All Will Fade to Black ... (Garry X Reader - Ib)

Chapter 2

 You suddenly became aware of yourself, like you had been sleeping and just woken up, but had been too lazy to open your eyes. Your body was lying flat on its back, which was an unusual way for you to sleep. You felt … sore. There was stiffness in your limbs that wouldn’t seem to go away. Slowly, you cracked open your eyes and glanced around.

    A long, deep yellow hallway surrounded you. Your body lie splayed across the floor, directly in the middle of the walkway. You hastily sat up, regretting your decision as you felt yourself growing lightheaded. Your eyes shut while you waited for the sensation to pass.

    What happened … ? you wondered, eyes still closed. The power had gone out, you had been chased by a … a painting … if that was even the right word for it. You had fallen into a pool of water and … nothing. 

    You chuckled, mocking yourself wordlessly. Oh, really? That’s what you think happened? Gosh, make one mention of this and everyone will lock you up in an asylum! Even though they were coming from you in an attempt to comfort your worry, the words still stung a bit. You bit your lip and risked a glance down. Your clothes were soaked, legs bruised, and you were almost positive something had hit you on the back of your head. Rubbing your neck gingerly, you rested back against the wall. Man, what is going on? There was no response.

   That was when you heard it: The soft, tap, tap of quiet footsteps echoing along the corridor. Your heart leapt to your throat and you flashed your eyes open. You whirled around as you searched for the source of the noise. Something red caught your eye, and you gasped, turning to face it while scrambling back in terror.

   It took you only a few seconds to realize your mistake. The red, instead of being from a ‘Lady in Red,’ was actually a girl’s skirt. You quickly move your eyes upward, to where they came in contact with a pair of soft, brown eyes. It’s that girl … from the gallery … you thought slowly, quickly glancing her up and down as if to make sure she was real. 

    There was a long moment of silence, and time seemed to stretch into an eternity before the girl spoke up. “Are you … real?” she asked, her voice barely audible. 

    Your mind sparked into action, and you gave her a quizzical look. “What do you mean, real?” You fought the panic rising in your own voice. This girl looked no older than eight, and yet she still managed to have it together better than you. 

    The girl shrugged. “The things here are scary … they’re not people … but you’re the first person I’ve met, so I was wondering if that meant you were real …” She trailed off, looking down at the ground. You heard a quiet sniffle coming from behind her curtain of brown hair as her shoulders shook slightly.

    Taking a shuddery, steadying breath, you reached forward and wrapped your arms around her tiny body. “It’s alright, dear. I’m real. You came from the gallery, right? I’ll keep you safe, I promise.” While you were trying to comfort her, you found yourself being comforted as well.

    Gradually, the girl’s crying subsided. You gently let her go and held her at arm’s length, bending down to her height. “Hey, my name is _______. What’s yours?”

    The girl’s brown eyes met yours. With a stoic expression, she replied, “My name is Ib.”