Quick Update: A dumb prick has managed to go out and scald my right hand.

The dumb prick is myself.

I'll get that new chapter up when I can. But for now, I'm taking some time off to let my hand recover. AE have looked at it, and besides blistering and general damage, I should be perfectly fine. Just need to avoid using it to let it rest So yeah. This last month has really tried to fuck me over with injuries or illnesses. If you are wondering how I burned it, i tried making a cup of tea. My inherent, required, british instincts have well and truly bitten me on my ass. Also, the left hand says hi, I wished its brother was useful.

Hey guys, very short chapter this time. Simply put, not had much freetime this last week, been way too busy in and out of interviews and having to sort out stuff from my old workplace.

I had planned to spend all day finishing this chapter off properly, and getting it to where I wanted it to be, but having spent half of it on last chapter as a bonus, I was in an odd position of being at the end of the chapter after only a few thousand words. Couple that with a lack of sleep, rushing about with the old work place, and an uncomfortable position for the chapter, I really didn't know how far to take it, and whether I'd even have time to fit in a part of the next chapter.

So yeah, please forgive the mistakes, not had much of a chance to proof read this before uploading. Real basic stuff, but it seemed alright. But then again, I am at 28 hours of constant wake and my brain sees the weird letters and is confused.

Anyway, I shall see you on the opposite side.

Chapter 8

Mono knew that he'd made a mistake.

He couldn't tell why, although it was clear she had known Libre from before he had. He probably should have guessed as much; she had looked pensive and confused. The way she looked off or was lost in thought, or the questions that were close but not quite right. That should have been more than enough to tip him off.

He had wanted to help her out and to give her some hope of finding comfort and pleasure in the presence of others. It was worrying, in way. Six felt so unused or untrusting of other people that it made him worried she wouldn't trust him either.

To make her think that she could trust him, that's what Mono was trying to do. So that they wouldn't run into a situation where they'd need to trust each other and then end up getting hurt because of some inherent and unspoken concerns. He needed to trust her, and he needed her to trust him. Not to mention, talking about Libre gave him a warm feeling in his gut, and he had felt so happy when Six wanted to talk about her.

But now he was afraid to say anything at all.

Face twisting, Six looked conflicted. Mono could see it in her eyes, even as her fingers dug into her palms. His skin trembled, a shiver running through his body, as the girl's eyes narrowed. He watched her; the image of an animal came to mind. Rage, anger, sadness, betrayal, disappointment, annoyance, frustration? Any of them? He couldn't quite tell. She wasn't happy though, that much he knew.

What do I say? That was the pertinent question. He didn't know that his new found ally had an apparent history with his old companion, and it wasn't like Libre had told him as much. Libre had been fairly quiet about her history, only mentioning things in passing. Of the few things she had spoken about in any detail about, he couldn't recall anything that sounded like Six.

But then again…

Was she?

"You were at the Nest…"

She looked at him, those whirling emotions still bubbling behind her eyes. Eventually, she nodded carefully. "I was…"

That explained a few things. Libre had said that the Nest was a building of betrayal and selfishness; filled with those that only looked out for themselves. It made sense why Six looked so emaciated… But Mono felt guilty having mentioned it. It felt like he was in the wrong there…

Words failed him, he had nothing.

He let the silence come back for a moment, and settled on not saying anything. Six looked tired to him, sickly, and he didn't want to add to his mistake. He'd taken her on that mental journey, and she looked no where near as pleased as he was when he went on his own. It felt wrong to say anything else.

Focussing on the flames, he tried to leave her be. Even as he heard her tiny footsteps be consumed by the sound of the door opening and shutting. If she needs time to herself, I won't stop her. I'm stupid…

Logically, how was he meant to know she had been to the Nest? She didn't seem like she was, and her attitude was fairly closed off and isolated. The nest had been a place where dozens of children had been, in what Libre had called 'Coclaes' - like small groups of kids. And Libre hadn't exactly felt welcomed either.

Intruder… That was the common word. Outsider and unwanted were common too. She'd made them sound feral, like animals fighting for scraps. But she'd said that they had been fairly tightly bound groups, like 'families'. They'd risk themselves for each other, but would leave you alone even if you helped them.

And yet Six bore none of their traits.

She was smart and scared, distrusting of anyone else, but he could certainly say that she had at least warmed to him somewhat. She was different from anyone Libre had mentioned, and the way that Six had spoken about her had made it seem like they had known each other to some degree in Libre's time there. And yet Libre hadn't…

She'd spoken of this boy who had wore a weird hat and scarf, like he'd been plucked from a snowstorm and dropped into the house. It was something she remembered clearly, and was open about the fact she didn't really know much about them. They were there, she'd helped them, they'd hissed 'Intruder' at her and then fled. He'd apparently been captured and… Something happened to them?

She never did say.

But they'd made it clear that they were hateful of her for being different from anyone they knew. It was difficult to pin Six as someone who fit in with any of their groups, although her isolated nature could have developed later after finding herself alone. But he couldn't say for certain.

The fact is that she must have known Libre before he did…

I wonder if they were friends… Libre was careful, rarely spoke about others in general.

The crackling of the fire remained his companion for quite some time, and he found himself turning to the door more and more as the time went on.

It wasn't that he was worried. The heavy tread of the monster was audible from quite the distance, and even then he had faith that Six would warn him if she heard anything. If she was still there that was.

I've not heard from her in a while… Is she okay?

An intense nagging feeling probed the back of his mind, and he felt himself feeling more and more uncomfortable about the idea of her being alone out there. He shifted from where he was sitting, and found himself slightly enjoying the feeling of meat in his gut. The feeling was thick and heady, and it sapped his attention from the current problem.

It had been salty, but the boar was juicy and heavy, even in the limited amount he had eaten. It stuck to his bones, and it made him feel sleepy and sluggish.

But the sensation passed quickly, he couldn't afford to think on it much, and instead stood up.

I need to see if she's okay.

He left the comfort of the fire, and walked away from where he would have happily called home.

Stopping, the body caught his eye again. Even covered by the blankets, the level of decay and wasting on the body was insane. They should have smashed a window to escape, or tried to smash the handle. Something, anything to ensure they survived.

Instead, here they were, dead and gone, with no one to even remember their name or anything about them. The reality of their death had made sense to him, but he found himself dissatisfied with the answer he came up with. Something angry wriggled in his chest, but instead of giving in and responding, he moved on. The corpse was dead, no further need to waste time on them.

Especially if they had done what he expected.

Instead, he jumped up to the handle.

It took no effort at all to open it, the mere weight of his body was enough. But since Six had gone out the same way, he knew it wouldn't take much. She hadn't needed his help with it, their first effort must have made it looser and easy to open.

Rancid and pungent, the air of the swamp invaded his nostrils. He couldn't see it from the house, hidden further in by the trees, but the sheer stench was enough to tell it was near. Death and decay, but unfiltered and rampant. It was the sign of bubbling disease and illness; the smell dominant. It was impressive the house could mask it, but the houses always had weird features about them. Like how the hunter's lodge was capable of resisting the sheer damage that was evident on its frame.

Something was always bizarre.

As he stepped out into the open air, the absence was immediately noticed. He turned left and right, and found nothing but dying greens and browns. The scruffy hair, the sweat streaked bangs, the rugged buttoned cardigan.

He saw no signs of any of it.

Has… Has she left me?

Six let her head rest on the thick wood of the small shack.

I never thought that she could have survived? She really didn't have anything to gain from coming back, huh?

Her body slid down the wood, and she counted the individual bumps and marks in the planks as she did so. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. The action served little to actually help, but it wasn't for that.

Out of everything I had to get from this, HER?! She had to come up, didn't she?

She wasn't expecting that at all. Especially given the memories of that place were… Faded. It was like feeling water running through your fingers. She could grasp the fact that she had been there, but it was before her imprisonment. It got difficult to remember after a certain point, and the details she did have were fuzzy and imprecise.

But that Girl was something that drove her unstable.

She was aware of herself enough that she knew it. I hope Mono doesn't get the wrong impression from this. He doesn't seem like the type, but there's always the chance he's different from what he seems.

But why did he have to meet her? Why am I just finding out about this now?

She squeezed her eyes shut, and let her emotions bubble. She wouldn't let them explode. She was better than that, and she hadn't done so before. All she needed to do was breathe in and out, and to focus on her senses. The feel of the air on her skin, and the sting of the swamp on her nose. Off in the distance; the crack of the twigs under an animal.

Or that weight in her stomach.

That made her uncomfortable, she squirmed at the sensation. The feeling of a full stomach was rare indeed, and she'd learned that to have one Is wrong. You were sluggish and slow, and didn't focus. Along side it, the sheer notion of a full stomach brought a nasty shiver to her spine that pushed her to wriggle and writhe.

She squeezed her eyes shut. The twigs, the twigs, focus on the twigs.

It was rhythmic, the tread of a fairly uncaring creature. Her experience told her the it was large too, something that could afford to be really headstrong and brave. On top of that was the sheer weight too, each footfall was loud enough to not just snap a twig, but utterly destroy it under the tread.

Was it a bear? She'd once saw one in the hunter's cabin, and the man had stuffed it to make a large taxidermy head that he used as a mantel piece. She supposed that he had shot the creature at range, as the man had no visible injuries on him and the bear was so giant she would not have been surprised to find out that it could withstand the booming report of a shotgun. A long rifle perhaps?

But something didn't feel right about that. A bear was heavy, but they were also plodding. And these footfalls were too regular for such a creature.

It struck her that she had no idea where the Hunter was. He was a rogue element with little in the way of certainty about him. This was a unique incident, and that fact was nor apparent than ever before. He couldn't be here, could he? He didn't see us, not thought the rain and the smell…

Her eyes drifted to the window, and they widened. The fire?! You can see it clearly thought the window! Mono you idiot! Her ribcage rang like a drum under the pounding of her heart. The taste of her saliva in her mouth became tangy like swallowing steel.

She shouldn't have trusted Mono's comfort in this. Comfort was a foolish idea!

She bared her teeth and began to creep towards the corner of the house. This can't be happening. Not now!

What was she on about? This was exactly the kind of thing she should have expected to happen. It was typical, and downright frustratingly accurate to how her escapes always went. It would give her just enough time to hope. And considering that the hunter had been above ground when Mono was struggling in the tunnel, she should have thought about the fact he could have seen the light.

Regardless of what Mono said.

She didn't need to strain her eyes to see the man. Just peering around the corner was enough to see his bright yellow lamp. The peering, unblinking eye tracked its surroundings, and settled on the chimney atop the small cabin. She could practically see the confusion on the Monster's face as it watched the smoke lazily rise into the pitch-black sky.

What was she meant to do? How was she meant to handle this thing?

I'll need Mono, I can't leave him alone. It was an uncomfortable idea, and the suggestion upset her stomach more. But If I bring Mono and he gets shot then I'll just be back to square one.

She found her gaze drifting back to the door.
I have to lead it away. I can't risk the alternative.

Mono wouldn't even notice her going, and the fact didn't upset her as much as it probably should have. There was a comfortable feeling about the idea that he would be safe, but it was squashed down by the sheer frustration of this situation. The fact was that this wouldn't have been a problem if they hadn't sat down to eat.

If Mono hadn't tried and just focussed on getting them out, this wouldn't have happened.

Insidious, half-dead breathing hit her. She had to act.

She couldn't let the creature go into the cabin.

She dashed forward, and instantly the creature's light was on her. She flinched, as the bright light brought back memories of those lethal gazes, and she heard the shotgun load. It tracked her, the weapons swinging towards her, but it never fired. She hit the bushes and pushed through them.

Branches and brambles caught her, biting into her skin, but she carried on headlong through the thicket.

She didn't need the silence of the air to tell the creature had begun its hunt. The heavy footfalls became a constant signal of murderous intent. The light kept up with her, constantly sweeping through the green camouflage. Leaves, plump and fresh, masked her. The trees, in an act of betrayal to the creature that called their land its home, served just as well to mask her as they did to compound the Madman.

If his choked gasps were anything to go by then the hunter was not pleased, especially when his grunts were replaced with a deep and demanding snarl of anger. It made a deep part of her extremely pleased. There was a pleasure in angering the beast, a vengeful and spiteful pleasure. She found the sound of its suffering a unique form of comfort, especially when it would angrily swat a branch out of its face.

After all the time spent locked up in a gungy, damp and painful basement, the sound of its pain was just and delicious justice.

There was the sound of an animal, something small but vibrantly aggressive. She found the man's beam stop entirely, and he was distracted for a moment. Had his disturbed some birds, or angered some small creatures? She didn't know.

The boom of the shotgun however, that deafening report into a slow, stressful 'Ck-ching' Into a slow' Clock Clock THUNK' as he snapped the heavy round into its Home and then moved over to pick up whatever he had shot.

It gave her seconds, seconds to bury herself in a tree and prey for the monster to Move on. She's got its focus on her, now all she had to do was ensure that she lived long enough to make sure Mono could catch up and the two could get to the City Island. But she couldn't be certain on that.

I hope Mono's doing better than I am.

It did make her smile though, in a self-deprecating way…

At least I forgot about the rain coat girl…

Ugh, I'm so done with this last week.

Did you know that a company can just decide that you still work for it? Yeah well, apparently my old work place decided that I wasn't actually gone, so I never got my leavers package for holidays and overtime and such. I swear to god, I want one decent company to NOT fuck me over with this stuff. Right ball ache.

And as I said, it ate into writing time.

Hopefully back into normal chapter lengths next week. I've also decided that I'm not gonna tweak the lengths anymore. This is only 2.7k words, and that's just because I didn't have time to re-adjust the story to make up for the changes from the last chapter's length.

Also, we're in the home stretch now for the Forest. Not long left until we can safely say "Done with the hunter, onto the city."

We're nearly there!

And I'm going to go talk with some people and head off to bed. I am really, really tired and just want to sleep.