Wishful Dreaming

08

The ringing seemed like it would never end, and for a moment Mono thought he had messed up his ears. Luckily the sound quit after a few minutes and he was able to open his eyes without the room constantly swirling. Seven was sitting next to him, not doing any better. When he got up to check on Mono, his body stumbled and begged to lay back down and rest, but his overly worried mind overridden that feeling and made sure Mono was okay. Then after he saw that the mysterious paper bag boy was indeed alive, he immediately let his tired body crumble next to Mono.

They didn't think about The Hunter still being alive, since there hadn't been a sound from the man since the blow. Though he could be unconscious, it seemed very unlikely. Afterall, the bullet most likely went through his chest, which would kill practically anybody instantly. This allowed Seven to relax a bit, finally safe from his kidnapper, but Mono was a different story. He didn't think of anything at first, letting his brain try to rest so the consistent buzzing would stop, but when he began thinking more clearly again, it hit him. He killed another person, well he didn't exactly lay the final blow, but he had helped kill them. It made him sick to his stomach for a second, thinking of how the man most likely was on the ground out there, body growing cold, no longer any life in his eyes.

He tried to think about how the murderous man had it coming, of how he deserved it for all the terrible things he's done. All the rotting corpses hanging up in nets, to the stuffed people in his house, to the kids he has hurt and hunted over his lifetime. Even with all of those things, Mono couldn't help to remember that The Hunter was human. A human with thoughts and goals, and maybe a past self that wasn't so bad. He saw how this world can shape people into terrifying creatures if you let it. Maybe The Hunter was the same way, perhaps he was forced to be like this.

That would mean that he and Seven had killed a somewhat innocent person, but he couldn't let himself think that. The Hunter may have not been in complete control of his actions, and he may have, but that still meant he had let the world turn him into that. Which means that he wasn't innocent, at least in a way. Mono wasn't like the man, he didn't kill people who didn't deserve it, he tried to help others and be kind to them. That's who he was and nothing could change that, not even this nightmarish world, he wouldn't let him become a monster. There was a small feeling he wasn't in full control of that.

Seven noticed Mono was stiff, and that his breaths were becoming more uneven. Seven called out to him quietly, but it seemed to go in one ear and out the other as the boy didn't move an inch. He was starting to get worried, and he didn't know what to do. "Mono?" He tried again, his voice soft but a little bit louder than earlier, Mono didn't acknowledge him. "Mono, are you doing alright? Are you still hurting?" Seven reached his hand out to Mono, barely touching his arm when Mono flinched away. Seven winced as well, not expecting the sudden movement.

It seemed to drag Mono back into reality though, since he was sitting there staring at Seven. Seven used the opportunity to try and talk to Mono again. "Are you hurt somewhere?" Mono shook his head and stared at the ground. Seven didn't know what to do now, if Mono wasn't hurting then what could be bothering him?

He didn't have to ask this time to receive an answer, because Mono began speaking. "Do you- do you think he's dead?" Mono asked hesitantly, glancing over at the broken door and then to Seven. Seven tilted his head, confused, wasn't it obvious? Why did Mono almost seem scared of the answer? Shoulders stiff and slanted backwards, head tilting away from Seven's deep stare.

Then Seven remembered something, something that happened to him when he was younger. Mono had never killed anybody before, or at least a person. Which was strange considering where they live. Still, Seven can vaguely remembers when he first had to kill somebody, or more like it, defend himself from being murdered. It has been several years now, but he still knows the feeling he felt when it happened. At first he was shocked by what he had done, then slightly disgusted and a bit scared of what happened, then finally he accepted that if he hadn't killed them it would've been him who died. Even though he knew that it was either them or him, it didn't feel fair, but that's also the day he learned that the world he lived in wasn't fair.