Lost in Transmission - Little Nightmares AU

Out of the Depths | 6

       I stare at the boy in the water.

       He's the voice. The one who said something about the water monster still being there. Why is he swimming? Is the monster gone? I guess it has to be. I wonder if it's been chasing him. Would it have come for me after it caught him, or would I have been safe, hiding in the darkness?

       "Um, are you-?" The boy coughs, then spits out a mouthful of water. "Hang on, I'll come up there."

       He swims over to me. I step back, keeping my lighter ready. Kids can be bad, too. It isn't just the monsters that could hurt me.

       The kid climbs up the ladder. His hair and clothes are dripping wet, leaving puddles that soak into the wood. Something about him reminds me of Mono. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe that he's trying to be friendly and I don't want to talk to him? I ran away from Mono at first, too. Is that what I should do now, before this stranger turns into a monster? Is that the only way I'll be safe?

       I run a finger over the lighter. I will make myself safe. Fire is dangerous, so this lighter can hurt others to protect me....Or....

        ...No, it won't. Water doesn't burn, and this kid is covered in it. If he's dangerous, I don't think I have any way to fight back. The only thing I could do is push him into the water, and he'd be able to swim back here before I could run away.

       There'll be nothing I can do.

       The kid brushes his hair out of his eyes. It falls back to where it was right away. I catch a glimpse of his face. He looks friendly, but that doesn't mean he won't betray me. "Hi again," he says, holding out his hand.

       I nod. It takes everything I have to not back away. I don't want to talk to him, and I'm not shaking his hand.

       After a few seconds, he awkwardly lowers his hand. "Are you...are you Zetta?"

       "Who?" I'm surprised at how raspy my voice is. Good. It makes me sound tougher than I feel.

       "Zetta," the kid repeats. "I mean, I thiiiiiink that was her name. I haven't talked to her before. She was running away like I was, and I followed her and tried to catch up to her." He swallows. "There was a lot of blood. And her flashlight. I hoped she wasn't dead, but since you aren't her, I guess that means she's gone...."

       Running away...two of them...away from what? As much as I don't want to talk to him, maybe I should know some things about where I am.

       "Where am I?" I ask, keeping my voice unfriendly.

       He gives me a weird look. "Um...what do you mean? Like, the room, or the place?"

       "What I said. Here. Where is here?"

       He opens his mouth, then closes it. "Well...how did you get here?"

       I point behind me. "That."

       Stepping closer, he looks over my shoulder. "Uh...the water...?"

       "No. The TV."

       "...What's a TV?"

       I blink. "You don't know what a TV is?"

       He shakes his head. "Nope. Is it cool? Can I use it to get out of here?"

       "No. It's broken," I say, repeating his words in my mind. "Get out of here." That means...here probably isn't safe.... Where did Mono send me? Was he trying to get rid of me?