Hold On To Me

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Little Nightmares franchise, no matter how awesome that would be. The rights go to Tarsier Studios.

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He shakily pulled himself to his feet, catching sight of the outline of who he had come to save laying on her side. He could make out her turning over to look at him, trying to identify her savior, the one who had snapped her from her distorted and warped trance. She slowly rose to stand, as if in disbelief, not quite believing what she was seeing. After a few moments, she realized what he had done, gratitude shining in her eyes, mixed with affection. He felt like he could collapse right there in relief, but somehow, he didn't. He had done it. He saved her! She was okay!

The euphoric moment came crashing down in an instant. The walls surrounding them buckled and groaned, the ever-emerging mass of flesh pulsing around them. You didn't have to be a genius to realize that the all-powerful entity was pissed off. It shifted, quickly filling up the space they occupied. After glancing up at it in horror, Six fixed him with a frightful expression, mirroring his own. Their silent communication was unlike anything they had experienced, and they knew what they had to do.

So, they ran. Hearts pounding, feet thudding on the concrete that crumbled underneath their bare toes, pushing to escape the monstrosity baring down on them with its malicious eyes. Jumping over cracks and climbing up lips, Six occasionally glanced behind her to make sure he wasn't falling behind. Despite her being much faster than him, he managed to stay ahead of the seething mass. He kept urging her not to hesitate, telling her to focus on getting herself out. He was right behind her, he promised.

The force of the flesh crashing against the doorframe made him stumble to the floor. He looked up, seeing that Six had taken his initiative, not noticing that he had fallen. He dragged himself to his feet again, rushing along the pathway leading to the exit. He could see it, glowing and flickering like all the other screens he had warped through before. He wasn't too far behind.

A resounding crack, and Six looked like she was suspended in the air for just a moment. The floor beneath her feet fell away, but she jumped at the last second, diving safely to the other side of the newly formed chasm. She turned around quickly, registering the jump he would have to make now that the path had been destroyed. With solid determination, she reached out her hand for him to catch, like all the times before. He leaped through empty air once he arrived at the edge, hand outstretched, already knowing that his friend would be there.

As soon as their hands met, however, something slimy, but strong, pulled at his ankles. He was suddenly forced into the sensation of being pulled in two different directions at once. From where he dangled over the precipice, he glanced down to see that the churning mass had grabbed ahold of him. He must not have been fast enough to escape its grasp.

He felt Six attempting to pull him up to solid ground, but the creature growled and tugged back, hard. He latched onto her with both his hands, the small girl grunting as she was pulled against the edge. His arms felt like they were about to pop out of their sockets, the pain making him groan. Six held onto him tightly. He could see in her eyes that she was adamant in this mission. Her teeth grit together hard, sweat rolling down her face from the strain of this tug-of-war game with the entity. She would not give up so easily. She would not let him fall.

"Let him go!" Six's scream reverberated into the empty abyss below. The creature roared this time, causing the structure around them to crumble even more. The shaking reflected the beast's indignation, tired of this girl fruitlessly trying to snatch away its prize. The tugging grew, until Six was struggling to keep herself on the platform, hand braced hard on the edge. He looked down once more at the hungry abyss, the endless void stretching out below him. The monster's hold on him would not relinquish, no matter how hard he or his friend wished it to. It was over the moment he had been caught. He could feel his heart cracking at the revelation. Whatever waited for him below, he couldn't drag Six down with him. There was no other way.