Mono + Six Afterstory || Little Nightmares II

Three

     Once they were back near where they exited the hospital, she ran ahead and picked up a small bag that was soaked. She twisted and squeezed as much water from the fabric as possible. "Hey, over here!" She called out to Mono, waiting for him to catch up and then presenting the bag to him. "Have anything sharp?"

     Mono shook his head, glancing around and eventually stumbled upon a switchblade on the ground. After picking it up, he took the bag from Six and carefully cut two eye-holes, then slipping it over his head. Afterwards, he closed the switchblade and tucked it into his coat's pocket.

     Six watched him idly as he prepared for the worst-case scenario. She was slightly disappointed that he had to cover his face, but it was safest for him. "You look more like yourself now. I was starting to miss your paper bag." She remarked jokingly, and Mono looked toward her; for some reason, she could just tell he was frowning underneath the bag.
     "Come on, let's—" she tried to nudge Mono so they could keep moving, but that ravenous hunger was tearing her apart again. She fell to her knees as she held her stomach, grunting and wincing in pain.

     "Six...? Why are you so hungry?" Mono asked timidly, squatting down to get a better look at Six, who seemed a bit pale in comparison to her usual complexion.

     Six took her hood off once again and slowly lifted herself up, having Mono's help to balance. She looked at him, then down the street as if searching for something, and then back at Mono, taking a deep breath to calm down. "I'm okay. I can wait." She hoped to reassure Mono, but her stomach continued growling, which wasn't very convincing.

     "We should take a different route to get to the school. Going through the hospital would be too dangerous in your condition." He suggested this confidently, grabbing Six's hand and pulling her into one of the apartment complexes nearby. Everything was broken down and treacherous, but maybe they could ascend and take a safer path.
     He made sure to keep her close as they walked up the many flights of stairs. Eventually, when they couldn't go any farther, they walked to an open window and slipped out onto the balcony. "Are you able to jump?" When he spoke up, Six nodded, but she was so fragile that he didn't feel like she could possibly make the gap. He let go of her hand and got a running start to get to the balcony across the way. Afterwards, he turned around and waited near the ledge in case Six needed his help after all. When she jumped, he felt his heart skip a beat, but thankfully she was able to manage. He was just relieved to have her by his side again.

     "Mono...can you carry me again?" Six suddenly asked, having to lean on the boy as they walked into the building.

     He blinked in astonishment when she asked for his help, but nodded despite his shock. "Of course. Anything I can do to help, just tell me." He bent over and helped Six onto his back, holding her legs at his sides so she didn't fall. She clung to him weakly, and he started walking again.
     Eventually, he reached the stairs in this complex and walked down to the ground floor. Once he reached the streets, he took strategic pathways through alleys to avoid having to jump or climb anything.

     As Mono made his way through endless dark alleyways, Six didn't dare let go of him because of how faint she was. Resting her head on his shoulder, she almost felt relaxed, but the scent...she had almost forgotten what disgusting gunk they had trudged through earlier. "You smell like sewage and guts." She admitted shamelessly, and Mono chuckled at her late realization.

     "You do, too. Actually...I'm pretty sure you smell even worse. We need to wash up before we get sick." He knew she would probably be annoyed at his honesty, but at the same time, he didn't want her thinking she had a different smell than him, when she definitely didn't.

     "I want to take a bath..." She replied, a disappointed tone escaping her mouth, as if she were desperate to get clean.

     Mono definitely understood her pain. He remembered a few weeks ago when he first saw her being captured in the woods, and knew that Six definitely had not taken a bath in at least a month, maybe even more depending on where she had been before. He decided to drop it, though, since he didn't want to frustrate her anymore.
     Although the time he spent walking seemed like forever, it paid off in the end, because they ended up not too far from where they exited the school. Mono put Six down cautiously, wanting to make sure she could hold herself up.
     After helping her get adjusted to walking again, he looked up steeply to the high windows of the school, trying to get rid of his overwhelming feeling of dread. "Do you think you can make it a little more? There's plenty of food in the cafeteria, from what I remember. And it seemed fresh."