CHAPTER THREE ----- START
The feeling of another person traveling with you in this place felt a little off, to say the least. It wasn't unsettling like the rest of the twisted gallery , but it still felt weird. It didn't necessarily help that the man you were with was pretty much a complete stranger.
Still, strength in numbers, you supposed. Traveling with Garry at this point couldn't possibly be worse then not.
Side by side, you and Garry emerge into another set of branching halls which, true to the nature of all the previous rooms, was dominated by a primary color. Though the walls here were a simple and dreary shade of grey.
"Hey, Ib. Check this out..."
The voice of another in this place catches you off guard. Hopefully you'll get used to it before long. With a quick step, you fall in next to Garry as he inspects the first room of arts.
A pair of white plaster hands are emerging from the floor at opposite ends of the room, with each having a painting hanging over them.
The Grieving Bride & The Grieving Groom were the labels under the paintings, with The Grieving Brides Right and Left hands each by their respective appendages.
The look on Garry's face was something a mix of shock and wonder.
"How long have you been here?" You ask him, striking the man out of his pondering stance.
"Oh, I'm not sure, really. I can't have been but a few minutes before... I lost my rose. How about you?"
"A... few hours, maybe?"
Garry grimaced, the thought of this place for that long alone sending a chill down his spine. "W-well, your handling it surprisingly well, Ib. I'm sure your parents would be proud of how brave you've been."
You nod, not really wanting to dwell on it. With Garry following behind, you finish walking the length of the hall, coming out in a large room.
The first thing that you notice, is the first thing that Garry apparently noticed as well, as he gave a sharp yelp as soon as he emerged into the room from behind you. A single eye rests in the wall directly in front you, staring down intently.
Garry shrugs it off, walking in front of you in a way that even your young mind could tell was a "I wasn't scared at all" type of swagger, even when he was. Maintaining his cool, Garry pushed open the door that the eye rested directly above.
The room resting on the other side seems a simple enough hall, if a bit narrow compared to the ones before. Upon further inspection of the nearby plaque though shows for what it really is. A maze.
Out of the corner of your eye, a statue rests around the corner, before quickly disappearing again. You keep your eyes focused on that location, seeing the same figure appear and disappear again, like it was pacing endlessly back and forth.
Garry seems to notice you staring, looking back between the statue and the plaque that shown the map of the maze. "I don't know about this, Ib. It might be safer to just find another way around."
(Note: Now that you have Garry in your party, choice you make will start to have an effect on the games ending, as well as your health bar. After looking back on the old stuff, I had already reset it back to five, so let's try and keep it that way.)
Do you try and navigate the maze, or find another way?
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You decide to find another way.
You wordlessly turn to leave, giving Garry a gentle tug on his sleeve. He acknowledges the gesture, following you back out into the main room.
Poking around for another path doesn't reveal a whole lot at first glance, though you do find a noticeable painting.
Noticeable in the regard that it looked like a face drawn by a six-year-old, and it was quite animated, tongue lolling out the side as it's eyes darted around manically.
Garry cautions you as you approach it, though it doesn't seem as hostile as the others that you have encountered so far.
"Eyhehehehe.... Flowers... Flowers're nice..." The painting mumbles as you approach, eyes briefly locking onto you. "Gimme that there flower, and I'll let you through... Ehehehe."
It takes a second, but you realize the face is referring to your rose.
"Whoa now, Ib. Be careful with that, remember?" Garry prods you, glaring at the painting. "I'm not so sure you should listen to that thing..."
"I'll let you though... just gimme your flower... pretty please? ehehehe..."
Give the painting your flower?
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No, obviously. At least someone has been paying attention to how this world works.
"Awww, please, I'm begging you! Just a sniffffff..." The face said, trying to what looked like reaching out to grab the rose for itself. You pull back, shaking your head, much to Garry's relief.
"I just want it for a little bit... ahahah... ehehaahhhahah... AhhahehhahehHEHhahHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA"
Garry grabs you by the arm, a bit forcefully, but given the painting itself, you can hardly blame him. "Come on, Ib. This way."
Without another word, Garry pulls you into another room before letting go of your arm.
"Sorry about that. I didn't want you to get hurt." Garry said apologetically.
You look around the room, finding yourself in a wide hall lined with sculptures twice your size. Garry begins walking down the rows of towering creations, with you trailing slightly behind.
"Wow... That doesn't look very comfortable." Your companion mutters to himself, as you walk past something that appears to be part chair, part wine glass, if such a thing is even possible.
Coming to the end of the hall reveals nothing but a simple tree sculpture. Nothing to fancy, and actually rather plain compared to the other sculpts in the room. Garry lets out a long sigh, tapping your shoulder and motioning for you to follow as he heads back out. You nod, and are just about to join him until something catchs your eye.
A small glimmering object rests at the base of the tree, and you pick it up to examine it. A ring, small and silver.
"What do you have there?" Garry asks as you catch up to him, having noticed the small band in your hands. "It's... a wedding ring? How odd. Actually..."
It doesn't take much thought to see what he was getting to, and you followed him as he lead the way back to the hall that first began this area.
"Ib? Try putting the ring on one of the fingers." Garry said, giving you a tap on the back to push you a bit towards the hands of the grieving bride. You nod, sliding the metal band on the appropriate finger.
Much to your surprise, the paintings react. Both the bride and groom look much happier now, the former throwing her bouquet back into the air, before running off into the unseen distance to join her husband...
"That was... odd." Garry muses, casting a wary glance at the cluster of painted flowers now resting on the ground. You pick them up, the bouquet feeling light and soft in your hands, despite being a painting. "That shouldn't be physically possible..."
You chuckle a bit, half hiding your face behind the flowers and taking a sniff. They smell sweet...
Garry laughs a bit as well, giving you a pat on the head, and you are both thankful that, for this moment at least, not everything seems all doom and gloom.
"Actually..." Garry says, cocking his head to the side in thought. "That face said he'd let us through for flowers... Why not try giving him these?"
You make a mock frown, though nod your head in agreement.
You make your way back over to the face, who was still just sitting there, as was to be expected of a painting.
"Ehehehe... Flowers? You brought me flowers?" The picture mumbled inanely. You offer it up the bouquet, which it promptly encompassed with it's tongue. After chewing the painted flowers for a moment, the face proceeded to make a cliché burp before melting into the darkness of it's background. A moment later, the background disappeared, revealing a hole into the next room.
"You said you have already been here a few hours?" Garry said, pulling at his collar. "This place is thoroughly messed up. Let's go."
The next hallway was pretty narrow, thought it was cluttered, which made it even more of a tight squeeze. The entire hall was lined with mannequin heads. Lots and lots of mannequin heads, each as unnerving as the last. Lining the hall was a series of paintings of the exact same head. The sheer repetitiveness was bizarre and unpleasant.
"Let's go..." Garry grunted, breaking into a fast walk. "Now, Ib."
You nod, following after your companion. You couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was watching you, though you attributed it to all the eyes around...
Though, in this place, it wouldn't surprise you either way.
The next room was massive, lined with mannequin bodies and pictures of the Ladies of Color.
Many of them were already free of the wall, absentmindedly dragging themselves around. They didn't seem to notice as you walk past, curiously enough. At first, it seemed there were oblivious to your presence, until one waved to you.
Garry waved back in numb response, still slightly unbelieving of everything. At least these paintings weren't aggressive...
You try the first door to your left, coming into an empty room. You try the next room, again finding an empty room.
Garry gave an annoyed huff, walking back out, only to trip over something.
"That... wasn't there before." He muttered, glancing back at the mannequin head on the floor.
You help Garry back to his feet best you can, continuing your investigation.
The hall ends in another door, leading into another empty room. Unlike the other rooms, there was at least something here, though it was only a mirror resting against the far wall.
"Huh. Look at that. How... out of place." Garry said, approaching the mirror.
"You... talk a lot..." You whisper up to Garry, who looks down at you with a grin before turning back to the mirror.
"No, you just don't talk very much. I'm just... trying to keep the mood light. Just like... like..."
Garry jumps back, inadvertently taking you down with him. Right behind where you had been standing, a mannequin head rest innocently and unmoving on the ground.
"Y... you... Why you little... I'm tired of you!"
Decision time - Aid Garry in unleashing vindictive justice against the mannequin, or, stop Garry and protect the gallery's works?
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(Im not going to immidately be able to put pictures in anymore, much to.my dismay, as my computer is incapable of accessing blogger. Im writing this using my phone, as it is the only recorse left to me. It also means there will probably be a lot of spelling errors)(actually, I should still ne able to splice some pictures in, I'll just have to do it at a date later then the original writing with a computer that works. Also, I'm slightly miffed that you all chise to not kick the head. It leads to one if the most forboding moments in yhe whole.game...)
Garry wound up a kick, preparing to punt the pale head into next week.
Instinctively, you reach up and grab his arm, clinging on tightly. Garry freezes for a moment, looking between you and the head.
"R-right, Ib. My, that was immature of me..." Garry said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Let's go."
Retuning the main area, both you and your partner-in-survival are immidiately taken off guard by the number of paintings and sculptures wandering about now. At least twice more then their had been a moment ago.
"GYAHH!"
Garry's shout makes you jump as well, quickly turning to see what had frightened him so. One of the paintings, a Lady in Green, sat beside you, looking up inquisitively. She held out her hand, to which you recoil a bit.
She doesn't move towards you any more, simply holding oit her hand. You give Garry a gentle nudge from behind, prompting him forwards. Hesitantly, he does, holding out his own hand. Before he can reach the painting, she drops a small grey key into his hand.
"Oh...kay? Maybe... maybe everything here doesn't want to kill us?"
You shudder at the thought... You really don't want to die.
"Come on Ib. Let's see if we can't find the door this goes to."
You follow silently, wordlessly behind, taking a moment to wonder how exactly you could have gotten to this point. Following obediently behind a man you barely knew? For the breifest of seconds, you were glad your parents weren't around to see you. They did get ever so upset when you didn't listen...
"Ah, here we go!"
Garry's voice pulls you back down to reality. Or... what was currently passing as it.
You find yourself in an odd room. Odd because it was so... normal. A few bookcases lined the wall, a stool and canvas in the corner, a painting on the wall, and a large couch in the center. The only thing unnerving about the room at a glance was that the couch looked more like an art peice then a peice of furniture. It sure looked comfy though...
Giving a quick glance out the window, you are, glumly enough, unsurprised to find the same bleak opaque nothingness beyond it. Giving a sigh, you let yourself slump onto the pale white couch, leaving Garry to poke around.
"'Couple', huh? How... homely." Garry mused, prompting you to turn, resting your knees on the cushions to get a peek over the backrest.
Garry was eyeing the painting with a fair amount of interest. You hadn't really paid it much mind, but...
Leaping off the couch as fast as your legs can carry you, you rush to Garry's side.
"This... they are..." you mutter, barely loud enough to hear yourself.
"What is it, Ib?"
"M...m-mother? F-father?"
Garry's eyea widen in shock, looking between the young girl at his side and painting on the wall.
"Y-your parents? Aha... They do resemble you a bit, Ib... But what could such a painting possibly be doing down here?"
You take a deep breath, sniffing back tears that threaten to burst forth. Why? Why were you here? Why couldn't you just be home, with your family? You never wanted to be here! It wasn't fair!
"I just wanna go home!"
Garry takes a step back, slightly startled. Ib had always been so calm up to this point. Debatably more courageous then he had been. But this.... this was definitely getting to her....
"Come on. Let's go. There isn't anything in here, Ib." Garry says, gently grabbing your hand. "I don't want you here any longer then I have to. I'll get you... out... of?"
Your heart drops as Garry fumbles with the door, the wooden barrier clicking in locked protest.
"No, no, no! Aw, come on! I could have sworn I left this thing open!"
A loud bang punctuates Garry's attempts to leave, causing him to step back with you in tow. "Something is outside... stay close to me."
Another loud bang echoes out behind you, accompanied by the shriek of breaking glass. A lady in blue had busted through the window, looking as angry as a painting can.
Garry gave a last fumble of the locked door, before you grab his hand and pull him aside, just as the lady crashes into where he stood.
The window wasn't a valid course of exit, still being covered with remnants of serrated glass. And they couldn't risk that kind of injury.
All around you, the constant banging was getting louder, as if the small army of paintings amd sculptures outside suddenly wanted to get you.
No sooner then that did one of the walls give way in a cloud of wood and plaster, letting no less then a dozen furious works of art down upon you.
Wrapping you in his coat the best he could, Garry dove headfirst through the hoard. As soon as you were cleared, he let you out, clinged onto your hand, and sprinted as fast as he dared drag you.
The entire giant room was up in a storm, each and every peice of artwork up from its resting place, and eyes, if indeed it had any, trained on you and your companion.
The enterance where you had come in was blocked by a large pile of mannequin heads, effectively sealing off the only certain way out.
A tiny shadow lined a door that had previously been locked, and at first glance, was unchanged. The addrenaline fuled sharpness to your eyes disagreed though. Pushing past the small crack, the door flew open into another long hallway.
As soon as the both of you were through, Garry whirles around to slam the door shut and lock it tight.
"Th... that... should be... far enough..." Garry wheezed between gasping breaths. "We sure... showed them... r... right, Ib?"
You open your mouth to answer, but nothing comes out. Your head feels foggy...
"Well then, let's keep goin-... ...Ib?"
His voice sounds distant... How long had you been restng on your knees now? Not that you were complaining... you were feeling awfully tired. You can feel your eyelids fluttering closed...
"Ib? Ib!? Stay with me now! Ib!"
Darkness...
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