Everything Remains (REMASTERED VERSION OF MY SMG4 "WHAT IF?" AU)

Chapter 11 : Serenity

Our walk felt like it went on for days. We were all getting tired of walking through the seemingly endless hallways and stairways. The heat that lingered in the air didn't help either. However, we knew that we couldn't rest. Well, the kid probably didn't but me and Axol did. We've looked through every room in silence, but have found nothing. What made the whole thing worse was that the elevators weren't working! Believe me, we tried. As we reached the roof, it was nighttime already. Our friends weren't around, which made me worry. Then again, we didn't tell them to meet us on the roof, so there's that. But hey, it was definitely a relief to feel the wind blowing against us. I moved some hair out of my face to take in the view before us. Axol walked beside me, his gills flying with the wind as well.
"Well, there isn't much to explore now."
I nodded. "Yeah."
We both just stared at the city below. The streets were soaked with blood, wet and dry.  Corpses were already dragged off the scene to be eaten. None of the buildings have been destroyed, if anything, the windows and doors were the main things broken on them. Nonetheless, it was a depressing scene. That was then that I began to think. So many what ifs came into my head like a bullet. Axol noticed this and looked at me.
"Something's wrong, I can tell." He said with a gentle tone of voice. I sighed. "It's nothing. It's just-... Oh, I hate this.."
I felt an ache in my throat as my eyes glistened with tears. Axol wrapped his arms around me gently. "Hey, shh, shh, it's okay.."
He whispered. "I hate it too. But I promise you, when we get our hands on Zero, everything will be back to normal afterwards. We'll be safe, I promise you."
"I'll take your word for it." I say as I return the favor. He smiled as I returned the hug. The child waddled over and hugged us as well. Considering its height, it was only able to hug our legs. I looked down at it before hesitantly patting its head, hoping that it wouldn't bite me. It began to smile. Me and Axol also smiled.
"You know, kiddo, I don't think we ever got your name."
Axol says as he grabs his sketchbook, tears out a page, and hands the child both the paper and his Inkweaver in a smaller form.
"Think you can write it down so we won't have to refer to you as just a Striker anymore?"
The child took the paper and pen and sat down on the floor before scribbling something out on that sheet of paper. I looked at Axol.
"That writing won't come to life, will it?"
"I doubt it. Although that'd be cool." He chuckled. The child then showed the paper to us. Written messily on there was the name "Sarah".
"Sarah. That's your name?" I asked for clarification. Sarah nodded. She gave the Inkweaver back to Axol. The three of us looked out at the view before us. There was a sense of serenity that I haven't felt for the past day or so. Suddenly, Sarah hissed, as if she was a dog that sensed danger. The building began to rumble, no, the city rumbled. But only for a bit. But the silence didn't last. A giant hand grasped the edge of the roof, lifting a weight that we weren't expecting to peek over to take a good look at us. It was a monster that was bigger than the hospital building, and it was a grayish dark purple with a familiar circular shape of horns and a lack of legs, letting its ribs show, but no organs dangling loose from the gaping hole at its lower torso. It only had one eye, and its teeth were razor sharp. What gave its identity away was the number 0 located in its eye that served as a pupil.
"Oh my goodness, is that-" I asked, but couldn't finish my question.
"Zero? Yes. Yes it is." Axol responded, gritting his teeth at the sight of it. I turned to Sarah, who was growling.
"Sarah, get out of here before-"
A fleshy wall suddenly blocked the entryway to the roof.
"Well darnit."
"Nice try, you two." Zero growled as we drew our weapons. "However, I'm afraid that you're powerless without those Guardians. They aren't going to find you here, and if they did, their only way of entry is blocked. You two are fucked."
He chuckled. But the chuckling stopped when he saw that there was a whole army of drawings behind us, wielding weapons. I turned behind us and flinched at the sight. My attention then turned to Axol, who stood there with a smug smirk. He then pulled me close, Sarah moving close as well. His hand remained at my waist.
"But does that mean we can't try?"
He pointed the Inkweaver to Zero, signaling the drawings to attack. And they did, all ambushing him. Axol looked at me as Zero kept trying to ward them away.
"Okay, now, you try to use your Deity powers to attack him from behind, alright?" He whispered. I nodded, giving him a rather determined look. A small aura glowed around my body as I waited for a right time to strike, charging up a beam attack with my sword as I stood there. I leaped upward as the last of the drawings died out, lifting my sword upward. However, as I was about to attack, Zero suddenly grabbed me, his fingers curling around my body tightly. I tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but then Axol leaped up and impaled Zero's eye with his pen. Zero began to scream, letting go of me in the process. While Axol was still hanging onto his weapon, he leaped away from it (leaving it inside Zero's eye by the way) and catched me, however we didn't land on the roof again, instead falling down toward the ground. Axol held me super duper close as we fell, clearly fearful for the landing. I embraced him tightly as well. I closed my eyes tightly as the rapid thoughts kept coming in. I kept my eyes closed. I didn't want to open them.