The Boy Who Changed Fate Itself (A Little Nightmares Fanfic Series Vol. 1)

Chapter 5: A Solus Critter

"Ugh... fine, but you better not cheat or anything!"

That was what Mono said to the little gray critter trying to play hide and seek with him. He never liked hide and seek, and was usually forced to play it... even if he was very bad at it.

The creature hiding from him was very smart and nimble, for he knew that attic like the back of his small hands.

Mono searched in every nook and cranny in that room for the little guy to pop out, but it took him to what looked like forever.

"This is NOT funny! Come out!" Mono shouted to the thing, but it didn't listen and just made a chittering sound, as if it was giggling.

Although, because it "giggled", Mono was able to hear it and was able to determine where it was coming from.

It was coming from his left, from a giant suitcase. He kicked it, and saw that it wiggled around.

"Ha, got you now!" he announced to it, and he opened to suitcase to reveal the creature inside. 

The creature panicked and started running away, and hiding behind crates. Mono ran after it and took a peek behind the crates it was hiding in, but it was gone, as if it had vanished.

"Oi! This isn't funny!" he said in stress.

He heard that the critter was still very close to him, as if it was above him.

Where would it be this time... he thought. He kept looking around, but the sound of the creature stayed in the same place... somewhere "above" him. But then, Mono thought...

"What if he was above me?"

He then looked up and saw a shoe box on top of the crates. He then called to the little creature again, and the box shook around a bit.

Mono was glad he found him, although, the box was too high for him too reach.

How am I supposed to get to him? he thought.

He sighed, and said, "If only Six was here with me, she would've been able to help me up again." 

He then started thinking about her again. He started worrying about her, wondering if he left her alone for too long, worried that the hunter may have found her, and taken her away again.

He then tried to shake off the thought, for he knew she was going to be alright.

She's going to be fine. Besides, she told me not to worry, he thought.

He went back to how he was going to get the little critter out of the box. He tried looking around to find something of use to him, but all he found was some shoes.

"How are shoes supposed to help me in this situation?!" he complained.

But then, he remembered something. He was in this situation before in the forest, back in the field of traps. He threw pinecones to bait the traps to clear his path.

Wait, he thought, what if I could knock the box's cover off?

He picked up the shoe on the ground, aimed at the top of the shoe box, and threw it as hard as he could. The shoe knocked off the top of the box and it fell off.

The creature panicked once again and started running once more. It then started to go behind a drawer. After a few seconds, the drawer started wiggling, as if it crept inside.

"You can't run from me just like that!" Mono shouted.

He started walking towards the wiggling drawer. He then opened it to find the creature panicking once again. It then ran underneath an armchair, hoping Mono didn't know where it was.

Mono was about to try and catch it , but then he realized something. There was nothing else in that room that the creature would hide in.

"So... this is your last hiding spot?" Mono asked the critter.

The critter made a sad croaking sound in reply. Mono felt bad for it, for it kind of reminded him of himself. He was usually found in hide and seek as well, so he knows what it's like to always be found just like that.

"You know, I'm bad at hide and seek too." Mono tried to cheer the creature up. "I'm not here to hurt you. I was just following you because I was curious about you."

He then lifted up his paper bag to reveal his face. He then looked underneath the armchair, smiled, and said, "See, I'm just a friendly guy! Please come out!"

The little creature took notice of this and started creeping out of the armchair slowly. 

"It's alright..." Mono said with a soft voice, "I'm not here to hurt you, okay?"

When the creature got out of the chair's underside, it slowly walk towards him, and looked at him innocently.

"Does this mean... you'll stop hiding now?" he asked. The creature nodded, and in return, Mono gave it a pat on the head. "Aww... you're kind of cute." he said while patting the creatures cone-shaped head.

The creature then tried to make Mono follow it. It led him to a picture frame, with the same image he saw in the hallway of the cabin. He then moved it aside and it revealed a hole in the wall.

The critter then made signs with his hands, hoping that Mono would understand it.

"Are you asking me to follow you?" he asked, and the critter hopped with joy. It then ran through the hole at amazing speed. "Hey! Wait up! I'm not as fast as you, you know?" Mono said. He then went through the hole in the wall and encountered a dark room.

A dark... giant room.

"This place is more of a loft than an attic!" he said in amazement.

But there was also fear in his feelings, for it was very dark. He hated the dark, he and his brother did.

He then jumped to the sound of something lighting on fire. He then looked up and saw the creature on some shelves while holding a giant matchstick.

"Are you going to light the way for me?" Mono asked the critter. The creature nodded in response and started walking across the shelves. Mono decided to follow it and see where it wanted to lead him. He followed the light of the creature's matchstick. They walked across the dark room slowly, with Mono following from behind.

Although, there was something troubling Mono.

I wonder what the hunter is doing right now...

Meanwhile...

"There, another good catch today." the hunter said while picking up his newly caught prey. He had a habit of going out in the woods at night and go hunting. "I should probably go to my shack and skin this..." he said to himself. "The hide from this one can give me a good amount. Time to head home I guess."

With that, he went off and started walking towards his cabin. He also started singing while walking as well. He sang a tune that was very popular during the times before the corruption of the city.

"Having a nightmare in a boat~"

"Come with me, oh no, no, no~"

"He's gone, he's gone, he hung~"

"Don't leave me, no more bellman among the sea~"

"Hello, hello, we are lonely~"

"Help her, help her, and we'll see my way, my way~"

"And you'll see a halo ascending above our sea~"

"Come fun, here comes Veronica~"

"Come, come, he cut Veronica~"

"Run, run, here comes Veronica, sent on a ferry upon our sea~"

He sang it again and again until he went home.