Hello, I'm Dead

Memory

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A cold breeze startled Nero, waking him up. He let out a silent gasp, sitting up from the stone he perched on. It was night, and crickets chirped all around him. The moon, full, shone overhead, and clouds floated around it. The grass was soft, and a huge tree towered above him. Glowing berries hung from its limbs, and small green particles dusted the area. 

Standing up, Nero dusted himself off, adjusted his gray coat, checked his blue pants for scars, and headed past the tree. 

Spotting a light ahead, Nero hurried along with the trees, pretending not to notice the monsters that lurked in the shadows. As the light came into view, Nero recognized a campfire, then people. All of them wearing some sort of mask, like his. Nero recognized one of the people. 

Rider? 

"Your alive!" Rider stood up and took off his navy mask. it had a wave on it, and on his face, he had a scar on his cheek. Hugging Nero, he introduced the other people. Maneater, Rusty, and Smek. They all wore similar clothes, but the way to tell them apart was their masks. 

Maneater's mask had a sideways face, Rusty's had two dots on it, in the form of eyes, and Smek's mask had a flame on it. Nero waved and sat down next to Rider beside the campfire. 

"Where are we?" Nero signed, smoothing the white streak in his orange hair.

"This forest has no name, but we travel as we go." Maneater has a raspy voice, and he held a lamp. 

They told stories, jokes (some of which Nero silently chuckled at), and legends of the forest and the monsters that lived in them.

"...Gouru's can take the appearance of any person, human or monster." Smek finished his story of a monster that lived in this forest. The campfire let off its last spark before going out. Maneater stood up, and everyone got ready to leave. 

As they walked along the forest, Nero spotted spirits in the forest, and stars littered the night sky. 

It was beautiful. 

A spirit floated along with the trees and formed into a tree sapling, its beautiful colors fading into the green. 

The group walked in a single file line, Maneater with the lamp behind Rider, who was in the front, Rusty behind them, Smek behind Rusty, and Nero in the back. The wind howled above them, Rusty pricking his ears, then a gust of wind blew into them, pushing them, and blowing out the lamp, sending them into darkness.

"One second," Maneater murmured, turning the knob in the oil lamp. A spark formed, but only for a second, but in that second, Nero saw Rusty's mask split open. And on the next spark, his spine grew, and he turned into this black, big monster. A... a...

A Gouru?!

Rusty loomed over Maneater, who took no notice. 

Rider glimpsed behind him, looked back in front, then realized what was going on. "WATCH OUT!" He yelled, pulling Maneater behind him, revealing his sword. The Gouru pounced onto Rider, but he shoved his sword into its mouth, preventing it from moving any closer as it pinned Rider down. 

Rider stared in disbelief at Rusty. 

He was his friend. 

"No..." he whispered.

Maneater shoved Rider from under the Gouru as it lifted its neck, and launched a black tentacle out of its mouth at them. Rider managed to dart out of the way, but the Gouru managed to grab onto Maneater and slam him to the ground. "Rider!" he screamed, as the Gouru dragged him into its mouth, and like that he was gone.

"NO!" Smek and Rider yelled. 

The Gouru jumped, ready to pounce on Smek.

"Nero!" Smek threw the sword at Nero, who stood where he first was, paralyzed. The Gouru landed on Smek, and that was all they saw left.

Nero picked up the sword, and suddenly visions formed in his head:

He and Rider were in a storage room, pipes were everywhere, and he heard a giant bug/Gouru critter behind them, and they both whipped around to face the Gouru who lunged at them.

Then the Vision shifted, and Nero was balanced on a pole that stretched above a huge deep gap. A spider Gouru landed on the pole, and Nero stumbled. Regaining his balance, Nero ran along the pole, but tripped on a web and fell into it under the pole. The Gouru leaned over him, but Rider barreled into it.

Then the vision shifted again, and Nero reached for Rider's hand, and he took it, as they faced a Shadow form of Nero. The Shadow huffed, lifted its staff, and banged it against the floor twice, and glyphs formed behind him.

The visions disappeared, and Nero found himself back in the clearing in the forest. Thinking fast, Nero slipped the sword along the Gouru's neck, and launched himself at Rider, picking him up, and racing along with the trees. Blinking away tears, he ran faster, and Rider watched with hollow eyes as the Gouru fell limp, next to his dead friends.

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Rider was brought back to the present, remembering the past with a shudder. He was in the middle of an abandoned town. Nero looked behind him and saw Rider. Emotion filled him. "Hey." He signed, resting his hand on Rider's shoulder. "We won't let them die in vain." 

Rider smiled, but only a little. "Thanks," He murmured. 

Nero slipped his hand into Rider's, and he gripped it tightly. They walked along the street, eyes searching every crack and alley. Clicks and buzzes sounded behind them, and Rider turned around and saw a Gouru slowly come around the corner, fixed on them. Rider pulled out his bow, arrow loaded, then Nero tapped his shoulder. "What." He looked in his companion's direction and saw another Gouru. Nero pulled out his sword, and they both stood, back to back, ready to fight.

But then the ground started to shake. Cracks formed in a circle around them. Nero pressed closer to Rider.

Then the ground gave way around them as the platform they were standing on the fell. Nero stumbled, dropping his sword. Rider fell to his knees and stared at the ravine that formed around them.

Then the platform started to break apart. "Nero!" He grabbed his friend's hand and jumped from one rock to another, Nero struggling. 

Then a Gouru crashed into Rider as it fell over the edge, but it grabbed Rider's leg.

No! Nero grabbed Rider's hand, his feet planted into the earth. I won't lose another friend! But his heart sank in dismay as Rider's hand slipped out of his, and he fell to the bottom with the Gouru, but then he got up and ran from the Gouru. 

Phew. Nero ran along the edge, following Rider as he jumped up, getting closer and closer to the top. Launching himself, Nero threw himself across the gap, slashed a Gouru mid-air, and grabbed Rider's hand. Rider grabbed a Tree root as the ground disappeared from under them, but then something glowed behind them. Nero looked in the reflection of his mask and saw a giant golden eye stare at them. 

Well shit.