We Are Zodiac (Hetalia Fanfic)

Chapter 25

However, the rider stopped her stroll and looked down at Mary sympathetically. "Did... Did you find them?" she inquired softly, her accent most definitely from the United Kingdom.

Almost imperceptibly, Mary nodded her head and looked just slightly up at the girl. She wasn't that much younger than Mary, and she had a look in her eye that spoke of a lot of hidden sadness. Mary picked up on that immediately and wondered what her life had been like before all this horror with the Zodiac arose.

The girl glanced around herself a little, then turned her attention back to Mary. "Come with me."

Without anything else to do, and more than a little intrigued, Mary followed the horse and its rider into the stable barn and stood back as the chestnut horse was locked into its stall. Then the girl wiht auburn hair in a long braid trained her grey-blue gaze on Mary and spoke softly. "I know, it happened to me, too."

"Why're they doing this?" Mary asked in hushed tones. "This is... I can't believe it's actually happening."

"They want to control everything they can," she explained, "no matter the methods. I'm Galilea, by the way."

"Mary," the blond replied. 

That's how they ended up sitting on a pile of hay and just talking quietly for almost an hour about themselves and whatever was on their mind. To say that they became friends was a bit of an understatement in the sense that the bond they forged almost right away was definitely best friend material.

"Wow... That was brave of you to stay with your boyfriend until he turned completely," Galilea said appraisingly after Mary finished spinning her yarn. "I couldn't be nearly as brave as that."

"Well, what happened to you?" Mary asked her carefully. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Uhm... My father caught the virus near the start of the outbreak, and he turned. He killed my mother, and my older sister sacrificed herself to help me escape," Galilea admitted, drawing her knees up to rest her chin on them. "So, I'm the only one of my family to be alive at the moment."

"... That's... That's awful," Mary said softly. "I'm sorry that happened. I know exactly how you feel..."

"Okay, so you found the cameras. Did they threaten you not to tell anyone?" Galilea inquired suddenly. Mary started and looked fearfully around. "Oh, it's fine. I've tested it before; either they can't really hear us in here, or there aren't any cameras."

"But... wouldn't they put them everywhere?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow. "It doesn't make sense otherwise..."

"I don't really know why. I work here all day, taking care of the horses, so I know this barn like the back of my hand," Galilea said, relaxing back against the slightly prickly hay. 

Mary laid her head down a bit, then sat up again when a piece of the dead and dried grass stuck her uncomfortably in the back of the neck. "Ugh... So, are people allowed to leave, then?"

Galilea's even expression morphed into a scowl. "No, we're not. Once, a man I didn't really know tried it. All I know is that he didn't make it outside, but we still never heard from him again. Of course, those in charge would rather us believe that he had been attacked by Zodiac the minute he stepped outside the walls. That's what they told us all, anyway."

"How do you know he didn't make it out there, then?" Mary asked her curiously.

"Because I saw him getting dragged away by the guards in the middle of the night," the redhead answered, sighing. "I have insomnia, after all."

"... This place is awful," Mary stated, sitting up fully with her hands at either side. "I don't think we can stay here any longer. Any of us. We should try to do something about this, like fight the system. There's got to be some way, right?"