Chapter Text
Pulsating eyes watched the two figures dashing through the collapsing tower. Sludgy, mountainous piles of flesh crawled close behind Six and Mono, hungrily pursuing them as if they were tasty morsels that would fuel the tower’s insatiable need for power forevermore. One of the children would, at least. It was what always happened. It was the boy’s fate. With the former man out of commission, a replacement was desperately needed. A replacement that would be warped into a twisted vessel to carry out the signal tower’s wishes.
Mono was desperately trying to keep up with Six, who had sprinted ahead through the corridor and was nearly halfway across a bridge over a deep chasm. More flesh broke through the walls of the tower, and more glaring eyes pushed their way through the cracks as Mono dashed after Six. He tripped, stumbling to his knees for a moment before getting to his feet once again, prodded onward by the monstrous flesh closing in on him.
At the opposite side of the bridge, there was a light. A transmission portal. An escape. Six was far ahead of Mono by now, but that exit spurred his drive to run faster than he ever had in his life. He wasn’t nearly as fast as Six, and his ribs ached with piercing cramps, but he was determined that he’d escape this demented tower. He and Six had to, regardless of whatever new hellscape awaited them on the other side of the portal.
The rumbles of the tower caused Mono to lose his footing slightly, but he never stopped running. The bridge began to crumble, and a gap was opened between the two children. Six slowed to a stop once this happened, turning and crouching at the edge of one of the remaining portions of the bridge, stretching her hand toward Mono as she had done many times before. The boy sprinted until there was no longer ground beneath his feet, and jumped, his hand outstretched towards the other child.
Six caught him, his hand firmly within her grasp. Mono let out a mental sigh of relief as he heard the rest of the bridge behind him crash down into the abyss. One second later, and he would’ve tumbled down with it.
The girl was about to pull him up, when noticed something. She’d never seen Mono’s face so clearly before. She’d caught glimpses of it when he’d lifted the paper bag that always covered his head just enough to eat any edible scraps they’d found on their journey through the Pale City, but Six hadn’t seen anything above his mouth and the tip of his nose. Now that the bag was absent, his whole face was visible.
Six wouldn’t have thought this to be notable if not for Mono’s unsettling eyes. She couldn’t tell exactly what color they were. They looked gray, iris, pupil and all, but it wasn’t just one uniform shade. It was grainy and speckled with different shades, almost like TV static. Not only did they match the eerie colors of the various TVs scattered across the Pale City, but they bore an unmistakable resemblance to something far worse.
Mono’s eyes were a mirror image to the eyes of the thin man. The same man that had crawled out of the TV that Mono had traveled into. The same man that had taken her but left Mono. The same man that had ripped Six away from her very soul and brought her to this horrid tower where she had been mercilessly warped into a distorted monster. A monster that was in pain and distress.
The man and Mono were connected, Six was sure of it, although she wasn’t sure exactly how. Had they somehow been working together this whole time? Had Mono simply been leading her around to eventually get her to the man and therefore the tower? Had the destruction of the music box to save Six been the thought-out ruse of a false savior? A mere show of help to earn her trust in order to lead her on again and potentially betray her?
Mistrust flashed through Six’s eyes as she looked down at Mono, a boy she thought she knew, but now she wasn’t so sure. Was this a friend or a foe in a meticulously crafted disguise? A shudder ran through her as her eyes met those of the boy, those ashen, grainy eyes that were practically a stark copy of the man’s eyes.
Of that, Six was certain. She would never forget the eyes of the thin man.
Mono felt Six’s grip on his hand loosen, and his stomach dropped. Why hadn’t she pulled him up yet? Why was she looking at him with such… hate? Such anger? Yet, beneath those cold, hard emotions was an underlying fear. He recognized that look in her eyes, he’d seen it many a time, but it had never been directed at him. It was there when she helped Mono aim the shotgun at the hunter. It was there when she attacked one of the porcelain bullies. It was there when they scrambled away from the teacher. It was there when she listened to the doctor’s screams as he burned. It was there when they evaded the warped viewers. It was there when she was taken by the man.
It was a look she had when she was in the presence of a monster.
Mono swallowed, confused and unsure what had prompted this sudden change in Six’s demeanor. Did the man do something more to her? Did he bring her to his side and permanently turn her against Mono somehow? He hoped not.
The abyss beneath his dangling feet almost seemed to be pulling on him, trying to yank him from Six’s grasp and envelop him in the ravenous darkness of the chasm. The bulbous eyes of the tower were viciously locked onto Mono, staring into him and almost beckoning to him. It was as if the signal tower was silently calling to him, urging him to stay. It was where he belonged. It was where he was needed. It was where he had always been, every time.
Every single time. Without fail. Without change.
Mono could almost feel the unsettling yearning of the tower, and it terrified him down to his core. He felt his hand slipping out of Six’s, and urgently looked up at her, silently begging her to pull him up. Six had proved herself to be quite strong, stronger than he was even, so there was no way he was slipping due to being too heavy to pull up.
She was letting him go.
The boy felt his throat go dry as he realized what was happening. He locked eyes with Six, pleading for his life with a look of terror. He didn’t know why this was happening, but he knew that whether he could trust her or not, his life was in Six’s hands. A muted yelp escaped him as his hand slipped slightly, and he hurriedly tightened his grip on her, his panicked breathing speeding as he begged for mercy for whatever unknown sin he had committed to warrant this response from Six.
As she studied the boy beneath her, the cold expression on Six’s face softened ever so slightly. She saw the fear within him, fear that was all too real, too human. It wasn’t the fear of a monster meeting its end, but rather a child holding onto any hope of survival. She hesitated, thinking for a brief moment. She still wasn’t sure whether to fully trust Mono, but she knew that whoever or whatever he was, he wasn’t a monster.
Not yet, at least.
Letting go of him would hopefully be a mercy, ending him while he still had innocence left inside. Pulling him up would offer him a chance at life, but also a chance for whatever evil that lied within him to bubble up and fester. Six wasn’t jumping to make either choice, but she had to make one quickly. The tower was falling apart even faster, and Six didn’t have the time to deliberate between her options.
Six gave Mono a stern lookover, before remembering a time that seemed so long ago. A time when they were exactly like this, on a bridge near the hunter’s cabin. Mono had dangled beneath her as he did at that exact moment, the expression on his face a polar opposite of the confidence and trust that he’d shown her then. On that bridge in the wilderness, she had hoisted an ally onto the bridge with her.
An action she repeated that day in the signal tower.
Six firmly gripped Mono’s hand with both of hers and pulled as hard as she could. She strained and grunted with effort, but with her and Mono’s combined strength, the boy was hoisted up from the void. Mono let out a shaky breath as he clambered onto the bridge, his small body trembling from adrenaline beneath his trench coat.
The eyes of the tower widened in horror. No, this wasn’t what was supposed to happen. Six wasn’t supposed to save him. This was wrong. All of it was wrong. A guttural roar of outrage rumbled through the signal tower.
The horrible sound caused Mono to scurry to his feet once more. He looked around for his companion just in time to see her yellow raincoat disappear into the transmission portal. As puzzled as he was, he didn’t have time to think about what had just happened. The last remainder of the bridge was crumbling beneath his feet. Without any further hesitation he dashed after Six, leaping into the portal as the rest of the bridge fell away into the chasm.
Everything went white as he fell through the portal. A violent torrent of memories whirled through his mind. Memories that didn’t belong to him, yet they felt familiar all the same. Falling from the bridge. Wandering over endless flesh. Sitting. Waiting. Aging. Corrupting. Warping. Stealing.
Dying.
Mono tumbled out of a TV and onto the carpet of a dimly lit room, the screen shattering behind him. His head throbbed and his ears rang sharply, causing him to curl up, searching for a fleeting sense of comfort within a somewhat safe position. He rubbed his forehead as the confusing memories played over and over.
All his travels with Six flashed before him, but then there were those odd new memories. But they didn’t feel new. He groaned as he pressed his palms firmly against his temples, an attempt to fight off the incessant hiss of static in his head that overpowered his ability to think. His squinted eyes flickered and mimicked the bright appearance of TV static rather than remaining the dark gray they had been moments before.
After what seemed like a few painfully long minutes, the sound ceased, and the throbbing did as well. Mono’s eyes — now their normal deep gray again — opened fully, and he took in his new surroundings through his blurred vision. The first thing he noticed was Six’s yellow raincoat, as it was the brightest thing in the room. She seemed to be squatted down over something on the ground.
“Psst, he-ey…” Mono said in a weak, broken whisper. Six barely looked up at him, and then continued studying what looked like a poster. Mono slowly sat up, perplexed by it all. Why was Six acting like this? Normally, she would’ve come over and helped him up, but now she seemed rather avoidant towards him for some reason. Not to mention, he was sure — no, certain — that she’d almost dropped him off the bridge.
Mono didn’t understand what’d changed. The whole time, he’d done nothing but help her, from breaking her out of the cabin to freeing her from the signal tower’s control mere moments before. What happened…?
The boy weakly got to his feet, carefully treading over the broken shards of glass from the TV. He walked over to Six warily, peeking at the yellowed poster on the floor. On it was an illustration of some kind of vessel, with ‘The Maw’ written in black ink. Further writings on the poster included promises of a bountiful feast, with wine and delectable meats that were finely prepared. The thought of it made Mono’s mouth water. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten that well.
At that moment, Six’s stomach let out a loud growl, her hand slipping over it as she let out a muted groan. Her gut almost seemed to writhe around inside her like a furious, caged animal. There was a mild pain that came with it too, but it wasn’t something she’d raise an eyebrow at. After all, she hadn’t eaten since they were at the hospital. It was normal, right?
Despite her recent odd behavior towards him, Mono took pity on his companion and began looking around the room. Boxes and suitcases were scattered around and stacked on top of each other. He then noted a tied sack hanging from a nearby hook on the wall. Mono walked over, pulling himself up onto a box that was against the wall, and jumping to grab the bottom of the sack. His weight caused the sack to tear, and a few items spilled out: a few apples, two blocks of cheese, and a couple carrots.
Mono looked approvingly at the food before him, and picked up one of the blocks of cheese, recalling Six’s disinterest in the fruits and vegetables at the hospital. He made his way back over to her.
“Oi…” he whispered, holding out the cheese to her. Six looked up at him briefly before turning her attention to the cheese. She hesitated, and then quickly snatched the food from Mono’s hand, causing him to flinch. Six scooted a couple feet away from him before ruthlessly tearing into the cheese, scarfing it down quickly, not bothering to savor any of it. The strange pain went away almost instantly, but there was still a resounding feeling of emptiness. Six breathed out a content sigh of satisfaction.
Mono was unsure whether to be unsettled or relieved at this sudden, ravenous display, so he made himself shrug it off, somewhat at least. He sat against the wall, picking up a bruised apple, and biting into it, relieving his own hunger. Six’s standoffish behavior had Mono scratching his head. He already missed his paper bag, a barrier between the world and himself. A hiding place for his emotions. He could feel the growing frown etching across his face. He forced himself to stuff it away, to save the frowns for when he could hide his face again.
He noted that Six hadn’t made eye contact with him since the bridge. Maybe his eyes scared her…? They were the reason he’d begun donning the paper bag in the first place after all. Whatever the reason, Mono decided not to dwell on it for now. He was exhausted after the city and the tower, and he knew Six was too.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an open suitcase with cushy looking clothes inside. Mono stood and tiredly sauntered over. It looked comfortable, and it was large enough to fit both Six and Mono inside. Additionally, judging by the soft rocking of the floor, Mono guessed that he and Six were on some kind of ship. A ship that was potentially headed for whatever this ‘Maw’ thing was. Mono certainly didn’t want to be visible when whoever this suitcase belonged to would come back in. The boy easily climbed inside and looked over to Six.
“Hey,” he whispered softly, beckoning her over. Six didn’t look up at him. Mono frowned again slightly, but then got an idea. He covered his eyes with his hand, figuring she’d be more willing to come over if they weren’t visible. Six looked up a bit at the movement. “Hey…” Mono called to her again, motioning for her to come over.
Six cautiously stood, tilting her head a bit, confused as to why he had covered his eyes. Nevertheless, she decided to humor him and walk over. Mono heard her light footsteps and stretched out his hand to her. Six glanced at his hand dismissively, climbing in on her own and sitting as far away from Mono as possible. A part of her wanted to trust him, but his obvious connection to the thin man hindered that greatly. However, she wouldn’t leave him alone. She didn’t think he deserved that. He was trying his best to be kind to her after all, but there was still a possibility that it was a front. Six would wait things out with him, and if nothing fishy happened, she’d trust him again.
Mono sat down dejectedly, accepting the fact that Six was no longer as willing to receive help from him, for whatever reason. He’d try to figure it all out when he woke up. Right now, both he and Six were worn and weary. He laid down, pulling his knees into his chest and pulling a musty piece of fabric over himself. Six did the same, pulling her hood down low and wrapping her arms around herself. Mono easily reached up and pulled the top of the suitcase down to where it was just barely cracked open. Both children closed their eyes, eager for the brief respite of sleep to steal them away from the nightmarish world they were in.