Mono + Six Afterstory || Little Nightmares II

Ten

After they both got changed, they sat around and rested their bodies a bit more, even though they weren't tired. Six warned Mono about the ocean, that he would probably want to sleep as much of the trip across it as possible.
When it turned dark outside, they started traveling. The Nome wouldn't stop following them, but they didn't complain, though, eventually Mono got worried about it and let it hang out in the pocket of his coat. Hand in hand, he and Six trudged through the now muddy forest to try and find the other end of the island. It was so dark that they could barely see, other than the little bit that Six's lighter provided—she had found it inside the hunter's house while they were waiting for night.
     He started to think about what they would do if this alleged Ferryman was made up and didn't take them away from this place... What would they do? Go back to the school and put more stress on Ms. Anne? He didn't want that. Right when he began growing hopeless about the situation, the wind whistled around them. Six's lighter went out and they were surrounded by pitch blackness, with only the rustling of leaves to comfort them. They heard large footsteps, and then, as they were stood back to back to be cautious, suddenly everything got even darker.

___

     Not a single thought arose until they both came to, only to find out that they were no longer in the woods, but on a rowboat with a robust man who gave off a very threatening yet protective aura. And, probably the most surprising—it was already daytime. How long had they been passed out?
     Though Mono was still struggling to move, Six was curious and crawled out from underneath the seat in the boat and looked up to the towering figure, clenching her fists to build up some confidence. "Where are you taking us?" She used a loud, projecting voice to make sure the man heard her over the crashing of the waves around them.

     The man didn't give her a single glance, he just kept on rowing his boat. "To a trea~cher~ous pla~ce where your hunger can be cured, young lady. Namely, The Maw."

     Upon hearing his explanation, Six tensed up, a sense of deep dread looming over her small body, weighing it down. "How do you know about—" she started to question him, but he shushed her and began humming a familiar tune. At first she didn't know where she'd heard it, but soon realized it had played back at The Nest.

     "I see ev'rythi~ng, hear ev'rything, alway~s watching. I'm the Ferryman, young lady." His way of speaking was so abstract and creepy, almost as if he was singing very sheepishly. Six was unnerved at his honesty. "I can take you away to a better place. No more pain. Your dest~iny."

     Six huffed and rolled her eyes at his strange behavior, then turning back to Mono and kneeling down, reaching a hand out to him to help him up. Eventually, he managed to get off his butt, but when standing up with Six, he was visibly uncomfortable, appearing queasy. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly, hugging him briefly since she herself was still a little shaken up.

     "I'm okay...just never been on a boat before." Mono suddenly covered his mouth, trying not to throw up just thinking about how much the boat was rocking. "Urk..." He took a deep breath and held onto the side of the boat tightly, hoping it would ease the sickness a little if at all.

     "Pffft-" the girl stifled her laughter as she watched Mono be bested by the ocean, rubbing up and down on his back to comfort him. "You're such a city boy." She remarked playfully, pulling him away from the edge and back to the darkness of their initial waking spot. "It's not so bad when you get used to it. And standing won't help." She held him close, letting him lay against her so he wasn't disturbed by the movement of the boat.

     The boy closed his eyes and leaned back weakly, trying to hopefully fall back asleep and avoid any unnecessary puking for the sake of everyone on the boat. He held Six's hand, and though he never really slept anymore, he managed to stay pretty relaxed the rest of the way.
     They didn't know the destination, because the submarine would be moving, so it was a huge surprise when they approached a giant shadow. Six crawled out from underneath the seat and peeked her head over it, staring wide-eyed at the huge dome-like submarine. Mono joined her after a moment to bask in its...largeness, but he was a bit woozy still, so he held onto her.
     The closer they got to the submarine, the more overwhelmed they became. And neither of them knew how to react when the creepy ferryman suddenly grabbed them with ease and lifted them up to a pipe that could act as a ladder.