The Future, the Past and the Ugly (Untrusted Love: Electric Boogaloo)

Ch 6. Escape?

As soon as Mono was off that accursed chair, the screaming stopped. Had it been in his head the whole time? Caused by sitting on that chair for so long?

Not only did his head immediately clear, many lost memories also returned. Names and places became solid ideas instead of fuzzy questionable thoughts. The faces and voices of people and monstrous adults alike brought joy to the boy.

He sat himself upright. The concrete rumbled under his weight, unhappy that he had moved from his spot. Mono didn't care. He smiled through chapped, dry lips.

He did it! He actually did it! What he thought was impossible for so long was just overcome! Through his joy, Mono momentarily forgot about the thing that managed to pry him off that chair. Another flicker, by the door this time, reminded him of his mission. He had to get out of that room.

Standing up was a challenge. Mono was convinced every one of his bones cracked as he moved, joints finally being used and snapping back into place. The further up right he got, the colder he felt. It seemed that being on that chair did strange things to him, strange things that kept him in a state of not quite dead, but you couldn't really call it alive either.

Cold, hungry and sore, Mono took his first steps. It was a very welcome relief when Mono discovered he could still walk. He was enjoying having emotions again. So he made his way across the concrete and to the door. With each step, the room rumbled and shook angrily. Displeased that the boy had escaped. Mono wondered if this had always happened in The Loop or if he was the first to break it.

Now in front of the door Mono stood. This was definitely the same door that contained the Thin Man. He had to jump to reach the handle but he remembered someone being there to help him open doors normally. Upset that not all his memories had returned fully, he used his weight to pull the knob. It was much harder this time as he had far less mass to him since the last time he needed to open something.

After a short struggle, the door gave in and creaked slowly open. Hopping down from the door, Mono saw a familiar looking hall that led to a single TV screen. It was the reverse of what he saw when he entered a TV.

Starting his trek down the hall, time seemed to slow. The further he got, the harder it got to move. A swelling feeling pulsated in the back of Mono's skull. It burned but the hallway behind him started the crack. The burn wanted to get into his brain, to take his memories back from him. Mono wouldn't let that happen, he couldn't get this far only to lose it all now. His own burn of determination continued to push him towards the screen.

He was half way there. The cracks and rumbles were getting closer, the tile under his bare feet would split the second he touched it. The pulse in his head only got worse, causing his eyes to water slightly. The air was so thick that Mono had to choke it down into his lungs and moving through it was getting near impossible.

The tile ahead the boy shattered giving him limited time before the darkness behind him caught up. Mono got a strong feeling that if that happened, he'd forget everything and go back on the chair as a husk. Mono tried running faster but his wobbly knees refused to move much faster than they already were.

The screen was just ahead. The burn in his brain was like white hot flames. Running was similar to that of trying to pass through a solid wall. Through his peripherals, Mono could spot a dark fog closing in on him. Mono closed his watery eyes tight. He reached an arm out in front of him but it felt like trying to raise it through hardened butter.

His fingers grazed the screen.

His palm made contact.

Mono's second hand touched the screen.

A massive pull yanked his fragile body into it just as the fog consumed him.

Inside the TV, Mono was far from safe. Instead of tumbling relatively safely through fleshy masses, Mono found himself avoiding the creature as it tried to crush him. His body felt as if something was pulling it apart, limb from limb. His mental state got fuzzy and gaps started forming in his memory. Shaking his head free of confusion, Mono tried to keep track of his mind, he couldn't let it fade away again. Thrusting himself from a dangerously close eyeball, Mono continued to make his way across the signal.

It felt like ages but Mono eventually knew that the signal was about to end. By now, it felt as if his spine was being pulled out. Mono was tired, travelling was obviously draining his already limited stamina but how long he had left? Mono didn't know. The blurry feeling that took his mind was being held at bay but it wouldn't be long before it would take him.

Another screen. Mono could barely make out another screen ahead of him. Only a few seconds away. Just stay awake a little longer he internally begged his own brain. He had to squeeze through a bit of flesh that threatened to force his organs out and dodge a few more bits that lashed outwards at him. Mono concentrated on his memories, no matter how unpleasant they were, in order to keep from forgetting them. Almost.. almost! He counted, reaching his hands to prepare himself. Getting spat out was usually painful, as he had learnt.

Mono never got the chance as he was suddenly launched against the screen.

Everything went black.