Chapter Text
Where are we?", Six repeated. Mono took a step back and also scanned their surroundings, he..didn't recognize this neck of the woods either. Though he rarely left the cabin so he couldn't say much. He shook head.
"I...ḑ̵͍̻̘̫̽͋́͂̎̓͒͋̅͘ô̶͔̲͝n't know..", he muttered as he rubbed his forehead, his mind was still frazzled.
"Can you take us back?", she asked, though she seemed a bit hesitant. Mono flexed his hands, producing a few small sparks when a sharp painful stabbing feeling went through his mind, causing him to double over and clutch his head. "Are you okay?!", Six fretted and lurched forwards to grab him, but he batter her hands away.
"Finë̶̹̭̺̙̙͇͔̠́͆͑͋̃͝͠.̸͈̑̔̌̏̈́̂̀.̸̛̣̦̭̉̏", he wheezed, then took in a shaky breath and straightened his back. "Can't use my ä̶̢͎̜̪̰̲̼̪͕̅̍̈͐̔͑̓̾̕ḅ̵̖̯̱͆̓̊̓̉̒͠ilities right now..it's..messing with my head", he heaved as he rubbed his temples.
Smite her.
Mono shook his head.
"We are lost", Six whispered and let her shoulders sink. "How are we going to get home..?", she whined as she looked around again, then whispered. "I don't like it here..it's getting dark", Mono looked up, she was right. He could see the moon rising slowly and feel the cold settling in. He sighed and rubbed his forehead as his head stung slightly.
"Let's...s̶̰̄é̴̢̱̤͖̜̗̲̒̃̓̓ę̷̛̳̺̩̰̘̮͖̍̑̄̄ if we can...find ó̸͇̝͓̥͈͚̍͝u̵̧̥̺̹͔̺͎͙̤̇́̊͒r way back..", Mono muttered quietly and held out his hand to Six, his fingers twitching. Six quickly snatched up his hand and brushed her shoulder against his arm. Mono briefly glanced at her.
She's too close..it would be so easy-
He winced and brushed his murderous thoughts aside, instead focusing on finding their way back.
-
They had been walking for hours and they were no closer to finding their way back to the cabin. The forest had become impossibly darker and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to navigate it.
Eventually Six tugged on Mono's sleeve and muttered to him that she was getting tired. His eyes flicked over to her, his irises glowing in the darkness.
"Alright̴̪͉̀͊͊", he answered numbly as his gaze flicked away to look for anywhere they could take shelter. His gaze landed on a huge tree that had a hole in the bottom. That is suitable. He wandered over to the hole then pointed it out, Six glanced at it before letting go of his arm and crawling through first. He crawled in after although with more difficulty and realised the space inside was much smaller than he thought. He sighed and huddled up to the back wall, and keeping his eyes on the entrance. He didn't feel tired, in fact he hadn't slept in days. So he resolved to watching-
A weight fell against his side, followed by a contented sigh. He flinched and his gaze snapped to his left, Six was lying against him, her hands wrapped around his arm. His face twisted into a contempt sneer for a split second and his fingers twitched again.
She is irritating.
Smite her.
His hands twitched and he shoved Six away harshly, which elicited a quiet yelp from her.
"What was that for?", she complained, her brows furrowed. Mono flicked his hand at her and pulled up his upper lip, shooting her another look of contempt.
"Nȯ̸̖̉͂̿̏̃̇̀t nȯ̸̖̉͂̿̏̃̇̀w..", he muttered, his voice distorting subtly, Six frowned.
"What do you mean 'Not Now'", she questioned and crawled slightly closer. Her frown deepened, Mono just sighed and cracked his knuckles.
"I'm nȯ̸̖̉͂̿̏̃̇̀t in the mood for ců̸̢͕̰͍̤̣̫͕d̴̻̦͍̼̽͝dling.", He said with a wave of his hand, then pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs.
"Aw c'mon", Six whined. "It's cold, and I like being close to you", she tried to reason. Mono shot her another look of contempt and a dangerous look shined in his eyes. Six hesitated, then shuffled a little away.
Get any closer and I will eviscerate you.
He thought.
"Are you..feeling like that again?", Six asked with slight hesitation in her tone. Mono glanced away from her and began picking at his pantleg. She took in a shuddering breath before sighing, then pulled away from him and curled up in a corner of the small space. "I understand, it's fine..", she muttered, then pulled on the neck of her old button up sweater to try and conserve some heat. She really needs to find a new jacket or something, especially now that she can't wear... She closed her eyes and sighed quietly before wrapping her arms around herself. Mono briefly glanced over at her.
She is shivering..
He grit his teeth then unfurled from his position and unbuttoning his trenchcoat and took it off. He crawled closer, then quietly covered her. She shifted slightly, but it seemed that she had already fallen asleep, though a small smile came to her face and she let out a quiet, happy sigh. Mono huffed and crawled back to his corner to continue staring at the entrance. He sat in silence for a while, listening to Six's quiet breathing.
She is defenseless..
He tapped his fingers on his legs rapidly and ignored the whispering in his mind. Not now.
Come on...
You know you wish to harm her...
You crave violence...
Mono pulled his lip up into a snarl and growled quietly at himself. No. He won't hurt Six. He doesn't want to..he cares about her.
Do you..?
Do you really..?
His gaze flicked over to Six's sleeping form, a scowl appearing on his face. Yes.
-
Darkness swirled all around her, wrapping around her arms and legs, numbing her skin. She blinked a couple of times and shivered. Where was she..? Something moved in the corner of her eye, she flinched and spun around-
Nothing..
Growl..
A breath upon her neck made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
'You have been sleeping too long..and you have neglected to feed me anything proper. I'm not waiting anymore.'
Six's head swiveled over her shoulder and her eyes widened, as an emaciated beast lunged at her.
Six woke up with a start and immediately doubled over, clutching her stomach. Needles stabbed into her abdomen and a low growl emanated from it, she hissed and curled more into herself. What is happening- Shadows swirled all around her and a sinister chuckle echoed in her mind, another stab, she whimpered. She had never felt anything like this before- She sucked in a breath of air sharply as a harsher pang of pain went through her, each second she spent sitting there the worse the pain became. What- What is wrong with- her?! Her stomach was killing her-
ᶠᵉᵉᵈ
What-
Six's eyes snapped up to Mono, who sat with his legs pulled up to his chest. His eyes were glazed over and filled with static, completely unaware as Six slowly crawled over to him. She stopped beside him and leaned her face close to his, a predatory look in her eyes. Something had taken over her, left her mind hazy and causing her to act just on her instincts.
Feed
Her upper lip twitched, briefly exposing her much sharper teeth.
Feed
She growled, the hunger was consuming her mind. He hasn't noticed, it was the perfect opportunity to tear at his throat- Six shook her head violently and staggered back, coughing and sputtering. She began retching, spitting a black tar-like substance onto the dirt. She felt bleary and her mind was still hazy, what..what is that? She couldn't process what she was looking at, she didn't get the chance to before another painful stabbing sensation hit her gut.
FEED.
She flinched back as the sharp pain hit her abdomen stronger than before, causing her to double over and whimper. The hunger swirled around her mind, threatening to make her lose herself. It whispered sweet nothings to her, begging for her to feast on the one before her- No...! She won't! She-
She stumbled onto her feet and staggered out of their hideaway, almost as if drunk. She didn't know where she was going, she couldn't even focus. The hunger was slowly consuming her mind and she could do nothing to stop it.
Snap
She heard a branch snap and froze, listening.
Snap- Crack-
Her gaze snapped in the direction the noises were coming from, she saw bushes rustling before..a kid emerged. They ran with reckless abandon, their gaze trained behind them instead of checking in front of them. They crashed into Six and fell onto their back. Confuse, they glanced up to see what they had run into and when they noticed her, immediately scooted back with a panicked expression on their face. Six tilted her head, observing the child curiously as they scrambled back in fear. Their back hit the base of a fallen tree trunk and they froze up again, glancing up at Six with utter terror. Their lips quivered, before they muttered, "P- please..".
Feed..
The hunger commanded, and she obliged.
-
Time passed, the air grew even colder and a layer of snow was forming on the forest floor. The air nipped at Mono's skin, awaking him from his inactive state. His lifted his head, causing some snow that had gathered on top of his hair to shift and fall off. He glanced at the snow and scooped some of it with his hand, a curious glint in his eyes. Hm..How long had he been distracted? He wiped the snow off onto his trousers and looked up, then tensed. His trenchcoat lay discarded on the ground..and Six was nowhere to be seen. Where is she?! He crawled over to his coat and picked it up before putting it back on, then glanced at the place Six used to be. There were dark droplets of...something..in the snow. Alarm bells went off in his head. She better not be hurt. Static sparkled around him and he swiftly exited their hideout, his sclera darkening and his pupils faintly beginning to glow in the dark surroundings. A creeping chill went through his mind, whispering to him.
What if you hurt her...
And didn't know..
His upper lip twitched and he furrowed his brows. He would never. Where is she?
Are you sure...?
How much do you trust yourself..
His gaze flicked between the trees, he flicked his fingers and a small blue ball of static formed in his palm. He tossed the ball in front of him where it gently floated, illuminating the area with a sparkling blue glow.
Don't ignore me..
He let out a quiet growl and clenched his hands into fists. If he had..done harm to her, their connection would be damaged..or severed. He hadn't hurt her, she was still out there. Speaking of.. He tapped into that connection to locate her. When this connection formed and how, he didn't know or question it. He felt a tingling pulling him to his left, huffing, he followed. Static buzzed in his mind, chuckling, but let him be.
The forest creaked and groaned as he strode past, the trees slowly withering and twisting from his aura, yet he paid it no mind. His thoughts were solely focused on finding Six. She can't be out of his sight. His gaze flicked around, scanning the trees. She is close..but where? The woods grew quiet, not a single hoot from an owl or the chirp from a cricket could be heard, not even the cold whistling of the wind was present. Mono narrowed his eyes and slowed down his pace, something was...off. The static ball that was lighting up the area flickered and waned, before fizzling out completely and leaving him in the dark. His upper lip twitched and he glanced around again.
Something is suppressing our gifts...
This is not acceptable..
Find it..
He pulled his face into a snarl and his pupils glowed a little brighter. Something was here..he could feel it. There was an unnatural chill in the air, and not from winter's approach. Something was stalking him. He heard leaves rustle behind him and his attention snapped to the noise, yet..he couldn't see what was hunting him. The hairs on the back of his neck tingled and he felt eyes on his back-
"RAGHH"
A screeching roar interrupted his thoughts, yet he didn't get to react as something slammed onto his back. He staggered as claws dug into his back and the thing scaled his back. He grunted and jabbed his elbow into its stomach, earning an angered growl from it. It slashed at his shoulder, tearing apart the fabric of his coat and clawing at his flesh and drawing blood. He hissed in pain, the claws sinking in deeper and deeper until- Sharp teeth plunged deep into his neck. He let out a wet coughed, blood spurting from the wound.
E̸̻͍͔̹̪̭̹̯̒̅͑͊̍̌͝N̴̖̩͈̪̙͕͉͔̹̙͑͑͑Ơ̵̡͈͙͖̫͉̎̅̓͒̆̈͂͝ͅU̸̧̝͙̦͎̞͓̠̝̎̀͊G̴̰̼͓̪̒̈́͌́̃̂͑̆̌͛ͅH̶̛̙̊̀̓͘
The static may be suppressed, but the flesh wasn't. It didn't have enough mass, as the vessel hadn't gone gathering in a while, but it was not going to lose them! A tree behind Mono and the thing bubbled and twisted, the air shimmering as the wood transformed into flesh. A single large eye split open the flesh, glancing around until its gaze landed on Mono's assailant. They recognized them immediately.
That parasite!
A tendril of flesh lashed out and wrapped around the attacker's middle and painfully ripped them off of Mono, who in turn yelled in pain as a chunk of flesh was torn from his neck. The flesh whipped the assailant into a tree, causing the wood to splinter and a loud crack to ring out. The eye glared at it before switching its attention to Mono. He sputtered and choked, grasping at his bleeding neck.
"Guh̵̢͔̭̳̼̞̮̙͊̎̃͜͝", he gurgled with some blood spurting from his neck. He winced and blearily looked back at the flesh-tree. "Wḩ̶̰̦̜̖͖̯͓̰͊̂̑̀̇͝at...wh..", he blinked slowly, staring at the tree. What..was that? The tree stared back silently, then briefly glanced to where it tossed his attacker, before the flesh gurgled and reverted into a normal looking tree. Mono blinked again, did he lose so much blood that he is.. imagining things..? He hissed from pain and clicked his fingers with his free hand, summoning another ball of blue static to light up the area. A glint of yellow caught his eye and with a wince, he turned to look. His eyes widened, the thing that had attacked him...it was Six, and she was lying against a tree with cracked wood, limp. Panic entered his mind and he rushed over, ignoring the heavily bleeding wound in his neck and falling down to his knees next to Six's limp form. She's so still.. His hands trembled as he brushed his fingers against her cheek. Her skin is cold.. "Six...?", he whispered hesitantly. No response.. His eyelid twitched and he moved his hand to her neck, feeling a pulse. Nothing..
No..
No no no..
Nononononono!
He won't let this happen!
With a growl he shoved his hands underneath her and lifted her up and carefully tucked her head into his shoulder. Static burst out from his back and enveloped him, he focused on their home. They need to get back to the cabin. The static pierced his mind, causing him to wince, yet he persisted. He needs to save her, he won't let her die!
Her pulse is already gone..
He let out a feral growl and with a final strong electrical pulse, he teleported back to their home. He did it.. Static fizzled and hummed as they appeared and small particles flickered around him. He winced again, the wound on his neck making him feel woozy, but he ignored it and shook his head before rushing to his room. Quiet whispers in the back of his head started up once he entered and placed Six on his bed carefully. He ignored them. He can't deal with this now. He walked around the room uncertain on what to do. The walls watched him pace around, the wood listened to his panicked breathing. What can he do?! What can he do?! He can't let her- He stopped in his tracks and looked at his trembling hands, who flickered with small sparks of electricity, then back at Six. The whispers grew louder and static overtook his eyes. He is not going to lose her, she is his. He stormed over to Six and crouched down, his hands lighting up with energy. Then..he placed it onto Six's head, and a brilliant flash flooded the bedroom.