THE TOWER

Confusion…
This is the sensation Mono felt when he was let go. Like the one he tried to release from her twisted nightmare let go of him. It was only moments ago when he tried to save her from whatever torment the Thin Man put her through. Every time the hammer swung down and crushed that infernal music box even more so; Mono could feel his friend becoming freer and freer. At the same time, however, Mono also noticed his environment degrading as lumps and mounds of grayish flesh started lining the walls. It was only until the music box was destroyed that the flesh truly acted. Chasing both Mono and Six through that corridor. Mono seeing the screen at the end of it all. Freedom, at last, he and Six would finally be free of this nightmare. Free to leave the Pale City and the nightmarish abominations that inside. Free to have some smidgen of hope that it was all over. Although unfortunately for Mono's case hopes were meant to be crushed. As he made that final leap to the other side his loyal friend catching him and getting ready to pull him up. But Six didn't pull Mono up, she hesitated. Mono looking up with hope and joy that they had won looked into Six's eyes. They were not of joy and hope as he had. They were looking down in confusion, realization, and then anger. Before Mono could ask what was wrong, he felt the sensation of falling and then…

Darkness…
When Mono woke up, he noticed a couple of things. First, he was unfortunately still alive; he was hoping the fall would have put him out of his misery after Six's betrayal. The second thing he noticed was the ground under his feet was moving. It took a few seconds to realize that he was standing on the pulsating mass that chased after him before. Why it was supporting him he didn't know but that wasn't going to stop him from achieving his new goal.

Goal…
That word left a sour taste in his mouth as he remembered. At first, he only had one goal which was the destruction of the signal tower. He hid away in the woods after a freak accident involving a broken tv and a viewer. He supposed that was the first time he ever used his abilities, hiding like a coward and running away. He survived in the woods for an exceptionally long time usually relying on the branches of the trees to evade the hunter who seemed only interested in the most dangerous game. It was only until that one night when he finally saw her. It was another night for the Hunter to scope out the woods trying to find a victim to add to his horrible habits. Mono knew to take to the branches again. He knew the route the Hunter would take so he knew how to avoid him/it. However, it was this night that Mono realized he was being watched. Turning his paper bag-covered head, he looked down to see a girl looking back up to him. The girl just watching him almost dumbfounded and Mono staring right back. He watched as the girl took a couple of steps forward only to be seen and caught by the Hunter. By that point, Mono had already disappeared into the foliage still spectating. Mono then had a second goal, to find, and rescue the girl.

Though that decision REALLY worked out well for him. Shaking his head from those memories he started to walk on the flesh. The sting of Six's betrayal causing tears to spill from his eyes. It felt like he was walking for hours, his feet aching needing a break. It was given to him for out in the distance sitting on top of a taller mound of flesh was a chair. Mono, dead-tired and ready to collapse slowly clambered up to the chair and took a seat. Mono catching his breath looked up to see the walls around him and lining those walls were dozens of eyes. Some of them glaring, others just staring, and the rest gleeful as they got closer and closer until they perfectly molded a square room with a small light, a tv, and a chair. Mono didn't even notice because by that point he was so lost in his thoughts about his previous adventure… his previous nightmare.

5 years later

A lot had happened since that fateful day well a lot happened to Mono. What only felt like hours were in truth days and what felt like days were in actuality years. Mono had grown up to a tall individual. The tower provided a change of clothes and the room transformed to fit his now large yet thin stature. Despite that, he never forgot that day. He never let go from that day. He was contemplating everything he went through. Trying to understand what led him to his fate. What had he done to Six that was so bad that she would leave him to die?

Whilst doing so realized a few more things. One, the tower in of itself was a sentient creature. Where it came from Mono didn't know but he did know what its intent was. Survival and Mono wasn't sure what that exactly meant for him. Though he did know the tower wasn't going to let Mono leave for every time Mono approached the doorway the tower growled and pulled the door away from him. The walls changing back to eyes and flesh glaring back at Mono. Mono closing his eyes and covering his ears as a thousand voices wailed and screamed at him for trying to leave. Mono tried to use the tv to get out but to no avail.

Instead, the tower only used it to taunt him showing his previous adventure. As the tv flipped through the different moments of his life Mono had the unfortunate realization of who he truly was. He was the monster that he had released from the door at the end of the hallway. He was the monster that kidnapped Six twice and put her through her torment before Mono could release. He was the monster that died by his own hands, he was the Thin Man.

He then noticed all the wonderful times he had with his friend. The times on the playground where they had a small game of soccer with Six usually getting the ball into the goal. When Mono had rescued Six from the bullies and that truly began their bond. Every time Mono was sucked into a tv it was always Six who pulled him out. Six was a loyal friend to him and it was only his choices both past and future that led to her "betrayal." He destroyed the only thing that gave Six any remaining comfort whilst in that monster state. At the end, when Six caught just as they had reached freedom, she had then saw his face and felt fear.

"What have I done?" he wondered. It appeared that in a way it was his own choices that led him to his fate. "No, that can't be true, I would never have done that to Six." Mono decided at that moment that it was not Six's fault that he was left here. It was ironically his fault, his actions that lead to his fate.

The tower sensing his emotional change grew to fury and hatred as the room once again attacked Mono with cries and fury. The eyes staring him down this time with malice and hunger. Mono found himself slowly sinking into the tower's floor.

It was then that Mono realized who his true enemy was. The tower always wanted to survive, to be eternal. To do so it had to feed on something or someone. That was his fate to be eaten by the tower to be just another meal before moving on the next. "My previous self must have realized this too, however, he desired revenge on Six." Mono realized. "The original plan of my predecessor had to have been leaving Six here to be absorbed into the tower drawing out her life to be a painful one."

Mono decided at once he wouldn't let the same thing happen to him. As he was being absorbed, he saw the tv flicker one last time to where he had started his journey. Mono with the last of his strength reached out to the tv remembering that his predecessor had reached out to him similarly to free himself. "I will not lose myself to this fate."

Mono then began transforming his consciousness into a signal. "I will save both myself and Six from this fate." Everything that was Mono's mind began to get sucked into the tv.

Before Mono was completely gone from his body, he decided to leave one thing behind. The hatred he had of Six for so long; wouldn't serve much of a purpose to him anymore. "Hold on my friend I'm coming." As Mono's consciousness disappeared completely the mass of eyeballs noticing the now comatose old man being dragged into the floor. The eyes shifted their gaze to the tv and began to drift towards it.