Return to Pale City

Chapter Nineteen

Mono POV

I'm laughing with Six when something seems to call for me through my head.

Mono, we need you...

I look around but no one is talking to me. Who or what is calling me?

Mono, follow the call... follow...

As if they have a mind of their own my feet start to walk in a certain direction. I hear Six call for me but her voice is a million miles away.

Good boy.. leave your friends... they've never cared for you anyways...

I walk towards some unknown destination. I walk even when the sun sets. I walk into a snow covered forest and I see something spilling light through some trees up ahead. I walk past the trees and see a tv playing static. I know I'm nearing the end of my journey. Wherever the tv leads is where I have to be. I walk forward towards the tv and press my hands against the screen. I feel the familiar sensation of warping through and I fall out of the tv on the other side. I turn and see I'm in a room full of tvs. The huge flesh wall reminds me of the Signal Tower. All the tvs are playing static, except for one.
I walk over to the tv and see Six hugging a nome. She's hugging the one with a lily on its hat. "You know Lily, I think me and Seven are better off without Mono." My mouth falls open.

It hurts seeing the one who you love not caring for you, playing with your heart, betraying you...again...

Tears stream down my face. Six didn't love me? I cry pouring out all the love in my heart with every tear. More and more I feel myself losing all the love I had for her. Soon the tears stop. I have nothing left to cry for. I take off my read jacket, and I put on my old coat. It's familiar. I take off the gloves and earmuffs, I throw the scarf at the wall. I don't need any of this anymore. I know now Six never cared. No one cares for me. She always betrays me and throws my heart away like it's nothing. I don't have any heart left to play with.
I look at the screen with Six on it. I press my hand lightly against the screen before warping through and stepping forward towards Six. She looks at me. "Mono?" I walk slowly towards her. "Mono, what are you doing?"

"You left me!"

I can hear my voice echoing all around us. But it's not just my voice. Countless voices are in the words. And I know they're all past me.

"You let us fall! You could've saved us! We all turned into the Thin Man! If you could've seen that this was all a loop you could've stopped it! Pulled me up! Saved us all."

Six has been backed into a corner. "Mono if I knew-"

"BE QUIET!"

She closes her mouth.

"WE SEE HOW YOU ARE! WE SEE YOUR TRUE COLORS! ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS YOURSELF!"

Tears fall from her eyes. "No, I care about you."

"OH REALLY?! YOU CARE ABOUT US! THEN WHY DO YOU DROP US EVERY SINGLE TIME?!"

"I- I don't know." She mumbles. We're angry now.

"TYPICAL SIX! ALWAYS BEING SCARED AND SHY! YOU LEFT US TO DIE! NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!"

I reach out and grab Six's arm. Reality warps around us. I have no clue what's happening. Suddenly everything goes black.

Six POV

I wake up on the ground in front of a tv. It plays some static before clicking off. I look around. I have a vague memory of a boy in a brown trench coat yelling at me. I look and see I'm actually wearing a brown trench coat over a lighter brown shirt. I have on some dark brown pants. "At least I'm warm." I mutter. I walk away from the tv and into the forest. It's cold out here but my coat keeps me warm. I come across a small gap and jump across. I see a body rotting at the bottom. "Ew." I continue walking wishing I missed that. I find a vent grate in a hill and I pull it open.