Silas

The wind brushed past the buildings with a hollow sound. Day or night, the sky offered no differentiation between the two because of the heavy black refuse that clung to the sky in the form of a low cloud. How long had it been there? Already I accepted this environment as normal, though I also remembered what the city looked like with blue skies and sunlight reflecting off the water in glitter-like patterns. I could never forgot that view and though it felt like yesterday, I knew it wasn't. The only benefit to the change is that I don't have to wait for the night to come alive. All those beautiful days spent immobile with eyes that could see but not even span to view the world before me sat behind me. Now, I'd be able to see the sunrise if there were a sunrise to see. Of course, that's why a gargoyle like me can move at will. No sun.

I stretched my wings out to test the wind. A decent enough breeze reached me where I crouched on the roof of the Marciana Library in Venice. My building. Mine alone to protect and adorn as its guardian. Of course, nowadays there was less and less to protect. I am a gargoyle though and it is in our nature to never stop protecting. I unfolded myself from a crouch and jumped into the wind, falling down in a a slow curve to the street. The stone ground felt cold against my clawed feet. No human had tread here in as long as the sun forgot to shine, or close to it. After the sun left, the throngs of tourists thinned and thinned until now. I turned to stare back up at my building.

White pillars loomed up out of the shadows as if raising a torch. Everything about it was elegant and strong. I understand why humans flocked to it. Even in a city full of beautiful architecture, I felt a swell of pride thinking about mine. The Marciana Library is the most beautiful of them all. The line of statues along the top creates an army nearly as numerous as the two tiers of pillars. Though they are no more than statues, I felt less alone among my peers. They form a perfect line that has not been disturbed despite the world that has gone askew around them. The only hole in the statue's defense line lies in the corner--my spot.

I hop forward with a great sweep of my wings. Laying my hand against one pillar as thick around as I am, I marvel at the contrast between us. My pale grey flesh shadows the white stone. I caress it and press my cheek against the cool rock. "But don't you worry. I won't ever leave," I whispered before flying away quickly to make my usual round. I spiraled up into the sky, then around the library. I'll sweep the streets and peer into buildings, but I won't go too far. My home remains always on the corner of my vision today too. Even if all the humans left the area, I can't bring myself to move on from the ghost like building no matter the costs.

My wings wavered and I narrowly missed a tower. Was I lonely? Perhaps more than usual, but at least I had dreams to keep me company even if I can't sleep properly in stone like before. They started recently and they gave me hope. I felt the pull and the life that could only be from them. Humans were out there. Maybe a little farther out there then my small wings could reach. I just had to convince myself to move farther than this corner of the city to find them.

Amicus

I have always watched over the Santa Maria della Salute. I was carved for that sole purpose, to watch it and the people that sought refuge in its walls. I stood in the middle of the entrance, atop a stone base that gave my nearly eight feet a little more height. My wings took up a massive amount of space in the already huge room, offering a source of calm for tourists and congregation alike. A book would sit open at my feet and I would watch stoically as people signed their names, leaving a lasting imprint on this location. But now... Now what is there? I see darkness, a sky of dark gray, often black. The city around my church has been washed in gray and black shadow, blooming now and then with a curious green-blue glow. Plants? Perhaps. I haven't seen plants in so long. Real ones, I mean. Green, scented, growing and alive. The glow often gives me a sense of worth, as though there is a chance for life after all, but after standing for days, still, on the steps of my church, the building I have sworn myself to protect, I wonder if I am worth anything at all now.

The humans had been gone for so long then. I had missed them, their faces, their life. I am, after all, a gargoyle, and our entire existence is to make sure humans are safe. To be their protector, to watch over their buildings, to make sure nothing is wrong where we can help them. Now, what had happened? I didn't know, then. Humans simply... stopped coming to the church. Gradually at first. They wouldn't write their names in the book anymore, then slowly, not even the Sunday congregations would come in, and Mass was getting more and more silent. Then no one came in, and I was alone. Over time they looked gray of skin and eye, tired, thin, and weak. Sick. At one time, millions visited. The silence was frightening at first. Not hearing prayers and soft conversation, and not seeing children running about and trying to climb on my feet felt... lonely. Of course, it was.

I often find myself flying over my building, my large wings gliding effortlessly. I had never had a reason to leave my building before it fell silent and dark, but when dust began to settle, I had no choice. I have rarely left this place, but that day I felt compelled. I took the book full of human names, my last physical remnant of humanity that I felt confident enough to carry with me, and walked instead of flew. There was a bridge over the canal nearby that I had never seen before, until I flew over the city. So many places that could harbor humans and yet I had found none.

I felt discouraged, but I had to exist. There had to be humans somewhere.

I'm a gargoyle. A gargoyle needs a reason to exist. They need to protect someone. Something.

Silas

I flew along the streets in a square around the library for some time. I'd dropped low enough that my feet nearly grazed the ground. I would have walked in order to be that much closer to humans and see where they might hide, but my own feet had difficulty with walking. Even if my claws flattened out, they crimped and scratched. Flying was always more natural to me. I looked up sharply at a noise and had to still himself because the bells on my horns swallowed the noise for a second. Where was it coming from? I burst forward and scrambled across the ground, my eyes jumping this way and that. "Hello? Is someone there? Hello? I won't hurt you!" I called out. I knew there were humans still here somewhere. I could sense this was them.

The skittering noise got closer and yet I still flipped my head this way and that. My brow furrowed because he didn't see anything until I felt a bump against one of my dull yellow claws. A rib bone caught between my toes and I bent down to pick it up. So it was just another remnant of the dead. I saw the humans dying off from where I watched the street every day. I saw them dying, but I couldn't move before it turned into something monstrous. The disease already became so bad I couldn't stop it. The death moved so...quick. Those that did survive the initial wave stayed indoors until others brought them out--dead. A creature like me couldn't do a thing.

Hanging my head, I picked up the bone before flying back to the library roof top. Behind the ledge of the roof, piles of found objects grew along most of the space. I placed the bone there among things I'd collected over many years even before the humans went away. Most of it came from human detritus like shoes or forks, bones and shiny things, then a few dingy feathers that seemed to have traveled through a lot of dirt to get to me. I crouched back down with my arms around my bare knees as a wave of depression dropped down. So unlike me who could normally believe in anything. I closed my eyes, hoping to dream so he could believe living humans existed again.

Amicus

My book... Would humans find it odd that I carried such a thing, and read each and every page like a riveting story, new each time I scanned the pages? When I looked at each name, unique in their own special way, scrawled on faded yellow lines, I remembered that there used to be humans in this dank, miserable world. That once the sun shone and humans basked in it, and played about my feet. I could feel them, distantly, a faint memory, a spirit. There, yet... not. It felt awful to know that dear friends I had come to know while mobile in the evenings would never speak with me again, nor cast glances my way during the day as they knew I would soon return to life once the sun set. Sadly, I never forgot a face. Each had been etched into my memory the moment they looked up to my sapphire eyes. Each name to each face, tourist and commoner alike. The way I was made to look---the wings of an angel and the dressing of a priest---rarely failed to elicit a smile from those that passed by.

I found myself over the bridge littered with half-rotten gondolas without even realizing that I had started walking. My steps sounded hollow on the bowing wood, which creaked in the total silence. Despite the ocean being so nearby, it rarely seemed to throw waves anymore. Was that because the humans were gone? Perhaps it was mourning as well? I didn't know. I walked into the narrow streets and couldn't stop staring at the lines in front of old buildings. The dead, covered in sheets that at one time were white but now were dark gray or yellowed, were no more than mummified remains, or bones where the bacteria and insects got to the bodies before they seemed to disappear with the rest of humanity. Sometimes I could see fires when humans were still alive. And at night, the most foul odor assaulted me. I couldn't see it---it was never even spoken---but I knew they were burning the dead.

I had made it to a small square, outside what looked to be, at one time, a small cafe, before I heard something entirely foreign: A voice, calling out. For an instant I was truly scared, as I hadn't heard another's voice in far too long. Just how long was a mystery, but it had to have been years at that point. Then the fear vanished in place of a swelling hope in my chest, and I could barely hope to respond. "Hello!? Yes, I'm here! Is someone around? Please, answer me!"

Would they be frightened? I wasn't sure. My voice was never frightening before, I'd heard it described as a soft, sweet tone. What would it sound like, raised to the sky? I wanted to spread my wings to the sky but feared missing the person, because there was that feeling. That sense of humanity. That feeling I would get when humans were present, a near constant feeling that had been gone for a very long time. Now, it was back. I just couldn't let it slip through my fingers.

Silas

For a minute, I let myself drift into a trance-like state. My senses flared, naturally seeking out something to protect. Gargoyles have this kind of deep connection with living things, although I never dreamed until after I stopped seeing human life. Perhaps it was my own desperation and delusion, but I believed the dreams signaled a human who very much needed me. As I dreamed now, I once again connected to that human. A dream that comprised of feelings and a pull, and the sight of something white and soft. I heard a voice. Strange since I never heard a voice in my dream before, but it was a dream-like sort of sound. My head shot up. I didn't dream that voice at all.

Human...human? It's the only thing I could think. I tilted forward until I fell down from the rooftop. My wings slowed the fall as I skid into the street. Was there a person here? "I'm coming! Please stay there...I'll come to you!" I called out as I tried to find the speaker with my eyes. A white bit of fluff caught my eye. I snatched up the feather before it could fall into the canal. It looked freshly shed and had a strangely familiar softness to it. The buildings around me stretched up and shocked me with their unfamiliarity. When did I get here? In my haste, I flew this far before, but I hardly hesitated. How could I now? With tunnel vision, I ignored the forgotten signs of humanity on the edges of the street and searched for this new sign of life. I caught sight of another and collected the feathers one by one until a strong sense hit me. Around the next building.

I shot upward through the air, landing with my feet gripping the side of a building as I held on with one hand. I gazed down and there! A figure! Then I saw the height and the wings which were even more impressive. I dropped to the ground because I was suddenly too heavy to hold up. Shock, confusion, then a dull feeling that came with understanding. The feathers fell out of my hand. "A....gargoyle?"

Amicus

I was startled again when I heard the voice return. It was closer this time, and in front of me, so I certainly didn't want to move. The darkness was so thick that it still surprises me how I managed to adjust to it, but perhaps it was just my specially made eyes. Or the fact that I wasn't a human to begin with, and had heightened senses. I stepped into the middle of the plaza, which at one time hosted little open air markets that sold to tourists and locals alike, but now was dark and gray, dank and ugly. I had to grip my book tightly to make sure I didn't simply run off in search of that voice, but I kept staring down every avenue just to get an idea of where it was coming from. It seemed to be everywhere, and yet nowhere. How long had it been since I saw a living human that wasn't desperate for their God to save them, or weak, thin from sickness, gray and shaking and short of breath? Too long. I wasn't sure anymore.

Then I heard it. A scraping. A thumping. I was nervous then---what kind of human made that noise? It had to be a human, though, it just had to be. I didn't get the feeling in my chest that I was at that moment without a human being nearby. It was a feeling I just couldn't explain. Familiar. Kind. Good. And it was there. I looked up after that sense drove me to do so, shielding my eyes against the breeze that suddenly picked up and grasping my book of human memories close to my chest to keep it safe. I squinted to scan the darkness and could finally see something. A flying figure. It hit the rooftop near where I was and stared right at me, pale-and-pink hair flying in the breeze above my head, until it let go and hit the ground with a fistful of my shed feathers.

I recognized what it was immediately. Curiously I recalled my dreams when I dreamed of humans, and that sensation came back. That good, calm, familiar feeling. But this was a gargoyle, much like me. And he seemed to have distinct features of traditional gargoyle, such as the wings, large and batlike but not meant for gliding, horns atop his head and sharp, claw-like feet. It wasn't the most rare thing in the world to see another gargoyle, but of course, I had thought for the longest time that I was the only one in the city. The only one that really cared, I mean. Curiosity drove me to step forward, folding my wings tightly behind me. "My... I thought I was alone... Though I also thought you were a human..."

My voice sounded so odd to me. Soft, gentle, but... present. I had rarely raised it above a whisper when I spoke to myself, just to cut the silence, and the loneliness. Did my dreams refer to this gargoyle that, currently, stood before me, once holding feathers from my wings as though they were gifts? It couldn't be... No, I only dreamt of humans. Only humans.

Silas

I stared at the other gargoyle for at least seconds. My wings drooped down as my shoulders slumped. This was not what I expected. I'd been so sure. This time, I should have found a human because gargoyles weren't really the same sort of living. Nothing worth sensing. This sort of feeling could only come from a human though, the sort of feeling that dragged me forward in my search. I couldn't ignore it because the desire to find and protect pounded in my head and my heart. I could feel it stronger than ever now, but only a gargoyle stood before me. Besides his height and wings, he had a good resemblance to humanity. More than me anyway. But a feeling couldn't get confused just by that. Maybe the human was still nearby and he simply found the gargoyle first?

After my stillness and staring, I flipped my head this way and that, sending my bells ringing. I searched the crannies of the plaza where doorways looked hollow. A few stalls still littered the area, listing to the side of falling apart. Such little spaces created shadows even darker than the usual ones. My eyes couldn't quite penetrate them, so my gaze jumped back to the other gargoyle. "I too...I also thought you were a human. Maybe..." I hopped well into the plaza with the aid of my wings so that he could look behind this rather strange gargoyle. Because really, what kind of gargoyle dressed in so many clothes? Didn't they get in the way? I couldn't see a human though. Just the feathers I’d been holding as they drifted away with the sudden breeze. For a second I watched those in confusion instead of the gargoyle that was really confusing me.

"Is there really not a human here? I see. But I'm close so I'll be off!" I exclaimed and gathered up the feathers I dropped earlier. No reason not to keep them when they were so white and pleasant looking. I liked this kind of whiteness. It stood out in the dark where I disappeared into it. Besides my hair and bells, I could be a demon from the human children's stories I heard them speak of. Without any further warning, I jumped up into the air and took flight. Finding a gargoyle hardly phased me because I knew he was on the track of a human. That came first, definitely.

Amicus

My ears perked up to the bells that rang as the other form moved. It was a cheery sound in the utter silence, almost, and could have put a smile on my face any other time. When he tilted his head here or there the bells glinted off his horns, the ribbons and his hair a shock of color in the bleak whitewash that I was truly surprised to see. Of course his skin was a stony gray, like mine was a plain white marble. But the color was there, and so unique now. His eyes gleamed with an inner fire, as there was no moon nor sun to differentiate night or day anymore---it was irrelevant. But seeing this gargoyle helped me. He was right. Humans had to be near and knowing this, my instinct to protect grew stronger. When he took off, easily from a standing position, I had to follow. I had to do my share of searching. I placed myself in the middle of the plaza to spread my wings without fear of hitting the buildings alongside me.

It was hard to take off from a stand with my wings, the way they were built and made. I usually required a running or walking start in a wide open area, but managed to get out of the trap I had placed myself in with my book against my chest, and started off, beginning a glide over the buildings to pick up speed. Surely there were humans, indeed, and surely we could find them.

Or more than one? Perhaps a group?

A group of humans, hiding away and hoping to be helped in some way, protected, watched over as they slept?

But then, I started to worry. Humans needed what gargoyles didn't. They needed food, water, warmth. Gargoyles needed none of it---barely needed sleep. Our sleep was more of a trance, which allowed us sights that could be called dreams. That feeling... humans were near, needing help that we might not be able to provide. What if they died in our care?

Over a new section of the city I had only ever heard described, the feeling began to diminish. I made a sharp turn to go back the way I came with a thought in mind---were they really this close? My clothing flapped in the breeze---I wouldn't be able to hear faint calls if they saw me. Gliding low, I had to adjust myself to avoid painfully scraping my wings along the building roofs. The feeling was gone... It was weak. I landed on a roof and folded my wings, and heard myself sigh. Was it just a memory? My nature led me to disregard that line of thought. But it was hard to keep myself optimistic.

Silas

Although not particularly short, I had a smaller frame overall and my wings didn't stretch far from his body. Just like the bats that sometimes spent the day under my wings, flapped and spiraled up into the sky. I was able to zip with astounding agility between most buildings. I only had to fly above them when the narrow streets and canals got too narrow. My eyes narrowed in on anything that looked like an entrance to the buildings I flew past. Naturally being a night creature, I could discern things in the dark, though not everything. Because of that, I followed my sixth sense of sorts. Where was that human feeling coming from? The pull confused me like it was moving around. Weak then strong, it had me darting in random directions like a mouse caught in a trap. I raced around until I made himself tired from all the movement.

Eventually, the feeling faded altogether. Did the human no longer need protecting? What kind of stupid logic was that? A bridge rose up out of the dark below me and when I flapped lower, I saw a gondola drifting loose. Hope soared. Quickly, the hope froze as I ducked lower toward the unfamiliar terrain. I knew what the white gleam in the boat was now--human, or at least a bit. I turned quickly away and decided this search was hopeless. Pain tore at my heart which should have been like stone, but never was. A funny thing about gargoyles that way. We weren't much like the stone we used to spend our days in.

I spiraled upward until I reached a good ways above the buildings and too far away to see the dark ground where a human would likely be. I'd let himself get optimistic again and again the city proved I'd done so rashly. I couldn't find anyone except...the gargoyle! At least I could have someone to talk to. I twisted midair to search for some whiteness in the perpetual night. For a second, I thought he sensed life again, but I shook that falseness off. The angelic looking gargoyle rested on a rooftop. I shot off that way and dropped down behind the other. I had to use his tail to keep balance from the sudden change of direction. "Hi again. Have you found anything?"

Amicus

The intuition was gone, unfortunately, that feeling that humans were nearby. I hated that feeling, which often left me feeling hollow and brittle, like eroded stone. It took a while to fight off that sad sensation, but when I did, I heard a small thump behind me. The other gargoyle. I didn't want to answer---answering felt like admitting defeat, but what else could I say? "No... No, I can't even pinpoint the feeling anymore. It feels like it's everywhere, but... nowhere."

I looked down at my book as the other gargoyle mulled that over. Then he spoke. "But... it has to be somewhere."

Petting the soft leather of the book's face, I shrugged. "Truly? Perhaps it is the memory of humanity we sense. Not the humans themselves, but what they left behind. Their spirits clinging to everything around us?"

"It can't be just a memory." The other said. "It's... this night. It's just interfering."

I looked up at him, raising a brow. "You know whether or not it's nighttime?"

"Well... Does it matter anymore? Regardless of what's in the sky, the clouds themselves make it so."

"Perhaps..." I opened my book, and the other Gargoyle looked into it. "These... these are names. Names of thousands of humans that visited my church every day. I can still sense their presence in the book."

"So many names..." The other said, looking into the book as I held it low. Then he stood back and looked into the street below us. The blackness of shadow, which didn't let anyone see. "Oh, by the way, my name's Salis... Who are you?"

Silas

“My name is Amicus. I’ve heard it means friend,” he said to me. I settled myself into a crouch as I chatted, feeling a bit tired. Now I stared up at him. I found that interesting. The name suited him. Despite being of such impressive height, his face and voice embodied comfort, not to mention those wings that just made me want to grab fist-fulls of the feathers. But we did have our similarities--wings and stony skin albeit of different colors had to mean something.

"Friend eh? Your creators had nice aspirations for you. I haven't flown out this far before. I didn't know there was another gargoyle in the city,” I said.

He nodded in response. “Me either.”

“Not that it’s bad!” I exclaimed.

Amicus crouched down to match me with his wings wrapped around. “No.”

I found myself sighing as I looked down at the city. Memories flashed in my mind suddenly. "It looks so different now. I couldn’t resist commenting on it. “Do you remember what the water looked like in the sunlight?" Because I did oh so well.

Amicus

I had never put my name to much use. Its meaning was irrelevant to me until someone who recognized the language it was derived from smiled in acknowledgment. I liked those instances. But looking back, I had never truly appreciated those instances. Those times of solace I seemed to give humans when they understood that I was, and always would be, a friend to them if they had no one else to turn to. Someone to listen, and spend time with them in the nights when they would come in sadness, hoping to have an ear to bend. And they always would---always could. I looked back at Silas when he presented his question and shifted until I was sitting, wings folded halfway around myself.

"I do remember." I said, and closed my eyes to do so. "The sun shone so beautifully and made it look so purely blue in the open. And it shimmered delightfully in the canals. And under moonlight, it was so romantic, and people loved to photograph the effects in the water. I was made to face the canal and open ocean, so I remember it very well as each day I stared at it. And each night I traveled outside to watch if I had no visitors that wanted to keep company." I laughed when I remembered some human antics, and opened my eyes again to Silas. "Sometimes humans would try to jump the narrow bits of the canal, and would never make it. I regret that I couldn't laugh along with the humans when they did that..." I saw Silas close his eyes, and could imagine that he was conjuring up the same images.

"Well..." He said when he opened his eyes again. "There's an upside to this... We don't have to sleep anymore!"

I had to admire his optimistic edge, perhaps a little forced as it were. I nodded. "True... This is true. Though I do wish the sun would shine a little though. To help, at least, keep spirits up." Was a ray of sun too much to ask now?

Silas looked at me, thoughtful, then turned his gaze back out to the other rooftops. I wasn't sure what he was looking at, but I was sure we were trying to see the same thing, at least until I looked back at him. His shockingly bright hair, bright but lovely in the frightening gray and black. The red of the ribbons that held his little silver bells to his horns. He was a mix of humanity and protector.

"Do you think they're not in the city anymore?" He asked suddenly. "I mean, if not here... Then some other city. Holed up somewhere we should be guarding. Somewhere we should be, with them." His tone darkened noticeably, and I narrowed my eyes. He seemed to switch between optimism and pessimism quite easily, but I really couldn't blame him for that.

Silas

I was still half stuck in my memories because of Amicus’ poetic descriptions of the water. When I closed my eyes, I could see it all. From my rooftop, I could always see the first rays of the dawn as they appeared in the distance. As much as I hated returning to stone back then, I loved to see the pink hues of the sky and how they painted the less colorful buildings like a renaissance painting. The older humans used to lead the children who pulled insistently at their hands, laughing with that same sound as my bells. That’s why I wore them.

"Perhaps you have a point." Amicus said, though he sounded reluctant. "But do you truly think we should leave our buildings?" Of course I didn’t want to. I wanted to jump into the wind where I felt comfortable and sleep on the building I belonged on, but we also couldn’t stay here. This world contrasted too much with the one in our memories.

"We both sensed life at the same time, didn't we? I have to believe it. We couldn't have sensed it any other way... right?" I said.

I was sure Amicus felt the same way as me. He kept glancing around, probably to where his building was. "Yes... Yes, right, but...I have watched over that place for... my entire life. Since the say my sculptor finished creating me. I'm sure that's how you feel too, isn't it? In this time of peril, I mean, Silas, people come looking for... religion as a comfort. They would seek out a church, would they not? Or a source of knowledge, a museum or library."

"We should find them, then! And lead them here to our safe places.” So his was a church.

"Yes. It was never closed away to the public, so even at night I was able to help those in need."

I found myself smiling. "So, that's why you look the way you do, then? So you don't scare anyone?" Even now he was shedding feather fluff.

He smiled and nodded. "Yes, actually... I'm meant to look angelic, calming and kind, and I wear priest's clothing because it's a source of security for humans that need help. Despite my size, I'm helpful because I look like a protector, rather than something meant to scare."

"That makes sense..." The world needed more gargoyles that looked like that.

"Do you really think we should leave our buildings, then, to search for them?"

"Well, we've been waiting for a long time. And protecting our buildings in that time." I said as I stood. "Neither of us have sensed a human before today... so why not now?"

"Our buildings will be left alone... I... I'm not sure I like that..."

"Neither do I, Amicus...” My voice grew soft again, doubting, but I strengthened again a second later. “But we have to find them. Surely they'll be here when we return, there aren't any dangers to put them at risk."

And then we were in agreement.

Amicus

There was no way I could deny that what Silas said was correct. We had to find them, and we had to leave our buildings to do so. Our nature pushed us two ways, to both find our humans and to protect our homes, those buildings we came to adore, to protect, to make sure that no matter what, they stood safe and sound even in the absence of the sun, the moon, and life itself. I pushed myself to stand, and looked down at my book. "I... I'm not sure I can keep this with me... I fear for its wellbeing..."

"Do you want to take it back?" Silas asked, putting a hand on the cover and leaning in to look at it.

"I... Yes, that may be best... I should put it with the others in the archives... It's where I keep it when I'm at the church."

"Then I'll come along. If you'll have me?"

I looked back at Silas, evaluating him. Safe. Kind. A bit strange, but weren't we all? "I don't see why not... I'll not be long." I stood back and away from him, spreading my wings wide to catch a draft. "It's not far off from here." I added quickly, turning and taking a running leap, giving the feathers time to catch the air and help pull me into the sky. I glided forward with a swift beat and heard the sound of bells behind me, so I was aware that Silas was following. I led him back to where I had been for so long, finally taking the place in from above for the first time in ages. It seemed to be partially draped in a glowing substance that was between green and blue, eerily pretty, like the same substance I had seen elsewhere in smaller amounts. I didn't mention it then, however, as I was aware that my voice would be whipped away in the wind. I landed gently, a beat of my wings slowing my descent, and looked to Silas, who landed nearby.

"This is my church." I gestured to it. "Once I stood in the center of the entry, with this book at my feet." I moved forward and into the building, followed by the clicking of Silas's claws.

"It's beautiful." I looked back and saw him staring around the domed room. "How many came through each day?"

"Too many to count at some times. I remember many were regulars, coming each Sunday for church or mass." I sighed out a forlorn breath and took a step forward. "Well, it would be nice to bring them back. Show them what good there remains." I moved into a hallway, then down to the door at the end. It was just large enough for me to get into easily, and then it opened up onto a once-bright, domed archive. Shelves filled the room full of books old and recent. "This is where I keep my book, in times I shouldn't carry it."

I pulled myself forward and down a few of the shelving units, sliding the heavy book back where it belonged and turning to face Silas. "Alright... I think things will be okay."

"Are you ready, then?"

"As ready as I feel I'll ever be... Where do you think we should go? Inland? Perhaps I can search islands nearby?" I wasn't quite sure what we should do. Should we stay together? Go separate ways? I didn't want to say goodbye to the only source of life and conversation I had found in years.

Silas

I followed Amicus to the church and resisted the urge to run around and poke my curious fingers into everything. There were so many books and so many shiny human things the likes of which I couldn’t pick up on the streets. But Amicus protected this place, and that was a bond no gargoyle would desecrate. I wouldn’t take anything, just admire.

“I haven’t got anything more to do so let’s...go.” For a second, I wondered if there was anything I needed to take care of back at the library. Anything I would want to travel with or hide away. It seemed fine this way though. The other statues would guard everything in my absence. I shook my head and lead the way out of the church back the same way we came in. “We’ll stick together from now on, right? We cover more ground like this!”

“Ah...that’s right. We’re more effective together,” Amicus responded. I hoped that was relief I heard in his voice.

I stared out into the night, or at least I felt comfortable calling it night. From this height, the city sprawled out underneath us, all but the rooftops in shadow. I never took the time to notice before but from here I could see foreign colors, bright things. I didn’t have words to describe the new growth and turned away from them. I felt the wind Amicus created before I saw him light down next to me.

“So which way are we going?” he asked again.

“Inland.” I didn’t have to think on it. There was more land to cover there. I glanced over at Amicus, then suddenly grabbed his hand. Marveling at how it felt to touch something living, I hesitated a second. “Come on then!” I yelled. I caught sight of him staring at our hands before I jumped off the roof. I didn’t look back, didn’t check to see if I’d startled my companion. Such thoughts weren’t normal for me to think. Once I made a decision, I wouldn’t be hesitating any longer, so I winged away from Venice immediately. After a second, I did let go of his hand though. It was weird to keep holding on right?

Amicus

Shock was the first thing to spread into acknowledgment. Feeling another living being's touch was rare now, if not completely unheard of in this time of so few humans, if any at all---No, there had to be humans. Neither of us would have sensed them otherwise. I spread my wings and let the wind carry me upward, released from the grasp of the other as we rose into the air. At a certain point my gliding and his flapping grew quiet enough to warrant speaking between us, and I took the chance quickly.

"Are you sure inland is the best choice for now?" I swept low, below Silas, to speak to him so my voice wasn't lost. It was hard to raise it over the breeze, especially since I was never meant to have a very loud voice in the first place. When I received a questioning glance, I elaborated: "Well, perhaps we should take care of the islands first? I mean, humans could possibly have colonized islands because they feel safer."

"What if they haven't gotten to the islands, yet?" Silas asked, calling down from where he flew above. "What if they're trapped here, somewhere in the mainland? And besides that, there are so many places to hide away from danger here."

I nodded. That was true enough. But the inland was just so huge, and if we didn't split up at any time, we'd have much more to handle. It was hard to imagine splitting up now, however, because we were already together. And I doubted either of us wanted to be alone again...

"I suppose you're right." I called after a moment's contemplation. "But we shouldn't fly quite as much as we are now, we may frighten them."

"We can land after leaving Venice, I think. What about you?" Silas looked down from where he flapped, quite a bit harder than me. I could glide for hours, my wings allowing me that luxury, and if I could sleep on the wing, I would.

"That sounds as good as anything." I replied at last. "Perhaps we'll see the vineyards..."

I remembered them. Saw pictures. They once were green and lush and beautiful, and I heard they smelled beautiful. I doubted they were like that now, but perhaps the soil there could hold life, perhaps somehow the humans had a way to grow things through light that wasn't the sun. Or had some form of energy. I hoped so. I could tell Silas was hoping as well, silently though, like me.

"I'm sure we'll find them." I said.

"I just have to keep convincing myself of that." I heard the distance in Silas' voice, and felt saddened at that. Did he believe? Or was he forcing himself to believe?

Silas

I didn’t much care for walking, though I imagined my shadow might be frightening and Amicus’ size. I agreed with him quickly enough. I couldn’t fly the whole inland anyway. I was light yes, without much in the way of clothes or body mass, but my way of flying didn’t look near as efficient as his. I looked at Amicus suddenly, then away again. Indeed, the vineyards...and gardens and other beautiful things I swore I would touch with all my senses.

“There would be grapes still right? Although we don’t need to...I want to taste them. It’d be fun, don’t you think?” I asked. But if there weren’t grapes, there wouldn’t be any other food growing, and if there wasn’t food, there would be no humans. My mind spiraled into those dark thoughts without my blessing. I tried to shake them off and ended up shaking my head until my bells shook instead.

“Well...there should be something. Humans find their way through a lot of things.” Amicus managed to say the right thing. Even though we were quickly leaving our home behind, my depressing thoughts.

“You’re right. Of course!” Silly me for not believing in humans even for one second.

Amicus appeared to think for a second before adding, “Like the prodigal son. That which was once thought dead, came back. Or Lazarus.”

I didn’t know the religion besides tidbits, but I found the words beautiful and true anyway. The message stood clear: there was always hope. I thought that and it seemed Amicus thought so too.

We were both silent for a little while as we flew. Already the air felt different--less moist as we got farther from the ocean. Amicus broke the silence, making me startle. “We’re out of Venice. Should we land now?”

I nodded without offering a vocal response. I darted down suddenly in a roll, twisting so I was below Amicus and facing him. I offered a cheeky grin with a silent challenge. Meet you down on the ground. And then I was diving with my wings tucked close. I wanted to see what the ground outside the city looked like.

Amicus

That smile. I feared I may never see that smile again on the face of anyone, living or no. Gargoyle or human. It felt amazing, and it seemed to rekindle whatever inner fire was going out in my chest. I tucked my wings close to my body and entered a dive I had often practiced over water so my landing was gentler if I didn't do it right, bypassing Silas and shooting to the ground, lifting my wings again and gliding over the ground just about a foot away from the flat ground, feeling a rush not unlike the kind I got when I actually crashed into the water. But this was different. It was triumph. I brought my legs down and ran, slowing myself down and twisting to find Silas having landed not far behind me. "Oh my word, I haven't felt that in quite a while!"

Silas was grinning the way he was before, and he folded his wings behind his back. "That was a pretty good display." He commented with a nod that sent his bells ringing. "Those wings are pretty graceful."

"I suppose..." I folded them modestly and looked around. "Well... We're outside the city..." It felt more empty here than it did in Venice. It felt as though the spirits here were more forlorn than anywhere he'd visited before, because they had no shelter, nowhere to go. "It's so... so quiet..."

"I don't sense any humans here..." Silas said, and I could tell he was forlorn as well. "Do you see any life at all?"

"I see... Something glowing." I pointed ahead, along what looked like a dead tree. The glow was the same green-blue I had been seeing in the city, such a curious and unearthly color that I don't think I'd ever seen before.

"What is it...?" Silas asked, squinting to see where I was pointing. "Is that near a vineyard...?"

"I see lattice. I think so. But it must be on the outside of the vineyard. Come on, we should see what this glow is." I moved forward, and Silas grasped the sleeve of my clothing.

"Do you think it's safe? Something humans can live with?"

"I would certainly hope so. It's a source of light, as well, something rare. Do you think it's a plant?"

Silas moved ahead of me, and I took a step to keep up. "It could be. I've heard people talk about how glowing plants can survive in darkness like this. Plants that don't need light and feed off their own."

"Oh really, now?" I was impressed, and the tone in my voice proved it. "That's amazing... How plants can survive... It gives me hope."

"Hope?" Silas looked behind him as I kept up easily.

"For the human race. You see, so few believe in the hardy human soul. The wish to live, and to help others even in times of crisis. They're willing, and when they're willing enough, it's nearly impossible to kill them. You just need faith. You need to keep believing that we'll find them. Some. Someone that's still alive. I mean..." I paused and looked up at the sky. The clouds were textured, but they never broke. "I believe in a silver lining. And we wouldn't have felt what we did if we were all alone."

Silas

He made hope sound easy but I saw the same humans Amicus did. Perhaps something to be protected, but also a people more resilient than the other living creatures. We protected them for that reason, didn't we? Because they were worth protecting. "I believe that too. even when I don't, I know there's hope. If I ever say there isn't, I hope you'll remind me," I said without losing the cheeriness if my voice.

Amicus nodded with a soft smile. "Of course. I'll remind you whenever you need it." He walked with quicker or longer strides than me and reached the tree first. "It definitely looks like one of those plants you mentioned."

All I could do was hum in response. The tree twisted up taller than me, but not much taller than Amicus. A few bits of the plant-life clung to the tree but now that we were close, the space beyond became visible. Quickly we moved until just in front if the lattice, close enough to see the remains of a vineyard stretching in front of us.

Jewel tones stretched in front of us twice as numerous as colored the tree. Not so much like a sea, but perhaps like the sea at night with a few glints of light coming from reflections. s palpable glow set it all alight. I didn't think I missed light so much. I knew I missed it but I also tolerated the darkness in the way anyone used to it would. But close to this strange glowing light, I nearly dropped to my knees as my emotions passed over me. As much as I lamented the grapes, I had to admire this scene.

"It's strangely beautiful," Amicus said, breaking into my thoughts. His normally soft face looked softer and his eyes a bit wider.

"Yes..." I stared into that inky black with it's colored bits of light as if transfixed. Suddenly, I turned and hopped back to the tree. I scrapped a bit of the plant off the bark and popped it into my mouth. My face screwed up as an intense flavor hit me and I spat it to the group. "Eck, it's sour and oily. I wonder if humans could eat this?" I couldn't say either way since I wasn't in the habit of tasting human foods and analyzing the diet. A plant was a plant though. Unlikely things grew all over the place and something edible would grow.

"Remember, we can at least hope."

Amicus

I pursed my lips in thought. The plantlife on the tree was bad tasting and unpleasant, but did that mean the other colors were? They each had to be made of different things, different substances, to give each their color, their thickness, their height. Like grapes, I heard, tasted different depending on their color. The green tended to be more tart than red or indigo, and that was what made difference regarding wine. I had tasted the stuff on one occasion, but hadn't much liked it. I voiced my idea to Silas, who tilted his head in thought.

"Hm, maybe... Do you think it's poison, though...? Who knows what could be in this stuff..."

"Well, it's trial and error, I suppose... Humans discovered what was poison and what was safe through trying it. Before they knew how to figure it out without harm. Besides, we don't have their systems. We'd be fine no matter what we ate." I couldn't go under the lattice, so I jumped over it, feeling my wins involuntarily flutter out to break my fall. "It's heavy..."

"Heavy?" Silas stared at the sea of color in front of us, then nodded. "It's knocked the vines to the ground. What are these plants made of, anyway...?"

"Maybe they... adapted." I offered, stepping in a bare patch and crouching down. "They have to be safe, though... What would be in the ground that would make the plants bad?" I reached down, feeling that each little glowing leaf was attached to a stalk. Most grew in flower-petal formations at the top of the thin stalks, which did't seem to be able to hold the leaves up well unless they were leaning against one another for support. I raised my face to the wind, catching a strange scent on the air. "Hey... Do you smell that...?" I glanced back at Silas, who I could see was flaring his nostrils to catch what I had.

"Yeah... I think it's coming from there." He pointed ahead, to a shed that was standing alone, across from a very large building that I assumed humans made wine in after the grapes came to maturity. I went forward without realizing it at first, feeling myself gliding until I realized I was simply running, actually running to see what was there, and barely acknowledging Silas when he spoke again: "Hey! Wait, wait up!"

Just a few paces from the shed I stopped, panted, and looked around. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure... what got into me." Giving an apologetic shrug to Silas, I looked up and down the shed. It was covered in vines, but these vines didn't look dead. They actually looked... black. And hanging off were flowers. "What...?"

They were huge, as large as my hand, which was certainly saying something. Their petals were thick and shiny, even in the eerie glow all around us, and their stamens seeped thick, red liquid that gave off a powerful scent, what Silas and I had smelled a moment ago. The petals were deep red, spiderwebbed with a faintly shimmering white.

I looked at Silas in awe.

Silas

I had to jump into a low fly to keep up with Amicus' running pace. Not that I felt any less need to hurry, even if felt baffled by Amicus starting it. There was a strange pull in the air and yet, I couldn't identify this smell, even to say if it were good or bad. "What are these flowers?" I asked, finishing Amicus' unfinished question. He didn't give an answer though. It was clearly something neither of us had seen before. Probably something that had never existed before.

Instead, he asked a question of his own as he prodded one of the petals. "Did they evolve from the grape? This...it's a bit like wine, but honey coated too. They smell so good." Amicus leaned down, sniffing strongly.

"They...do?" A question came out in my tone despite my agreement. This resembled sweetness, but wasn't sweet to me. I moved one step closer and bent until my nose hovered just above the flower's center. the scent wafted up so strong it made me dizzy until I recognized the smell for what it was. I jumped back a good three steps, my nose wrinkled. "It smells rotten," I muttered past my hand as I brought it up to cover my nose. shaking my head sent the bells into a frenzy.

Amicus gave me a puzzled look. When he turned back to glance at the flower, he smiled as he sniffed again. "No...this is definitely sweet. I don't think this is poison. surely it's food!" he exclaimed with a joy just shy of giddy. "We should look inside the shed too."

I moved closer again, nodding. "Alright. I think this is the door here, past a few vines." I pushed those aside, accidentally breaking a few in the process. Just like the flower blooms, the sap smelled pungently. The rotten notes increased. I couldn't get the door open either, finding it jammed. When I turned back to ask Amicus for help though, I saw him still by the flower. Wasn't he paying attention? When I returned to his side, I realized his eyes were glassy.

"Amicus?"

"Hm...what? I'm coming," he said without moving.

I tugged on his sleeve anxiously. "Hey Amicus, let's just leave. Never mind about the shed. I don't feel so good about this place." I glanced back over my shoulder, tugged again. I didn't think I could make him move if he didn't want to. "Come on!"

Amicus

The smell... I couldn't get away from it. Sweet and tart and bitter, it made my mouth water just to breathe it in. I barely registered the voice, the frantic tugging on my clothing, even the sharp pain when Silas pulled one of my largest feathers out just to get my attention. The flower was intoxicating, every breath in made my head swim pleasantly, and I was brought ever closer to wanting to lick the substance that dripped out of the inside. Thick like syrup, it dripped onto my hand when I grasped the flower by the thick vine, bringing it close to my face but trying not to break it from where it clung.

"Amicus!" Silas's voice was nearing frantic at that point and I finally decided that he was more important.

"Wha...?" I didn't get a chance to speak more as Silas grabbed the flower and twisted it hard, wrenching it from the wall of the shed. The vine thrashed, splattering dark red liquid in our direction, but we had stepped back so the substance didn't get on us. "Oh my..."

"Poison!" Silas said, as if scolding me, which I knew he was. "It draws you in and never lets you go."

"It... The scent... it's meant to kill you..." Realization wasn't far behind the cloudiness in my head, which was quickly starting to wane. "It... It's meant to kill so the bodies of their victims... feed them."

"Are you sure?" Silas' voice was calmer now, and he was wiping his hands on the ground. I pointed to the shards I could see in the earth around the shed.

"Yes. Animal bones. Surely if animals are alive, they're eating something. They were lured here, and got addicted to the smell and possibly the taste. Like a drug. And they needed it so badly they eventually died, so their bodies could add vitamins to the earth."

"Do... do you think... there's more?"

"Probably..." I made a face at the vines and breathed in carefully to disguise the shaking in my chest. "If there are some, there have to be more..." I gestured and led Silas away. "I'm not sure what's in that shed, but I don't really want to know..."

"Neither do I... Probably something awful."

I nodded in agreement and crouched down in the midst of the gently glowing plants. "But these... surely they're better." I plucked something glowing a deep teal, and without thinking, placed it in my mouth, biting down gently. Something half sweet, half tart exploded into being and I opened my mouth in surprise.

Silas

"I don't know if we should be eating things-" I didn't get a chance to finish my sentence before Amicus bit down. Seeing the look of surprise on his face, I grabbed his arm. Concern that perhaps bordered ion fear colored my face. "You didn't eat poison did you?!" I yelped. I couldn't tell from his expression if it had been good surprise or bad, but he smiled. He smiled and I forgot for a second that my hand still tangled in his sleeve and we were in a neo-vineyard. My relief was so great. He uncurled my fingers and I quickly brought back my hand, feeling silly.

"No, it's good," Amicus said. He reached over and snapped another leaf off to hand to me. "Taste it. The flavor just surprised me with it's intensity."

I nodded at his words as I took the bit of plant. I didn't feel the need to hesitate, so I took a solid chomp out of it. The intense flavors, a different but pleasant mix, shocked my tongue. I couldn't help but smile. "It is good." A sudden laugh burst out if me and I laughed that way for a good minute until Amicus stared a little too hard. "Sorry. I just got a little giddy, thinking at least something is edible."

"I agree!" Amicus pluncked another few leaves before looking over at me again. "Humans can eat this. Do you think we should gather some to give in case, no when, we find humans again?" I nodded and helped pick what we could easily tuck away which for me wasn't much. But humans would need food and they might be too frightened to venture out. It was only reasonable for us to do it for them.

"At least now we know-- the simpler looking plants are food. I didn't know there would be so many plants. This is so great!"

"We'll just have to be more careful from now on. If the plants have become like this, who knows what we'll find further on." Already we had seen how deeply our world had changed.

Amicus

While picking these strange plants, I gathered a full hand before realizing I could easily take my sash off and unfold it to use as a makeshift bag. It was more than long enough to not only hold a good amount without harm coming to the items, but to tie back around my waist after gathering enough. "If plants are like this," Silas said as he handed me more of the leaves, "there have to be plants like that... red one that are safe too."

"I think so." I agreed, folding the sash back up and carefully knotting it around myself. "I'm sure the red plants are safe to eat, as long as you aren't pulled in by the scent..."

"Don't you even think about going back---"

"I'm not, I'm not! I'm just making an observation."

"Then you'd better make it at a safe distance." Silas' voice was hard, and I understood why. I simply nodded and pointed ahead. "There's a home over there. This must have been a private vineyard of some well-off family or someone similar. Maybe there's... someone alive inside."

"Do you think?" Silas gave me a look, and I recognized it as negativity. Pessimism.

"Silas, we have to always think so. We can't slip into that awful... sadness. What... what if we turn back to stone because of it?"

Perhaps it was an odd thing to say, because Silas widened his eyes at me. "What...? Do you think we'd do that...?"

"I'm not sure." I returned stiffly, and moved forward. "But I really don't want to take the chance. Just because the sun and moon are no longer with us doesn't mean we have this range of life indefinitely. We must use this blessing to the best of our abilities, because it could easily be taken away from us at any given time."

I had my back to the other gargoyle, so I didn't know what he was feeling. At that point, my fear was coming out, and I didn't want to admit it. I suppose even the watchful angel of the Santa Maria della Salute was always victim to pride from time to time.

Silas

I never considered that our freedom from stone could be impermanent. That one thing, I never had my doubts about. The landscape changed, we as gargoyles changed. I never thought deeply about it, just rejoiced in what the tragedy had given me. Now I hung my head in shame because I'd taken this for granted and acted cowardly. I felt bad about my doubts so I stamped down on them. Before Amicus could turn and see me, I hurried ahead.

"Of course you are right. Its good we have traveled. We may uh...be closer to humans now than before. Anyway, we were going to that house right?" I said with an overabundance of excitement. I barely glanced back at the other gargoyle as I moved with a half walking, half flying sort of awkward, quick pace.

After a second more of stillness, Amicus took off after me. "R-right. We have to check."

"Even if we find something so horrible we wished we never had?" I really should have stopped myself from saying that. I didn't even think it would be an unworthy trip if that did happen. I just said these kinds of things to fill the silence. Amicus sighed at me and opened his mouth as if to scold me, but I raised my hands I defense first. "Sorry, sorry. I know. You don't need to say anything!" I added with a grin.

Thankfully we made quick time to the house in our haste. The conversation. Ended as we cautiously poked around. Less of the vegetation grew here and strangely it left the walls bare. Just dark dirt filled the space outside of the home. The door stood tightly closed and looked sealed from the inside. I stepped forward hesitantly and knocked on the door. Nothing. Amicus called out.

"If there are any humans here, we have come to help." But his words also received silence.

I glanced over at Amicus. "What do you think? Should we go inside?"