Finally, and update. I don’t know if any of the old readers are still interested even, but here goes.

Less Than Fantasy, More Than Reality – Chapter 9
Ultima66

Mark looked out the window. The world around seemed to glow with a sparkle of hope, but ironically, at the same time, he knew there was tension in the air. All of their problems were still there, still stalking in the shadows for a chance to strike back at them, and running away was just a quick fix that wouldn’t last forever. They still needed a place to stay, and they could still be caught, though it would be a lot harder now. They were still isolated from the world – emotionally as well as physically.

After a long ride away from their hometown, they found a new city to stay in, though they couldn’t really stay. The two of them simply stayed wherever peace could be found, usually in a clearing in the middle of some woods, or by a secluded pond where people wouldn’t bother them. Soon after finding a temporary place to stay Mark went to look for a job, and was quickly given one by a local convenience store whose business was doing poorly and simply needed someone to watch over the store so the manager didn’t have to bother with it much. The pay wasn’t much, not that Mark expected it to be much, and at least they had some money, so they got what they needed. Still, there was no real shelter for them except for their car, and they couldn’t live in it.

Mark and Amy were always, in a way, dreadfully tired of the life there, but it wasn’t any kind of work that caused it, but simply the tension of being on the run. Night after night they could wake up and wonder if they heard someone around who was after them. One of them would wake up, shivering and scared, and wake up the other, and they would both worry about each other’s safety and hold each other until they went back to sleep.

It went on like that for a few weeks.

“Mark, maybe we should just leave this place,” Amy said, Mark still half-asleep.

“Huh? Amy? Oh… Well, where else is there to go anyways? We left one place already, our very own hometown, and it we leave here, what will we do? Why do you want to leave anyways?” he asked her.

“You don’t feel it? I know you do. I’m sick of worrying here. I wish I could relax,” she replied.

“Then just try. I know it’s hard, and I have trouble myself, but we’re in a bad place right now, and we’ll just have to sit it out until things get better. What’s so wrong about being here anyways?” he asked.

“Nothing’s wrong, but I’m not happy here, and neither are you. Wouldn’t things be better if we just lived alone, without the rest of the people in the world around us? I mean, it’s crazy, but couldn’t we do it? We really don’t need or want a misinformed society that would hate us if they really knew us surrounding us all the time, wanting to tell us when we should live and when we should die, and all the things that we have to be to be perfect in their eyes,” she replied.

“So you think we can just go out in the wilderness and live among the animals or something?” he said.

“Well, they’re better company than most humans at least,” Amy said.

“When you put it like that…” he responded. He sighed and turned closer to Amy, closing his eyes and sensing her warmth around him. They held each other close, neither needing to really say a word, since they both felt the pain and suffering of each other as a single unit and they each knew how the other felt. It was an act of kindness in a cruel world, and they each embraced it in the only way one can embrace true kindness. “Amy… Do you ever think of what we’re going to be leaving behind us when we’re gone?”

Amy opened her eyes and looked at him. “Of course not,” she said, gaze turning back towards the ground. “It’s all pointless you know, wondering about what the world will be like after we’re gone.”

“But Amy, we really don’t have anything here. Just a car, a little money that I can barely keep coming in, and each other. But that won’t last, and no one will care when we’re gone, and all we really have that’s important is memories. Nothing we have really matters to anyone but us, right?” he asked her, a little taken aback by Amy’s comment.

“So what’s wrong with that? Look, Mark, I know you’re surprised by it, but I can’t care about the future after I’m gone. I guess I was at some point, but I don’t need a legacy any more, even if you feel we should have one. Have you really looked at the world, Mark? I don’t care enough for this wasteland to want to leave anything behind when I go. All that’ll happen to it are the vandals of this world will just tear it apart,” she said to him, her tone darkening as she began to get mad.

“I don’t want you to be mad, Amy. I just thought that everyone would want to make a difference in the world. That’s what everyone tries for, right? It’s like, after anyone dies, they just leave behind all the things that they had and all that happened in their lives, and then that’s all anyone remembers. Don’t you want to have made a difference for someone?” he asked her.

“No, Mark, I don’t, and that’s why…” she hesitated, “I wonder if all this is right. I wonder if it was ever right for a Diclonius to be with a human, and if I should have ever given my heart to you. It’s these little fundamental differences that make us seem worlds apart at times. See, humans like you, they always have these hopes and dreams, talking about how they want all this and that in the future,” she said to him, “But then, Diclonius, I guess we just don’t expect as much. We know our place, and our place isn’t to succeed in this world, not at anything. I guess we really do think completely differently. Maybe it’s because I’m a Diclonius and you’re not, but I sure hope it’s just because we lived through different upbringings, because I’d really hate to lose you, Mark.”

“So, nothing at all in this world is important to you,” he said, starting to worry himself sharing the deeply dreaded anxieties that Amy was having at the moment.

“Of course things are important to me, but it’s just…” she said, “Well I mean look at you. You’re extremely important to me. I just know that as a Diclonius, there’s only so far I can get, and you, as someone who’s also on the run, you can only get so far too. I only expect so much, and I guess I feel like it’s a waste of time to even try to expect more from my life. I don’t know if it’s right or wrong, but that’s my personal opinion, and I guess I expected a little of it in you too.”

“I doubt that it’s because you’re a Diclonius, Amy. You were just raised in a different world than I was: you were always scared of things, never given a chance to even want to succeed,” he said, “but it’s not your fault, and I’m sure we can get somewhere, as long as we’re together, don’t you think?”

“Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re not. I’m not in a mood to think about it right now, though. The fact is, there’s still definitely going to be some major differences between humans and Diclonius, and those differences can’t ever be entirely resolved. Like when I got mad, I know for a fact my personality completely turned around. It’s not like humans… I’m not like most humans in at least that way. Diclonius were meant to kill humans, and I can’t entirely deny my blood no matter how hard I try,” she said.

“Well you realize that Diclonius are humans too,” he said.

“Technically, but there’s differences that go beyond external appearance. I don’t want to argue things like wording right now; I’m worried enough as is,” Amy said. “Anyways, Mark, do you think we should do it or not?”

“Do what again? Oh, right, going away. Well, Amy, there’s a lot I think we can stand to gain from being here. There’s Diclonius all over the world, and there’s got to be a lot of them on the run just like us, and if we stay here we might find someone like us: even someone that just might be able to help us. I don’t think we should leave yet,” he said.

They held each other tight until the warmth of their bodies terminated the biting cold of the surrounding wilderness, and fell back to sleep, wondering if and when it would all be over and things would get better.

Work for Mark was, in a word, uneventful. The business was dying, and the manager simply wanted it to be there since he liked saying he could own a store. He was a pretty rich man, and he could deal with not earning much from the store, so long as he could make at least a little profit and he didn’t have much work to do, so he hired Mark to take care of the store. Still, the store seemed not to be profiting much if it was earning any money at all, and sales were very slow, so Mark didn’t have anything to do most of the time while he worked there.

It was early in the morning when a man in a large brown trench coat walked into the store. He had on boots and a brown hat that partially obscured his facial features, giving him the appearance of a detective. He was definitely quite tall, and his appearance gave Mark the impression that this man didn’t belong in this store. The man walked up to the counter slowly and deliberately.

“You’re name’s Mark, right?” he asked.

“Well, yes. What’s your name, if I may ask, and why are you looking for me?” he responded, wondering if he was in trouble.

“Look, you’re not in trouble. I’m not here to get you or take you anywhere. I’m just wondering if you could use some help. I’ve had my eye on you for about a week now, and I know you and that young lady you’re always with could use shelter, among other things, and I can help you with it. The name’s Roy, and I’m on the run just like you two,” he said.

“I don’t know right now,” Mark replied, still wondering about it.

“Well, I have a place, and it’s big enough for all of us to stay there, and fact is, we really should stick together. Divided, we stand much less of a chance in this world, and if we stay together, it’s less dangerous, right?” Roy asked.

“I’ll talk to Amy about it, I guess,” he replied, still wondering whether or not it would really be safe to be with another person who happened to be on the run. Roy was a mystery, and Mark couldn’t even be sure Roy wasn’t after them and it was all just a trick.

“Well, then, if you decide to take me up on my offer, come by my place and we’ll talk about it in private,” he said, leaving a note on the counter. On it was his address. Roy walked out of the store, got into his car, and drove away, leaving a hesitant and worried Mark there, staring out at the road which Roy left on.

Mark took the note and put it into his pocket. He held onto it until he finally got off work later that day, and walked out and started driving home. A lot was on his mind, but he decided it was best not to think about it until he could have a good long talk with Amy about it. Until then, anything he decided would be simply impulse rather than a real decision, and he ran the risk of Amy getting mad at him.

The drive back felt long and tiring, with all the tensions of every day on his mind and the worry that Roy might be dangerous to them. Now, he really considered Amy’s proposal of leaving town and just living out there alone. Now that he really did find someone who might be able to help, he was sitting there scared and worried about whether it was exactly what they needed or simply too good to be true. He found the place where they were staying for that day, and pulled into the woods there, stopping the car when it was sufficiently hidden and he could see Amy there waiting for him.

“Hey, Amy, there’s something you should know,” he told her.

“Hm, Mark? What is it?” she asked.

“Well, someone came up to me at work this morning. He said he was on the run just like us, and if we wanted to, we could stay with him,” he said.

“That’s great, I guess,” she asked, “What else do you know about him?”

“Well, that’s just the thing, I don’t really know anything about him. He basically told me that much and then left. He’s a pretty tall guy, and he looks kind of mysterious, and he said he’d been watching us. You think he’s safe?” Mark asked.

“Actually, that kind of makes me worry too. Still, it’s not like we have anything to lose, and we need somewhere to go. If this guy’s really offering a place for us to stay, then I guess we don’t have much of a choice but to take him up on his offer,” she said, “Let’s at least talk to him seriously about it all first.”

They got in the car and drove to Roy’s house, asking for directions from a few people they met on the way. The house looked decent, almost too decent for someone who said he was in trouble. Mark rang the doorbell and Roy opened the door and welcomed them into the house.

“Well, you came, and not a minute too late, either,” he said, “Come on in and have a seat.”

“So Roy, you’re a Diclonius too, aren’t you?” Amy said to him.

“Yeah, so I am. It’s a wonder no one has figured it out in this town yet, but I had to run away from my last home too. Still, I’ve been here for several months now and it’s nice. I’ve saved up a lot of money from work inheritance from my old home, and just bought this house as soon as I got here, so I’ll be here for a while if they don’t find me,” he said.

“I see,” Amy said, “You know, we really don’t have any choice but to stay here with you. I guess we have to make do.”

“So I guess this’ll be a house for 3 people now,” Mark said.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s surprising to me you’re not a Diclonius, Mark. Amy’s definitely a catch, though, from what I can see,” he responded.

“Let’s not talk about that,” Amy said, turning her head downwards.

“Well, I’ll go get something for you guys then, and you can look over this place if you want,” Roy said, walking about of the room.

“I don’t like him,” Amy said, “He’s got what we need but it feels like it’s not gonna be all the way he’s making it out to be. He just seems like he’s doing it just to have us around in case he gets in trouble. I don’t see someone like him just going and helping any random person, especially if he says he’s been watching us.”

“I know, but it’s this or we leave, right? It’s not like we have much of a choice there,” Mark replied.

“We could leave, but I guess it’ll be better being here anyways,” she said, looking down as if she was worried. Mark moved over to her and whispered into her ear.

“Amy, I know this isn’t easy for either of us. We have to trust things will get better, though. Please don’t worry, for my sake?” he said. Amy looked up to him with a look of sadness.

“I don’t want to worry, either. Mark, my life would be the same without you. I’d still be in trouble and I’d still have to go on the run at some point. But you, I’m worried for your sake. It feels like I’ve dragged you into all this and you should be safe from the world but I made a mistake and now you have to pay for it,” she told him.

“Well you never have to worry about that, Amy, because first of all, you’ve saved my life more than once now, and secondly, because I love you and I’ll be here to stick it out with you till the end. You’ve done nothing to my life that I feel shouldn’t have happened,” he said, “That’s just how it’s going to be. There’s no choice to be made on your part. Even if you had told me this earlier I wouldn’t have wanted to leave you.”

“Thank you, Mark…” she whispered, “I don’t know what I’d do without your support.”

Roy walked back into the room holding a couple of drinks.

“You think the place is alright?” he asked them.

“Yeah, we’ll stay here for now, and see where it goes from there, I guess,” Mark said.

“I’ll open up the window to get some air. Just remember, Mark, this is your new place now. I’ve got enough money to support us and nothing to do with it, so you don’t even have to work. If you need something just tell me and I’ll get it for you,” he said, going over to the curtains and pulling them open.

Outside the window, the whole horizon could be seen, the sun just beginning to fall. This day, the clouds were obscuring most of the sky, but still they put out a radiant glow from the sunlight illuminating them from behind. Mark held Amy’s hand in reassurance that things would be alright, and then a sense of hope brightened their hearts. “We’re glad to have met you, Roy,” Mark said.

“Yes, thanks for everything,” Amy said, staring back at Mark, finally beginning to smile about their situation.