THE WALL.
1774, SEPTEMBER 26th MONDAY 9:25pm.
Two and a half hours later, Noche was staring at the ceiling with bloodshot eyes.
"I hate my body." She muttered.
Noche took out her cellphone and texted Cherries.
"Hey man, I'm having trouble sleeping. You up?"
"I'm in the arcade room." He texted back.
Noche got off her wobbling bed and walked into the hall. As she approached the game room she saw a dude stand in there alone. It was Varen! Her phone vibrated; a text from Cherries.
"You're welcome."
A unwavering grin appeared on Noche's face as she glared at the phone; her brow twitching.
"Tailoring bastar-"
"Yo-che!"
Noche's head snapped up.
"V-Varen! Hey! Whats up?"
Varen looked up.
"Well I'm fairly sure it's a ceiling."
Noche's eyes narrowed at him.
"Sorry! Sorry." He chuckled, "Wanna play some games with me. I'm having trouble sleeping."
"Sure." She smiled, "Don't expect to beat Alice's high scoore."
"Yeah I've given up on that." His shoulders and head slumped.
Noche grabbed the toy gun and stood at the ready. The game was on and they blazed through their foes. Noche was the first to die, but she had acquired so many extra lives that death was no longer an issue. Varen only had one, but was so skilled he survived for the longest time. Eventually the game ended as it always did; they were both dead.
"Pffft this game is stupid anyways." Varen laughed.
"Sorry bout that." Noche paused, "At least you were... Var-in the lead."
Varen put down the toy gun, slowly turned to Noche, and stared at her. Just as she opened her mouth he exploded into laughter.
"Wow I am never doing a pun again." Noche chuckled, "I feel disgusted."
"Nah, puns are the best. You're all good." He smiled, "Well... I guess I'm off to bed. Tournament and all tomorrow."
Varen hugged Noche, causing her to blush.
"Night Noche."
"N...Night Varen."
Noche had a goofy smiled as she waved at him. When he was out of sight, Noche looked around the arcade; it seemed darker. Noche scratched behind her head as the shadows seemed to dance out the corner of her eyes. Unable to stand still, Noche walked outside and stared up at the star filled night sky.
She released a sigh once she bathed in the steady light of the exterior lamps and stars. Noche raised her left hand and looked at the blemish at its center.
"How did I get you?" She thought, "Why do I have this scar?"
Noche sighed.
"I'll only find out if I pass tomorrow's tournament... I may as well practice those new moves I've been thinking of." Noche muttered, "The S.A.D. moveset."
Noche calmed down and focused. She visualized every chemical, every periodic element, and how she wanted to arrange the creation. Right hand raised into the air with the palm facing the ground. Around the cage of fingers appeared a little womanly figurine made of wind. It danced and twirled like a marionette under Noche's palm.
"SIREN SUFFOCATION!"
The doll changed from a lovely little dancer into a shark tooth harpy. It took flight and exploded into the shape of a diving helmet. Lights flickered and flashed like a firecracker inside the dome as it sucked out all the air within its core. Noche had to thank Timmy for indirectly teaching her how to make a flash-bang.
Crouching a bit, Noche jumped twenty feet in the air. In mid flight she did a drop kick that launched an anchor made of lightning down below.
"ABYSMAL ANCHOR!"
The electrical anchor crashed onto the ground and covered the floor in crackling sparks. As Noche landed she held her left hand upward and water poured between the fingers. She slammed her scarred palm onto the ground, tendrils of water began to emerge, and whip about the area around her.
"DROWNING DERELICT!"
The tendrils of water lashed about, grappling anything they came into contact with.
"Alright... I think I got a feel for it." Noche said.
"A feel for Varen's ass?"
Noche jumped into the air. Cherries just stood there snickering with a big grin on his face.
"Yo Noche, what's up?"
"Not my self esteem!" Noche shouted.
The two laughed and soon quite some time had passed. Both Cherries and Noche sat on the wall, as the air before them was filled with tiny fireworks.
"You're telling me you've never done this before?" Cherries asked.
He held up his finger as small sparks flew from the tips.
"I haven't had much time in between studying to experiment with Create." Noche said. "But this is so beautiful."
Noche shot a yellow and blue twinkle into the air. Her eyes glowed as it faded.
"Varen likes you, ya know." Cherries said.
Noche smiled, but stayed silent for a bit.
"I think I can fall asleep now Cherries." Noche's smile widened, "Thanks for coming out to comfort me."
"Anytime friend." He said, "Night Noche... Heh, tautology."
Noche stood, went back to her room, fell in the wobbly bed, and quickly passed out. Silence reigned all night, as dreams filled the air.
Alice was curled up into a little ball, her blankets not covering her and surrounded by unnerving, goth marionettes. Her dream was Mary resting on her shoulder as they sat alone on a bus; it driving past endless sunset filled corn fields.
Mary was surrounded by beakers and notes, her arm and leg dangling off the bed as she snored loudly. Her dream was of working in a lab and discovering the solution to her current chemical problem.
Cherries slept on his side and dreamt of knitting on the front porch of a cozy cottage. Varen slept face down and dreamt of exploring a small town for the first time. Hectare laid on his back dreamt of his father finally getting arrested. Dreg peacefully meditated in a chair as he imagined playing baseball with a young boy.
Medusa tossed and turned as she had a nightmare. Mushroom clouds covered the world as she was unable to stop it. The nuclear explosion. Tears streamed down her shut eyes as her worst nightmare showed her the opposite of peace.
Noche's left hand unconsciously found its way to her neck and caressed the deep wound. It fumbled around trying to find the something choking her. Every breath more ragged than the last, as if the scar was a noose tightening around her.
In Noche's nightmare she struggled to stay afloat in the dark waters. Black clouds pelted her face with rain whenever she surfaced for air, before the anchor dragged her back down. Out in this ocean Noche was completely isolated. The cold made her shiver as much as the thought of being alone. The water enwrapped her as much as her fear. She struggled to stay afloat.
Each attempt to breathe filled her lungs with more brine than the last. The ocean raged against her cold, clammy, numb skin. It didn't take long for the anchor to drag her down into the abyss – and its sweet release from consciousness. A golden flash awoke Noche.
She shot forward and nearly fell. Eyes adjusted to the deep ledge below her and the fall that could kill her. Noche was standing on the wall by the gazebo. One single step forward would have caused her to plummet to her death.
Noche lunged backwards onto the ground, heart sounding like a drum. She watched a black mist dance around her limbs. It lingered like a dark ribbon or evil fog. Slowly it too faded with the wind. Trembling, Noche stood up to a world that felt dimmer and more silent.
"I sleepwalk? That's the only explanation... Right?" Noche whispered, "Man... I almost sleepwalked to my deat-"
Noche remembered her nightmare. How the anchor dragged her into the abyss. If she hadn't woken up when she did, that dream would've become a reality. Noche gulped.
"Fuck."
She stood there for a bit. Then began to walk back to her room. She stopped when she saw a figure on the track field. It approached the recently repaired bench and sat down.
"Rust?" Noche whispered.
Still shaking from what happened, and certain she couldn't fall back asleep, Noche approached. It was Rust all right, holding two beers and staring at the wall that was a few feet in front of him.
At the same time, Rust noticed Noche approach out thecorner of his eye.
"Ahh Noche. Shay young lhady, what art thou doing hup at shuch late hoursh?" he chuckled, "You have ah thournament tomorrow, ish that not sho?"
"My nerves are keeping me up." Noche smiled.
"Ho ho ho. Shuch shenanigans. You are too yhoung to hath shleeping troublesh."
"Tell that to my nightmares." Noche said, "They just keep getting... More real."
"Perhapsh ah shtory shall take your mind off the nightmaresh." Rust patted an empty spot on the bench, "Shit down, let an old man reminishence about the pasht."
Noche shrugged and sat down.
"Letsh shee. Right now I'm eighty-three yearsh old... my besht friend died when he wash sixty-three. Sho if I recall accurately. It'sh been fifteen years now." Rust said, "Yesh, back then Medusha wash thirty-five, Dreg wash thirty-eight, Trio thirty-three, the Grave Brothersh twenty-seven, and Shalt nine."
Noche stared for a long time before blinking once.
"Apologiesh, I digressh. Back then, way before Medusha even joined Crossh, when the previoush preshident Ezekiel wash shtill new to his poshition, we we're in charge of renovating this entire facility." Rust spoke, "Zeek wash in charge of the interior remodeling, and I the exterior."
Rust puffed out his overly-polished plate mail chest.
"I shay, I went to great detail planning every inch of what you see here. It wash impeccable, perfect, absholutely shtunning!" Rust bellowed, "Every chain link on that fenche was inshpected by yoursh truly when it firsht came to be. My deshign was flawlessh."
Rust shot up.
"Then Zeke came and ruined everything!"
Rust downed half of his beer, then fell back onto the bench.
"Bashtard!"
Rust grinned as wide as he ever had.
"Ash I wash meticuloushly meashuring the height of the grassh, Zeke walked up and said — BoY RuShT, wOuLdN't A bEnCh Be NicE rIgHt HeRe."
Noche chuckled at Rust's mocking tone.
"Of courshe I voiched my objectionsh! Shuch tomfoolery, to shtain shuch precishe plansh with a bench, FACHING A WHALL!"
Rust's head flew all the way back onto the bench and be groaned.
"It'sh my own fault. By jove, I had too much of a reaction to his japery." Rust chuckled, "Next day the hooligan had it waiting for me. Oooooooohhh he taunted me with hish Preshidental authority."
Rust sat back up, his eyes trailing up the wall that was a inches away from him.
"Well, nay I shay. NAY I SHAY! Ohh ho HO! Zeke would NOT have one up hupon me, NO SHIR!" Rust took a swig, "If Zeke thought he'd get another reaction out of me, he wash wrong."
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees as his arms crossed over each other.
"I acted the jeshter thish time. I pretended the bench didn't bother me. No shir-e, not in the shlightest. In fact, I LOVED the bench! I wash SO happy he put it here. I would shpend hoursh shitting here."
"You spent hours, facing a wall, to turn someone's prank against them."
"I errm uhhh... Yesh... When you shay it that way, it doesh shound rather shilly? Doeshnt it?"
Noche laughed, and soon Rust joined in too.
"Zeke wash never one to fold hish hand. Inshtead of getting frushtrated, he shtarted to join me on shitting on the bench."
Noche snickered.
"Both he and I waited for the other to shurrender!" Rust's voice became dry, "Shoon the prank became a routine. We'd meet up at the end of a long day, enjoy a drink, and complain about our jobsh."
Noche's gaze grew sympathetic as Rust stared off into the wall.
"Hish biggesht complaint wash how we needed to change the name of the Crossh Civilian Chity." Rust laughed, "If only he could see what itsh called now. MoveCity. Boy Zeke'd be proud."
Rust grew silent for a moment.
"You know I hate being called Zeke."
"Then shower shome more. You reek Zeek."
"Yeah well, I'm not the only one dirty." Ezekiel's voice echoed in Rust's mind, "I spy a spot of rust on your armor."
"WHAT?! Where!"
Ezekiel's laughter echoed.
"Rust. I like that."
Ezekiel took Rust's only beer.
"SCHOUNDRAL!"
"Bring two next time!"
Ezekiel downed the beer in one go. Then threw it onto the perfectly manicured lawn. Rust chuckled at the memory of how angry he was.
"You know Rust-"
"-I shay, I do NOT approve of thish new name of yoursh."
Ezekiel leaned forward on the bench; his fingers grazed the rock wall.
"This wall feels like the barrier to peace."
"... How sho?"
Ezekiel grinned.
"Its nigh impossible to climb."
Rust crossed his arms and harrumphed; black mustaches dancing from the act. Ezekiel laughed his ass off.
"It looks nigh impossible to climb... But, you can still see an end."
Various memories came back to Rust. The times he spent with Ezekiel on the bench before the wall. The laughter, the anger, the paperwork, the pranks. One day Rust sat alone and held two beers. Noche watched as Rust downed the remaining beer in one go; tears streaming down his face.
"Who putsh a bench faching a whall?" Rust whispered.