Little Nightmares: The Lines Between Game and Reality

United

In the end, Six, Lucecito and I decided to head off while the Gnome that Six was holding when we got here opted to stay here.

"Alrighty, then, here we go." I said as I got on all four limbs and headed back into the vent with Lucecito in front of me and Six entering right behind me with her lighter. When we got to the other side and back to the handprint-covered fridge, I walked over to the fridge and opened it, revealing its ladder-like insides. As I did, I heard Six groan.

"Aw, there's no food in there..." she moaned.

...Forcing away my unease at the nature of that statement, I then turned to her.

"Well, there's nothing to eat here, but maybe we could try climbing it up there", I said, pointing to the scaffolding above the large fridge. Upon my suggestion, she made a small frown on her otherwise neutral face.

"Hey, I was going to suggest that, Sal!" Six half-whispered half-yelled at me. Chuckling a bit, I decided to climb up first even though I had a slight fear of heights. Shakily climbing up with Lucecito riding on my back, I stood and jumped to the scaffolding to the right as I heard Six climbing up the fridge behind me.

Wait a moment.... ah, cripes. Those leech things! I hastily got out my cell phone and turned it on and tried to use its bright screen to shine it on the ceiling to find the little buggers in case they attacked us. Before I could get very far, though, I heard Six gasp besides me.

"Oh, what is that?" She exclaimed. As I turned around, I saw she was now standing at my side with her golden eyes staring curiously at my phone's bright screen. She turned on her lighter and held it next to the phone in my hand, comparing the two and their brightness.

"Where'd you get this thingy, Sal? It's as bright as my lighter!", She said in a somewhat giddy voice, "It looks cool for a flat box thingy! What is it?"

I stood there in confusion until I remembered that I don't think they have this kind of technology in this world. Shoot, I needed to think fast.

"Uhh... this is a special lighter that, um, my parents gave me when I was much younger... i-it's called a 'cell phone', and it doesn't make people warm, it only makes noise and helps make light in the darkness" I said. Most of that actually was true, since my parents got it for me when I was a kid, and now that I think about it, I really have been using it in the same way Six uses her lighter in the Maw. "It can record people's voices and replay them again, or take pictures like a camera".

"Cool..." Six said, gazing longingly at the cell phone, "now I kinda want one."

Her adorable voice made me smile as I put the phone away, walked up the steep slope and jumped onto the next platform with Six in tow and Lucecito still on my shoulders.

"Ah, come on, Six. Your lighter seems cool enough. For one, it can make you warm if you need it, and possibly make a fire. All my thing does is make noise and brighten up darkness." I said, "and taking pictures and recording audio won't exactly help us out in here", I finished, which seemed to make her happier.

"First, though, we need to get out and--" I started but was cut off.

*JING! JING! JING!*

Suddenly, I heard Lucecito's bell ringing loudly, startling both me and Six. Looking up, I saw Lucecito pointing at something while still jingling his bell.

"H-Huh!? What is it, Lucecito!?"

As I looked up at the ceiling and Six shone her lighter above us, I realized I made a crucial error:

... I! COMPLETELY! FORGOT! ABOUT! THE! DAMN! LEECHES!!!

Case in point, it was the leech my Gnome pal had pointed out that was crawling on a pipe and leaped down. It would've landed on us if I hadn't grabbed Six's arm and rushed ahead, leaving the leech to fall face-first on the scaffolding. Six seemed shocked at first, but quickly caught on that we were in mortal danger and ran alongside me as we jumped over gaps in the floor and weaved through more leeches trying to ensnare us. Now that they were up close and not on a screen, I saw that they were gigantic, being 6 feet long with bodies as thick as an alligator's. Finally, we came to the room with the switch on the wall.