Third chapter, and a long absence from me. Life's a bastard sometimes, and I admittedly picked a great time to return this since LN3 just got announced (and then delayed) a while back (check that out if you haven't already), but still that's not what you're here for is it? So, gonna skip over the apologizing and do that at the end of the chapter, instead let's rejoin our two characters!

P.S. Content Warning: Graphic Depiction of Violence, Violence Against Animals. This is going to be one of the more brutal sections, but I'll put a CW for it.
P.S.S. - This story was originally gonna be T, but the above (and some other things down the line) is the reason why this had to be changed to M.


Chapter 3 – The Hunted and Fractured


Despite sounding confident, there was a lot that went through Mono's mind in the brief moment as the stale cracker left his hand. 'What if I miss? What if they don't work and we get caught right after?' Doubtful thought after doubtful thought filled his mind. His eyes should have been on his target, but against his better judgment, his eyes moved to Six.

Through her pale, ceramic-like skin and through her messy, unkempt hair that blocked her eyes, he could see the hope on her face. Hope that she had placed in Mono. His earlier burst of anger left behind only a dull ache, and he felt... off when he looked at her. His eyes turned back to the strange stack of alarm clocks, and the doubt cleared. The cracker sliced through the air like a twisted, wheat-based shuriken as another thought surfaced in Mono's mind, louder and more resolute than the doubts he just had. '...I don't have to be alone.'

The noise was deafening. Even having expected it, the noise from dozens of alarms clocked was enough to briefly stun him. With each second, more angry beeps, more metallic tingling, and more noise that drew the Hunter's attention. Mono could see how his clothes bloated with some twisted glee as he leapt towards the distraction. Clocks flew through the air, crashing against the walls and floor, and dying on impact.

His mistake was believing his prey was still in the attic.

There was no need to be silent, not with all the noise, so Six and Mono ran, hastening down the ladder as quickly as their little legs could carry them. The clocks grew quieter, partially from distance but mostly from being silenced by the Hunter's frenzied searching. They ran through the open doorway and were greeted by the nighttime, wilderness chill.

That's when it happened again.

Underneath Mono's khaki trench coat that reached below his knees, he had a brownish-gray shirt comfortably tucked into his long brownish-gray pants, pants that went to his ankles. In relation, Six had half the clothes he did: a charcoal shirt barely peeked from beneath her button-up, stained, gray cardigan, and both of those articles barely reached her knees. He could understand her being cold, but, 'It's like when she hit her leg...'

Her body seized up, her small frame shivering violently. She clutched at her arms, rubbing her pale skin with such intensity that he could see the color change. Without visible eyes, Mono looked towards her mouth for some form of expression and found her breaths were quicker and much more shallow. Mono reached out, gently touching her shoulder. She flinched, batting his hand away at first but her arms quickly resettled on herself, and she stepped away. However, The brief touch was enough for Mono.

She was cold.'She... She might freeze if we're out here for long.' Even if not for himself, survival instincts kicked in as he scanned the area.

There were two crude structures and a large, patchwork fence that had a few animals behind it. Having no need for an open area, Mono focused further on the structures. The first was large, even by his tiny standards. The walls seemed thick, but the building sagged like some unseen giant was sitting on it, and its windows were either shattered or clogged with grime. 'Unkempt, so probably no-one really goes there... but it could be creaky...' Mono then noticed several broken slats in the walls and gaps near the roof. 'Nevermind, its probably just as cold in there as out here.'

He turned to the next building, and it looked better. That wasn't to say it looked good, especially with its crooked door, but all of its windows were intact, and there were other 'openings'. The cabin-like structure was significantly smaller than the one they had just left, and further away, but it was the warmest option by far.

Mono reached out, hesitated, and then opted instead for one of her sleeves. Her face swiveled to him, and to her credit, she did manage to look upset with him through the shivering and her non-visible eyes. He fought the pang that hit his stomach and nodded towards the cabin. She followed his eyes and started to shuffle in the general direction.

He loved animals, and in this moment he was grateful for them. He didn't know if the Hunter had some super special hearing, and he would've been more worried about it as Six and he softly crunched leaves underfoot. However, each soft shuffle, grunt, cluck, and snort covered the noises they made and kept the boy at ease. 'Hmm... I wonder if there are any animals the same size as us. Us...'

His eyes flitted over to Six. 'I... what are we? Not just relationship-wise, but why are we so small?' He tried to think back before meeting Six, before waking up, before the city, and the static started to descend on his mind again. He stopped before it could get painful, but the frown still found its way onto his face. 'And why can't I remember anything? Can she? How could I even get an answer when she can't respond?'

His eyes flitted back to her. They were about to pass the doors to the first, larger building, and her shivers hadn't stopped, but they weren't as intense as before, almost normal for this level of light chill. Mono's eyes with her hands drifted towards her stomach. He knew that look, and he knew he could help. He slipped his hand into his pocket, fishing out what was left of the salted food/projectile. He knew he had picked up at least 4, and with the one she ate (and he threw) earlier, he expected to have at least three.

His heart dipped when he only pulled one from his pocket. 'Wha- The floorboards!' Mono stifled his groan as best as he could, but the noise and his pause caused Six to turn around. Her eyes darted to the food he held in his hand, and his body reacted. Without a moment's hesitation, he snapped a small piece off – no larger than a corner – and pocketed it. Six made an unpleasant sound, but before she could resume her walk, he held the remainder out for her.

Her eyes (he could tell because of her head's angle) fell on the offering. "You didn't get to finish your first one," Mono whispered. "so... here." Her lips tightened, but he wasn't sure what emotion she was expressing. She wasn't moving. 'I... probably should've waited until we were inside to do this. Stupid wanting-to-be-friendly Mono,' he thought. He would've flicked himself, but that would have constituted moving. 'And if I move, she might think I'll attack her again... and that would be worse... guess I'll be playing statue for a bit.'

As the seconds passed, Mono found that the still very looming threat of the Hunter felt a little more... distant. Not gone, not even close, but the longer he looked at her, the more everything just... softened? He wasn't sure how long had passed – it could've been ten minutes for all he knew – but finally, she licked her lips and shuffled closer. Her hands unraveled from their self-hug, twitched towards the cracker, then drew back. Her lips tightened again, and this time, he recognized it: frustration.

Then, slowly, she leaned forward.

If it weren't for the warmth of her breath brushing against his fingers, he would think his brain was playing a really, really strange hallucination out in real time. Her lips brushed briefly against his fingers, and while his survival instincts screamed, She's going to eat you!, and the analytical portion of his mind pointed out her lips were also cold, the overwhelming majority of him... felt warmer. The bite was gentle, almost careful, with a barely audible snap. It sent a slight shiver through him.

'...am I a weirdo?' He couldn't help but watch as she chewed. Her head angled towards him, and the gentle crunch-crunch of the cracker was one of two things he could hear, the other being his increasing heartbeat. 'Huh... I might be.'

She swallowed, and the process began anew. Bit by bit, snap by snap, the cracker slowly disappeared until only the grains of salt and barest of crumbs were left. She pulled back slightly, her breath hitching before a sudden sneeze escaped her. Her head turned to him again, and Mono could swear her lips were curl-

Bark!

The sound shattered the peaceful fantasy. His racing heart took on a new meaning, and his eyes snapped to the direction of the sound. Mono loved animals, but that was because he did not want to generalize all animals. When the animal in question was openly hostile or clearly wanted to hurt him, then he hated them.

The dog, some hunting breed, was ugly. The dim moonlight made the creature more menacing as its matted, black fur made it seem like it was part shadow. Said fur was torn in several places, revealing patches of raw and inflamed – Bark! – skin underneath, and the parts that weren't patchy had odd mushroom-like growths on them. It's head seemed too big for its body, and even from afar – Bark! – its eyes glowed red with bloodlust.

The chain rattled again and again as it pulled against its restraints. Mono and Six were some ways away from the main cabin, but both could still hear the frantic gurgling and groaning noises that escaped from it. 'The Hunter's behind us, and a dog in front of us. Could risk it, but no way of knowing how long the Bark! chain is.'

"S-" The girl was already moving towards the nearby building. Mono trailed closely, letting the barking of the dog blend away as he willed his body forward. The building's squat steps sagged under her weight and then his. His watched as Six threw her body against the door, the brief rattling confirming that it was locked. Panic surged through him as he turned his head, the faintest sound of creaking wood drawing his attention. His breath hitched as he made out the Hunter's stocky body scrambling down from the attic.

Six let out an exclamatory noise, and before he even registered what was happening, Mono found himself beside her. She was tugging on a loose plank near the door, and he was quick to join her, tugging with all his might. The rough texture bit into his arms, but the adrenaline dulled the sensation. He wanted so desperately to see if they were within eyeshot of the Hunter, but he pushed on until the plank finally gave way. It didn't snap, but it groaned as it was bent at an unnaturally high angle. The two tumbled through.

If it wasn't for the moonlight that streamed through the cracked window, Mono doubted he would've been able to see. He couldn't make out much more besides old crates and rusted tools, and once he verified that there were no other creatures, he did not need to. He tugged the girl with him behind one of the crates and crouched behind it. He took a deep breath, trying to let his heartbeat settle. He turned to see how his new companion was doing.

Six's shoulder slammed into his nose.

His vision swam. Words started to form, but the Hunter's lantern's light was visible through one of the gaps in the rickety walls, so he bit down. A clawed jab connected with his stomach, doubling him over. Dazed, he raised his hands to try and shield his face and chest, but some part of her struck his injured foot and sent him to the ground. The forgotten leg pain from earlier returned with a vengeance, amplified by the dull thwack as Mono's bag-covered head slammed into the wooden floors. He turned, trying his best to raise his hands to block, but strange punches and elbows were unpredictable and continued to slam into him.

Pschzt... The hunter's light seemed to taunt him as it stopped moving. He wanted so desperately to tell her to stop or even ask why she was attacking him, but that would no doubt attract the Hunter's attention if the sounds of her hitting him already hadn't.

Bzzz-rrr... Mono curled into a fetal position, finding it made defending his entire body significantly easier. Szzz... After the eighth or so strike, the earlier anger he had suppressed began to bubble back to the surface. Popazckrt...

He wanted to hurt her.

The flurry of violence started to calm down just as the Hunter's light slipped from Mono's field of view. Without much of anything to see, instinct propelled Mono. He balled up his fist and swung it in the direction Six was, but the pain that laced up his arm immediately told him that he did not in fact hit the girl. 'N-no, I need to see.' He pushed his body towards the cracked window, guided by desperation. Once submerged in the moonlight, he did a quick revolution to make sure he was safe. 'S-she's crazy! No, she's even w-worse than that.'

He kept his eyes on his surroundings, feeling around until his fingers brushed against a shard of glass. He carefully grasped the jagged object, and after a quick sweep of the area for any signs of danger, he pulled it closer to inspect himself. He had to shift his bag upwards to see, and he partially wished he didn't. His nose was bruised, tinted purple, and slightly enlarged from the mute girl's assault. His lips did not fare much better; his top lip was bloodied and split open, and he didn't need the shard to feel the small cuts along his arms and chest.

The wood creaked, and he held the glass like an oddly shaped dagger; it would become very soon. Six made no effort to hide as she stepped into the beam of moonlight. She slowly approached the boy, her expression unreadable. Mono did not give her the chance to hurt him again, lunging forward, arm cocked backward with the glass ready to strike. To his surprise, she did not dodge. She did not flinch. Instead, she stood still, her posture resigned and accepting. His hesitation was even confusing to himself as he took in the confusing girl before him.

The girl that he had saved from being trapped.

The girl that attacked him below the attic.

The girl that did her best to bandage his injured leg.

The girl that gave him a broken nose, a split lip, and several cuts after he shared his only piece of food with her.

The girl that reached into her pocket and produced a dusty, aged looking rag and offered it to him.

Mono did not know what to feel, so he simply did not. He snatched the rag from her hand, not meeting her 'gaze'. The filthy cloth was useless to him, so he pocketed it, ignoring how his sadness, anger, betrayal, happiness, and longing swirled together until he could no longer tell them apart.

As he stood there, a wave of exhaustion crashed over him. Mono had not had a full night's sleep, and that, plus all the events of the night, had finally caught up to his weary body. Mono leaned against the wall, finally aware of how cool the air that seeped through the window was. He jaw unclenched, but Six was not in the moonlit area. He scanned the darkness for any sign of her, and he couldn't shake the feeling that she could just be watching... waiting...

He didn't succumb to blissful unconsciousness, fearful of what might happen if he did. His thoughts were scattered, but they all came to the same conclusion after some point or another. 'I should never have let her out of that room.'

The coolness of the nighttime air helped keep him awake, as did seeing the Hunter's light pass by at irregular intervals. What helped most was the sound of grunting and the metallic scrape of something against the wood. Six was doing something, and it pained him that he couldn't see what.

'She's not trying to kill me, but then... why?' Without much else to do, he let the train of thought run free. 'Is she going to give me to the Hunter? No, well... maybe he would have me take her place in the basement?' He... he didn't hate that thought. He shuddered once he realized the implication. 'No. I can work with her still, but she's unreliable. If it comes down to it...'

Mono didn't get to finish that thought. For the umpteenth time that night, a sound grabbed his attention. Scratching. Persistent scratching. The noise grew louder, and then a low growl came from behind him. He shifted slightly, peeking through the tiny, coin-sized opening.

A pair of wild, bloodshot eyes met his. 'No, no, no, nononono not like this.'

Adrenaline would have spurred him into motion, but his body had none left to give. Instead, he forced himself upright, his weary and heavy muscles begging for the comfort of his seated position, but he knew that if he did not move said muscles, they would be in the dog's maw soon.

He was able to make it into the non-moonlit portion of the shed before the dog's body lunged through the broken window, tearing chunks off its fur and dragging glass shards inside. The creature looked more grotesque up close, especially with its teeth bared in a snarl that revealed its mouth full of jagged, yellowed teeth.

The dog, the creature, turned its head upwards and let out a howl. Howl was a generous word; it was more akin to a piercing wail that echoed off the walls and even further into the quiet night. Mono didn't speak dog-beast, but he could easily figure out what a 'call Hunter' signal looked like. His weary body slumped against a crate, unable to do anything but radiate despair.

'I should never have let her out of that room.' He ducked behind an opened box and gripped the glass shard with such intensity that he could feel it drawing blood, but he... well, that wouldn't matter if he died here would it?

And then the howling stopped, cut out. Mono peaked over one of the folds and saw the dog looking down, confused.

[CW Start] Confused at Six, who had calmly stepped into the monstrosity's line of sight.

'What are you doing?!' The creature, snapped out of its shock, let out another growl, its eyes radiating hunger and malice. Six lowered her body to the ground, almost mimicking the dog's stance. She moved before the dog, her tiny form darting backwards as the dog lunged at her. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the dark, and even with that, he could barely keep track of the two.

The creature's maw slammed into a stack of crates, kicking up dust and splinters into its face. It flinched, and in that moment Six seized a metal rod from somewhere, brandished it like a spear, and stabbed it into the creature's eye.

That same piercing wail rocked the building as the rod sank into the thin eye membrane. Dark viscous fluid spilled from the wound. It howled, thrashing violently, its massive body bucking and convulsing to dislodge the spear. It was successful, sending the pipe flying towards Mono, where it clattered by his feet. He looked to the... wet... pipe and realized that it had been sharpened.

'She was preparing for this the entire time.' The dog, now more furious and partially blind, bit down onto Six. Mono's heart lurched. Her limbs flailed as it yanked her upwards. The dog's jaws had snapped around Six' cardigan instead of her flesh, and that fabric stretched taut as the creature threw her upwards and extended its drooling maw.

She twisted, brandishing a shard of glass she had hidden and threw it downwards. The sound it let out was a vile combination of vomiting, gagging, and screaming out in pain. The creature threw it head side to side, letting out horrific choking and gurgling sounds as it slammed its head into more crates, stray tools, and the jagged debris that she had arranged.

She landed with a rough thud, a pained noise escaping her lips. He felt pathetic hearing that noise, and even more so as she pressed her arm to the side and began to limp away from the madly flailing creature. 'She's...'

The choking and gurgling sounds ended as it heaved the shard from its throat, the dark fluid looking at home in its dark fur. It staggered forward, gnashing its teeth clearly injured by the equally injured girl. And still she did not hesitate, clutching her injured side as she moved to the only part of the shed they hadn't been — past him.

He didn't even realize he had pocketed the glass. Or picked up the pipe. It was heavy, heavier than anything he had ever held in his small hands before. He'd known terror before, but seeing her, a girl even smaller than he was, keep moving despite her injuries filled him with energy he didn't know he had. She limped past him, and she didn't hesitate; she didn't even glance in his direction as she pushed onward. 'She's incredible.'

So he did the same. The beast wobbled unaware, or perhaps uncaring, of the boy. Said boy let out a cry as he pushed himself forward and thrust the rod at the beast's head. It pierced into its open wound, driving deeper with a sickening squelch as he forced his weight behind it.

The beast's head snapped back, and it let out another violent howl. It jerked its head to the side, flinging Mono backwards like a ragdoll. His world spun, and then it didn't. His vision swam, but he still was able to find one of the mute girl's many many doubles.

So did the creature based on how it threw its entire body weight towards her. 'She's...'

There was a click as she dove aside. The creature crashed against the metal hook by the lever, driving it deep into its flesh. The pointed edge tore through its side, and then it was rended upwards.

The following sounds would haunt Mono for a long time. It staggered and struggled against the newfound pain, but that only forced the hook deeper into its flesh. It trashed, whimpering, almost begging sending debris flying as it struck the wall with it's sickening thuds.

[CW End] Mono felt disgusted with himself. He understood that this needed to be done, but he still felt bad about the act. His vision finally started to clear, and he looked towards Six, and it was hard to tell with the low light and the lack of visible eyes, but she just... stared. There was no twitch of her lips, no fidgeting of her body, just deafening, impassive silence.

'She... She... S-she's a monster.'

The weight on Mono's brain kept building and building as a heavy static began to was over him, buzing like thousands of angry bees. His vision started to swim again, and he was really trying to focus, but he could only see double – another version of her flickering from behind her.

Fzzz... Bzz.. The colors were starting to bleed together as Six – Six – Six – SixSta.. ooom...Saaaa..

She – Her – started to step closer her – she – movements, unnervingly rigid. She – Her – reached over to him and-

The old hook couldn't hold onto the weight of the dog's body, and it gave out, the sudden crash blasting the two into the well-lit area beneath the cracked window. Mono didn't hit the ground hard, but the sight before him was out of a nightmare.

Zzzzt... Whi... The dog's body lay crumpled in several heaps, each one either having limbs twisted at unnatural angles or a grotesque display of gore. And then, as if properlled by some unseen force, a severed paw rolled across the floor, coming to a stop just inches from Six.

The girl slowly pulled herself up and looked at the paw. She leaned forward and dread pooled in Mono's stomach as he watched her. Tss...sss... Blip...

There was a squelch, and... she transformed. Her posture mimicked the quadruped nature of the dog, and even more the way she crouched, the way she tilted her head, everything echoed that – that creature's predatory instincts. Ppppp...Fwo...

He was at the very edge of the window's light. Her head tilted curiously as she moved on all fours, trailing blood over to him as she slowly skulked forward. He shuffled back, further into the dark. 'I should never have let her out of that room.'

The doorknob rattled, both the room's small inhabitants turning towards the sound. There was no light shining through the walls; he didn't have his light. Her head snapped towards him, and he could imagine her jagged, yellowed teeth pulling against his arms, the way her eyes shone with bloodlust as she looked at him. 'If it comes down to it...'

The glass shard felt hot in his pockets. He reached for it. She turned and lunged at him. 'S-she's a monster.'

The shard connected, and he didn't need to see where. He kicked with all the force he could muster, sending the girl flying towards the door and him further into the darkness.

She slowly rose, fingers gingerly wrapping around the glass shard embedded in her forehead.

It was easily the most grotesque of all the scars she had, but not the only one. Her pale skin was marred, a landscape of cuts and bruises that showed how hard she fought. Mono could see them all; her clothes hung in tatters, almost completely torn apart by the dog, revealing the wounds that lay beneath. The only parts that remained covered were private, but in that moment, the boy didn't focus on that.

Her eyes were red. Ruby red.

Mono could see the confusion etched on her face, a fleeting moment before it twisted into anguish. Her brow furrowed, and then her expression crumbled as tears streamed down her cheeks. His heart twisted painfully at the sight of her breaking down, at the sight of the creature he almost had called 'friend'. Her body began to convulse, wracked with horrible sounds that echoed through the room—sounds that resembled crying, begging, and the single word "why."

The door opened.

"I'm sorry."

The Hunter's grip tightened her, fingers digging into her flesh as he pulled her close.

"I-I'm sorry."

The Hunter paused, glancing back towards the remains of his dead pet. A disappointed sound escaped him, but all Mono could hear was Six. "Why?"

All he could hear was her begging for an explanation that would never come


So yeah, apologies for being late :P. Really and truly though, life was pretty rough for a bit, but the main person who really got me back into this was: Chuck B. Winanaki. You may wonder who that is, this person is the first and second reviewer and I kind of single-handedly owe them for getting me back into writing. But yeah, the canon divergence has gone crazy, the Hunter is still alive, Mono and Six have... issues now, and Mono seems to be using his powers before he even should have access to them.

Lot's of crazy stuff planned, so stick around, or leave I can't really hold you hostage :)