In The Garden of Beasts

I didn't ask for this. I would never wish this upon anyone. All the pain and sadness I feel at this moment is beyond my own comprehension. When was the last time I ever got this upset about someone before? I would give anything to make the pain go away. It's unbearable.

My shaking hand touches his chest. His breaths come slowly and are almost unnoticeable. His eyes look at me as though nothing is wrong. He gives me a slight smile which makes me burst into tears. I quickly wrap my arms around his neck and cry into his favorite jacket. I feel his hand gently stroke my hair, which only makes me grip tighter. He lightly chuckles.

"Don't choke me to death, Ib. I want to be with you just a bit longer." He jokes. I sit up and look at him, trying to make an angry face through my tears, which only makes him laugh more. He lifts his hand to my face and strokes my cheek with his thumb. I press against his hand, feeling his cool palm against my burning cheek.

"Why'd you give her your rose, Garry?"  I finally asked. He looked at me for a moment then smiled again.

"I would never let you give yours up, Ib. I want you to be safe. I need you to continue on." He told me. I could feel fresh, hot tears sting the back of my eyes again. I let my bangs fall over my eyes so he couldn't see them stream down my face. I watched as they fell from my face to his shirt, making the light green turn a darker color.

"Don't cry." He whispered, wiping a tear from my cheek.

"How can you say that?!" I shout, "I'm watching you die!!" I begin to sob uncontrollably, my whole body shaking. My vision becomes blurred with tears to the point where all I can see is the purple of his hair. I feel his arms wrap around me and pull me close to him, his heart beating dangerously slow.

I lay there for what seems like forever, not wanting him to leave. I watch the blue rose beside him wilt and wither away, one blue petal remaining on the broken and brown stem. My heart feels like it's going to explode from all the pain and torment.

"Please….please, don't go…." I whisper desperately, gripping his jacket tightly in my hands. His embrace tightens around me and suddenly, I feel him lift his head and kiss the top of my head. I quickly get up as he rests his head down on the floor. I look over him as he brushes his thumb lightly over my lips, tears still pooling in my eyes.

"I'll always be with you, Ib." He smiles at me and takes my chin, pulling me towards him. I suddenly feel his lips on mine, gentle and calming. I push my lips harder against him and wrap my arms tightly around his neck. I can feel him hesitate for a moment then place both hands on my cheeks, kissing me with such reserve and kindness it seems to hurt more. As we break apart, our eyes meet and he lightly smiles again, tears slipping down his cheeks. I bite my lip, trying not to break down again.

"No…don't cry…" I beg, cleaning the tears from his face. Suddenly, he convulses in pain and grits his teeth, trying not to cry out. I quickly turn my head towards the blue rose and see that the last petal is about to fall. I look back at him, his eyes full of tears but that smile still on his face.

"Go on ahead Ib…I'll….I'll catch up soon….I promise…" He tells me through the pain. I shake my head, flinging the tears from my face.

"No!! I'm not leaving you!!" I shout at him, gripping his shirt. My tears fall onto him again and I'm sobbing. My body shakes violently as the sobs tear me apart. I'm going to lose him! I'm going to lose him! His breathing is shallow and hoarse and his face pale. His eyes still locked on me as  he slides his hand over my now white fist.

"Ib…," I hear him say, "May I ask you something?"

"Anything!" I reply, taking his hand in both of mine and kissing his fingers. He grips my right hand back and smiles again.

"Can you tell me….how much you love me?" He asks. I gasp a bit as I realize….I do love him! In the short time I've known him, I've fallen in love with this mysterious man. He's protected me from the monsters that pillage this demonic gallery, saved me from certain death by Mary's knife, and even took care of me while I had passed out. He took things at my pace and made sure I was safe.

"How much…I love you?" I repeat back. He nods.

"I'll tell you how much I love you….if you'd like…." He tells me. I blush through my tears and look at him with wide eyes. He loves me!! I nod vigorously. He laughs again, wincing in slight pain.

"What I can say in words may be too simple to describe how I truly feel about you. Therefore I can only say this…" He stalls for a moment then lets out a long sigh, "No matter what happens to me, Ib…I will always be with you. I would go to the ends of the earth for you, sacrifice my life for you if that means you'll be safe and sound. I love the way you smile and laugh. You've showed me so much, even in this hellish place. I want to be with you forever and I promise…promise that I will find you in the future and stand by your side, be there for you, until time ends."

My heart is beating so fast I think it may burst from my chest. I begin to cry again from a mix of sadness and happiness. It's like a dream within a nightmare and for some reason…I don't want the nightmare to end. I smile at him and laugh a little.

"I love you as much as a bride loves the scent of roses." I say with a smile. He gives me a puzzled look. I giggle a bit as I wipe tears from my face. "You can only smell the true scent of roses when you are truly happy….and I am truly happy with you. I know I love you because…my rose…smells the sweetest. I'm the happiest girl in the world to have someone like you in my life."

I see him smile brightly as tears fall from his eyes. He pulls me in tightly and I hear him sob quietly into my ear. I kiss him gently on the cheek and grip him tightly. I feel him press his face into my neck and smell my hair. He holds my tiny frame against him as he shakes.

"You've made me so happy, Ib…" He whispers to me.
Suddenly, I feel his grip loosen and his body relax. His head falls to the floor and his arms slide from my body. I sit up and watch as the last blue petal falls from the stem. I look back at him, and watch as his life slips slowly from him.

"Goodbye for now Ib…I can't wait to see you again…away from this hell…I….love……you………." I watch as his eyes slowly close, his heart beating no more. I start to shake my head, tears pouring down like waterfalls.

"Garry?! Garry?!! GARRY!!! NO!!! PLEASE!!! COME BACK!!! NOOOO!!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!! PLEEEASE!!! DON'T!!!! WAKE UP, DAMMIT!! DON'T GO!!!" I scream. I sob hysterically as I hold his head in my arms. I let my tears fall onto his face and slide down his cheek. "Noooo….please…..Garry…..come back….nooooo….." I look at his now closed eyes and gently kiss his forehead. "I love you…."