Little Nightmares: The Lines Between Game and Reality

Cleaning Up

I. Am. Fucked.

"Little vermin mussst be cleeeaaned, oh yes, oh yes..." The Janitor mumbled while wearing a mad grin, dragging my cage along through the darkness. I stayed huddled in the cage, fearful of what he might do if I step out of line. It was never revealed what he did to Six in the game if he caught her, but I'd rather not find out the hard way.

Strangely, I'm feeling a mix of anger and fear right now; fear that I'm doomed to be trapped on the Maw for eternity if I can't find a way out, and angry at how I ended up in this mess. No, I'm not mad at Six (for the most part), just mad at myself for forgetting about that sequence in the game where that trap occurred. If I'd remembered that damn trap, this whole mess could've been avoided, though I knew pondering "what-if's" wouldn't get me anywhere.

"Ah, heeeere we go..." The Janitor rasped as I looked up from my huddling position on the cage floor, and noticed we finally arrived at where he was going. It was the same room where Six was taken in the game, with cages with kids in them littered about, with two doors leading out; one led to the abyss where the Lair began and the other led to where the Janitor did his "job". I was expecting for him to grab another cage and leave me here, but to my horror he instead grabbed the lever that opened the door on the right and began dragging me through.

"Don't worry, little pest..." He rasped, turning to me, "vermin must be cleeaned..."

...THAT scared me! What the hell does he mean "cleaned"!? What was he going to do to me!? At this point, I was feeling more terror right now than my entire journey in the Maw up until now.

"Uh... w-what do you mean... c-cleaned...?" I asked fearfully, genuinely terrified, pressing my back onto the cage bars behind me. I knew from the game that he wrapped up children in cloth like a spider with silk, but I didn't know what happened to them after that!

"Heh-heh-heh-heh... you'll seeee..." he chuckled as he began to move through the door. However, before he could drag my cage through the door, a loud noise rang out. A familiar noise.

*JING!* *JING!* *JING!*

That was Lucecito's bell! What the hell was he doing around here!? For some reason, it got fainter with each ring.

The Janitor stopped cold, probably trying to listen for its source. Glancing around, I tried to find Lucecito in the shadows, but I couldn't find him at all. The Janitor seemed to have the same issue, snapping his head in all directions to find the source of the noise, but to no avail.

Not that I'm complaining, but why couldn't he find him? Doesn't he have acute hearing? Unless... oh, that's it! The triple ringing was actually just one ring echoing around the room, bouncing off the walls so that the Janitor couldn't find where he was! I had to clamp a hand over my mouth to stop from sighing in relief.

"Grrrr..." The Janitor growled as he pushed my cage back into the room, "You wait here, vermin. I'll clean up this messss sooooon..."

With that, he let the lever go and shut the door, leaving to find the source of the noise. I breathed a sigh of relief at last, as the Janitor was much more terrifying up close. After several seconds, right when I was trying to find a way out, I heard someone calling me.

"Sal!!!"

That was Six! Spinning around in my cage, I turned just in time to see her and Lucecito running out of the shadows towards me, with Lucecito holding a hand over his bell to keep it from ringing.

"Sal! Are you okay!?" Six cried as she reached my cage, her hands grasping the bars tightly with tears forming in her eyes, Lucecito following suit. I couldn't help but smile slightly at seeing them again.