AN:

Heads up right away: This story has huge spoilers for every game ever. Especially Shattered Memories.

Alright, this story started after I finished Shattered Memories. First time around I got the Love Lost Ending. Instead of being a good fan and working to get the other ones, I watched them online. The UFO Ending, in particular, was hilarious. But one line stuck out to me - "It made more sense when you were talking about cults and demons!" - The idea that Cheryl created not just the Harry we play in this game, but the "main" game as well. I took the idea and ran wild with it, and now we have this story here. I hope you enjoy! Please review, as well! Criticism is what I want to hear!

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Fugue

Ch. 1 - Remliel

(Angel of Awakening)

--

"You'll be careful?" The blond woman muttered, staring at her former husband. He nodded slightly as he set down the suitcase next to the car.
"Sure."
"Harry-"
"We've said enough. Let's just-" He then noticed their seven year old, awkwardly holding the video camera to her eye. He bent down towards her.
"Sweetie, don't film this. You know this has nothing to do with you, right? Even though Mom and Dad don't love each other anymore, we both love you. And we always will. Come on."
Slowly, Cheryl lowered the video camera before shutting it off.

--

"Divorce" was what it was called. Mommy and Daddy were going to live in separate houses. She was only going see Mommy every other week. Because they'd stopped loving each other - but they would never explain why they didn't love each other anymore. For as long as Cheryl Mason could remember, her parents had been like any other. When did it happen? Why did it happen?

So much was happening; she had to focus. Right now, she was moving. Moving with Daddy, to their new house, hours away from here. She climbed into the back seat, setting the camera down and grabbing one of the coloring books Daddy had bought her. She could hear Mommy's voice.
"They said there might be a snow storm today, Harry."
"In this weather?" Daddy laughed. "It's forty out, Dahlia. There's no way."
"Still. Just... be careful, alright?"
"We will. I'll have Cheryl call when we get there."

Mommy then appeared from the back of the car, smiling down at Cheryl.
"Goodbye, sweetie. I'll see you later, okay?" She kissed her forehead.
"Uh-huh." Cheryl went back to her coloring book.
Daddy sat in the driver's seat and wasted no time, starting to drive quickly down the road to their new home.

--

The hours ticked by. Day turned to night. Cheryl went from her coloring book to one with puzzles. The weather outside went from the slight chill it had been to below freezing. A thick fog quickly enveloped the car, before giving way to a flurry of snowflakes.
Daddy swore under his breath.
"Well," He said, in the voice he used when trying to cheer both Cheryl and himself up, "I guess Mom was right, huh?" He said, turning back and smiling at Cheryl. She returned the look before returning to her puzzle.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something dark blue and moving slowly on the road. Daddy swore loudly, and the car swerved to avoid the blue thing. In a split second, a fence Cheryl was sure wasn't there before suddenly was, and the car rammed into it. Cheryl felt her body move without the car with it, the seat belt digging into her neck and chest. The video camera flew into the air, coming closer and closer to her face, before everything went black.

--

And that was when reality split; when Cheryl Heather Mason forgot what was true and what was fantasy. When Cheryl created a universe.

--

Cheryl woke. Her head hurt more than she'd ever thought possible. Everything on her was bitterly cold and wet with snow... When did she get out of the car? She tried sitting up, her head and neck feeling limp and dizzy and hurting even more. She saw two people laying on the ground, the white snow around them was turning red. Cheryl gasped. Was that... blood? She had scrapes and cuts before, but she'd never seen so much at once... She felt sick, staring at what she realized was the blue thing Daddy had tried to avoid. It was a girl, probably a teenager, with a bob of black hair. Her eyes were wide open, but she wasn't moving. Her blue uniform was ripped open, revealing a bright white ribcage and more blood than she thought could possibly be in a person. Cheryl shook with disgust and fear, but for some reason she couldn't look away. It was while she was looking at the girl that she spotted him. He was still in the car, slumped in the seat. There was blood, covering the window and dripping out of the open door.
"DADDY!" She screamed, trying to stand. Her head felt a pang of throbbing pain, and everything slowly went black again.

--

"Cheryl! Where could you be...?" Daddy got out of the car, wandering around the snow-covered road, searching. She tried to shout, tried to say that she was here, Daddy, here, but no noise came. She could only watch him frantically search.
"It's strange... it's quiet. Too quiet... This place is like a ghost town. Cheryl..."

--

"As far as we are aware, Alessa Gillespie was attempting suicide by going out in front of your husband's car. Her mother was left a note."
"Oh... oh God..."
"She and Harry Mason died on impact. Thankfully we were able to get your daughter to Alchemilla on time. Huge injury to the head, broken legs... and hypothermia from being out in the snow for so long."
"Will she be okay, though, Officer...?"
"Bennett. Cybil Bennett. And she should be fine. She's out of critical condition and you should be able to see her now... I'm... sorry for your loss, ma'am."
"Thank you, officer."

"Mm...Mommy?"
Cheryl woke. Her head felt better, but pressured. She lifted a hand to it, feeling bandages wrapped tightly around her hair. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was in a white room, tucked neatly into a large bed. There was a metal pole with odd bags hanging from it on her right, and a little white nightstand on her left. She looked up to see her mother come through a white door, followed by a policewoman with short hair.
"Mom, what's going on?"
"You were in an accident, sweetie." Mommy tried to smile, but Cheryl could tell it was fake. Her eyes looked red and puffy, and her cheeks wet.
"You're in the hospital, but you're getting better and you should be out in no time."
"Where's Daddy?"
Mommy took in a breath, before looking at the other woman, who nodded and left the room. She then sat down in a chair next to the bed.
"Sweetie... Daddy died in the accident."
"No!" Cheryl cried, sitting up quickly.
Mommy put her hands on Cheryl's, her eyes watering. "I know it's hard to accept, but-"
"NO!" Cheryl screamed again, taking her hands away from her mother's. "No, he isn't, I saw him!"
"He was dead then, sweetie. You have to-"
"No, no, no! I saw him, he got up! He was looking for me! He was looking for me and he couldn't find me in all the fog!"
"Cheryl, please calm down!"
"No, not until you stop lying!" Cheryl stood up in the bed, her eyes wide in disbelief. Why didn't Mommy believe her?
"Daddy's out there, he's looking for me, he's-"
Mommy's hands gripped her shoulders, firmly setting her daughter down. She shushed her, lying Cheryl back in the bed and pulling the covers to her chin.
"Shh, shh, Cheryl. Please, don't get so worked up. I don't want you to get hurt anymore. Please." Mommy started crying, quietly wiping them away before she thought Cheryl could see.
"I'll go tell Officer Bennett what you saw, okay? How about that? Now, you need to rest. You're hurt, sweetie, and you need to get better."
"But Daddy-"
"Please, please don't talk about Daddy. Please." Mommy stood up, trying to smile. "Have a nice dream for me, okay? I'll go talk to the policewoman for you."

--

She felt her body moving on its own accord, pulling her away from her father. To a place she needed to be. Didn't he understand...? She needed to go. If he followed, he'd only get hurt.
"Cheryl...? Is that Cheryl? Where are you going? Hey, wait... stop!"
She couldn't speak to him, though she tried. She just knew she had to go to her. To Alessa. Alessa Gillespie.
He ran for her, through alleyways and tunnels, it steadily growing darker and darker with each step. Blood dripped from corners of the endless pathways, punctuated with wheelchairs and gurneys, all soaked in blood. He eventually came to a dead-end, a chain-link fence blocking his way. Hanging from it like some sort of warped crucifix was a body, twitching maliciously. It seemed to lack skin, showing off its ribs and organs which still beat and pulsed with life. Its face was hidden by twisted and stretched skin.
"What is this?" He exclaimed, shaking in horror. "What's going on here!?" He turned, trying to run from the display, only to run into three... things. Monsters. They resembled humans, but only in the most basic of ways. Their skin was jaundiced, wrinkled and stretched, as if they were wearing leather. Where their heads should be was merely a gaping, bloody hole, and they had long talons where fingers should be. They quickly grabbed him, wrestling him to the ground while he tried in vain to kick them off. Slowly, he was pinned down, and everything blurred, turning black.