Mono + Six Afterstory || Little Nightmares II

Eighteen

     Morale was high amongst the kids as they made their way upstairs to The Lady's quarters, but Mono had a horrible feeling in the back of his mind; he just hoped they weren't too late in fixing things.

     The pale, lanky boy was first to enter the dimly lit room where the previous confrontation had occurred. Nothing seemed off at first, the air was still, albeit heavy and somewhat suffocating. It only made Mono feel more uneasy, and rightfully so, because when they walked deeper into the room, they witnessed firsthand the damage Six had inflicted upon The Lady. He was sick to his stomach seeing the rabid nature of the teeth marks on the woman's neck, and now understood why Veronica had been freaking out so much.

     "I can't even look... This is horrible. I didn't think her hunger was this uncontrollable." Mono turned to Riley with conflicted eyes, which caused the boy to comfort him by holding his shoulder gently. "She got taken by the Thin Man, and her soul got separated from her body. It's been making her hungry, but really she needs...you know." He explained her behavior cautiously, and the other kids appeared frightened, glancing at one another with dejected gazes.

     Riley stared down at The Lady's corpse, relieved and fearful at the same time. "You saw it before...her sorcery. I wonder if Six absorbed her life energy, and her powers." He theorized aloud, eventually making eye contact with Mono to see his reaction. "That would mean she's going to be pretty much unstoppable if she can't control it." He added this begrudgingly. "What do you want to do...?"

     These words made Mono wince and clench his eyes shut momentarily; he didn't know if he was prepared to see Six like this, especially after what happened in the Signal Tower. "I know she can fight it. She's strong." He tried to reassure himself and Riley, and soon enough he gaslit himself into being optimistic. "I can lead. If she hurts anyone, I want it to be me, not you guys." He wore a stern expression as he faced the rest of the kids, though he relaxed upon seeing Riley smile and shake his head at him.

     "Together, Ghost Kid. You and I can lead together." He grabbed Mono's hand and started pulling him along, back out of the quarters and down the stairs. Although the kids from the campfire were visibly fearful, they put their trust in the two boys and followed behind them calmly.

     Knowing Six, she was most likely trying to escape since that was just her natural instinct as a survivor in this world of messed up things, so Riley guided them to the main hall, where they observed countless lifeless guests. They could infer what happened to them, unfortunately.

     Once they reached the seemingly endless staircase leading out of the belly of the beast, Mono had to stop and take a breath. There was something making him feel queasy, but he chalked it up to him being seasick and tried to keep focus. "She's up there..." He spoke in a shaky voice, taking his sweaty hand away from Riley and putting it over his chest. His heart was racing from anxiety, but he knew nothing would change until he took a step, and so he did. He took multiple steps, staring up at the sunlight to incite courage in his body.

     After what felt like an eternity, he and Riley emerged from The Maw and shielded their faces from the bright light. Soon followed the rest of the kids, and once they all adjusted to the different setting, they couldn't believe their eyes.

     "Let go of me you crazy freak! I knew we shouldn't have trusted you!" Six was in a confrontation with Pericia, who was pulling her hair and trying to restrain her. It appeared to be a fairly even fight, because Six was still managing to wrestle her away and tug on her hair as well. They both had tattered clothes, somewhat ripped even.

     "I'm a crazy freak? Try again! Why don't you look in a mirror, Six?" She grabbed the girl's face roughly, trying to intimidate her with eye contact. "Maybe if you saw the blood on your face and clothes, you'd take it back!"