Chapter Text
It ran towards her. The monster's feet pounded on the concrete, making fleshy slapping sounds. Its face washed white like bone in TV static. A gray mop of hair, ragged and wet. In one jolting motion it threw itself across the great chasm, and she held out her hand with baited scorn.
And yet they both miscalculated. It crashed into her, sending them tumbling across the ledge. It was on top of her and she shoved it off. In her eyes it pulsed a sickly purple, and its hands were clenched like great stone mountains.
It coughed, sucking in a small breath. She felt fury rising and she raised her foot to kick it sharply in the chest, but then it held out its hand. The hand was rough and calloused, with faint red cuts from broken glass it had to pick its way through. Wait, how did she know this monster picked its way through glass? How did she know him?
"Hey?"
And at once her killer had a voice, the smashing and breaking of metal settling into a trembling throat and a shaking palm.
She grabbed Mono's hand, dragging him across the ground as he protested. He tried to get to his feet but he stumbled and this made her hate him even more. She threw his arm against the TV and jumped in, not waiting for him to make it through.
He did though. He always did.
He started to push himself off the hardwood floor, but she was already up, looking around. She didn't notice that he reached for her again. Instead she found the darkness revealed no grasping hands, no slavering mouths, and she felt her breath relax.
"Hey!
She snapped back to Mono, pointing into the darkness. She turned and saw a flickering figure in front of them. It was another glitching child. It was her.
Her hands began to shake. She felt an amorphous sense of dread and recognition, of another part of her soul that she had yet to figure out. Mono took her hand and she didn't have the ability to push him away.
The glitching her looked down and across, and Six felt her neck pushed as well. They looked at a picture. A circular boat with a spiny shell. Atop, a smokestack piercing the clouds.
Then the other her flickered out and Six found herself again. Mono's hand was stiflingly hot in hers. She quickly pulled it away. He looked at her curiously, and she noticed the tufts of brown hair and the sharp, almost elderly jawline. He said he was scared to show her his face. It was a silly fear, she thought.
"Do you want to go?" he asked, pointing at the picture. As if they had any choice. Any life besides the next room and the next chase and the next meal.
"Yeah."