takes place when the limestone was finished, which doesn't seem to be the case.” Amelia deduced, indicating to the compacted dirt that led further into the forest. “We’ll have to ask Ms. Creo when we all get back, she’d know, but, from my limited knowledge, I think you might be right. On a darker note, based on past experience, this place is likely going to try and kill us somehow.”

“It’s almost frightening that we've come to expect this so easily.” Garry stated with a sweatdrop.

“Cycloptic Smile is still a part of the Gallery and anywhere associated with it has got to be twisted somehow,” Amelia pointed out.

“Let’s just hope it’s not something too twisted.” Garry said in apprehension, an image of the creature from the Gallery coming to mind.

“Well, we won’t find any of ‘em by standing around and theorizing,” she stated before starting to march down the paved path.

“Why that way?” Garry asked, though when he looked ahead it became rather obvious.

Amelia spared him an incredulous look, “I don’t know if you noticed, but it’s really, like, dark here. Over there,” she waved her hand to indicate further down the road where a soft glow on the horizon could be seen, “looks to be just a tiny bit lighter. Now, I’m no genius, but I for one would head toward a light source rather than stay here, in the dark.”

“Sheesh, no need to get snappy, Mrs. Know-it-all.” Garry teased, to which Amelia told him to “shut-up.”

As they walked, Garry looked up at the sky, still feeling that something was off about it. “Amelia, when you look at the sky what do you see?”

She looked skyward, but didn't stop walking. After a few seconds she finally responded, “Garry, maybe you hit your head a little too hard when you fell.”

“I’m being serious here, there’s something off about the sky!” He argued defensively.

Amelia took another long look for a few minutes before stopping short. She looked over at her companion, her expression disbelieving and confused, doubting.

“Garry,” her voice was oddly quiet, “where is the light coming from?”

Garry walked further down the path, closer to the light source. Within less than a moment he crossed out of the cleared forest area. To his left were fields for growing crops, which definitely meant that they were no longer anywhere near the present time. The light source came from further down the path, but it filled Garry with apprehension.

Amelia caught up to him, imploring him for an answer or at least some string of words to let her know that he too had noticed. The area around them was lighter, night-like but not very dark at all, which was strange.

“Garry…”

“I know,” Garry stated before he stared up at the night sky, which lacked both stars and the moon.

The two walked down the paved path, passing more farmland. When a farmhouse came into view, Amelia made a detour and entered the building by breaking the window, though Garry just used the front door that was left unlocked.

Garry followed Amelia around, wondering what she could possibly want from an old farmhouse. She walked into the kitchen and riffled through the drawers and cabinets before taking a small knife and stuffing it into her kimono.

“What are doing?” Garry demanded, alarmed at her actions.

“We both know that something is bound to attack us, like Cycloptic Smile. We need to be prepared.” Amelia stated, scurrying around to look for anything else that might seem useful.

“Amelia, we can’t just kill her!” Garry argued, remembering that Mary had told him that he’d burned her.

“I know that,” she slowly admitted, looking at him. “I never said anything about killing. Knives are used for other things. Now, start looking around for useful stuff that we could use later. We’ll meet back here in ten.”

Garry sighed and did as he was told, knowing Amelia was right, even though she had been a bit bossy. He chalked it up to her not wanting to feel helpless anymore, and if taking a few items with them proved beneficial in anyway then he was all for it. However, he still felt guilty for stealing, though no one probably lived here and, if they did, they were long gone by now.

He searched the upstairs rooms, coming across some bandages and salve from a used first-aid kit, a small bottle of oil, and a spyglass. He went back to the kitchen to wait for Amelia, not wanting to snoop any further. He placed what he found on the table, scrutinizing each item and how it may be useful in the long run. The items from the first-aid kit would obviously be useful at some point in the future and the spyglass could come in handy, but what about the oil? He supposed it could be used to refill his lighter, but when would he ever need to use that?

Before he could think about Mary again, Amelia reappeared and dropped a large amount of items onto the table. She quickly started to sort them, neatly showcasing claw hammers, two sickles, a pair of scissors, some thread, and a fire-poker. At the very end she placed two baseball bats, which struck Garry as odd because baseball hadn't been around four centuries ago.

Realization slowly dawned on him and he looked over at Amelia, who silently nodded in confirmation. “I found them lodged in the gutter a little further down.”

They didn't say any more about it, opting to go through the items to distract themselves. After a bit of debate, they eventually decided to take the salve, bandages, scissors, thread, oil, spyglass, a hammer, and the two bats. Garry insisted that he hold onto the smaller items, pointing out that his yukata actually had pockets that were sewn into the chest area. Amelia relented, but stuck to her guns on being the one to have the spyglass.

They each had a baseball bat, though Garry also carried the hammer after pointing out that Luno might need a weapon if the situation arose.

“These are just precautionary measures, we might not even have to use them,” Amelia tried to sound cheery, but they both knew that it probably wasn't the case.

Garry played along anyway, wanting his words to be true, “These are just in case.”

The two walked out of the farmhouse and continued down the path in apprehensive silence. The light source drew ever closer and within mere minutes they knew where it was coming from. Though they were few in number, the oil lamps blazed proudly in the darkness, their light enough to illuminate a dome around them that spanned several feet. There were probably more scattered throughout the village, but that was the least of their concern. Huddled just below the oil lamp closest to them was a man, his back facing them. He wept loudly into his hands, his body trembling.

The two shared a look before cautiously approaching the huddled man. They stopped a few feet away, weary, but being good Samaritans was ingrained into them. “E-excuse me, are you alright?” Amelia called out just loud enough for the man to hear. She took a step forward when he started to wail harder, as if fearful of her.

“Hey, we’re not going to hurt yo-ahhh!” Amelia screamed when the man suddenly threw himself at her leg.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to look, I’m sorry!” He repeated as his mantra and Amelia screamed again when she saw that the man was more like a deformed creature. His head was bashed in and the blood was crusted on his face and in his hair, his body was severely malnourished and she could count his ribs, though the fact that the skin around that area was peeling back made it easier. The worst part was that his eyes were two empty sockets that stared at her, blood seeping out of them. In-between his apologies, Amelia made out several sharp pointy teeth.

Said pointy teeth were now clearly visible and dangerously close to her leg. It wasn't until he started clawing at her that Amelia decided that she needed to get away from whatever the man was. Before she could lift the bat, Garry had grabbed the creature from behind and tossed him to the side.

The man-creature-thing shakily stood on all fours and loudly screeched in their general direction. Amelia and Garry watched as a few more of those creatures came out and started to circle them, apologies endlessly spewing from their lips.

The two looked at each other, “I sometimes hate being right.”

“Do you think running is still an option?”

One of the creatures leapt at them, but Amelia was ready and struck out with her bat, eliciting a loud crack when the metal made contact with the creature’s rib-cage. It howled in pain, skidding a few feet, but stayed down.

“Right, should have guessed,” Garry stated as he combated another creature. He was probably running on pure adrenaline, but Garry couldn't help but feel bad every time the bat made contact with one of the creatures. He knew that he was just doing what he had to, but that didn't make any of it feel less wrong.

Once there was only a few left, Garry grabbed Amelia’s arm and made a run for it. More were bound to gather if they stayed in one area, and they didn't have the time or energy to fend off every single one of those creatures. They needed to find Luno, Soaru, and Ib, quickly and get back home.

“I did not sign up for some apocalyptic bullshit!” Amelia yelled and her sudden profanity nearly made Garry trip in surprise. He couldn't recall hearing anyone swear before now.

“This is an entirely appropriate time to swear!” Amelia challenged, reading his expression like an open-book. “We’re running for our lives yet again, our friends are missing, we’re being chased by human-weirdo-creature-thingys, and while I can handle the paintings and Gallery, I did not sign up for some cliché zombie apocalypse with a creepy painting on top of it!”

“We’re being chased?” Garry asked, casting a glance behind him. He didn't see anything and a quick glance around showed that nothing appeared to have come after them.

“Is that all you heard?” Amelia testily asked and Garry had the decency to give her a sheepish look.

“Sorry, running for our lives, remember?”

“You’re getting real cheeky there, Garry!” Amelia pointed out suspiciously.

“It’s the adrenaline, I’ll freak out when it wears off,” Garry admitted, wishing it wasn't a fact of life for him.

They were coming up to a small bridge when Garry saw a whole group of creatures surrounding another oil lamp. He quickly made a detour for under the bridge, Amelia scrambling to follow him down the grassy hill and under the large bridge. They stayed out of sight to catch their breath, winded and tired from the fight.

Garry could still feel the tingly sensation from when the bat made contact with the creatures’ flesh. God, that sound would be sure to plague his nightmares. Amelia didn't seem to be fairing much better, and since she was the usual distracter, he decided to give it a go to cheer her up a bit.

“Have you ever played before,” he asked, indicating towards the bat.

Amelia nodded, a flicker of pride evident, “When I was younger I would play baseball with the kids a few neighborhoods over. I wasn't very good at batting for awhile so I practiced and they eventually let me on their team.”

“Sounds like it was fun, the practice sure came in handy.”

“Yeah, I’m surprised I can still handle this so well, I haven’t picked up a bat in years.”

“Didn't you like playing baseball?” Garry asked, puzzled.

“Of course I did, I still do, but…it’s complicated.” Amelia finally stated.

Garry left it alone, deciding it wasn't the time to put pressure on her, but he couldn't just leave the conversation there, “Whatever the reasons were, you can do what you want now. Honestly, I've never played baseball in my life and I’m pretty sure Ib probably hasn't either.”

“Why would you say that?”

Garry gave her a look, “Amelia, quite a number of the student body can’t even look her in the eye much less play a game with her.”

“Honestly, her eye colour is no weirder than your hair colour,” Amelia stated, and Garry couldn't argue with that. His sister was a natural blonde and she told him a few times that their mom was too. She only briefly mentioned that their father was a dirty-blond, though he had a feeling there was a double meaning mixed in there.

“Regardless, you should teach us how to play.” Garry finalized. Amelia merely nodded, but he could blatantly tell she was pleased. With one problem solved, Garry peered around the column, but didn't see any of the creatures.

“We can’t just keep running around in hopes of finding them, we should probably think up of something, like something that would draw their attention.” Amelia suggested.

“Yeah, but we also have to be careful of those creatures. Luno, Soaru, and Ib could be hiding and we don’t want to put them in jeopardy.” Garry warned, but his mind was already racing to find alternatives. “However, you’re probably right. We can’t play the waiting game forever, which is why we need to know more about our opponents. Let’s go over everything we can remember about them, the answer might be staring us in the face and we just don’t know it.”

Amelia nodded, “Their bones can break, they appear to feel pain, and they don’t seem too intelligent. It’s like they’re simply striking out at anything that moves, but they can’t see so…gah! I don’t even know where I was going with that.”

“Think it over. You’re right in that they don’t have eyes, so how were they able to tell we were there?”

“Most of them probably have working ears, duh. I think it’s more than that, though because the ones on the bridge haven’t attacked us yet even though we’re within hearing-range.” Garry paled at that. “Do you remember when we were running? I swear that I saw at least four other groups of those creatures all clustered around one of those oil lamps.”

“Now that I think about it, the first creature didn't attack you until you stepped into the glow it created.” Garry paused for a moment, “Alright, so it’s a definite possibility that they are drawn to well-lit areas, but what about the attacking?”

“Well, maybe they lure people into the light and then attack them. If they can only properly operate in well-lit areas then maybe they have to draw prey into their domain, like with Red-Rover, and if you can’t break through then that’s it, you remain on that side.”

“I’m sorta perturbed that you just used a children’s game to explain a life-or-death situation.” Garry stated, but Amelia shrugged, “It got the point across.”

“So, should we go around and bust all the lanterns?” she asked, to which Garry shook his head.

“No, that puts us in unnecessary risk.” Garry got to his feet and looked out into the village. “The lanterns are pretty bright, but there’s only so many, right? It’s still pretty risky, but if we smashed a few lanterns that are really close together in order to make it easier for us, then the creatures would be forced to migrate to another light source or maybe they wouldn't be able to function.”

“We don’t know if that’s true or not, what if eliminating the light source is the worst possible idea? We should have a way to create a temporary light source if it goes sour.” Amelia suggested.

“How though, and where would we even put the light source?” Garry asked as he looked up at the sky. His nerves started to get the better of him, the anxiety to hurry up and find Ib, Luno, and Soaru threatening to burst. He pulled out his lighter and flicked the knob, watching the flame spark into life.

“You’re a genius, that’s it!” Amelia suddenly yelled, nearly causing Garry to set himself on fire in surprise. “We can always light something on fire as the temporary light source!”

“We would still need a location,” Garry pointed out as he pocketed his lighter and walked up to the bridge. The lantern was at the end of the stretch, the light nowhere near him. This had to be the worst idea he’d ever had, but he decided to test their theory.

He took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs. The creatures stirred, but only a few blindly looked in his general direction before they turned back to the lantern, their empty sockets more pronounced.

The lavenderette turned to Amelia, whose mouth was wide open in shock, “I guess it’s true.”

“Garry, are you sure you’re feeling alright?” She carefully asked, worry etched across her face.

“No, this is going to be one the dumbest thing’s I've ever done, but we need to know what will happen if their light source is taken from them.” Garry stated, a pit growing inside his stomach. He cursed his own stupidity, but there was just this gut feeling that he had to hurry up.

“Let’s get a move on then, you’re going to need the back-up and I’m also responsible since it was my idea.” Amelia finalized, not letting Garry get a word in as she brushed passed him and walked across the bridge.

They toed the line between the dark and the lamp’s inviting dome. The two shared one final look that was hardened with the unwavering knowledge that, if it failed, they would be fighting for their lives again.

Garry ran at the creatures as a distraction, fending as many off as possible while Amelia headed for the lantern. He wasn't able to watch her back, preoccupied by his own opponents, but he listened to her footsteps. The three creatures before him were disfigured like the rest, except one of them had a hole in their face in addition to the bashed in head. Their apologies never stopped, not even when they barred their teeth and lunged at him, aiming to consume some morsel of his flesh.

Garry ducked and rolled, but wasn't fast enough to entirely dodge one of their fists. A sharp talon, yes, a talon, because there was no way a human’s nail could ever be that sharp or animalistic, cut into his arm and he felt himself fall. He kicked one of the monsters in its nether regions, relieved that it appeared to have the same effect that it would on anyone else. He rolled to the side when another struck the spot he’d just been in, but its talon was momentarily stuck.

Garry turned to the third creature and batted it over the side of the bridge when it suddenly lunged at him.

“Behind you!” Amelia called in warning, but Garry didn't have time to dodge. Reacting quickly, Amelia shattered the lantern, praying it would dosomething useful. There was a strange heat before Amelia was swept off her feet by an intense heat-wave. The area around her nearly glowed gold, crimson, and purple as the monsters burned, prompting her to turn away from the sight, not wanting to have an image to match the sound that would be haunting her nightmares for the rest of her life.

She then remembered Garry and hurried over to where she saw him last. His eyes were scrunched against the heat and soot speckled his face. She couldn't get close due to the burning monster that hovered at Garry’s side, reaching out to take him with it.

A large cloth was thrown over the creature and Amelia instantly recognized that platinum hair anywhere. Luno wrestled the creature to the ground and without looking at her, ordered Amelia to get Garry and go to the inn. Adrenaline kicked back in and she helped Garry to his feet, nearly collapsing under his stature a few times, but didn't notice as she was too preoccupied with getting away from the bridge as fast as she possibly could while half dragging a man that dwarfed her.

After a minute or two, Garry was able to walk on his own, though he still slightly leaned on Amelia for support. They spotted the inn, which was hard not too as the sign was brightly painted and huge. Once inside, they headed for the kitchen with Garry washing his face of soot in the sink and then washing out the cut he received. He then collapsed in a chair, exhausted. Amelia followed the same procedure, before sitting in the chair opposite of him and resting her legs on the table.

“That was a really stupid plan,” Amelia stated to break the silence.

Garry peeled open an eye to look at her, “I told you it was.”

“You should just let me stick to the half-baked plans, I’m much better at winging it.” She joked.

Garry cracked a small smile in return, “Be my guest, I’m done with stunts like that for awhile.”

“That’s too bad, mid-life crisis Garry was sorta fun.”

“Hey!” he said, but there was no bark behind it due to the exhaustion he felt.

Amelia chuckled before she started to drift off, the events finally catching up with her.

Garry heard his companions breathing even out, figuring that she had likely fallen asleep and, though his body screamed at him to rest, there was still the same apprehensive feeling that he needed to hurry. Now, if only his eyelids would stop fighting him.

Just before he could drift off, Garry heard someone enter the inn. He tensed, listening as the person slowly made their way toward the kitchen. When Luno appeared in the door way he let out a sigh of relief. A wave of calm washed over him, a welcome feeling, but the stress had definitely fried his brain because he waved Luno over, waiting until the blonde’s ear was close enough to whisper, “You’re so dead when she wakes up.”

Luno paled considerably, but Garry didn't care as the next question burned in his mind. “What happened to you?”

“I must have landed farther than you both, I was pretty close to the village and just wandered in believing you guys had probably fallen further than I did.”

“We eventually came to the conclusion that you must’ve landed somewhere else. We were further in the forest and Amelia figured we’re some four centuries in the past, probably within a twisted fragment of time.” He paused a moment to tiredly stare at Luno, “You know, she really freaked out when you weren't there. She was terrified that Cycloptic Smile had got you, too.”

Luno looked over at Amelia, his eyes softening, “In any other situation I would be pleased that she was worried about me.”

Garry’s mouth morphed into half a smile, wondering if this was what Ib has glossed over earlier that evening. When he’d first met the two, he had pegged them for acquaintances with mutual friends, but his view changed after the fight with Dmitri. Luno became more bold and talkative with Amelia, openly joking and smiling around her. Garry had thought it was due to experiencing a life-or-death situation together but, when he looked at Luno now, he realized there just might be something more to it. That or his tired brain was messing with him.

“Thanks for saving us,” he half slurred as his eyes drooped closed.

Luno looked at him, half-tempted to scold him about just what he and Amelia were thinking, but he was weak against people half drunk with the urge to sleep. “You would've done the same for me.”

Garry used the last of his energy to muster up a tiny smile, “In a heartbeat.”